Tusheti off-road journey

Its time to conquer the mountain. Today we are going to Tusheti - mysterious mountain region, which is isolated from the world by snow every year from September to May. To get there, we must overcome difficult Abano pass at the altitude of 2926 meters above the sea level which will offer us array of stunning views! Arrive in Omalo village, where we will get settled for the night. We visit fortress of Keselo. Defense towers stand on top of a cliff overlooking almost the entire Tusheti.

Overnight in Omalo. Meal: breakfast, lunch and diner. Tour route: 120 km / 75 miles.

Today we will visit the villages of Shenako and Diklo. Distance to the first of them is only 4 kilometers, but a deep gorge makes the road more difficult to get through as it might seem at first glance. Shenako is situated almost at the same height above the sea level as Omalo. Here is the only active church in Tusheti - Trinity Church, built in 1843 (according local customs women are prohibited to enter churches and holy places niche - they look like altars built of flat stones). Diklo is located almost on the border with Dagestan (the Russian Federation). This village is remarkable with ruins of a medieval fortress that guarded Tusheti from raids of enemies. Accoeding the legend 16 soldiers fortified in this fortress had been defending for 18 days against of the enemy army of thousands. Return to Omalo.

Overnight in Omalo. Meal: breakfast, picnic lunch and diner. Tour route: 30 km / 20 miles.

Tusheti is a national reserve founded in 2003, and the total area of protected land is 122 050 hectares. Today we continue our journey through these magical mountains along the Pirikita Alazani gorge - one of the two main rivers of Tusheti. Our destination is Dartlo village, which stands out with its several old towers and ruins of a church of the XIX century. Each house in the village has a status of the cultural monument. Almost all the locals spend winters in Lowland and return to the mountains in late spring. Optionally: from Dartlo one can climb high up the hill to the village Kvavlo where there also are several towers. Your reward for the climb will be magnificent landscape of Tusheti.

Overnight in Dartlo. Meal: breakfast, picnic lunch and diner. Tour route: 40 km / 25 miles.

Today you will get to the upper part of Pirikita Alazani and visit three Tush villages. First stop is alpine village of Dano that today is almost deserted. Here too there is a tower, a fortress and a small church, which houses the icon of St. George. The next village with towers - Chesho. Here you can leave the car and do the next three kilometers on foot to get to the finish line - Parsma village. It is an ancient and beautiful complex of houses - towers built at the attitude of 2100 meters above sea level, return to Omalo.

Overnight in Omalo. Meal: breakfast, picnic lunch and diner. Tour route: 50 km / 30 miles, partially hiking.

It’s time to say goodbye to forests and meadows of Tusheti. Last look at the towers of Keselo and return via Abano Pass to Tbilisi.

Meal: breakfast and lunch. Tour route: 200 km / 125 miles.