Tusheti. Georgia for the strong-willed
The last kilometers of asphalt end almost immediately beyond the village of Lechuri. Another five kilometers of relatively flat dirt road and we are on a long ascent of the mountain serpentine Tushetskaya highway.
The constant climb stretches for about 30 kilometers to the Abano Pass, which is 2926 meters above sea level. The road is winding and narrow; it is not always possible for oncoming cars to pass each other. The quality of the coating does not allow acceleration even on relatively straight sections. There are bulldozers along the route to clear debris after the rains. Here and there there are memorial plaques with the names of the victims. Romance...
What is noteworthy is that memorial plaques are found with approximately the same frequency as in our Dead Sea area. Although in Israel the roads are well-paved, with two lanes and not such a terrible serpentine road. Probably our coverage only aggravates the situation, allowing drivers to accelerate where they should not.
2. We stopped for a snack at one of these monuments. There is a table here and there is always chacha. 
Video. I looked around with my camera near the place where we stopped for lunch:
Snow remains on the Abano Pass almost until mid-summer. So, the route is opened for travel from the first of July for literally three months. On October 1st the route closes again. After heavy rains, the route is also closed to check and clear debris.
3. You've probably noticed that at the head of any flock of sheep... 
4. ...the goat always comes. Dogs just keep order
The name of the Abano pass translates as bathhouse. Not far from it there are indeed hot springs equipped with a bathhouse (). The bathhouse is free, but the grandfather who keeps order persistently extorts money for visiting. This is called: using state property for personal purposes. There is no Stalin for him! ;)
From the pass it’s another 30 kilometers to Upper Omalo along the same serpentine road, but more or less downhill. Tushetsky begins immediately after the Abano pass national park.
Tusheti National Park is the most big park not only in Georgia, but perhaps throughout Europe. It was created to protect local mountain goats, and at the same time other species of animals and plants living here also came under protection. And not only goats and roe deer live here, but also wolves and lynxes.
Local residents, for the most part, lead a “migratory” lifestyle. When the route opens, they drive the sheep to graze in the mountains, prepare hay, and when the route closes, they return to the Alazani Valley. The government is trying to encourage people to stay in mountain villages for the winter by sending a helicopter with free food once a month. And some still remain.
The locals are real mountaineers! These are peoples who have lived in the mountains since ancient times and were strongly influenced by Georgia. Although they are Christians, their religious buildings, those that are not temples, strangely resemble pagan altars. However, to this day, locals slaughter lambs on holidays near their holy places;) Only men can approach the shrines and only on foot. Some of them are even surrounded by flimsy fences and decorated with prohibitory signs.
Previously, in Soviet times, there were regular helicopter flights to Omalo. The film Mimino is about the pilot of such a regular helicopter. Nowadays, you can also fly to Omalo by helicopter, but this time privately.
5. Waterfall 
6.
7. We are already being watched 
8. There are even trucks here 
9. We have already passed there 
10. The road beyond the pass 
Omalo, the village where we spent our first and last nights, is the largest in Tusheti. You can say: the capital. In Soviet times there was a telegraph office, an airfield, a school and a hospital. Now there are guesthouses, cafes and the largest number of winter residents in all of Tusheti.
It just so happened that I came to Tusheti for the first time recently, when I was already over 50. I began to regret that I had not been here in my youth, when the heavy backpack and the burden of current affairs were lighter. However, the unreal beauty of these pristine mountains and canyons, medieval towers of idoms, coniferous forests and emerald fields has not gone away. In general, if there is even a small chance, this amazing island between the mountains, one of the places that should definitely be visited. Anyway, first things first.
Islands among the mountains
There is no centralized power supply in Tusheti. There is a small hydroelectric power station that supplies several villages, there are solar panels at home, and some hotels have gasoline-powered generators. There are several points where cellular communications work, including the administrative center of Omalo. The road has gotten better lately. It goes through the Abano pass, which is 2936 meters high. It's a passenger car, it won't pass, but it's probably possible to drive a crossover if you really don't mind it. But a good SUV, given good weather, will easily travel the 70 km from Alvani to Omalo in 4–5 hours. In general, this road, which in itself makes an indelible impression, was worth driving even if there was nothing on the other side. The road is open approximately 100 warm days a year, all hiking trails from Khevsureti, Dagestan and Chechnya, which pass through passes of more than 3200 meters, are passable for the same 100 days. The rest of the time, the only mode of transport, in which case, is a helicopter. Considering that Valiko from the film “Mimino” was Tushin and flew on this particular flight, it is possible that the helicopter is the same one that we remember from the film.
Tusheti is surrounded on all sides by mountains. The only river flowing out is the Andean Koysu, but there is no path from Dagestan to Tusheti along the river gorge, since the river enters an impassable canyon, which serves as a natural border with Dagestan. This is typical for these mountains. In Tusheti, often, in order to get to the village next to the gorge, you need to climb a ridge, gaining a kilometer in height, and then descend to the neighboring village, because these three kilometers along the river are impassable in principle. At the same time, on the mountains themselves there are quite large, relatively flat areas where pastures and fields are located. These emerald islands between the steep canyons make the landscapes of Tusheti special, unlike other regions of the Caucasus.
The ridge separating Chechnya The buildings in Tusheti were built from local slate, which was mined right there, next to the building being built. Moreover, not only the walls, but the roofs of houses and towers were made of slate slabs. Therefore, looking at the villages of these houses and towers, you are left with the feeling that they were not built, but that they grew out of these rocks. Often, even with careful inspection, it is difficult to understand where the rock ends and the walls begin. Surprisingly, these towers were built without any binding material, simply by carefully selecting the slabs and their own weight. It’s even more surprising that the height of these elegant structures reaches the height of an 8-story building, and they have stood for many hundreds of years in a fairly seismic zone. There are towers in which family hotels. Up the ladder hanging from the wall and into your hotel room. A large “HOTEL” sign will prevent such a tower from being confused with just a tower.
I wanted to, however! The traditional cuisine of Tushin is simple and unpretentious, the highlands, the diet used to be very meager. However, local cheese, traditional flatbreads with cheese (here they are called not “khachapuri”, but “kotori”), khinkali, common for mountainous regions, are all very tasty. There is one local product that is considered a delicacy in Georgia. This is one of the most expensive products on any Georgian market. We are talking about sheep cheese “Guda”, which matures in a special vessel made from tanned sheep skin. Due to its specific, to put it mildly, smell, not everyone will decide to try it, but if you are a supporter of culinary exoticism, do not miss this opportunity.
Tusheti guda cheese Several photos of Tusheti
Herd in the Gometsari gorge
Tushins
Tusheti(თუშეთი) is a region in a difficult-to-reach region of northeastern Georgia, bordering Chechnya in the north and Dagestan in the east.
This area relates to Akhmetinsky district Kakheti and essentially the indigenous people who previously inhabited Tusheti most currently lives in northern Kakheti.
A seasonal method of residence has been adopted here: since the connection with the “mainland” exists only from the end of June to mid-October (during the same period, tourists can get to Tusheti).
Tushin residents migrate like migratory birds from the village Kvemo-Alvani Alazani Valley to their ancestral nests in large villages of Tusheti: Omalo(Omalo) Shenako(Shenako) Dartlo(Dartlo) and smaller farms.
Tusheti in Georgia
Compared to the mountaineers of the western part of Georgia (Svaneti), the Tushins are Orthodox Christians.
But with certain differences:
– Tush residents don’t eat pork
– do not allow women near temples
– and according to historical information – they previously engaged in sacrifices on altars (simply, they slaughtered sheep).
Although, to be honest, I didn’t see any temples in Tusheti.
For example, in the village of Dartlo, a temple is called a ruin consisting of three half-collapsed walls, where the court of the seven elders of this village once sat.
The perimeter of this ruin is marked by a frail fence made of poles, and the guide immediately warns the girls that they cannot go there.
I’ll say right away that these three walls do not represent any picturesque value.
Tusheti on the map
Geographically, the Tusheti region is a buffer on the way from Chechnya and Dagestan to the fertile Alazani Valley, and in the past the Tush people often clashed with detachments of warlike highlanders from the north.
Therefore, everywhere on the hills here there are towers of a characteristically pyramidal shape with a sloping roof and small loopholes up the wall.
As a rule, women with children and old people took refuge in such towers, and men repelled the enemy’s attack at the foot of the tower.
Sentinels from afar saw the approach of the Chechens by the glare of reflections from sabers and shields, after which a mass evacuation took place to shelter towers.
The Tusheti region is inaccessible to standard tourist.
There are no packagers here at all.
The main visitors to Tusheti are tourists “in the know” from Eastern Europe.
Most of all are Poles and, oddly enough, Czechs.
There are many enduro riders traveling on difficult trails.
There are hikers with sticks and tents.
We saw horse explorers of Tusheti, but still the majority get to Tusheti from northern Kakheti along mountain path(I won’t call it a road) through the pass Abano(2850m)
How to get to Tusheti
It is best to rent a jeep with a driver, and in 100% of cases the driver will be a Tush native who has a house or relatives in Omalo or Dartlo and is well aware of all the nuances of the road.
As I already wrote above, all Tushino residents move from the mountains to the valley in winter, and during tourist season they taxi or keep guesthouses in the mountains.
The exchange of jeeps with drivers is located in the central square with the roundabout of the village Kvekmo-Alvani(Kvekmo-Alvani).
It is best to arrive the day before the trip and agree with the driver:
– look at the car, talk to the driver and understand what kind of person he is.
In general, they are all normal guys there.
The car fleet is represented by Japanese right-hand drive SUVs and all-wheel drive minibuses.
Those who wish can cooperate and go to Tusheti together, we prefer to travel not in crowded conditions and without being offended
When you have agreed on the price for the trip (round trip), tell us where to pick you up: they can come to Telavi or another point in the Alazani Valley.
We hired a driver for 500 lari for two days - this price includes everything (fuel, his overnight stay and food).
By and large, there is nothing to do in Tusheti for more than two days, so it is logical to combine a trip to Tusheti with.
Season in Tusheti and weather
The season usually starts from the end of June and lasts until mid-October.
Then the road closes.
The weather is alpine: hot during the day when the sun is shining.
When clouds roll in and the weather in the mountains is difficult to predict, it’s cool.
It's cool in the evening and at night - last night it was 9 degrees and it was blowing strong wind– a warm blanket in the guesthouse and a fireplace saved me.
The road is worth a separate story and is a difficult test for tourists, especially at the beginning of the season, when it is being restored after winter.
It can safely be called a road for the first 20 km, and then I’ll call this fenced serpentine road with one track and an abyss half a kilometer deep - “point test”.
Although if you roll the chacha and don’t look out of the window opposite the window looking at a steep wall with stone screes, it seems to be normal.
Passenger drivers come here, and in the upper Omalo we met two freaked-out (from “where we got to”) Englishmen on a rented Mitsubishi Pajero (they took with them a few liters of chacha and two hitchhikers from Israel and Norway for courage).
But as a warning, at the beginning of the most dangerous serpentine there is a granite monument to four Georgians who flew into an 800-meter abyss.
There is also a bench and a table to sit down and think about whether to go further.
With local drivers the road is an attraction, beautiful views and shaking for 3-4 hours - that’s how long it takes to cover 50 km of serpentine road to the first village on the way deep into Tusheti - Omalo.
Yes, there are a lot of picturesque things along the way and at first you try to capture everything.
But in truth, after an hour you get tired of slowing down the driver to create an imperishable situation and you just sit and look out the window.
By the way, it’s also a useful pastime.
Omalo and the native village of Mimino - Shenako
Part of the film Mimino, namely where he flies in a helicopter transporting chickens and cows to mountain villages, was filmed on a flat plateau between the villages Omalo And Shenako.
There are still remains here runway for corn workers and a helipad.
It seems like you can rent a helicopter at the airport near Mtskheta, although now the office that was engaged in commercial transportation has refocused on Svaneti.
The village of Omalo is like administrative center Tusheti is where the government structures are located, most of the guesthouses and even a store where you can buy a bottle of water ( you need to take alcohol with you).
Omalo consists of two parts: lower Omalo and, accordingly, upper Omalo.
Upper Omalo is located at the foot of a hill, on top of which there are towers.
The village is essentially several guesthouses, one of which is funny name “Lashara“.
The owner stoically endures ridicule, but in the end he can’t stand it and changes the name of his guest house.
80 percent of guesthouses are on booking.com - during the season they say that you need to reserve accommodation in advance: booking accommodation in Omalo (Tushetia)
But when we were there (yesterday) there were no tourists in the village except us.
Housing in Omalo
Having avoided Lashara (something was being concreted there and an angle grinder was howling), we settled in a fairly decent guesthouse, Guest House Shina
This place differs from others in that it has its own food area (I can’t dare to call it a restaurant) with a fireplace, plastic windows with double-glazed windows, and it’s quite cozy.
I would like to immediately dispel ideas about the format and quality of housing in Tusheti: there are no hotels here.
All that is there are guesthouses with small rooms with 2-3 sometimes more beds.
All beds have spring prehistoric mattresses and are equipped with tight synthetic pillows.
Some guesthouses have shared toilets with showers, so when booking, pay attention to this convenience (by the way, in Shina this was all right).
The cost of accommodation includes one, two or three meals a day.
That is, breakfast or breakfast + dinner or “all inclusive”.
You shouldn’t count on any pickles: in Tusheti all products are imported.
Even though the mountaineers historically were engaged in sheep breeding, all lamb is exported to the UAE, Turkey and Iran.
Dinner may include a tomato and cucumber salad, stinky sheep cheese, soup (usually canned, with noodles) and a hot dish: potatoes fried in butter with pieces of beef or cutlets fried in butter.
After dinner, there may be heartburn, so it is advisable to take phosphalugel with you or drink chacha.
In general, I listed the menu for our dinner, but it’s the same in other places.
Horror! Everyone here loves butter and adds it wherever possible, as well as frying food with it..
The frantic Englishmen we met with their backpacker friends apparently did not know that there were no shops in Tusheti, so when they arrived in upper Omalo in the evening, they wandered around the surrounding area in search of food.
By this time I had already gone to bed, so it was mainly Oleg and Ikrinka who communicated with them.
The owners of our guest house at this time closed their kitchen, leaving us a room with a fireplace, an ax and a supply of firewood - by the way, the highlands are very felt when you chop firewood - your heart tries to jump out of your chest and fly away to freedom like a mountain eagle.
So, embarrassed to ask us for leftover food - and we left half the potatoes and all the soup - the tourists invited us to drink chacha.
Ikrinka and Oleg refused, and meanwhile the tourists pitched a tent on the very windy hill - and tried to cook something on a gas stove.
Apparently they didn’t succeed - they just piled on chacha and fell asleep hungry - judging by their morning gloomy appearance.
Hiking in Tusheti
Speaking of tents and wandering on foot, this risks meeting an evil Alabai the size of a calf.
We decided to walk along the road, but the driver did not warn us about the inhabitants of the green hills where cows and sheep graze.
We walked about ten meters and suddenly saw that the driver was waving his hands at us - looking back in the opposite direction, we noticed a herd and a couple of huge wolfhounds in the “at him!” stance.
Everything ended well, but according to locals, there are often cases when dogs attack.
In this case, you need to squat down and wait for the shepherd - the dogs will not let you get up and will try to attack if you run from them.
Who knows what the British did, but in the morning a healthy watchdog was on duty at their tent and then followed them on their heels and wagged his tail - they didn’t pour chacha for him...
Electricity, internet, hot water
There is electricity in guesthouses - in every house solar panels and water heaters of the same type as in Spain.
That is, progress has reached Omalo lower and upper.
There is no Internet.
There is a cellular connection, but it is weak - one or two bars on the iPhone.
Mobile Internet 2G - depending on your luck, but I managed to check my email.
Dartlo village
It takes about 30 minutes to get to Dartlo from Omalo.
Also a serpentine road, but more or less a well-trodden road without teeth-crushing cobblestones under the wheels.
Dartlo is a fairly compact village located on a hill at the foot of mountain range, beyond which is Chechnya.
Above is only the village Kvavlo– it can be seen from below watchtower covered with scaffolding - we didn’t want to drive along the serpentine road, so we limited ourselves to exploring Dartlo.
What I noticed: the residents of Tusheti use flat stone, which is simply lying under their feet, but here it costs a lot of money - as roofing material.
A sheathing is made on the rafters, then roofing felt is laid, and a flat stone is placed on top like a tile.
I had a question - what about in winter, when snowdrifts blow up on the roofs. The rafters can withstand it, they say.
In general, all the houses here look very rich due to the fact that natural stone is used in the masonry - small structures are simply built without cement between the stones.
You can wander around the village and take a walk.
Local residents few and they are indifferent to tourists. But it would be more correct to say that I simply did not see the local residents.
The windows and doors in the houses are wide open and there are no locks on the doors.
The paths in the village are narrow and overgrown with nettles, so walking in shorts was not comfortable.
What to do in Tusheti
Wander through the hills (remember to take a stick and stay away from the flocks of sheep).
Ride horses.
Breathe oxygen-depleted mountain air.
Admire the alpine landscapes...
Tusheti and...
As I wrote earlier, a trip to Tusheti goes well with wine tour on factories and farms of the Alazani Valley.
This is exactly the kind of trip we ended up with: 2 days for tasting, 2 days for Tusheti and home.
I wrote about winemaking here: and about Tusheti my story has come to its logical end - I’ll see what happened with the GoPro photos and videos and later I’ll post it in a separate message.
On this page:
Today we’ll tell you a little about what Tusheti is all about, how to get there, where to stay, what to see and why to go there at all.
Tusheti is a mountainous area in northeastern Georgia, bordering Chechnya and Dagestan. Here lives its own people - the Tushins, who have been engaged in cattle breeding since ancient times. Now the Tushites mainly bring their herds to Tusheti for the summer, and in the winter they live below, in Kakheti, in the villages of Kvemo and Zemo Alvani.
The Tushins are a very peculiar people, representing a mixture of Tushino Georgians and Batsbis - a nationality close to the Chechens and Ingush. Formally, the people of Tushetia are Christians, but the one and a half churches that have survived in Tusheti are in a deplorable state. The people of Tushino do not use them, but worship the ancestors and spirits of the area in special sanctuaries called niches. Also, the Tushians do not eat pork and prohibit women from approaching sacred places.
Here, at what is called a “temple” in Tusheti, elders are sitting, busy with an important task: driving away lost aunts from him. There is a corresponding sign nailed to the pole.
Maps of Tusheti
Everything is pretty bad with the maps of Tusheti. Google Maps believes that there are no roads there. The Maps.Me application helped us a lot in moving around - it even knows walking trails.
Paper maps of Tusheti can be downloaded here (click on the photo - a large map will open).
Geographically and topographically, Tusheti consists of two and a half gorges, along which villages are scattered. The first is the Pirikit Gorge with villages. The Pirikit Gorge ends with passes to Khevsureti, Chechnya and a path to the Pankisi Gorge.
The second gorge is Gometsar. There are the villages of Dochu with towers, Ilurta with a temple and Indurta with towers. From here the trails go to Khevsureti, Shatili and Mutso.
The third gorge of the Andiyskaya Koysu River contains the villages of Shenako and Diklo, as well as a trail to Dagestan.
In the middle of all this splendor stands the village, the capital of Tusheti. There are a whole bunch of guesthouses, something like a cafe and even a store - unprecedented luxury! At the end of August, however, all this was already or still closed.
How to get to Tusheti
What to see and do in Tusheti
In addition to the mountains, Tusheti is interesting for its ancient villages. The Tushins (like the Svans, Ingush and Chechens) built battle towers, which, together with stone houses, created entire impregnable fortresses for every family. Now they, very organically integrated into the landscape, are submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO heritage list.
You can walk through the Tusheti gorges on foot, on horseback or by car. Equestrian or automobile transport Any guesthouse will organize it for you. Tusheti is full of trekking routes, and the trail from Shatili to Dartlo is considered the most interesting and beautiful trekking route in Georgia. I also thought that in Tusheti the bicycle is very popular: the distances are too long for walking, but too short for a car.
Where to stay and what to eat in Tusheti
There are several guesthouses in Tusheti, mainly located in Lower and Upper Omalo. There are also guest houses in Dartlo, Shenako and several other villages. We lived in Mirgvela Guesthouse in the middle between Omalo and Dartlo and paid 60 lari for a room with hot water.
In Tusheti he works hard mobile connection(buy a Magti SIM card, not a Beeline), but this does not prevent hotels from being represented on booking sites like Booking.Com or Roomguru. It is done like this: when a guest arrives, the owners, having climbed a higher tree on the mountain, call their friends “down” and they check whether such a reservation is in the system or not. There are no special problems with accommodation in Tusheti, but it’s worth booking something for the first night so as not to rush around in the dark later. The most convenient way to do this is using the RoomGuru service, which combines information from all hotel aggregators and finds the cheapest offer.
The rules in Tusheti are harsh in the mountain style: you should take a warm sleeping bag, it’s cold at night even in summer. The owners usually offer " full board» about 10 lari for each meal per person. If you don’t want to pay another 30 lari a day for food (for example, we only had dinner at our guest house), it will be very useful to take food with you. There is nowhere else to feed in Tusheti other than in your guest house. In our understanding, there are no cafes or shops.
In general, what you bring to Tusheti is what you will eat. Our Tusheti breakfast:
And our Tusheti lunch:
In general, Tusheti is a harsh and not very hospitable mountainous country. That's why it's beautiful. Thanks to the inaccessible route, there are still very few tourists here, and there is an opportunity to see the pristine nature and the mountain way of life as it is.
Georgians unconditionally love their country and, discussing the reasons for this love, they, regardless of the region of their birth and residence, repeat in unison: “Georgia has everything: mountains and sea, architecture and vineyards.” Indeed, all natural diversity is concentrated in a relatively small area of the country (Georgia is 245 times smaller than Russia). Georgia consists of one city of national importance (of course, this is the magnificent Tbilisi), 9 regions and the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. I will tell you about my favorite regions that have been well studied over the months of traveling around Georgia.
Kartli, which is divided into Kvemo Kartli and Shida Kartli
The Kartli region is a must-visit for those interested in the history and culture of Georgia: the region is rich in ancient fortresses and temples, museums and art galleries. It is in Kartli that the active social, cultural and political life of Georgia is concentrated; it is the central and most densely populated region of the country. Capital Tbilisi(and this is 1,200,000 inhabitants) is located here, and in the Middle Ages the Georgian state began from here.
- ride around cable car“Argo”, one of the longest in the world: 2600 meters of smooth sailing over the city of Batumi with views of the green mountains and the Black Sea. At the top station there is a restaurant with live music and an area for the best selfies;
- go to a concert in a new one Concert hall, built under Saakashvili. An elegant oriental-style building with fountains at the entrance is located very close to the sea. After the concert, you can walk to the city center (it will take an hour and a half). If Sukhishvili (the legendary Georgian folk dance ensemble) is performing during your trip to Batumi, be sure to buy a ticket;
- go for one day to Sarpi beach, located on the border with Turkey. At least MTS, as soon as you find yourself in Sarpi, sends SMS “Welcome to Turkey”. Most clean beach Adjara with pebbles and turquoise clear water. There are a couple of cafes and shops on the shore; you can rent sun umbrellas and sun loungers. Spending the whole day here is wonderful; minibuses run regularly to Batumi. There is no point in staying here overnight: the settlement is small and almost always crowded with trucks and cars heading to Turkey. By the way, if you wish, you can look into a neighboring state;
- eat khachapuri in Adjarian style. Of course, you need to try it in your homeland - in Adjara. The well-known “boat” of dough, filled with cheese and a fresh raw egg, can replace an entire lunch or dinner. There are specimens with five eggs! It’s better to take these for the whole company;
- come to Batumi Boulevard, wide, spacious, illuminated. There is a new one and an old one, the construction of which began in 1881 with the participation of two German gardeners. The length of the boulevard is 7 kilometers, and surprises await you at every step. For example, dancing fountains. Or the monument to Ali and Nino (there’s a whole dramatic story about lovers who couldn’t be together because of religious issues). Or - attention! - the so-called Chacha Tower, or simply Chacha Tower. According to Saakashvili’s plan, real chacha was supposed to flow from the fountains near this tower (which is terribly reminiscent of a mosque). The idea was incredible, but it was not destined to come true. Attractions, benches, bars and all the light of Batumi - everyone walks along the boulevard in the evening. At any time you can go to the beach and continue your walk along the galley shore;
- if you are traveling with a child, then you have a direct route to the Batumi Dolphinarium. I wasn’t there, but everyone was delighted. Performances take place in the morning and evening, last half an hour and cost from 15 GEL (6 USD). There is also the opportunity to swim with dolphins.
Samtskhe-Javakheti
In summer the region is suitable for have a relaxing holiday outdoors, horseback riding and walking routes through the surrounding mountains, rafting on the Kura River and searching for spiritual harmony. In winter it is worth coming to Samtskhe-Javakheti for active rest: from December to March they work here ski resorts with excellent snow cover.
One of the southern regions of Georgia, lost in the green mountains (not as high as in Svaneti or Tusheti, but still), is famous for its air. Residents of many regions of the country admit that Samtskhe-Javakheti has the cleanest air.
Akhaltsikhe
The capital, Akhaltsikhe, is unremarkable. All guidebooks write about the Rabati fortress, but, as for me, there is nothing to do there. Rabati is a sparkling new fortress with a mosque, synagogue and temple outside the ramparts. Many people like it, but when you realize that the buildings are new, interest in the place fades. By the way, the name of the city of Akhaltsikhe literally translates as “new fortress,” so everything turned out very logical.
Vardzia
Vardzia- this is where you need to go! A cave city-monastery of the 12th century with a church and frescoes of that time at an altitude of 1300 meters above sea level (in the fall of 2016 the frescoes were damaged in a fire, but let’s hope that experts will be able to preserve them at least partially), where the monks now live.
The road to Vardzia also deserves attention: the ribbon of the Kura winds below (in Georgian - Mtkvari), there are vineyards and picturesque villages with the purest springs and mulberry vodka for sale. If you are traveling to Vardzia from (and, most likely, this will be the case), along the way, visit the Green Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Georgia. A wonderfully beautiful road leads to the monastery (and it is beautiful both in summer and winter). The monastery itself is quiet place with a small 9th century temple, a chapel, a spring with holy water and a cool river nearby. There is another room where the skulls of monks who died defending the monastery from the Ottomans are kept.
is a nice little town that you can spend a day or even two exploring if you're not in a rush. What to do here?
- take a ride on the cable car and descend from there to the city on foot: the winding road runs through a coniferous forest;
- take a photo with the Tchaikovsky monument in the city center (did you know that the composer loved these places and wrote more than one of his works in Georgia?);
- take a walk to the pool with warm mineral water and, of course, take a swim. The road goes along the Borjomka riverbed through the gorge. Very beautiful;
- walk along the Borjomka River within the city, drink tasteless but healthy water from the source, sit in the black gazebos above the water;
- eat delicious and cheap shawarma in front of the station building;
- see the carved house of Mirza Riza Khan, which was originally the summer residence of the Iranian consul. The house is called “firuza” (“turquoise”), fully justifying its appearance;
- if you have absolutely nothing to do, go to the Museum of Local Lore: it is one of the oldest museums in Georgia (opened in 1926). Inside are archaeological artifacts, dishes, stuffed animals. I was much more impressed by the museum building: it is the former imperial office of the late 19th century;
Bakuriani
Bakuriani– another charming place in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. In winter they go skiing there, and in summer and in the off-season it’s good to just take a walk, have lunch at some restaurant and go back.
In the case of Bakuriani, it is much more important not where, but how.
You can only get there from the mountains (on the other side), and this is where the fun begins. You can get there in half an hour by minibus and consider yourself doing well. But there is an option not for the weak, but for connoisseurs of beauty: the Cuckoo train. It departs twice a day (at 7 and 11 am) and covers a distance of 40 kilometers in two hours! Along the way you will see cows, villages, people and children waving at the train, rocks approaching the carriages and green mountains. Such a trip costs two hours, especially since you can return by minibus.
Anything to add?
