💧 Tobavarchkhili: The Trek to Samegrelo's Silver Lake at 2,650 Metres

Tobavarchkhili, the largest of the lakes on the Egrisi range, sits at roughly 2,650 metres in the Chkhorotsku Municipality of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, inside Samegrelo National Park. Sources give slightly different figures for its elevation, from 2,634 to 2,650 metres, with no single agreed number, so treat it as a range.

The place is remote and largely untouched by mass tourism, and that's precisely what defines it: the lake is reachable for roughly six weeks a year, and getting there takes nearly a week of self-supported trekking. What you get in return is mirror-still water reflecting the surrounding cliffs, and almost no one else around.

🔤 What the Name Means, and Why There's More Than One

The name translates as "silver lake," a reference to the clear, mirror-like water. Its etymology is read differently across sources, some tie it to the Mingrelian language, others to Old Georgian, and there's no single verified version. Locals typically shorten it to simply "Toba," meaning "lake."

Worth understanding: "Tobavarchkhili" isn't the unique name of one body of water. It's what several clear mountain lakes in this alpine zone are called, and the name often refers to a whole cluster: Tobavarchkhili itself, the fairly large Lake Okhodje (also known as Tsashkibuli Toba, meaning "small lake"), and several smaller pools nearby.

🏔️ What the Egrisi Range Is

The Egrisi range stretches roughly 62 km in length and 37 km across, covering the municipalities of Mestia, Tsalenjikha, Chkhorotsku, Martvili, Lentekhi and Tsageri. Its highest point, Mount Lakumurashdudi, reaches 3,255 metres. Several karst massifs sit along its southern belt: Tsulishi, Kvira, Migaria and Askhi.

The range feeds several of the region's rivers: the Magana, Tekhuri, Khobi, Tkheishi, Kasleti and others. Tobavarchkhili's own outflow is a waterfall that drops into the Magana valley, and the Magana goes on to carve a canyon further downstream.

🌲 How the Landscape Changes as You Climb

One of the more interesting things about this route is that over a few days you pass through several completely different natural zones, and the scenery shifts visibly around you.

📜 The Lake's Legends

Several stories attach to Tobavarchkhili, passed on by guides and residents of the surrounding villages. In one, a descendant of God named Aramkhutu washed a wound here, at the sacred lake, after a fight against an evil giant while defending the place. Another local belief holds that dipping your hand into the water will bring on rain and a thunderstorm, which is why people treat the water here with some caution.

All of this is oral tradition, not documented fact. Take it as local folklore, the kind that gives the lake the status of a revered rather than merely scenic place. Visitors, incidentally, have given the Tobavarchkhili area an unofficial name of their own: the "magic lakes."

🥾 The Route: What to Expect

The way to Tobavarchkhili runs through the Khobistskali valley and is dense with natural features. Part of the journey is usually covered by off-road vehicle, which brings groups as far as the area around Mount Natipuru (roughly 2,055 metres), and from there it's on foot.

The hut deserves a mention of its own. If you find local shepherds there, you may get to try elarji, a traditional Mingrelian dish of cornmeal with stretchy cheese folded through it. You'll likely also hear those lake legends firsthand rather than secondhand. If Mingrelian food is new to you, it's worth reading up on the dishes of western Georgia beforehand so you know what's being offered.

From there the route traverses Mount Natipuru past green meadows, then drops slightly to a beech forest with cascading waterfalls, where groups usually stop for lunch and a rest. After that comes the climb to the Okhodje pass, past cliffs and scree slopes, and one of the passes on the route reaches roughly 2,900 metres.

⏱️ How Long It Takes, and How Hard It Is

Honesty matters here, because this route gets underestimated regularly. According to tour operators, the trek runs six to seven days and is entirely self-supported, meaning no shops, no signal, and no chance to resupply along the way.

Total elevation gain exceeds 2,000 metres. The route includes mountain river crossings, glacier sections, and technically demanding ascents and descents. Organisers state outright that prior mountain trekking experience is required, and advise contacting them in advance if you have doubts about your fitness. This isn't a route where you learn as you go.

On the weather: snowfields turn up on the route even in August, and night temperatures at around 3,000 metres can drop to freezing. Sharp temperature swings and fast-changing conditions are the norm here, not the exception.

🗓️ When You Can Actually Get There

The access window is genuinely narrow: by trek organisers' estimates, the lakes are reachable for only about six weeks a year, in the height of the warm season. The rest of the time, the passes and trails are under snow.

That's probably the main reason Tobavarchkhili stays quiet even as its reputation grows: you physically cannot show up whenever you feel like it.

📌 What to Sort Out Before You Go

The key decision gets made at home: this route is either done with an organised group and an experienced guide, or not done at all. Setting out alone without multi-day mountain trekking experience and local knowledge isn't safe here, particularly given the glaciers, the river crossings and the complete lack of support.

Plan strictly within the seasonal window and check current conditions in advance: snow conditions vary from year to year, and the route may open earlier one season and later the next.

Have you been to Tobavarchkhili? Leave a review on Madloba: tell us which route you took, how many days it ran, whether you hit snowfields, and what first-timers planning this trek should know.

Information is current as of July 2026. Trail conditions, snow cover and route accessibility change from season to season. Before a multi-day trek, check the current situation with local guides and the Samegrelo National Park administration.

Read also

• At 2,379 Metres: The History Behind Krestovy Pass and Its 1824 Cross
• Silver Lakes of Samegrelo: A Guide to the Toba Lakes of the Egrisi Range
• The Chalaadi Trek in Svaneti: Route, Altitude, Timing and the One Safety Rule