Svaneti, a remote mountain region in Georgia’s Caucasus range nicknamed the Land of a Thousand Towers, is known for its centuries-old stone defensive towers. Mestia, the region’s highland hub, anchors visits with the Svaneti Museum of Ethnography and History.
The villages of Ushguli, among the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe, sit at the end of the celebrated Mestia-to-Ushguli trek.
June-September is the most popular hiking season; winter draws skiers to Mestia’s slopes.