Udziro Lake: The "Bottomless" Alpine Lake of Upper Racha

Udziro Lake is a high-altitude alpine lake in the Racha region of northwestern Georgia — the country in the South Caucasus — set in the mountains of Upper Racha near the villages of Shovi and Glola, on the western slope of Mt. Katitsvera, at an elevation of about 2,800 meters. Its name means "bottomless" in Georgian — fitting for a deep, clear lake set in a high mountain bowl that, in still conditions, mirrors the surrounding peaks so perfectly that the line between landscape and reflection is hard to read. It is one of the most striking mountain lakes in Georgia, and genuinely remote: reaching it is a long, demanding alpine hike — often done over two days with a night camped at the lake — that crosses a pass above 3,000 meters. The combination of real physical effort and exceptional reward gives Udziro a quality that road-accessible lakes can't match.

What is Udziro Lake?

Udziro Lake is a high alpine lake at about 2,800 m in Upper Racha, western Georgia, on the slope of Mt. Katitsvera (~3,300 m), near the villages of Shovi and Glola. Its name means "bottomless." Reaching it is a hard, long hike — commonly a two-day route from Shovi to Glola crossing a pass of around 3,070 m, with camping by the lake — rewarded by a deep blue, mirror-still lake reflecting the Greater Caucasus, alpine meadows of Caucasian rhododendron, and panoramic views toward peaks like Shkhara and Tetnuldi from the pass. It's one of Georgia's most beautiful mountain lakes, and one of its more demanding day-or-two hiking objectives.

The setting

The lake sits high in the Racha Caucasus, well above the forested valleys of the lower region, in a basin on the western slope of Mt. Katitsvera (~3,300 m). Peaks and ridgelines rise around it on several sides, forming a natural amphitheater that encloses the water and concentrates its beauty. In summer, when the snow has melted from the lower slopes but the highest ridges keep their white patches, the contrast between bare rock, lingering snow, alpine meadow, and the deep blue-green water makes a composition that shifts through the day with the light. At one end, the lake spills over the hillside like a natural infinity pool; at the other, a grassy flat makes an ideal campsite.

The meadows around the lake flower intensely through the short summer — including the Caucasian rhododendrons that color these high slopes — as the alpine plants race through their cycle in the few warm weeks available. Early morning is the lake's finest hour: before any wind, the still water reflects the surrounding peaks with near-perfect clarity, and the sharp, faintly blue high-altitude light gives the scene an intensity that midday sun tends to flatten. On a clear day the great snow peaks of the Greater Caucasus — Shkhara, Tetnuldi, and others — are part of the panorama.

The hike

Udziro is reached on foot from the upper Rioni/Chanchakhi valley, with Shovi and Glola as the access villages. The classic route starts at Shovi, climbs to the lake over a pass of around 3,070 meters, and descends to Glola (the two villages lie a short distance apart by road), making a loop rather than a simple there-and-back. From Shovi, the marked trail (the trailhead is by a marker post near the resort entrance, around 1,470 m) climbs steeply into forest, then onto a ridge, then up through alpine meadow to the pass — where the lake and Mt. Katitsvera first come into view — before the descent to the water.

Be realistic about the scale: this is a long, hard, high-altitude hike, not a casual day walk. The full loop runs roughly 19–20 km with around 1,800 meters of ascent, and is widely rated highly challenging and best suited to fit, experienced hikers. It's most commonly done as a two-day hike with a night camped at the lake (some take three to fully enjoy it). Doing it in a single day is possible only for the very fit, and usually by taking the shorter, easier out-and-back from Glola (about 13 km return) with a pre-dawn start. Either way, plan for a serious mountain day: an early start, plenty of food and water, layers for both the warm forest below and the cold at 2,800 m, and awareness that cloud and thunderstorms often build over the high terrain from midday — reach the pass and lake early.

Although the Shovi trail is marked, the upper alpine sections still reward GPS with offline maps or solid route-finding confidence, and crossing a 3,000-meter pass should not be underestimated in poor visibility. A local guide, arranged through Racha guesthouses, adds navigational security and current knowledge of conditions — genuinely valuable on a route of this length and altitude.

Bases and getting there

The hike is based out of Upper Racha — the upper valley around Shovi and Glola, with the regional town of Oni (and guesthouses there and in nearby villages) the main service centre. A sensitive but important note: on 3 August 2023 a catastrophic landslide struck the Shovi resort, with significant loss of life, and Shovi's holiday accommodation was destroyed. It has not been rebuilt, and as of 2025–2026 there are effectively no tourist lodgings at Shovi itself. Plan instead to base in Glola — the village closest to the trailhead, which has guesthouses — or in the town of Oni a little further down the valley, where there is a wider choice of guesthouses and where transfers to the trail can be arranged. In practice, Shovi is now a place the route passes through rather than a place to stay.

Upper Racha is reached from Tbilisi via Kutaisi and Ambrolauri — roughly a 5–6 hour drive (about 330 km); the upper-valley road is paved but winding. There is no public transport to Shovi or Glola; the closest you can get by bus/marshrutka is Oni (about 25 km from the trailhead), from where a taxi (around 50 GEL) or, in summer, hitchhiking covers the rest. A car — or a guesthouse that arranges transfers — is effectively necessary, and especially useful for the early start the hike demands.

When to visit

The practical window is June through September, with July and August the most reliable for snow-free trail, stable weather, and the full flowering of the alpine meadows. June can still hold residual snow on the upper sections and the pass, depending on the winter; the snowmelt timing varies year to year. September brings cooler air, the first autumn color in the lower forest, and fewer people. The lake is frozen and the high terrain snow-covered from roughly November to late May, so it is effectively inaccessible outside the summer window — treat June–September as firm for planning, and don't attempt the pass outside it without proper alpine experience and equipment.