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Hitching to Mestia is an ordeal! Start early. Give yourself not a lot large town and can be walked out of time because even with a ride easily. It has the major Svaneti road conditions make the drive running through it. It also has a long and bumpy one. There are two ways road that splits off to get into Svaneti - the western approach beginning in Zugdidi and north toward the eastern approach most likely beginning in Kutaisi. The western approach into the higher elevations of Svaneti is the more traveled by cars. It is supposedly the better cared-border with [[Russia]] (closed now for road (even though you wouldn't believe it when you ride on itmany years)and a trekking trail to the Lekhziri glacier.
This Mestia can easily be walked out of to get onto the [[Svaneti]] road. If you watch the road markers you can make sure you are heading the right direction. The markers are skinny white poles with two square blue plaques declaring the kilometer distances to the ends of the road travels through Zugdidi, Jvari, Khaishi, Dizi, . If the number facing you is around 140 then you are heading to [[Ushguli]] and a slew of small villages before [[Lentekhi]]. If it is around 65 then you get are heading to [[Zugdidi]].[[File:spotmestia.jpg|400px|thumb|left|The petrol station at the administrative capital end of Upper Svaneti region - Mestiatowards Zugdidi.Traffic could be better, surroundings almost not]]
Zugdidi is a large town by Georgian standards. When heading More traffic seems to leave Mestia you will need to walk north out of town, past the mashrudtka station that is west of for [[Zugdidi]] in the city square and near mornings than the medieval-looking towerevenings. After walking the gauntlet of taxi and mashrudtka drivers you need People making day trips into [[Zugdidi]] leave early to keep walking for another kilometer or so through a residential area. The road will dead-end and you will turn left and walk on and over an overpass until you see the road sign for Mestia (136 km) pointing you to the right (north again). This is traverse the mountain road that travels all the way through Svaneti and make it back down to Kutaisi. Once you start walking north on this road, any place to begin hitching is as good as the nextup before dark.
The traffic that travels this road makes it a little difficult On the way to catch a ride. Many of the cars [[Ushguli]] there are stuffed with people because going between cities and villages in Svaneti is a whole daysome other settlements, it's outing. As with most places in Georgia, not a little knowledge of Russian or Georgian is helpful, but not necessarytotally deserted road. If breaking However the ride up into segments traffic is necessary, the larger towns on lower than to the road are Jvariwest, Khaishi it is possible to hitch there within half a day. Road is poor and Mestiaonly jeeps or SUVs can cross.
The road between Zugdidi and Khaishi is mostly paved with numerous rough sections. The road north of Khaishi is much more rough with some sections still being constructed. Even with the road in such poor conditions, all kinds of vehicles still make the trip. Cars, SUVs, vans, lumber trucks and marshrudtkas all slowly crawl along. The traffic gets naturally thinner as you climb higher into the mountains.== Sleeping ==
==The Eastern Approach==inhabitants of Mestia have become accustomed to the tourism economy and staying in local people's homes for free is not common (the traditional Georgian hospitality of the lowlands does not exist here). Homestays are expensive, at least 15-20 lari/night. Camping is possible outside the centre of the village, but ensure you have proper cold weather gear if camping in winter.
This approach travels through the cities of Tskaltubo, Lentekhi, ....{{IsIn|Svaneti}}
More information needed[[Category:Georgia]]
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'''Mestia''' is a city small town in [[Georgia]], the Svaneti region capital of the [[GeorgiaSvaneti]]region.
==The Western ApproachHitchhiking out ==
