Zugdidi

Zugdidi is a town in western Georgia.

Hitchhiking out

North towards Svaneti

This road travels through Jvari, Khaishi, Dizi, and a slew of small villages before you get to the administrative capital of Upper Svaneti region, Mestia.

You will need to walk north out of town, past the mashrutka station that is west of the city square and near the medieval-looking tower. After walking the gauntlet of taxi and mashrutka drivers, continue another kilometre 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 the road that travels all the way through Svaneti and back down to Kutaisi. Once you start walking north on this road, any place to begin hitching is as good as the next.

The traffic that travels this road makes it a little difficult to catch a ride. Many of the cars are stuffed with people because going between cities and villages in Svaneti is a whole day's outing. As with most places in Georgia, a little knowledge of Russian or Georgian is helpful, but not necessary. If breaking the ride up into segments is necessary, the larger towns on the road are Jvari, Khaishi and Mestia. Many of the locals are likely chipping in money for petrol, so if you are travelling free then make sure to clear up any expectations for gas money in the beginning.

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 condition, all kinds of vehicles still make the trip. Cars, SUVs, vans, lumber trucks and marshrutkas all slowly crawl along. The traffic gets naturally thinner as you climb higher into the mountains.

South towards Senaki, Poti (S1)

From the city centre simply walk south on the main street Agmashenebeli. After a couple of kilometres you will reach a pillar announcing the start of the city. It is best to stand after the petrol station, before the sign showing the distance to Senaki and other points.