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'''Mestia''' is a city small town in [[Georgia]], the Svaneti region capital of the [[GeorgiaSvaneti]]region.

Mestia is not a large town and can be walked out of easily. It has the major [[Svaneti]] road running through it. It also has a road that splits off to the north toward the border with [[Russia]] (closed now for many years) and a trekking trail to the Lekhziri glacier.

== Mestia can easily be walked out of to get onto the [[Svaneti]] road. If you watch the road markers you can make sure you are heading the right direction. The Western Approach ==markers are skinny white poles with two square blue plaques declaring the kilometer distances to the ends of the road. If the number facing you is around 140 then you are heading to [[Ushguli]] and [[Lentekhi]]. If it is around 65 then you are heading to [[Zugdidi]].[[File:spotmestia.jpg|400px|thumb|left|The petrol station at the end of Mestia towards Zugdidi. Traffic could be better, surroundings almost not]]

This road travels through Zugdidi, Jvari, Khaishi, Dizi, and a slew of small villages before you get to the administrative capital of Upper Svaneti region - Mestia. Zugdidi is a large town by Georgian standards. When heading More traffic seems to leave Mestia you will need to walk north out of town, past the mashrudtka station that is west of the city square and near the medieval-looking tower. After walking the gauntlet of taxi and mashrudtka drivers you need to keep walking for another kilometer or so through a residential area. The road will dead-end and you will turn left and walk on and over an overpass until you see the road sign for Mestia (136 km) pointing you to the right (north again). This is the road that travels all the way through Svaneti and back down to Kutaisi. Once you start walking north on this road, any place to begin hitching is as good as the next.  The traffic that travels this road makes it a little difficult to catch a ride. Many of the cars are stuffed with people because going between cities and villages in Svaneti is a whole day's outing. As with most places in Georgia, a little knowledge of Russian or Georgian is helpful, but not necessary. If breaking the ride up into segments is necessary, the larger towns on the road are Jvari, Khaishi and Mestia.  The road between [[Zugdidi and Khaishi is mostly paved with numerous rough sections. The road north of Khaishi is much more rough with some sections still being constructed. Even with the road ]] in such poor conditions, all kinds of vehicles still make the trip. Cars, SUVs, vans, lumber trucks and marshrudtkas all slowly crawl along. The traffic gets naturally thinner as you climb higher into mornings than the mountainsevenings. == The Eastern Approach == This approach travels through the cities of Tskaltubo, Lentekhi, .... More information needed == Hitching In == Hitching People making day trips into Mestia can be done from the southwest or the southeast. One end of the [[Svaneti]] road begins in [[Zugdidi]] leave early to traverse the southwest. The mountain road from the southeast travels through Lentekhi and Ushguli. The approach from [[Zugdidi]] is the more traveled because the road is supposedly in better condition. From either direction, as long as you stay on this main [[Svaneti]] road you will reach Mestiamake it back up before dark.

The On the way to [[SvanetiUshguli]] there are some other settlements, it's not a totally deserted road . However the traffic is a total of 198 kilometers. From [[Zugdidi]] lower than to Mestia the west, it is 136 kilometerspossible to hitch there within half a day. From the southeastern start of the Svaneti road to Mestia it Road is 62 kilometerspoor and only jeeps or SUVs can cross.

== Hitching Out Sleeping ==

The inhabitants of Mestia can easily be walked out of have become accustomed to get onto the [[Svaneti]] road. If you watch tourism economy and staying in local people's homes for free is not common (the road markers you can make sure you are heading traditional Georgian hospitality of the right directionlowlands does not exist here). The markers Homestays are skinny white poles with two square blue plaques declaring the kilometer distances to expensive, at least 15-20 lari/night. Camping is possible outside the ends centre of the road. If the number facing you is around 140 then you are heading to [[Ushguli]] and [[Lentekhi]]. If it is around 65 then village, but ensure you are heading to [[Zugdidi]]have proper cold weather gear if camping in winter.