GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Tobavarchkhili Lakes

Turquoise mirrors of the Egrisi heights

Tobavarchkhili Lakes

Why go

Tobavarchkhili — 'Silver Lakes' in Megrelian — is a string of seven alpine lakes cupped beneath the Egrisi Range at 2,600 meters, reachable only by a demanding two-to-three-day trek from Mukhuri or Khaishi. The largest, Toba, holds water so cold and mineral-clear it shifts from jade to cobalt with the sky. Local legend speaks of a sunken village whose bells still toll underwater, and of shepherds who once crossed these passes with salt bound for Svaneti. The reward is absolute solitude: no roads, no shelters, only granite cirques and the silence of the Caucasus wilderness preserved.

On the ground See

  • The main Toba lake, whose startling color comes from dissolved limestone and glacial flour, best seen at dawn when still enough to mirror Dadiani Peak
  • The shepherd's stone shelters (koshkebi) near the upper lakes, still used seasonally by families from Khaishi who maintain the ancient transhumance route
  • The traverse to the adjacent Kaliashi lakes, a rough half-day scramble revealing the full Egrisi crest and the distant Black Sea haze

Practical Know before you go

Accessible July through September only; the trail from Mukhuri (70km from Zugdidi) requires river fords and a local guide, as the route is unmarked and GPS unreliable in the steep valleys.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly