For our last excursion in Georgia before our move to Egypt next month, we took off on a three-day jeep tour of one of the most remote regions in the Caucasus Mountains. Tusheti is in northeast Georgia, bordering the Russian regions of Chechnya and Dagestan. It is accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles and is about seven hours from Tbilisi. The road is rough and narrow, over the Abano Pass, the highest drive-able mountain pass in Georgia (9,350 ft).
The Tushetians are sheep and cattle herders. During the summer months they keep their animals in the high mountains, but when winter comes they move to the lowlands with their herds. Very few families live year-round in the mountains as the roads are impassable until the snow melts.
While the Tushetians are Christians, by custom they do not eat pork while in Tusheti, but do partake when in Telavi or Tbilisi.
Except for the jeeps on the ground and the solar panels on the roofs, much of what we saw looks little changed from the 16th century. Enjoy the pictures below.
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| Waterfalls Everywhere |
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| Lunch Stop Along The Way |
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| Ron, Margaret, Karen, John, Julie with Roman the Guide (in back) |
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| This Is How The Military Gets There |
It is notable that most of the buildings are constructed of flat, slate-like stones, without mortar, sometimes with wooden balconies added on.
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| Typical Tushetian-style Defensive Towers |
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| A Chechen-style Tower -- Narrow With Pointed Top |
Through the narrow gorges of Tusheti you find small villages scattered along the mountain sides.
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| Shenako Village, Where Our Guide Is From |
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| Zemo Omalo Village -- View From Our Guesthouse |
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| Inaccessible By Road -- Hike or Horseback To Get Here |
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| BIG Sheepdogs -- Caucasian Shepherd |
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| Dinner At The Guesthouse |
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| Breakfast |
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| The Church In Shenako |
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| Mountain Flowers Everywhere |
In spite of being Christian (Georgian Orthodox), the Tushetians still retain some older customs. The next two photos are of a "holy place" that women are not allowed to approach.
Here are a couple of short videos taken from the car. Neither one really gives you the feeling of how scary this road can be in the rain or when meeting oncoming traffic. But, maybe you can get the idea.
