Udziro Lake

Udziro means bottomless, and the lake sits at around two thousand five hundred metres in a rock cirque below the main Caucasus watershed in upper Racha, reached on a trek of five or six hours from the villages of Glola or Shovi, climbing through beech and fir forest and then alpine meadow to a bowl of scree and snow patches. Most people camp at the lake and return the next day, or continue over a pass toward Svaneti, which is a serious multi-day route. The upper Racha valleys around the trailheads are green and quiet, with the mineral springs of Shovi and traditional wooden houses in the villages below.

What you actually see

• A lake in a rock cirque - Udziro at 2,500 metres below the ridge.
• Forest to alpine meadow - the gradient on the climb up.
• Snow patches into summer - the drifts around the shore.
• Upper Racha villages - Glola and Shovi at the trailheads.

When to go

July to September only; snow lies late and the route is impassable outside summer. Two days with a camp at the lake. Carry everything; there are no facilities.

Honest expectations

It is a long climb with substantial ascent and no shelter on the route. Weather changes fast at the lake and nights are cold. The trail is not well marked in the upper section. This area has been affected by landslides; check conditions locally before setting out.

Nearby

Shovi and Glola are the trailheads; Oni lies down the valley.