Gomismta

Gomismta is a summer mountain resort at about 2,000 m on the northern slopes of the Meskheti range, above the Bzhuzhi gorge south-east of Ozurgeti. It is a scatter of wooden cottages on open grassy ridges, with forest below and wide views in every direction. On many mornings and evenings the valleys fill with cloud and the cottages seem to float above it, which has made Gomismta a favourite with photographers. On clear days the view stretches west towards the coast.

In 2024 the road from Ozurgeti was rebuilt and paved, cutting the drive to about 45 minutes, so Gomismta now works as a half-day trip as well as a place to stay. Accommodation is mostly in simple cottages and a few guesthouses. Come for ridge walks, a picnic on the meadows, sunrise or sunset above the clouds and cool air in the heat of the Guria summer. Mountain paths continue along the range towards Bakhmaro.

In 1902 a local newspaper counted about 20 small houses and a shop at Gomismta. A road was built in the 1950s, when the resort had about 500 cottages and 4,500 to 5,000 visitors a year, a number that doubled by 1970. Local legend says a shepherd brought his daughter, who suffered from hay fever, up the mountain and she was quickly cured. The resort declined after the Soviet collapse and has revived since the 2010s.