Ushba (about 4,700 m) is the "Matterhorn of the Caucasus": a twin-summited granite spire in Upper Svaneti, Georgia, about 10 km north-west of Mestia and just south of the Russian border. It is not among the ten highest peaks of the Caucasus, yet many climbers consider it the hardest ascent in the range. Its walls drop 1,000–1,500 m on every side, and the two summits, south and north, stand about 640 m apart across a windswept saddle. In Svan the name is usually explained as "mountain of misfortune", and in Georgian mythology it was home to Dali, goddess of the hunt.
The north summit was first climbed in 1888 by John Garforth Cockin and Ulrich Almer; the slightly higher south summit held out until 26 July 1903, after some twenty failed attempts, and at the time was considered one of the hardest mountains in the world. For non-climbers Ushba is the backdrop of Mestia and the goal of fine day hikes: from the village of Mazeri to the Shdugra waterfall, the highest in Georgia, and on to the Ushba glacier, or from Mestia to the Guli glacier beneath the peak.
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Ushba is the signature peak of Svaneti, visible from much of the Enguri valley and from Mestia, and its double horn appears on countless photographs of Georgia. Climbers know it for something else: there is no easy way to the top. Steep granite walls of 1,000–1,500 m surround the massif, the weather changes fast, and until the late 1980s Ushba, together with Chatyn-Tau and Free Korea Peak in Kyrgyzstan, was considered one of the most prestigious and difficult climbs in the Soviet Union. About 50 routes of all grades now lead to its summits; Georgian counts list 19 on the south summit (seven of them in the top 6A grade) and 13 on the north summit. There is even a club of "Ushbists" in London.
The massif has two tops of almost equal height. The south summit is slightly higher, about 4,700–4,710 m on Georgian and Soviet maps (other surveys give up to 4,737 m); the north summit is about 4,690–4,698 m. The straight-line distance between them is 636.9 m, but the traverse along the crest, with the descent to the saddle, is 1,500–2,000 m long. Russian-speaking climbers call the saddle "the pipe", because even in good weather the wind blows through it.
Behind the north summit, at about 4,000 m, lies the Ushba plateau, a glacier basin ringed by Shkhelda, Ushba, Peak Shchurovsky and Chatyn-Tau. Its ice pours down through a narrow rock gate as the heavily crevassed Ushba icefall into the Shkhelda glacier on the Russian side; the icefall is passable in June and July but badly broken later. On the Georgian side the Guli and Ushba glaciers descend from the peak.
The usual explanation is Svan: ush, "misfortune" or "terrible", and ba, "mountain", so "the mountain that brings misfortune". Karachay-Balkar speakers on the Russian side hear üch bash, "three heads". Popular translations also include "mountain of witches" and "killer mountain".
Ushba stands in the Mestia municipality of Samegrelo–Zemo Svaneti, on a short spur of the main Caucasus ridge about 1.5 km south of the Russian border, at the head of the Dolra valley above the Becho community, with Mestia about 10 km to the south-east.
Mestia is reached by marshrutka from Tbilisi (about 50 lari, 8–10 hours), Kutaisi (40 lari as of July 2025) and Zugdidi (35 lari, 3.5–4 hours), or by small plane from Tbilisi's Natakhtari airfield when the weather allows.
Mazeri, the best base for the Ushba side valleys, is a village at about 1,600 m in the Dolra valley, about 20 km from Mestia. There is no public transport to the village itself: marshrutkas between Zugdidi and Mestia can drop you at the bridge in Becho, about 16 km before Mestia, from where it is 7 km to Mazeri (1–1.5 hours on foot, or a short pick-up by your guesthouse). A taxi from Mestia costs about 80–100 lari. Mazeri has several guesthouses and a small hotel, and the village of Becho has long been the place where Ushba climbers stay.
Mazeri to the Shdugra waterfall and the Ushba glacier. The trail starts in the centre of Mazeri, marked with white and red rectangles, crosses the Dolra and follows an old road along the west bank past a small chapel. About 4 km from the village a hikers' café is the only place for refreshments on the trail. After a short steep climb through pine forest and a wooden bridge you pass a Georgian border guard post, where passports are occasionally checked. Just beyond it a 300 m side path leads to the viewpoint below the Shdugra waterfall, the highest in Georgia. The walk to the waterfall and back is about 17 km with 500 m of ascent, around five hours, and of moderate difficulty.
Continuing to the Ushba glacier, about 600 m higher, turns the day into a hard one: about 22 km in total with more than 1,000 m of ascent, over five hours up and more than three back. A very steep 120 m climb on slippery soil and stones is followed, at about 2,220 m, by a narrow traverse through young forest and a sometimes tricky crossing of the stream that forms the smaller waterfall. From the moraine you see the glacier, Ushba above it, Shkhelda (4,368 m) on the border to the north and Mount Mazeri (4,010 m) to the south. Falling stones near the glacier front have killed or injured several visitors: rest and take photos well away from the ice.
From Mestia. A popular day hike follows the path to the Guli glacier at the foot of Ushba, about 3.5–4 hours one way. A longer walk crosses the Guli pass (about 2,960 m) between Mestia and Mazeri, about 16 km and 8 hours, past the Koruldi lakes, with close views of the peak.
North summit. The north summit is more accessible than the south. Its standard route, the north-east ridge, climbs from the Russian side to the Ushba plateau and then to the summit; it is graded AD+ in the French system or 4A on the Russian scale. Because the international border runs along the main ridge, this route effectively involves crossing it, and with the mountain border between Georgia and Russia closed it cannot legally be combined from the Georgian side. Cockin and Almer reached the north summit in 1888 from the Georgian side via the Guli glacier.
South summit. All routes to the south summit are serious rock and ice climbs, including two graded ED in the French system. The west face, nearly 2,000 m high, was first climbed in 1936 by Ludwig Schmaderer and Ludwig Vörg, who two years later was one of the first ascensionists of the Eiger north face. The full traverse of both summits, first done north to south in three days in 1903 by Hans Pfann, Ludwig Distel and Georg Leuchs, remains a classic test.
Any attempt on Ushba requires solid alpine experience on rock and ice. Climbers without it should go with a qualified mountain guide and plan extra days for weather.
No permit or fee is needed to hike in the Dolra valley or around Mestia. The area near Mazeri is close to the Russian border, so carry your passport: border guards rarely check day hikers, but they may. Crossing the main ridge into Russia is illegal.
Guesthouses in the mountain villages and the hiking season run from June to September. For climbing, July and August offer the most stable conditions, while the Ushba icefall on the Russian side is easiest in June and July. Svaneti's climate is humid, with air from the Black Sea bringing heavy snowfall in winter and sudden thunderstorms in summer. Storms can be serious on the peak: in August 2012 thunderstorms made the ascent treacherous, one climber died and another was trapped by heavy snow on a ledge near the summit for four days before descending without an ice axe.
Mazeri and Becho are known for their mineral springs, and guesthouses in Mazeri serve meals and drinking water; the café about 4 km up the trail is the only place to buy drinks on the way to the waterfall. The Dolra and its side streams run beside the path, but livestock graze in the valleys of Svaneti, so filter or boil stream water. Carry at least 1.5–2 litres for the waterfall walk and more for the glacier. On a climb, water comes from melting snow, and you need fuel for every bivouac.
Georgian mobile networks have decent coverage in Mestia, and several cafés and guesthouses there offer free Wi-Fi. In the side valleys and on the mountain coverage is unreliable or absent, and Georgian mountain rescue is still developing, so download offline maps, leave your plan with your guesthouse and take a satellite messenger on climbs. The emergency number in Georgia is 112.
Ushba's reputation as a "killer mountain" is earned. Besides the 2012 storm, two Russian tourists went missing on the mountain in September 2013. In October 1945 a group led by Alyosha Japaridze, who had led the first Georgian ascent of Ushba in 1934, died on the Ushba saddle; Yevgeny Abalakov led a winter search to the saddle afterwards. Rockfall, sudden storms, the exposed traverse and long descents are the main hazards; for hikers, the falling stones at the glacier snout and the river crossing on the glacier trail.
British climbers led by Douglas Freshfield tried Ushba as early as 1868 without success. In 1888 John Garforth Cockin and the Swiss guide Ulrich Almer reached the north summit on their fourth attempt, via the Guli glacier.
The south summit became the great prize of the time. In July 1903 an expedition led by the German explorer Willi Rickmer Rickmers tried again. On 20 July Adolf Schulze fell badly high on the mountain and was seriously injured, and Heinrich von Ficker, holding the rope, injured his hands; his sister Cenzi von Ficker and Rickmers, helped by a local man, brought both injured men down to base camp ahead of a snowstorm. Impressed by her courage, the Svan prince Dadeshkeliani formally gave Ushba to Cenzi von Ficker; the deed of gift is kept in the Alpine Museum in Munich. Six days later, on 26 July 1903, Schulze, Robert Helbling, Fritz Reichert, Albert Weber and Oscar Schuster reached the south summit.
In 1934 the first Georgian team, Alyosha and Aleksandra Japaridze, Gio Niguriani and Iagor Kazalikashvili, climbed Ushba, and Aleksandra became the first woman on its summit. In 1937 Gabriel, Beknu and Besarion (Vissarion) Khergiani, Chichiko Chartolani and Maksime Gvarliani climbed the very difficult south face of the south summit, beginning the era of hard rock climbing on Ushba. Vissarion's son Mikhail Khergiani, the "tiger of the rocks", became the USSR champion in 1964 with a route on Ushba; his house and the Svan tower he used as a training gym are now a museum in Mestia.
How high is Ushba? About 4,700 m: the south summit is about 4,700–4,710 m and the north summit about 4,690 m.
Why is it called the Matterhorn of the Caucasus? Because of its steep, isolated horn shape, doubled into two summits.
Can I hike to Ushba without climbing? Yes. From Mazeri you can walk to the Shdugra waterfall (about 17 km return, 500 m of ascent, around five hours) or on to the Ushba glacier (about 22 km, more than 1,000 m of ascent, a full day). From Mestia a path leads to the Guli glacier at the foot of the peak.
How long does it take to climb? Plan several days for an ascent of either summit, plus spare days for weather; the traverse of both summits took the first party three days.
How difficult is it? Ushba is considered the hardest major peak of the Caucasus. The easiest route, to the north summit, is AD+ / Russian 4A; routes on the south summit are much harder.
Do I need a permit? Not for hiking or climbing on the Georgian side, but carry your passport near the border. Crossing into Russia over the ridge is illegal.
Is there water on the trails? Streams along the Dolra and a café about 4 km from Mazeri; filter or boil stream water and carry 1.5–2 litres.
Is there mobile coverage? In Mestia, yes; in the side valleys and on the mountain it is unreliable. The emergency number is 112.
When is the best time to go? June to September for hiking; July and August for climbing.
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