We left the hot springs and headed towards the Greater Caucasus. But we always knew where we had been. The sulfur smell on our skin was so intense that it reminded us of where we had been. Suddenly, we came upon the most artificial natural shower we could have found. What a fortunate coincidence! It was amazing to take a shower right beside the road, and not just in our opinion, but also according to the people passing by.
The rest of our daily trip was easier than expected. The road we took is now paved with concrete and has two lanes. Twelve years ago, it was just a small gravel and mud track. We were slightly irritated that there seemed to be a section that one might not be allowed to use. Since our destination was closer than the distance written on the sign, we kept going. However, we realized that the restricted section was on our route when we came to another sign. Several other tourists and locals were also on the road, so we continued ignoring the sign. We realized why those signs were set up. Landslides had destroyed the road in several areas, but it was easy to drive around them. We wanted to reach a spot on our route. There was a bridge that led into a small forest. That was where we planned to camp that night.
We crossed the bridge a second time and continued on to our destination: Ushguli. This small village is one of the highest settlements in Europe that are continuously inhabited. Along the way, we expected to find an acidic spring. But it had gone dry. Hazardous waste is now dumped just meters beside it. This is another reason not to use this spring.
It was interesting to see the differences after returning to Ushguli for the first time in 12 years. Besides renovations in the village and a few more bars around it, the changes seemed rather small. Only one of the old towers appears to have been cut in half.
The pictures on the left were taken in 2014, and the pictures on the right were taken in 2026.
The biggest change is the road, which now allows one to reach Ushguli from two sides, each with two lanes. Unfortunately, these pictures do not clearly depict the difference.
We gave the rest of our watermelon to some local horses. Maybe that’s why they became so intrusive. We also did some minor maintenance on the car. The next day, we hiked to the Shkhara Glacier along the valley behind Ushguli.
We didn’t intend to return the same way. We tried using a small pass along the other route to Ushguli. To get there, we had to open a gate. The track was difficult but still feasible. After climbing the slope, we saw Ushguli from a new perspective. Unfortunately, we could not reach the pass next to the chapel that we had already seen. Two landslides and passages of remaining snow blocked the road. It was too risky to try to pass through alone. Nobody had driven there before that year. We had to turn around. But that had a benefit: we camped in a spot with a perfect view of the Caucasus Mountains.
The next morning, there might not have been a better place to enjoy the clear weather. While we were preparing breakfast, three bikers from the Czech Republic came by. They were camping along the slope that we had climbed a little earlier. They seemed to be the first ones to drive that pass this summer. I bet they did it well. We finally returned the same way, crossing Ushguli and the landslide area once again. Although it was a bit boring, it was better than taking a significant detour.
