Tusheti

The most hard to reach region in Georgia, Tusheti is a path less travelled and mostly untouched by tourism. On the border of Chechnya and Dagestan, you can only get there through the Abano pass, which is open from mid-July to October. The road is as hard as it is beautiful. You can only make it with well prepared 4x4 vehicule and an experienced driver. On the other side of the mountains that separate it from the rest of the world, Tusheti offers a surréal scenery of untouched nature and a rich historical heritage. Ancient defense towers and villages tucked in between impressive mountain views create such a unique atmosphere that you will find yourself wanting to come back over and over again.

Tusheti is the most hard to get to region in Georgia. That’s why if feels like such a treasure to be able to travel to these remote mountains. You can get here by hiking for a week from Khevsureti, by helicopter from Telavi, or by car through Abano pass. The road lacks repairs and is considered very difficult. Some years ago, the National Geographic and the BBC even called it “one of the most dangerous in the world”. But we don’t want to scare you off – it is very doable from July to October, as we have done so yourselves. You will only need a well prepared off-road car, an experienced driver who knows the road and a whole day of traveling.

You might ask then - Why do the people want to get there so hard? The main reason it is the breath-taking scenery. You definitely haven’t seen such mountains and probably will never find them anywhere else. We will climb to barely three thousands meter high on the pass and then will always switch between different elevation zones - from pine-tree forests to the alpine valleys. Tusheti has a variery of unique mountain plants. Actually the name for our agency comes from tushetian kondari, a mountain plant. Untill the middle of the summer the glacier not melted yet. You can swim in ice-cold mountain rivers. If you have enough courage, of course.

Going down from Abano pass, Tushetian side

Abano pass

going up to the Lower Omalo

Just before Abano pass, kakhetian side

Going down from Abano pass, Tushetian side

Just before Abano pass, kakhetian side

Abano pass

The history of Tusheti is also quite peculiar. This region was one of the last to become part of Georgia. As late as the XX century, control over it was mostly nominal. Like their neighbors the khevsurs, the tushets have been christianized very late. Actually, they went so far in the mountains in order to avoid christianization. Christianity here is mixed with some very ancient traditions whose roots are immemorial. For example, tushets are mostly breeders. Sheep and cows can be seen everywhere. But there are no pigs. The pigs are not allowed here, no pigs and no pork. You also shouldn’t bring some. People are Christians, but still go to pray around old stone monuments usually positioned around villages. These sacred places - in the same way as the churches - are not allowed for women. However there is only one working church in the whole region. In the middle ages, the lezgins from the neighboring regions led robbing raids on Tusheti. Tushets fought back quite successfuly, applying a local tradition cutting off the hands of attackers and nailing it to their fence to scare off new ones and get respect from the neighbors.

All this contributes to the really unique atmosphere. Is is not unusual here to get the feeling that you passed a portal and entered into another world. The weather, the mood, the air and maybe even your self will feel different. You might slowly get used to the magnificent scenery and not be surprised that every turn reveals a new and amazing experience. Try it. We never met anyone who didn’t want to stay longer and come back to Tusheti.

Upper and lower Omalo

Between Upper and Lower Omalo

Towers of Upper Omalo

Between Upper and Lower Omalo

Towers of Upper Omalo

Lower Omalo

Upper and lower Omalo are both part of a village sitting at about 1900 meters high. Omalo was made famours in the ex-soviet-union by the movie “Mimino”. This movie was maybe one of the most famous ones about Caucasus and was partly shot in 1977 in Omalo and Shenako villages in Tusheti. The plot revolves around a man frome Tusheti who works as an helicopter pilot. Flying his small helicopter between Telavi and Tusheti, he carries the people and the goods in the remote region. Unsurprisingly, his dream to work for big aviation in Moscow goes awry and he returns to his beloved mountains. Upper Omalo is well known for its ancient towers and mountain views. The towers are hanging on the edge of the cliffs. From there you can see the highest permanently inhabited village in Europe - Bochorna - and nearly all of Tusheti as a bonus. All around are the mountain chains covered with snow – that’s where lies the unreachable borders with Khevsureti, Chechnya and Dagestan. In the summer, guest houses, equiped with electricity and hot water, are opened in the villages. But when the pass closes, the life around Thusheti fades away. After the mass resettling of the mountaineers to the lowlands in 50s, Tusheti remains sparsely populated. And there are few locals that stay during the winter, since the region becomes cut off from the “mainland”.

Bochorna

Bochorna is officially the highest permanently inhabited settlement in Europe. Not Ushguli in Svaneti, as many say, but Bochorna. As some locals told us, some headstrong local stays here in the winter to maintain this status for his village. Indeed in the winter the village is quite empty, but nonetheless in the summer a store-cafe is open and you can get a great cup of coffee on its balcony enjoying one of the most powerful views on the Tusheti National Park and the mountains.

Shenako

Shenako is famous for its church build in XIX century. It is Saint George or Trinity Church, the only one working temple in Tusheti. “Mimino” movie was also shot here. According to the plot the family of the protagonist is living in Shenako and Omalo.

Dartlo

Dartlo and the mountains

The church

The river tushetian Alazani

around Dartlo

Keselo settlement closed to Dartlo

around Dartlo

Glacier in the Tushetian Alazani River

The church in Dartlo

Plague infected final resting place

around Dartlo

Dartlo is perhaps the most fascinating settlement in Tusheti. Here, most of Thusheti’s ancient architecture is still intact. All the village is a monument of cultural heritage of Georgia and has been declared an architectural conservation area. With the support of some western foundations and the Georgian government a lot of buildings are beeing renovated. The outstanding architecture of the village includes old houses made of stone with stone roof tiles and ancient defense towers and other defense facilities. There is another defense tower complex on the mountains above the village. We can get there to enjoy the view on the village, mountains and the Alazani valley. A little further from the village, we can visit a set of ancient buildings where people infected by the plague were going to spend the rest of their lives.