Mta Shkhapizga
3,026 m
Georgia
Also known as მთა შხაპიზგა, Шхапизга, +1Also known as
მთა შხაპიზგა · Шхапизга · Sjchapizga
- Elevation
- 3,026 m
- Prominence
- 1,155 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
Not currently accessible
It lies in a closed military and border zone of Russian-occupied Abkhazia.
No documented route
We found no published description of an ascent. Any line shown is an outline from maps only — not a route to follow.
Routes
1No documented ascent route — outline from maps only
We found no published description of an ascent. This line only joins features on the map; it is not a route to follow, so there is no GPX download.
Why? 7 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.2)
- ascent 5033 m is 2.0× the net gain 2476 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.2
- Chkhalta → Sibista valley: dem (snap_failed, 32.8 km)
- Sibista valley → Shkhapidzga Pass: dem (snap_failed, 4.2 km)
- Shkhapidzga Pass → Mta Shkhapizga: dem (snap_failed, 1.5 km)
Sources differ: Approach passes in the area 1A–1B (Russian tourist grade) (N. D. Bondarev, 'V gorakh Abkhazii' (via kmvline.ru))
No documented summit route exists. The best-described approach climbs from the Chkhalta valley in the closed upper Kodori area up the Sibista valley and its western source to the Shkhapidzga Pass (about 2,600 m), just south of the summit's rock towers, reached by a chain of snowfields. The final climb to the 3,026 m top is unrecorded.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 38.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +5,033 m
- −2,557 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,026 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 26h 43m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 23h 25m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Shkhapizga (also spelled Shkhapidzga) is the highest point of the ridge between the Chkhalta and Amtkel valleys. A Soviet-era guidebook describes the approach from the north: from the Chkhalta valley follow the Sibista river, at first on a path along the right bank, then crossing from bank to bank through scrub, past a waterfall and a step of glacier-polished slabs (easiest to the left of the waterfall) to alpine meadows. Where the valley levels out, the Sibista Pass lies 300 m above to the south; the valley of the Sibista's left (western) source leads west towards a pass south of the towers of Shkhapidzga. Ahead are a trapezoid rock summit and, to its right, the Shkhapidzga Pass (2,600 m) into the Taimas valley, reached by a chain of snowfields. The guide does not describe a route from the pass to the summit, and we found no modern ascent report: a 2019 trip report reached only the foot of the mountain from the south. Two small cirque glaciers lie on the north side. Treat the summit as exploratory terrain on rock and snow; the grade given here is an estimate. Allow at least a week for the round trip from Sukhumi, including the drive up the Kodori road and several days on foot.
Start
Chkhalta550 m
- None. The upper Kodori is reached by road from Sukhumi through the Kodori gorge (closed zone, pass required).
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chkhalta → Sibista valley | 32.8 | 3,787 | 2,312 | 21h 21m |
| 2 | Sibista valley → Shkhapidzga Pass | 4.2 | 875 | 218 | 3h 53m |
| 3 | Shkhapidzga Pass → Mta Shkhapizga | 1.5 | 367 | 27 | 1h 28m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Chkhalta550 m
Inside the closed upper Kodori zone; access only with a pass
- Feature: Sibista valley2,021 m
Path on the right bank at first, then trackless; waterfall and slab step passed on the left
- Col: Shkhapidzga Pass2,687 m
Between the Sibista and Taimas valleys, south of the summit towers; snowfields on the approach
- Summit: Mta Shkhapizga3,026 m
Key Passages
- Trackless upper Sibista valley with waterfall step
- Snowfield chain to the Shkhapidzga Pass
- Unrecorded summit rocks
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
The highest summit of the Abkhaz (Chkhalta) Range at about 3,026 m, a rock massif with small cirque glaciers above the upper Kodori in Abkhazia. Almost no one climbs it: there is no documented route, and the area lies in a closed zone of a territory outside Georgian government control.
Mta Shkhapizga (Shkhapidzga) rises at the western end of the ridge that separates the Chkhalta valley, a major tributary of the Kodori, from the deep gorges of the Amtkel and Dzhampal rivers. The ridge is about 60 km long and built of Jurassic porphyrites and shales. Glacial landforms are everywhere, but the present ice is minimal: three small cirque glaciers totalling about 1 km², two of them on the north side of Shkhapizga. Spruce, fir and beech forests cover the slopes below alpine meadows, and karst features occur on the southern side.
Soviet-era guidebooks describe multi-day treks along the high ridge from Chkhalta to the Amtkel Pass (3–4 days) for groups experienced on 1B–2A passes, and list the Taimas–Shkhapidzga–Shoudidi area as a place to explore new routes. Recent visitors are rare: a 2019 trip report from the south side reached only the foot of the mountain and noted chamois in the area.
The upper Kodori, through which the Chkhalta approach passes, is a closed military and border area with access only by permit, and Abkhazia as a whole is a territory where most governments advise against travel.
Climbing Notes
This is an exploratory objective, not a mountain with a known route. Expect a week or more: a permit-dependent drive up the Kodori gorge, several days on overgrown or trackless valley paths, snowfields to the Shkhapidzga Pass (about 2,600 m), and an unrecorded summit climb on rock and snow. You need full self-sufficiency, alpine skills for snow and broken rock, and the judgement to turn back; there is no rescue service and no mobile coverage.
Local guides who know the Kodori area and can arrange passes are effectively essential. Check the legal position under Georgian law and your government's travel advice before planning anything (see access).
Season
Best Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; no access
- Feb
- Winter; no access
- Mar
- Winter; no access
- Apr
- Deep snow; avalanche risk
- May
- Deep snow, high rivers
- Jun
- Large snowfields, high rivers
- Jul
- Snowfields help on the pass approach
- Aug
- Most settled period
- Sep
- Rain spells and first snow possible late in the month
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Abkhaz entry permitRequired
Abkhazia's de facto authorities require foreigners (other than visa-exempt nationalities such as Russian citizens) to obtain an entry permit from the Abkhaz Ministry of Foreign Affairs before arrival. This is not a Georgian document.
en.wikipedia.org - Kodori gorge access passRequired
Trip reports and tour operators state that the upper Kodori gorge (Lata, Chkhalta and beyond) is a closed zone that can only be entered with a pass issued by the Abkhaz State Security Service, usually arranged by a local guide or tour operator; separate border-guard passes are reported for some side valleys. Visitors have reported being refused.
- Rules
- Abkhazia is a Russian-occupied breakaway region of Georgia. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Abkhazia and against all but essential travel near the administrative boundary line; consular help is not available there and travel insurance may be invalid.
- Under Georgia's Law on Occupied Territories foreigners may enter Abkhazia only from Georgian-controlled territory (the Enguri crossing near Zugdidi) and must leave the same way. Entering from Russia via Psou is illegal under Georgian law and can lead to prosecution; Abkhaz visas or Russian–Abkhaz border stamps in a passport can lead to fines or refusal of entry to Georgia.
- Upper Kodori is a closed military and border area with a Russian military presence; keep to permitted areas.
- Landmines and unexploded ordnance: the HALO Trust completed clearance of all 336 known minefields in Abkhazia in 2011, but single items of unexploded ordnance are still found, and a 2019 trip report describes finding a spent anti-personnel mine fuse on the Shoudyd ridge next to Shkhapizga. Do not touch metal objects and stay on used paths where possible.
- Getting There
Sukhumi
Kutaisi (KUT) or Tbilisi (TBS) via Zugdidi and the Enguri crossing
- By road from Sukhumi up the Kodori gorge through checkpoints to Lata and Chkhalta (closed zone, pass required), then on foot
- From Georgia proper: Zugdidi – Enguri bridge crossing (with Abkhaz entry permit) – Sukhumi
Hazards
- Glacier
- Rockfall
- Weather
- River crossing
- Remoteness
- Landmines nearby