Why go
Zhabeshi sits at 1,500 meters where the Mulakhi Valley opens toward the Caucasus wall, a Svan village of stone towers and hay meadows that predates the ski era by centuries. Its purpose shifted dramatically when Tetnuldi resort opened in 2016: what was once a seasonal herding settlement became the essential staging post for Georgia's most dramatic lift-accessed terrain. The village preserves this duality—families still drive cattle through muddy lanes while skiers gather for the morning shuttle to 4,850-meter Tetnuldi, whose summit glacier looms above like a frozen wave. Staying here means waking to church bells and cowbells, not hotel corridors, with direct sightlines to Ushba's twin horns.