Tobavarchkhili: The Silver Lakes of the Samegrelo Highlands

Tobavarchkhili — "Silver Lake" in Megrelian — is a group of remote, high-altitude glacial lakes in the Egrisi Range of Samegrelo, in northwestern Georgia (the country in the South Caucasus), set between roughly 2,500 and 2,900 meters in a landscape of real wildness and intensity. The name is barely known outside Georgia's hiking community, and even within the country it sits in its own category: not somewhere you fit into a regional itinerary, but a destination that takes several days of committed effort to reach and amounts to an expedition in itself. For those who make that effort, Tobavarchkhili offers what almost nowhere else in Georgia can — a genuinely wild, genuinely isolated alpine environment where the absence of infrastructure, crowds, and any of the usual markers of developed tourism is total rather than partial. The silver-blue lakes, set in rocky terrain above the treeline, are the destination — but the journey through the forests and passes of the Samegrelo highlands is just as much the point.

What is Tobavarchkhili?

Tobavarchkhili (the Silver Lakes) is a system of remote glacial lakes high in the Egrisi Range of the Samegrelo region in western Georgia, the largest sitting at about 2,650 meters. The name means "Silver Lake" in Megrelian — toba (lake) and varchkhili (silver) — for the silver-blue shimmer of the water. Reaching the lakes is a serious 4–6 day, roughly 50 km wilderness trek with no roads, no accommodation, no mobile coverage, and no shortcuts: a strenuous, camping-only expedition through Colchic forest, alpine meadow, and bare high terrain, usually starting from Mukhuri village. It's among the wildest and least-visited major destinations in Georgia, for experienced, well-prepared trekkers only — and one of the most rewarding.

The lakes and the landscape

The Egrisi Range that holds Tobavarchkhili is one of the least-traveled highland areas in Georgia, divided from the more visited mountains of Svaneti to the northeast by the high Egrisi ridge — terrain that historically made the area hard to reach and has kept it largely undeveloped even as other Georgian mountain regions built up visitor infrastructure over the past two decades. The approach crosses the full altitudinal range of the western Caucasus: dense subtropical forest in the lower valleys, opening through mixed deciduous and conifer woodland, then alpine meadow and dwarf shrub above the treeline, and finally the bare rock of the highest ground, where the lakes sit in basins scoured by glaciers during the last ice age.

There are several lakes — commonly counted as around five to seven, depending on the route taken — distributed across the high terrain at slightly different elevations and linked by the mountain catchment. The largest, Tobavarchkhili Lake itself, lies at about 2,650 meters, with smaller named lakes (Didgalish, Kalalish, Tsakatskarish, Okhoje and others) scattered around it; one is said to be heart-shaped, another frozen for much of the year. Each has its own character — some deeper and more intensely colored, others shallower and more reflective — and the whole group changes appearance dramatically with the weather.

The western Caucasus pattern produces frequent cloud and mist at these elevations, and the play of cloud and light over the water is one of Tobavarchkhili's defining qualities, distinct from the clearer, drier alpine country of eastern Georgia. On a clear day the sky and surrounding peaks reflect in the still water with startling clarity (and on the clearest days you may even glimpse distant Mt. Elbrus); on overcast days the mist settles and the rocky terrain disappears and returns through the cloud, in a way visitors consistently call otherworldly. Both are part of what Tobavarchkhili is — expecting only one is a misreading of the mountain.

The surrounding peaks rise high, and the mix of glacially carved rock, permanent snowfields, and raw mineral terrain above the vegetation line gives the lake basins a character closer to the high Alps or the central Caucasus than to the lush, subtropical-influenced green of lower Samegrelo just a few hours below. That transition — from the dense, dripping forest of the lower approach, through the open alpine zone, to the stark ground around the lakes — is one of the most rewarding parts of the trek, giving it a narrative arc no single-day hike can match.

A lake wreathed in legend

The Silver Lakes carry their share of local legend. By tradition the main lake is a sacred, jealously guarded place, and the warning passed down through generations is blunt: whoever disturbs its tranquility — and especially anyone who swims in it — will bring down the wrath of the black clouds, with sudden thunder and torrential rain. Whether or not the weather obliges, the story suits the place: at this altitude, in this fast-changing mountain climate, storms genuinely do roll in with little warning, and the legend gives form to the respect the mountain commands.

The trek

Reaching Tobavarchkhili is a multi-day undertaking with no shortcuts. The usual approach combines four-wheel-drive (or Soviet-truck) access to the trailhead — most often from Mukhuri village in the Samegrelo foothills, with a rough transfer up toward about 2,000 m that saves a long, unscenic first day on foot — followed by roughly four to six days of trekking depending on the route, the group's fitness, and the weather. There is no permanent accommodation anywhere on the route: camping is the only option, and carrying all your equipment, food, and shelter is a requirement, not a style choice.

The routes cross river crossings, forest paths that can be poorly marked or overgrown, steep climbs over passes (the highest around 2,900 m), and exposed high terrain where navigating in cloud demands experience or GPS. The physical demands are significant by Georgian standards — this is not a route for occasional hikers or anyone without multi-day mountain-camping experience — and the combination of altitude, remoteness, and changeable weather means underestimating it carries real consequences. There is no mobile coverage, so you cannot rely on phoning for help. An experienced local guide is strongly recommended, both for navigation and for the on-the-ground knowledge of terrain, weather, and emergency options that only direct experience of the route provides.

The way to the lakes passes through some of the most botanically rich forest in Georgia. The Colchic forest of western Georgia — the subtropical type with species such as Caucasian wingnut, Colchic ivy, and cherry laurel, plus relict and endemic plants that have survived here since before the last glaciation — is at its most intact in these little-disturbed valleys. Walking through old-growth Colchic forest, with its dense canopy, layered understory, and filtered light, is a significant experience in its own right, independent of the destination.

River crossings are a feature of most routes and demand attention. The mountain rivers here are fed by snowmelt and rain and can rise fast after a shower higher in the catchment, turning a crossing that was easy in the morning difficult or impossible by afternoon. A guide who knows current conditions and alternative crossing points is especially valuable, and decision-making around crossings in uncertain conditions is one area where local experience directly affects safety.

Camping at the lakes

Camping at or near the Silver Lakes is a different proposition from the forest camping on the approach. The exposure of the high terrain means weather systems arrive with a speed and directness the valley nights don't prepare you for, and the temperature at 2,500–2,900 m drops sharply after sunset no matter how warm the day. The kit needed for safe, comfortable camping at this elevation — a four-season or strong three-season tent able to handle wind and rain, a sleeping bag rated well below zero, fully waterproof clothing — is not negotiable, and the distance from any help if equipment fails makes quality and redundancy in the essentials genuinely important.

What the lakeside nights give back is something no comfortable lodging can. Dawn at Tobavarchkhili — the first light reaching the water before the peaks are lit, the surface dead still before any wind — is among the more extraordinary natural experiences in Georgia. The silence at this altitude, true high-mountain silence broken only by wind, water, and the occasional sound of wildlife, has a completeness that lower, more developed places never reach. And the simple fact of having walked several days through hard terrain to stand here gives the experience a weight that easily-reached destinations can't carry in the same way.

Wildlife and nature

The Egrisi highlands around Tobavarchkhili support brown bear, wolf, lynx, chamois, and roe deer, and the remote, undisturbed character of the area makes encounters more likely here than in Georgia's busier mountains. Bear presence in particular should be taken seriously — proper food storage in camp, awareness of fresh signs along the trail, and knowing how to behave in an encounter are practical matters, not theoretical ones. A guide with local knowledge will have current information on wildlife along the route and should be consulted on precautions.

The alpine zone around the lakes has its own distinct flora — plants adapted to the short growing season, high UV, and temperature extremes of the high mountains, many endemic to the Caucasus and found nowhere else. The wildflower meadows below the rocky lake basins, in full bloom in July and August, add color and biological interest the stark high ground alone does not.

Practical preparation

A Tobavarchkhili trek needs more advance planning than almost any other destination in Georgia. The nearest real services — accommodation, food resupply, reliable vehicle access — are in the lowland towns of Samegrelo (Zugdidi, Martvili) and at the trailhead village of Mukhuri, and everything for the multi-day trek must be organized and carried from there. Guiding operators based in Zugdidi and Tbilisi run Tobavarchkhili expeditions and can handle trailhead transport, guiding, and emergency communication — using an established operator rather than attempting the approach independently is strongly advisable for anyone without prior experience of this specific route.

The visiting window runs roughly mid-July to September, with late July and August offering the best combination of snow-free passes and reasonable (never guaranteed) weather. Even then, multi-day spells of rain and cloud should be expected rather than treated as bad luck, and building a buffer day or two into the schedule — for weather delays at the high passes and the lake basin, and for the landslides that sometimes block the access road — gives a much better chance at the full experience than a rigid plan.

Physical preparation genuinely matters. Sustained daily ascent over several days, a full camping pack at altitude, and uneven terrain place demands that occasional urban exercise doesn't meet. Several weeks of progressive aerobic training, including loaded hiking on uneven ground if you can, will make the trek far more enjoyable and reduce the fitness deficit that turns mountain trips miserable.

Getting there and visiting

• Location: The Egrisi Range, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, northwestern Georgia; the trailhead is usually Mukhuri village (Chkhorotsku/Martvili area), with the main lake at ~2,650 m.
• Trek: Strenuous, roughly 4–6 days and ~50 km, camping only; highest passes around 2,900 m. Not for inexperienced hikers; an experienced guide is strongly recommended.
• Season: Mid-July to September (late July–August most reliable); the lakes are inaccessible outside the short summer window.
• Essential: Full multi-day camping and cold/wet-weather kit; there is no accommodation, no resupply, and no mobile coverage on the route.
• Base towns: Zugdidi or Martvili for services; many expeditions are organized from Zugdidi or Tbilisi.