06. June 2026

Day 31: Georgia

Overview

Driving duration: 3:12 h
Distance: 105 km
Avg Speed: 32 km/h
Start: Zaridzeebi
End: Khomi
Night Location: 42°23'21" N 44°55'15" E

Georgia

Our goal for the day was the hike to the Abudelauri White Lake, but as it was early in the season we feared that there might be snow. Nonetheless, we did the drive, first on a decent paved road and then up a gravel road which was quite narrow and steep. Probably a first glimpse of what we will face in the next weeks and months.

On the last meters, a larger camper came down and we crossed paths and we nearly couldn’t believe it but it was fellow Aargauer :) After a quick chat, we made it to the start of the hike. Quite surprised by how many people there were, we went off.

But already from far we saw the snow, but still decided to just try how far we could get. There were two ways, one on the left side of the valley and the other on the right side. We first decided on the right route, as it seemed to have less snow. But after something over half an hour, we faced quite some snow and decided to turn around and try the other path.

The other side looked worse from the start, but we met some people who told us that you can reach the hut and the first lake, but it’s still frozen. This was good enough for us, so we started to work through the snow and sometimes also mud. Wet feet included, it was thankfully not too cold and often the sun came out and warmed us up.

We made it to the hut and were greeted by a Swiss flag, probably to welcome us? Unfortunately we couldn’t figure out why there is a Swiss flag as the hut was closed and also looked unfinished. This will need some more digging to find out what the Swiss have to do with a hut in the deepest valleys of Georgia.

Then we made it back to the car and decided to drive back the gravel road and also part of the paved road to a nice spot next to a river. There we stand now and listen to the rain & thunder.