Tsekuri
3,170 m
Georgia
Also known as Tsikuri, ციკური, +1Also known as
Tsikuri · ციკური · Цикури
- Elevation
- 3,170 m
- Prominence
- 895 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1A semi-technical scramble to the square summit block of Tsekuri from the abandoned Akhalchala pasture resort in Lechkhumi. Approach on a rough 14 km jeep road from Zeda Lukhvano, camp at Akhalchala or on the Nokhichala plateau (about 2,800 m), then climb the gully of the stream that drains the mountain.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 21.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,720 m
- −430 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,170 m
- Time Up
- 12h 38m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 9h 35m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Tsekuri (Tsikuri) is the highest point of the hills around Akhalchala, an abandoned summer pasture resort above Tsageri in Lechkhumi. Access is from Zeda Lukhvano, west of Tsageri: a very rough jeep road, passable only by a confident driver in a strong 4WD or a Soviet truck, climbs about 14 km to Akhalchala (roughly 1,200 m of ascent and 360 m of descent on foot), where there are many shepherds' huts; herders sometimes leave unused huts open for passers-by. Georgian Tour Adviser recommends a rest day at Akhalchala before the climb. Caucasus-Trekking (2021) describes the ascent as semi-technical: possible without special equipment, but not for inexperienced trekkers or in poor weather. The ridge from the Sazamtra Pass (2,765 m) to the west is too broken to be a safe approach. Instead, follow the gully of the stream that runs down from below the mountain, the one crossed about 2.5 km east of the Sazamtra Pass on the Kulbaki–Akhalchala trail. Nokhichala, a small plateau with springs at about 2,800 m on the south-east side, makes a good high camp a short way below the summit block. No ascent time is published. Descend the same way, or traverse west over the Sazamtra Pass and down to the Green Lake and Kulbaki, as described for the Akhalchala Reserve trek.
Start
Zeda Lukhvano880 m
- Marshrutka Kutaisi–Tsageri (afternoon departures; Lentekhi buses also stop at Tsageri), then taxi to Lukhvano or walk the path above Gveso
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeda Lukhvano → Akhalchala | 14.3 | 1,161 | 199 | 6h 03m |
| 2 | Akhalchala → Tsekuri | 7.4 | 1,561 | 231 | 6h 35m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Zeda Lukhvano880 m
Start of the jeep road to Akhalchala; footpath from Tsageri via Gveso
- Waypoint: Akhalchala1,840 m
Abandoned pasture resort, shepherds' huts, water
- Bivouac: Nokhichala2,798 m
Small plateau with springs; high camp
- Summit: Tsekuri3,170 m
Key Passages
- Jeep road Zeda Lukhvano–Akhalchala
- Stream gully below the summit
- Square summit block
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 45%Overview
A 3,170 m peak with a distinctive square summit block on the boundary of Lentekhi and Tsageri, the high point above the abandoned Akhalchala pasture resort in Lechkhumi. A semi-technical scramble in remote, little-visited country.
Tsekuri, also written Tsikuri, rises at the eastern end of the Egrisi Range where it meets the hills of Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti, on the boundary between Tsageri and Lentekhi municipalities. With a prominence of nearly 900 m it is one of the more independent summits in western Georgia, and its square summit block is easy to pick out from the Lebarde–Lentekhi trek and from Akhalchala.
Akhalchala is an abandoned Soviet-era summer pasture resort, now used by shepherds, set among alpine meadows west of Tsageri. Around it are a few easier tops, such as Unagira and Sazamtra (2,920 m), and the area is crossed by an off-trail three- to four-day trek between Kulbaki and Lukhvano. Tsekuri is the most demanding side trip: a scramble up a stream gully and onto broken rock.
The area is wet and often misty, there is no mobile signal on the high ground and help is far away. Herders are present in summer, but plan to be fully self-sufficient.
Climbing Notes
Allow three days from Tsageri: one to reach Akhalchala by the jeep road from Zeda Lukhvano (or longer on foot from Kulbaki), one for the summit, one out, plus a weather day. Local writers suggest a rest day at Akhalchala. You need confidence on steep, loose rock without a rope, good navigation off-trail, and settled weather; do not attempt the summit in fog or rain. Carry water from the springs at Nokhichala. Combine it with the Akhalchala Reserve trek (Kulbaki–Sazamtra Pass–Akhalchala–Lukhvano) for a varied four-day trip.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Deep snow; jeep road closed
- Feb
- Deep snow
- Mar
- Deep snow
- Apr
- Snow
- May
- Snow on the high ground
- Jun
- Trekking from mid-June; snow lingers in gullies
- Jul
- Best period
- Aug
- Best period; afternoon storms possible
- Sep
- Good, cooler
- Oct
- Safe window ends early October
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Rules
- No facilities: wild camping or open shepherds' huts only; leave huts as you found them
- Getting There
Tsageri
Kutaisi (KUT)
- Marshrutka from Kutaisi to Tsageri (afternoon departures; Lentekhi-bound buses also pass Tsageri), then a taxi to Lukhvano or Kulbaki
- Jeep road Zeda Lukhvano–Akhalchala, about 14 km, only for strong 4WD vehicles or trucks; otherwise walk
- No dependable public transport back from Kulbaki or Lukhvano; walk to the main road or hitchhike
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
- River crossing