Ancient towers, monasteries, fortresses and temples are the sights of Georgia in Svaneti.

Samegrelo and Svaneti are two northwestern regions of Georgia that are completely opposite to each other. The plain of the foothills – Samegrelo – is densely populated, while Svanetia, located far away in the mountains, it is considered the most attractive area of Georgia, where numerous travelers come. They stay in Samegrelo for a short time, only to rest and continue their way to the mountains.

Do you know which city is as important to Georgia as Troy is to the Greeks? This is the city of Nokalakevi or Archeopolis, which is located in the Senaki district, and was the Byzantine capital of Egrisi, as well as, according to some sources, one of the oldest kingdoms of the Bronze Age (35/33–13/11 centuries BC) – Colchis. Ceramics of that time were found there.

Here you will not find numerous monuments of the Medieval era, churches, temples. There are also not as many monasteries as in other regions, but you should see the ancient unique Megrelian monastery of Chkondidi with elaborate stone carvings, preserved to this day, which is located near the town of Martvili. It was the center of the scientific and cultural life of the region, as was the Gelat Monastery.

Chkondidi became the tomb of the Abkhazian kings. It is also worth visiting the Russian Fortress and the ancient fortress of Anaklia near Zugdidi, where the Inguri mountain river flows into the sea. In Samegrelo there is access to the sea, and there is also the main port of Georgia – Poti, and Kolkheti National Park awaits nature lovers.

After seeing the sights of Samegrelo, feel free to go to the highest point of Georgia – Svaneti, almost the entire territory of which is above 1000 m above sea level, and a little more than half of the region is at an altitude of more than 2000 m. At an altitude of about 2500 m above sea level is the highest mountain settlement in Europe – the village Ushguli in Upper Svaneti.

The climate, inhabitants, architecture, culture and life itself – everything in Svaneti is exotic and unusual. Serfdom and nobility were not familiar to people who once lived here. Svans are residents of Svaneti, never participated in wars to seize foreign territory, only in the early 19th century people of this area learned about the Russian Orthodox Church. Svans are well aware of the tradition of blood feud that exists today. Svans are unusual, proud and very freedom–loving people, even compared to other regions of Georgia, and it is not surprising that the Georgians themselves treat them with some apprehension and consider them others, strangers.

Svaneti received the name "Land of a Thousand Towers" for its ancestral Svan towers with a height of 10-20 meters, which were built in the golden age of Svaneti, during the reign of Queen Tamara. Unfortunately, few of them have been preserved, for example, in Mestia There are 48 of them, while the village of Gobi has only one left in the whole of Lower Svaneti. They were built as hidden fortifications to shelter residents during enemy attacks.

You will never refuse to visit Svaneti if your love is majestic mountains and incredibly beautiful mountain landscapes, the peaks of which are covered with snow–white eternal snow and glaciers. There are many waterfalls that can fascinate everyone, turning into stormy mountain rivers. Also in these places you will find small villages that are located right on the cliffs, and pastoral meadows with grazing cattle. In Places where the population numbers about 1,600 people, actively develop ski resort, for this purpose, its airport was designed and built in 2011, no less amazing due to its architecture than the mountains.