Omalo: capital of Tusheti
When an inquisitive traveler opens a map of Georgia and begins to examine it, searching for interesting and hard-to-reach spots, they'll soon discover that there's a place in the northeast of Georgia accessible by only one road. This place is called Tusheti. A three-day tour to Tusheti is a wonderful choice for exploring this region.
Historically, Tusheti is inhabited by the Tushins, an ethnographic group of Georgians who speak the Tushin dialect of the Georgian language. The Tushins are Orthodox by religion. Since ancient times, the inhabitants of mountainous Tusheti have been engaged in transhumance, mainly grazing sheep. Due to their proximity to the territories of Chechnya and Dagestan, there was mutual influence and cultural exchange between these territories. First of all, in the form of trade, marriages and mutual raids, where would we be without them.
To protect against raids, the Tush people built family towers. These famous towers of Tusheti are a must for a guide as part of a tour of the villages. Ordinary houses are also extremely picturesque, as they are made entirely of stone, including having a stone roof. This gives the villages of mountainous Tusheti a special flavor.
Another tradition of Tusheti is the production of guda cheese. This cheese is made from sheep's milk, it matures in a wineskin - a bag made from the skin of a young sheep turned inside out with the wool inward, the wool is of course shaved off beforehand. Hence the name of the cheese - guda, which translates as: cheese from a bag. It is believed that real guda cheese can only be made from the milk of sheep grazing on mountain pastures, so it is difficult to buy outside of Tusheti.
Road to Tusheti
A tour of Tusheti begins with the road, and the road to Tusheti is its own, separate part of the excursion program. First, a few technical details. There's only one road to mountainous Tusheti: Pshaveli, the Abano Pass, and the village of Omalo. The Abano Pass is located at an altitude of 2826 m, making it the highest mountain pass in the Caucasus traversed by vehicles. Since some scientists classify the northern part of the Caucasus as part of Europe, this makes the Abano Pass the highest vehicular pass in Europe. The pass is open from mid-June until late October, and only if weather and snow conditions permit. Snow can be seen on the pass year-round.
Now about emotions. The road to the village of Omalo leaves no one indifferent. These are dozens of kilometers of serpentine along the mountain slope, with a fascinating view of the valley, which remained somewhere far below. The climb is very long, steep and difficult. Some even call it the "Road of Death". But our drivers grew up in these places and know this road very well. And traveling to Tusheti by car, you are freed from the hard work of a pedestrian wanderer and can get more positive emotions from the unimaginable beauty. The more open the closer you are to the upper point of the pass.
What to see in Tusheti
The capital of Tusheti is considered to be the village of Omalo. It is located on a small plateau, surrounded on three sides by deep gorges. The village itself is divided into two parts: Lower Omalo and Upper Omalo. Upper Omalo is located at an altitude of 2071 meters above sea level. And even higher is one of the main attractions of Tusheti - the towers of the Keselo fortress. In ancient times, the villagers hid in these towers from raids. The location of the fortress was chosen very skillfully - a magnificent view of the entire area allowed you to spot enemies in advance. And now it allows you to take wonderful photos of Tusheti.
Jeep tour of Tusheti will continue with a trip to the villages of Diklo and Shenako.
Here it is necessary to recall the famous film by director Georgiy Danelia - "Mimino", with Vakhtang Kikabidze in the leading role. Scenes of mountainous Georgia were filmed in Tusheti, in the villages of Omalo and Shenako. It was in Shenako that the main character's ancestral home was located. These places were not chosen by chance, the spirit of ancient, cozy Georgia still hovers here. In Diklo there is also an ancient defensive fortress. And then you can go to the top of Mount Shavikvisha.
While in Tusheti you need to see the village of Dartlo.
A short quote from the manuals of the early twentieth century: “The towers are of interest in Dartlo. There are six towers in all. They are all built of slate slabs in dry masonry. Two of them are of later construction, narrow, quadrangular, with a conical top, stand in the center of Dartlo. The other four are outside the village limits, on the other side of the stream, of more ancient origin; they are wider and give the impression of being built more solidly than the first two…” Nothing has changed since then, the towers are still standing to the delight of those who come to these places. If you take a walk to the solid village of Kvavlo, you can have a snack on the ruins of another ancient fortress, of course with an excellent view. Fortresses were not erected in other places in Tusheti. All this can be seen by going to jeep tour from Tbilisi to Tusheti.
Travel to Tusheti for a week
And if you have already visited Tusheti and this time you want to learn and see more, then join the real expedition to Tusheti for a week. There will be more of everything there. More high-mountain villages, more ancient towers. A trip to Bocherna, the highest settlement in Europe, 2345 meters above sea level. More trekking. Lunch at the beautiful high-mountain lake Oreti.
The main thing is more time for relaxation and impressions of this wonderful region.
This trip isn't just a tick-box on a "to-be-visited" list. It's for those who want to experience Tusheti: smell its scents, hear its silence, befriend its people, and take a piece of this mountain magic home with them.
A week in Tusheti is when you return home a different person. Calmer. Freer. More authentic.
Ready for a truly authentic experience of Tusheti? Then join our expedition. Space is limited—such trips are unique in the same season.
