Hiking tour Tusheti

6 Days

Tbilisi – Omalo – Diklo – Dartlo – Parsma – Jvarboseli – Omalo – Tbilisi

You hike with our professional guide in a small group along the passes and gorges in the wild nature of Tusheti. At night you sleep in charming guesthouses located in historic villages dating back long before Christianity.

It’s not a culinary tour, but you will eat and drink the natural and pure traditional food of the Tushetian people made from cheese, dough, herbs, fresh vegetables, potatoes and fish. Healthy salads and soups are provided with every meal. The famous natural teas made from thyme and mint are famous in the Caucasus region. Plenty of fresh water springs throughout the mountains here invite you.

You will get to know the diversity of the Tusheti mountains and the hospitality of its people on this hiking tour. We hope that you will hold this region in your heart forever.

Tusheti is one of the most beautiful and remote regions of the Georgian Greater Caucasus. It’s so off the beaten track, even most Georgian people have never been here.

Tusheti is made up of high mountain ranges that divide the province into four very distinct valleys: Sakhagmo, Pirikiti, Gometsari and Tsovata.

There are about 50 villages in Tusheti. Most of them are only inhabited from June to the end of September. Only about 10-12 families spend the winter here, mostly in Omalo.

The distance is about 68 kilometers over 4 hiking days. Day 4 goes from 2000 meters up to the Nakaicho Pass from 2950 meters and down to 1850 meters at Jvarboseli.

travel dates

30.07.-04.08.2023
27.08.-01.09.2023

Overview

Adventure/Nature/Hiking: 6 days
Number of participants: 4 – 10
Difficulty: medium
Hiking distances per day: 15-20 km, 68 km in total
Altitude: You mainly move at altitudes of 1800 – 3000 meters.
Temperatures: From June to September it is about 15-30 degrees warm in Tusheti. At night around 10-12 degrees. In September at night also up to +5 degrees.
Accommodation: Good local inns, rooms with private bath/toilet, delicious Tusheti cuisine
Packing list: You can find our packing list here

Start of the trip: 9.00 a.m. at Freedom Square in Tbilisi at the Burberry Boutique by the Old Town Hall, link

You can find our packing list here: http://en.kaukasus-reisen.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Packing-list-Mountains-T.pdf
A sleeping bag is not required.

Highlights of this tour

  • The off-road drive with 4x4 over the Abano Pass
  • The mountain village of Omalo
  • The famous fortified villages of Dartlo, Parsma and Girevi
  • Hike over the Nakaicho Pass of 2950 meters
  • 4 hiking days in the most beautiful mountain landscapes of the Caucasus

Itinerary

Meeting point at 9:00 a.m. at Tbilisi Freedom Square at the Old Town Hall.
Transfer from Tbilisi to East Georgia. Visit Telavi Bazaar. Arrive at Zemo Alvani. 4×4 drive into the wild gorge of the Storti River near Laliskuri through deep forests and stony switchbacks to above the tree line. Crossing and rest at Abano Pass of 2926 with breathtaking views north to Tusheti and south over Kakheti. Continue to Omalo, the center of Tusheti. Continue to the beautifully situated village of Shenako with its church, which is unusual for Tusheti.
Dinner and overnight in Diklo village.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking stage: 17 kilometers – 7-8 hours
A strenuous day of hiking through the most beautiful mountain landscapes of the Caucasus.
From the village of Diklo you will hike to the remote mountain village of Chigo. After lunch you will hike to the famous fortified village of Dartlo. On the way visit to Tuscheti shepherds. With a bit of luck, you will see large vultures looking for food over the defense towers and flocks of sheep. Overnight in Dartlo.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking stage: 15km – 6 hours easy
Hike to the breathtakingly high-altitude village of Dano. Then it goes along the Pirikiti Alasani river to the villages of Chesho and Parsma to Baso. Overnight stay in Baso.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking stage: 16 km – 7 hours
Hike up into the mountain range separating Pirikiti and Gometsari Tusheti. You have breathtaking views on the Nakaicho Pass from 2950 meters. From here it goes down across wide alpine meadows to the Gometsari region to the village of Jvarboseli. Overnight in Jvarboseli (Cross Stables)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hiking stage: 20 km – 6 hours easy
In the morning you hike the relatively easy but long route to Omalo. On the way you will pass the highest village in Georgia, Bochorna. Visit to the Keselo Fortress in Upper Omalo, the defensive towers and the small ethnographic museum set up there.
From here you have a wide view of the mountain ranges of Chechnya and Dagestan.
Overnight in Omalo.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Another off-road experience with the return journey via Omalo and the Abano Pass to Alvani. Lunch break below the Abano Pass. Visit to the Alaverdi Cathedral (11th c.) in the  Kakheti. Transfer to Tbilisi, Freedom Square. Arrival around 18.00
End of the journey

Breakfast, Lunch

Our services

Included services

  • All transfers from/to meeting point in Tbilisi
  • Transfers in Tusheti with experienced local drivers in 4WD vehicles
  • English speaking hiking guide
  • Full board, usually breakfast, snack/picnic, rich dinner
  • 5 nights in local guesthouses
  • We ask you to take out travel health/travel accident insurance abroad

Not included services

  • tips
  • insurances

FAQs

Will my luggage be transported?

Yes, your luggage will be transported separately from inn to inn in a vehicle. On the hikes you only need your daypack.

Can I eat vegetarian on the trip?

Yes, Georgia has a rich and varied cuisine with many vegetarian dishes. There is an abundance of delicious salads, pies, soups, casseroles, potato, rice, corn, bean dishes prepared without meat or fish. If you have certain allergies, please let us know in advance of the trip.

What temperatures can be expected on the trip?

In July and August, temperatures range from 14 to 30 degrees in the high mountains of the Caucasus. At night, temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees.

Do you have a packing list?

Yes, you find our packing list here: http://en.kaukasus-reisen.de/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Packing-list-Mountains-T.pdf
(See also on top under “Overview”)
A sleeping bag is not required.

Route

What our customers say

Dear Hans,
We arrived safely at the hotel, got a room with a city view and are simply overwhelmed by the landscape, nature in interaction with the residents and the team that has brought us all the secrets of the region closer. Tiko was wonderful, an “all-knowing”, gentle guide whose explanations on the hikes were translated by the two men when I was at the end of my English… We would have been lost if it hadn’t been for Washa, but we told him so. Temo has contributed a lot to the good mood and smiles with legends and a “brief outline of the toast tradition” and many events from the country’s history (and his own).
We have sooo many pictures in our heads (and many more on cell phones and cameras), now the mostly cultural part of our trip begins tomorrow.
Thanks again to you and your amazing team, may you all stay safe and healthy!
Have a nice weekend!
Ines and Conrad M.

We actually saw eagles on the way back, quite close in fact! Also several falcons.

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

Hiking tour Tusheti
From €995
/ Adult
From €95
/ Single room

Where we are

Heiner & Teona