The fares Mestia's own decrees and timetables publish — every village bus, every intercity van, the flight — and the rides nobody has ever published a price for.
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What a ride out of Mestia is supposed to cost. The municipality has set the fare for every village bus by decree and publishes the intercity table, both as Georgian-language documents most people never find; the airline publishes its own. The shared vans up to Ushguli and the taxis to the trailheads have no published price at all, and this page says so rather than dressing a range up as a tariff.
Eight numbered routes bring the municipality's villages down to Mestia, run by LLC "Mestia Municipality Transport". The fare for each is set by decree and does not change with the season or the driver. The times are the gap: no timetable for routes №1–№8 is published anywhere, so the hotline is the only way to get them.
| From |
|---|
| One way into Mestia |
|---|
Mestia and Lenjeri Route №1 — the town itself and the next village up the valley. | 1 GEL |
Latali Route №8. | 2 GEL |
Becho and Tskhumari Route №7 — the Dolra valley turn-off under Ushba. | 3 GEL |
Etseri Route №6. | 4 GEL |
Pari Route №5. | 5 GEL |
Lakhamula Route №4 — where the climb into Upper Svaneti steepens. | 6 GEL |
Nakra Route №3. | 7 GEL |
Khaishi and Chuberi Route №2 — the far end of the municipality, down in the Enguri gorge. | 8 GEL |
Sakrebulo Decree №15 · Adopted 30 October 2024
The municipality publishes the intercity table for the vans that leave Mestia's two stations — the fare, how often, and when. Everything here goes early: the day's departures are all at 08:00 except the second Zugdidi van.
| To | One way | Departures | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|
Zugdidi Station №1, twice a day each way — the railhead, and the leg most people are overcharged on. About four hours. | 35 GEL | 08:00, 12:00 | 12:00, 15:00 |
Kutaisi Station №1, once a day. | 40 GEL | 08:00 | — |
Tbilisi — Vagzali (station square) Station №1, once a day. A long day on the road. | 50 GEL | 08:00 | — |
Tbilisi — Samgori Station №2, once a day. | 50 GEL | 08:00 | — |
Batumi Station №1, once a day. | 50 GEL | 08:00 | 15:00 |
Vanilla Sky publishes its Mestia fares openly, and they have not moved: 90 GEL to Natakhtari is the current adult price, not a historic one. The flight is a weather bet — it runs under visual flight rules only and cancels for morning fog; a cancellation means a refund or the next seat, never compensation.
| Route | Adult | Child 3–12 |
|---|---|---|
Natakhtari (Tbilisi) ⇄ Mestia About an hour in the air against a long day on the road. | 90 GEL | 63 GEL |
Kutaisi ⇄ Mestia | 50 GEL | 35 GEL |
None of these is a municipal route, and no authority has ever set a price for them. What follows is the range travellers and guesthouses reported through 2026 — useful for knowing when a quote is far out, useless as something to insist on.
Not an official tariff
| Ride | Reported |
|---|---|
Mestia → Ushguli, a seat in a shared van Vans back thin out after lunch and the last leave around 15:00. Past mid-afternoon it is a private ride or a night in a guesthouse. | 20–40 GEL |
Mestia → the Chalaadi glacier trailhead bridge, by taxi Nine or ten kilometres east of town; the walk starts at the suspension bridge. | about 60 GEL |
The Adishi river crossing, by horse Day three of the Mestia–Ushguli trek fords a glacier-fed river. Cross early, when the water is lowest; a local horseman ferries walkers across through the season. | 20–25 GEL |
Mestia Municipality
The Sakrebulo sets the village bus tariffs by decree and the mayor's office publishes the intercity table. The hotline is where to check a fare or a departure, and where an overcharge goes.
If you are asked for more
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Mestia bus station №1 — Soso
The number the municipality publishes for the intercity vans. Worth a call the day before in season, and after any road closure.