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Abudelauri Lakes

Three glacial lakes — Blue, Green and White — under the Chaukhi massif at 2,500–2,800 m, the finest day hike in Khevsureti.

Abudelauri Lakes
Photo: Doobryduch · CC BY-SA 4.0
Time needed
6 h
From Tbilisi
116 km · 2:50
Road
Unpaved sections
Car needed
Crossover / SUV
Season
June–September
Entry
free

The Abudelauri lakes are Khevsureti's most celebrated natural sight. Three glacial lakes — Blue, Green and White — lie at the northern foot of the jagged Chaukhi massif at 2,500–2,800 metres. Each has its own character: in calm weather the Blue lake glows a deep turquoise and mirrors the Chaukhi towers, the Green lake hides among boulders overgrown with rhododendron, and the White lake — the highest and coldest — sits directly beneath the glacier tongue, its water a milky grey.

The trail starts in Roshka village (about 2,000 m), itself worth a stop for its giant glacial boulders and stone houses. Reaching the Blue and Green lakes takes 2–2.5 hours of steady climbing on a well-trodden path; the White lake is another 40–60 minutes over rock debris. In June the slopes are covered in wildflowers; in September the air is at its clearest and Chaukhi carries its first dusting of snow.

The lakes lie within Pshav-Khevsureti National Park. From here the trail continues over the Chaukhi Pass (3,338 m) to Juta — a hard full-day crossing for experienced hikers only. For a normal visit, the Roshka–lakes–Roshka loop fits comfortably into 5–7 hours.

Practical advice

Weather changes fast here — carry a rain shell and a warm layer even in July. Buy water and food in Roshka: nothing is sold on the trail, and the village guesthouses will cook a meal if you ask. Swimming is dangerous — the water is glacial. Morning light is best for photographs, before cloud builds on Chaukhi. There is effectively no mobile signal above Roshka, so download your maps in advance.

How to get there from Tbilisi

From Tbilisi take the Georgian Military Highway to Zhinvali, then turn right onto the Khevsureti road towards Barisakho. From Barisakho a 12 km serpentine climbs to Roshka — gravel with rocky stretches, passable in a high-clearance crossover when dry, better with a 4x4 after rain. In total about 116 km and three hours from Tbilisi. Cars stay at the end of the village; from there it is foot only. In winter the Roshka road is frequently closed.

Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.

Nearby places

Mountain

Juta and the Chaukhi Massif

One of Georgia's highest inhabited villages at 2,150 metres, under the pale rock wall of the Chaukhi ridge.

Fortress

Shatili

A stone fortress-village in Khevsureti on the Chechen border — one of the most striking places in the Caucasus.

Fortress

Mutso

An abandoned Khevsur fortress village stacked on a rock spur, thirteen kilometres east of Shatili.

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