Svaneti is Georgia's most famous mountain region, with endless snow-capped peaks and historic defence towers. It's also home to the first completed section of the country's Transcaucasian Trail, an ongoing trail building project aiming to connect 3000 kilometres of trail across the Caucasus. This film covers the first half of our TCT trek in western Svaneti and as always, we have an accompanying guide over on the blog if you fancy tackling it yourself - www.goingthewholehogg.com/transcaucasian-trail-svaneti-chuberi-to-mestia/ Cheers! Kim & Del
In a sleep haze this morning I left a comment on Instagram instead of here but here's another one saying the same "great vid" It's so relaxing watching you 2 after work, Thanks to you both once again. 😉👍🤟
Ha, cheers Simon! Yeah I just saw that comment on Instagram, makes more sense now ; ) Thanks for watching as always and glad to provide a bit of post-work relaxation. Have a great weekend when it comes around!
I just found your videos and they’re amazing. I love to armchair travel when I see videos as beautiful as yours. I can’t wait to get started binge watching. Be safe and well and happy trails from the north Georgia mountains USA. 🌈☮️🌞🧚🚶♀️🚶🏻🥾🎒
Thanks for the video and the blog! They are very helpful. I'm thinking about going in September. Do you always have to book the guesthouses in advance or can you also just show up?
Thanks, Manuela! Glad you find them useful. You can just show up, but it's a good idea to call ahead to book a day or even a few hours before, so they know to expect you, to prepare food, etc. Especially if there's only one or two guesthouses in the village (for example in Nakra or Kichkhuldashi). It is generally a bit quieter in September than July or August, so the guesthouses will be a bit less busy.
As a fellow hiker RU-vidr, I really find your videos masterfully produced and colored, you certainly did it much better than I ever could. The lack of excessive contrast and incredible dynamic range makes these landscapes even more fun to watch. I think this is partly due to the gradient nd filter you are using. Do you take it out of camera when sky isn't present in your shot (like a close-up to a flower or shooting towards ground, tying up your boots etc..) May I know the picture profile you are using in camera and any LUTs if possible?
Hey, thanks very much, glad you appreciate the style, especially when it’s clear that you know the effort it takes. The aim is to create a relatively subtle look while trying to convey the range that the eye can see… as much as that’s possible of course. The variable ND certainly helps with those bright scenes and allows to shoot in the best aperture range for your camera, as well as to shoot in a low aperture for creative purposes… shallow depth of field, etc. In most circumstances on the trail, the ND filter is either on (most of the time) or off (dawn, dusk, very dull days) as it’s annoying to have to be taking it on and off for particular shots. If it’s too dark with it on you can always bump up the ISO within reasonable levels. For this video we were shooting with the Sony A7iii, using the Cine 2 profile and correcting to Rec. 709 with the relevant Leeming Lut and then making the particular adjustments to each clip depending on what’s needed… shadows lifted, highlights dropped, etc. On top of this there is a partial overlay with FilmConvert Nitrate for a (hopefully) more uniform look.
@@GoingTheWholeHogg I also use Leeming LUT. But I shoot SLOG3 and then convert it to rec709. I used to use FilmConvert nitrate as well but the results were a hit or miss for me. Glad you were able to achieve something with it. Which film profile in the nitrate did you end up liking? I also see that you turn off the grain effect in that plug-in :p
Another stunning documentation folks, I often wonder who put those signs up, just the way my daft head thinks at times. That early morning footage was just so peaceful. I very rarely leave my house without my trusty rucksack and I often get the evils from some Ayrshire Raj daft wee dugs, sometimes think it really is the rucksack that throws them a bit, a sheepdog jumped at me just a few weeks back and out of nothing, owner was a raj too as well as the raj dug. Many many thanks again for all your time and dedication. Cheers!
Cheers, Gary! Ha, well actually one of the people that puts those trekking signs up messaged us, so now I know that the yellow ones are put there by the Georgian Tourism Association. And the painted trailmarkings were done by Transcaucasian Trail volunteers a few years ago I think. I think you're onto something with the rucksack, possibly also hiking poles, as I wasn't doing anything, didn't even look at the dog, but I was carrying poles in my hand and that wee raj took an instant dislike to me. Wouldn't have thought you'd have issues with them in Ayrshire too! As always, thanks for watching and always appreciating our work Gary : ) Cheers! Kim
Thanks! For solo travelers with experience of being in the mountains alone, definitely. At some guesthouses you may have to share a room as a solo traveler, although this area of Svaneti is less busy than the extremely popular Mestia to Ushguli route.
@@rodionshkinin2955 :)))))))))))))) რავი მეთქი უცხოელიარაც მეტი ტურსტი მითუკეთესი და რო იცოდენ რო ხალხი კარგად არის განწყობილი მე მთებში დავდივარ მაგ ამბავშჰი ვარ და :))
Great video guys, awesome scenery. I'm jealous, reminds me of my younger days hiking and camping , mostly South Western USA. The last trip in 2012. Now an oldtimer at 77, feet pretty shot wearing tough hiking boots for years in dry climates, so now thoroughly enjoying your experiences in my armchair in the UK.
Ahh, the comfiest way to enjoy a hike! Would love to do some hiking around the national parks of the US, it looks spectacular. Cheers for watching, Martin!
I did the TCT with some friends in 2018 and it was so nice to get to "walk" it again through your video. Interesting to see you started in Nakra instead of Chuberi as we had to do the same. Just hours before we arrived in Chuberi, a landslide had come down off the valley in some heavy rain, blocking the river, causing it to back up behind it. Eventually, the river broke through the landslide "dam" and washed out the entire valley, including all the bridges that crossed the river to where the TCT beings. Oblivious, we walked into the disaster scene, ended up on Georgian news and then got a lift back down the valley with some friendly people from the Georgian Geological Society in a giant Soviet Ural truck, stayed over night in Khaishi and started in Nakra the next day. Good memories!
Nice! Sounds like typical Georgian hospitality. Can’t remember exactly why we started in Nakra now, but we did go back the following year and hike from Chuberi. It was a monster of a climb (more than 2000 metres to Utviri pass) but the views were great and we had a good camp spot near the pass 😃 Happy we could help bring back those memories 😃
Another excellent hiking film. I love the stunning views you captured from both drones and camera. I found this trekking slightly different than previous ones. Much variety on the way! As always enjoyed this. Sorry for that dog incident, very odd! Good you guys are safe. Looking forward to the next one👍🤠
Thank you! Yes, this hike had quite a lot of variety and went through different villages, over passes, etc., so it was interesting from that perspective. It's the most popular hiking region in Georgia, so there are many more guesthouses and the trail is in good condition. It's less remote than some other places we've been in Georgia, but it's nice to mix things up a bit!
@@GoingTheWholeHogg Few days ago i discovered your channel and subscribed with big gladness ! Your great couple gives us an incentive to travel ! Best regards ! ❤👍🥰🍾🍹
excellent video and excellent editing. thank you so much. I enjoyed the landscape and your company in it :) great to have just a natural sound, with the suitable music you added, with real time shortage for the mosz part of it. that way I could really get my own thoughts. then at the end I found very kind and helpful to get to know about the names, distances, altitudes, hosts... and logistics of the hike. ♥️ looking forward to seeing more beautiful landscapes with you!
Thanks for your lovely feedback and we're very glad you enjoyed this and found it both helpful and immersive. We appreciate you watching and taking the time to share your thoughts with us! Happy hiking : ) Kim
awesome video! i like those animated trail routes you put in these vids. Do you recommend people to book those guesthouses in advance or can you just walk up and say hey here we are?
Cheers! Yeah, I love watching those 3D routes, it's such a cool perspective. In most of the villages along this route there are only a couple of guesthouses, so it's a good idea to call ahead to book. We just hiked this again last month and called ahead the day before and it was fine : )
