Duration: 6 days / 5 nights camping | Total Distance: ~50 km

Max Elevation: 2,900m (Day 3 pass) | Difficulty: Challenging

Tour Highlights

• Discover Tobavarchkhili Lakes – Georgia’s most beautiful and remote alpine lakes
• Trek through completely wild, uninhabited mountain wilderness
• Cross the Egrisi Range at nearly 2,900 meters elevation
• Camp beside waterfalls with unforgettable sunset views
• Traverse the pristine gorges of the Khobistskali and Magana rivers
• Experience true wilderness camping – no guesthouses, no crowds, no compromise
• Professional guide with extensive Egrisi Range experience
• Witness landscapes untouched by tourism or development

Samegrelo remains one of Georgia’s least-explored trekking regions, and Tobavarchkhili represents its crown jewel. While most visitors flock to Svaneti or Kazbegi, the Egrisi Range offers something they cannot: complete solitude in pristine wilderness.

The Tobavarchkhili Lakes have no guesthouses on their shores, no marked trails leading to Instagram viewpoints, no tour buses disgorging day-trippers. What they offer instead is raw, unfiltered mountain beauty – glacial waters reflecting snow-capped peaks, alpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers, and the profound silence that only true wilderness provides.

This trek demands respect. The terrain is challenging, the weather unpredictable, and help is far away if problems arise. But our experienced guides know these mountains intimately – every water source, every campsite, every weather pattern. With proper preparation and the right team, Tobavarchkhili delivers an adventure that will rank among your life’s most memorable experiences.

The lakes themselves are extraordinary. Tsashkibulish Tobavarchkhili – “Heaven’s Stairs Silver Lake” – sits in a glacial cirque at 2,500 meters. Okhoje Tobavarchkhili – “Red Mount Silver Lake” – reflects the distinctive rust-colored peaks that give it its name. Each lake has its own character, its own mood, its own story written in stone and ice over millennia.

Photos by guide Nutsa Tskimanauri

Transfer: Tbilisi to Mukhuri, then 25 km by off-road vehicle (4-5 hours) | Hiking: 5 km | Elevation: 1,900m – 2,300m | Overnight: Camping at Natifuro

We depart early from Tbilisi, driving west through the Colchic lowlands toward the town of Chkhorotsku. At Mukhuri village, paved roads end and the adventure begins. A rugged 25-kilometer track climbs into the Egrisi foothills – this journey alone takes 4-5 hours by special off-road vehicle, winding through forests and across streams that hint at the wildness ahead.

From the vehicle’s endpoint, a 5-kilometer walk brings us to Natifuro, our first campsite at 2,300 meters. As we set up camp, the last traces of civilization disappear behind us. Tonight’s dinner is cooked over camp stoves under a canopy of stars undimmed by any artificial light. Tomorrow, we enter the true wilderness.

Hiking: 7-8 hours | Pass Altitude: 2,700m | Lake Altitude: 2,500m | Overnight: Camping at first lake

Today is demanding – and extraordinary. The trail climbs steadily from camp toward the first major pass at 2,700 meters, the gateway to the Tobavarchkhili basin. The ascent is relentless but the rewards are immediate: with each hundred meters gained, the panorama expands to reveal the full majesty of the Egrisi Range.

After 7-8 hours of hiking, the trail crests the pass and suddenly, there it is: Tsashkibulish Tobavarchkhili, the “Heaven’s Stairs Silver Lake.” The name is perfect. The lake’s surface mirrors the surrounding peaks with such clarity that sky and water become indistinguishable – a stairway of silver leading to the heavens.

We make camp on the lake’s shore, one of the most spectacular campsites in all of Georgia. As the sun sets, the mountains turn gold, then pink, then purple. The silence is absolute.

Hiking: 10 km | Pass Altitude: 2,900m (trek’s highest point) | Lake Altitude: 2,650m | Overnight: Camping near waterfall

The journey continues deeper into the range. Today’s route crosses the trek’s highest point – a 2,900-meter pass that offers commanding views in every direction. This is the roof of the Egrisi Range, a place where you stand level with the peaks themselves.

The descent brings us to Okhoje Tobavarchkhili, the “Red Mount Silver Lake,” named for the distinctive rust-colored cliffs that frame its waters. At 2,650 meters, this lake sits in a dramatic cirque with two additional smaller lakes nearby – each a jewel in its own alpine setting.

After exploring the lakes, we continue another 5 kilometers to tonight’s campsite beside a thundering waterfall. As evening approaches, the sunset views from this location are simply unforgettable – the kind of natural spectacle that makes every step of the journey worthwhile.

Hiking: 14 km | Terrain: Continuous descent | Overnight: Camping at Magana-Jalara confluence

Today the trail turns downward. Over 14 kilometers, we descend through changing landscapes – alpine meadows giving way to forest, the sound of rushing water growing stronger – until we reach the confluence where the Magana and Jalara rivers merge in a spectacular meeting of waters.

The walking is easier on the legs but no less spectacular. Wild gorge scenery surrounds us as the rivers carve their path through the mountains. We make camp at this junction, a wild and beautiful spot where two river gorges meet. Tomorrow we follow the Magana downstream toward civilization – but tonight, we savor our last evening in true wilderness.

Hiking: 17-18 km | Terrain: Descent through Magana Gorge | Transfer: Available from Skuri

The final trekking day follows the Magana River downstream through its namesake gorge. At 17-18 kilometers, this is the longest day in distance, but the continuous descent makes for easier walking than the high-altitude days behind us.

The gorge scenery is magnificent – sheer cliffs rising on either side, the river carving its eternal path through ancient rock, occasional waterfalls feeding into the main flow. Wildlife is abundant in these lower elevations; keep watch for deer, wild boar, and the diverse birdlife of the Colchic forest ecosystem.

By late afternoon, we reach Skuri village – the first human settlement in five days. A special off-road vehicle awaits to transfer us onward. As you leave the mountains behind, you carry with you memories that will last a lifetime.

Experience Georgia’s Hidden Wilderness

The Tobavarchkhili Lakes have waited thousands of years in silence for those willing to earn the journey. This expedition delivers everything the wild Caucasus promises: pristine alpine lakes, untouched mountain wilderness, and the profound satisfaction of reaching places few travelers ever see.

We’ve been guiding expeditions into the Egrisi Range since the early days of Georgian adventure tourism, and we know these mountains intimately. Our guides are experienced wilderness professionals who can navigate you safely through this challenging but rewarding terrain.

Ready to discover Georgia’s Silver Lakes? Contact us with any questions about the trek or to check availability for your dates.