Tusheti to Khevsureti via Atsunta Pass trek

Route

What’s the plan?

Day 1: Tbilisi – Alvani – Abano Pass – Omalo

Moderate, Driving Distance 260 km, Duration 6 hours. Half Board: Bed, & Dinner

Your Tusheti adventure begins at Giorgi Leonidze Street 2, Near Freedom Square. We meet you there and then we drive to Kakheti region. We visit one of the most beautiful and stunning church Alaverdi cathedral built in 11th century. Then we follow one the most dangerous and adventurous mountainous pass and cross it at an elevation of 2850m. After 6 hours driving, we arrive and explore Omalo which is an administrative and most populated area(up to several families) in Tusheti.

Overnight at a guesthouse with private facilities in Omalo.

Day 2: Omalo – Dartlo – Kvavlo

Hiking Distance 16km, Duration 6 hours, Full Board: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Tusheti is roughly divided into two parts: Pirikiti’s Alazani river ravine and Gometsari Alazani river. In the morning, we hike to village Dartlo in Pirikiti Tusheti valley. It has been recently renovated and is a typical village of Tusheti with medieval stone houses and defensive buildings. We hike from Omalo to Dartlo, and follow off-road. The distance is 16 km, but easy.

From Dartlo, we are hiking to village Kvavlo, a village of mostly ruined towers and houses overlooking Alazani river and surrounding mountains are worthy to visit. One way hiking requires to cover 3.2 km, ascending is 400 (from 1833 to 2182) and one way takes around 2 hours to finish.

Overnight at Guesthouse with shared facilities in Dartlo.

Day 3: Dartlo-Chesho – Parsma-Girevi

Moderate, Walking Distance 14 km, duration 6 hours, Full Board: Bed, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

In the morning, we continue our journey in Tusheti. We follow upstream the Pirikiti Alazani river and its narrow gorge. At first we visit villages of Chesho and Parsma with beautiful houses and stone towers. Afterwards, we are taking a narrow walking path and reach village Girevi. Overnight at guesthouse in Girevi.

Day 4: Girevi-Kvakhidi

Hard, Walking Distance – 16 km, Hours – 7, Full Board: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast, we start the most difficult part of our trekking tour. We follow the narrow gorge above the Girevi, cross small mountainous rivers, ruined village Chontio and stop near Kvakhidi. This place is in open green fields, alpine meadows and rock stones. Here we set up tents and have a dinner.

Overnights in Tents.

Day 5: Kvakhidi- Khidotani ridge

Very Hard, Walking Distance 10 km, Hours 8, Full Board: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

In the early morning, we start hiking up to the highest point of our trip. We reach Atsunta Pass at the elevation of 3431 meters above the sea level. Here we stop for snacks and enjoy panorama views of surrounding alpine meadows and mountains. Then, we descend into the Khidotani ridge and stop in the open alpine meadow for camping.

Overnight in tents.

Day 6: Khidotani ridge – Mutso – Shatili

Moderate, Walking distance 14 Km, Hours – 7, Full Board: Bed, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

After breakfast in the stunning nature, we hike down to the narrow gorge and reach the first inhabitant place in Khevsureti. After passing village Khone, we walk to the Mutso village,which is now largely abandoned but still amazes visitors with its beautiful surrounding scenery, towers and architectural type. Recently, Mutso fortress complex has been renovated. We take a detour and hike for 2 km to Mutso fortress. Near Mutso, our transport with our driver will wait for us. From here, we drive to the village Shatili.

Overnight in Shatili.

Day 7: Shatili -Tbilisi

In the morning, we take a walking tour around Shatili which is a unique medieval-type complex. It unites defensive towers with fortified dwellings. All complex was built as a single village with small and narrow streets and common defense walls. All buildings were built by only using stone and mortar. Shatili was the guardian of the northeastern outskirts of Georgia. Afterward. We drive to Tbilisi. On our way, we visit Lebaiskari tower, cross Datvijvari Pass ( 2900m) and arrive in Tbilisi. Here our trekking adventure ends.

What's included

Included:

√ Transportation
All transportation during the trek is included in the total price.

√ Luggage transportation by horse
During the trek, horses will carry your main bag.

√ Experienced tour guides
7-Day Expert Leadership from experienced adventure guides. A knowledgeable, local, English-speaking guide leads all walks and treks. You will have two local guides in case the number of travelers will exceed 10.

√ Food
Breakfast for 6 days, dinner for 6 days, packed lunch boxes for 6 days, and snacks for 5 days are included.

√ Accommodation
1 overnight at a guesthouse with shared facilities in Omalo, 1 overnight at a guesthouse with shared facilities in Dartlo, 1 overnight at a guesthouse with shared facilities in Girevi, and 1 overnight at a guesthouse with shared facilities in Shatili are included.

Excluded:

× Accommodation before and after the trek
Before and after the trek you have to take care of your own accommodation.

× Travel Insurance Including Repatriation
Your international travel insurance is your own responsibility. It is important that your travel insurance also covers adventures at a high altitude. Discuss your itinerary with the insurance company before you travel to Georgia.

× Tipping
Tips for guides and porters are exclusive. You decide what you want to tip, but be generous.

× Hotel pick up
Hotel pick-up and drop off is not included in the total price of the trek.

× Personal Expenses
Alcoholic beverages and other personal expenses are not included.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to Georgia?

The most common and easiest way to get to Georgia is to fly to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS). Airlines such as Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Georgian Airways, and Ukraine International Airlines are some of the options to get to Tbilisi.  You can check all the airlines that fly to Georgia here.

Once you arrive at the airport it is very easy to get to the city center either by bus, train or taxi. The Public bus stop is located in front of the Arrival hall and provides transportation to the city center 24/7. One way fee is 0.50 Georgian Lari (0.20 USD). Taxis are available outside the terminal, just at the curbside of the Arrival Hall and it is also available all day. The journey time to the city center takes 20-30 minutes dependent on traffic. The taxi fee is around 30 to 50 GEL (11 to 20 USD). Although the train is a fast and cheap option (0.20 USD), it doesn’t run very often.

Best Season

Mountains of Georgia are very similar to those of Europe – the best period is from the second half of June till late September. If you want to do some serious multiday trekking, you should wait till late June – this is when nature looks its best: flowers bloom and trees get greener. The problem is that May and June belong to the rainy season. In July and August, the weather becomes more stable and dry: this is the best period to trek. These nice weather conditions tend to last until the end of September.

Tipping

It is normal to tip guides while trekking in Georgia. Opinions on how much are divided. It is common to tip 10-15% of the price of the tour. Bear in mind that anything you can give can help them a lot. Try to be generous.

Training

Do you make it to your destinations as planned? This might be influenced by the unpredictable weather conditions. However, it can also depend on your own physical condition.

One sure way to get fit for trekking and hiking in Georgia is to, you could have guessed it: hike more. Do you like walking, have you done trekking at an altitude before and do you sport twice a week on average? With a little extra training, you’ll soon be ready for this beautiful trekking in the Caucasus Mountains

Is this the first time that you are trekking for so many days? Make sure you are well prepared. This is important for your safety, but also for that of your team. Make sure you start six months in advance with an hour’s hike twice a week.

Altitude Mountain Sickness

Altitude Mountain Sickness usually occurs above 2500 m and Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, and dizziness. This is why AMS is something to take into consideration before trekking in Georgia. If you want to know everything about AMS, please read our extensive blog post. For now, keep the basics in mind. Make sure you are hydrated properly, avoid alcohol before your trek, and if you are a smoker, you better at least quit for a few days, or else you are going to have a lot of trouble making it through.

Accommodation

Accommodation

We stay at guesthouses. All of the accommodation offers private double/twin rooms with shared facilities. Individual travelers are, in good consultation, classified with other single travelers of the same sex. You can book a single room at the applicable supplement from US$ 180

Safety

Safety

Safety is of the utmost importance to us. That is why this is an area in which we simply do not compromise when it comes to keeping the cost of our trekkings low. Our guides have been selected on the basis of their technical competence, proven safety performance, impeccable judgment, friendly attitude and ability to provide useful and expert instructions. They are also very professional and well trained in first aid and personal protection equipment. First aid kits are available on all treks.

Trek Georgia

Trek Georgia

Back in 2007, we set off on the mountainous road with backpacks and tents and one mission: to see and explore real Georgia, in its most preserved forms in the remote places of the Caucasus mountains. Today our ethos has not changed a bit. We love hiking, trekking and nature activities, as well as visiting stunning Georgian cultural monuments. The idea to create a travel agency came to our mind when lots of foreign visitors asked us to help them in arranging and suggesting some trekking tours in Georgia.

Since the creation of TrekGeorgia, the main goal of the company is to provide top quality service for visitors willing to explore Georgia’s culture and nature. We offer guided tours, tailor-made tours, special interest groups (Bike riding, horse riding), and transportation services.

All of our staff are trained and certified guides, while drivers are experienced Georgian drivers with years of driving experience in Georgia. Our success is determined by our high professionalism, top quality service, high reliability, and responsibility but most importantly by our motivation. We love traveling and managing TrekGeorgia for us is not just a business but a lifestyle. Co-founders are themselves trekking and hiking guides in remote Mountainous places because of their desire to meet different people from various corners of the world. TrekGeorgia’s distinctive style of travel offers something different from an ordinary guided tour or package holiday.

How To Book

How does it work?

On Bookatrekking.com you can find and compare the adventures of your dreams. Is this trekking adventure your match? In that case you can proceed to booking. At Bookatrekking.com you make a deposit of 15% of the total amount. You pay the remaining amount on location prior to the trek directly to the trekking company.

Bookatrekking.com uses only the safest payment methods. Once your booking has been received, your place is reserved, your place is safe and you can look forward to your chosen trekking.

After you have made your booking, you will receive an e-mail confirmation with all necessary information and the contact details of the trekking company. If you have any questions or if you want to clarify something, you can obtain information directly from the right person. Of course, you can also always ask us your question. Send us an e-mail on support@bookatrekking.com

The trekking company will also receive your details and can therefore always contact you and provide you with extra information.

Cancellation Policy

You wish you didn’t have to, but there is no other way: You find yourself having to cancel your plans. In this case, you lose your deposit, but since you haven’t paid the large sum yet, you at least save that. Please do let us know if you cannot make it. A no-show can be a small disaster for your trekking provider, who did its best to block your dates. View our complete cancellation policy here.