GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Shkhara

Georgia's rooftop, where clouds kneel

Shkhara

Why go

At 5,193 meters, Shkhara is Georgia's highest peak and one of the most formidable summits in the Caucasus, straddling the border with Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria. Its massive, ice-encased pyramid rises directly from the Inguri Gorge, forming a backdrop that dominates the Svan skyline and has guarded the valleys below for millennia. First climbed in 1888 by a British-Swiss team led by John Garford Cockin, it remains a serious alpine objective—technical, heavily glaciated, and prone to violent weather. Even unclimbed, it rewards the journey: the trek to its base reveals Svaneti's last truly wild terrain, where medieval stone towers stand sentinel beneath an ice throne that feels borrowed from another latitude entirely.

On the ground See

  • The Shkhara Glacier tongue, reachable via a demanding multi-day trek from Ushguli—Georgia's highest inhabited village
  • The Bezengi Wall approach, offering mountaineers views of the peak's sheer north face and neighboring giants like Janga and Katyn-Tau
  • Ushguli's Lamaria Church, where the 12th-century frescoes and stone tower frame Shkhara's summit in one of the Caucasus's most photographed compositions

Practical Know before you go

Best approached July–September; no technical climbing required to reach base camps, but all summit attempts demand full alpine equipment, crevasse rescue skills, and permits arranged through the Georgian Mountaineering Federation.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly