Photo: Moahim, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Georgia: Tusheti on horseback and the Kakheti harvest
Nine days for four friends in September: over the Abano Pass into Tusheti, three days in the saddle from one tower village to the next, then the grape harvest with a family in Kakheti and a last night in Sighnaghi.
Tbilisi
Getting there
Fly into Tbilisi; a taxi from the airport to the hotel takes about half an hour.
Where you're staying
Hotel Monday by DNT Group, a small hotel in Chugureti, the neighbourhood around Fabrika across the river from the old town, with a garden and a sun terrace.
- Two nights in two double or twin rooms, breakfast included
- Rated 9.7 on Booking.com from about 2,000 reviews
- Pick up lari at the airport: Tusheti runs on cash
Photos: booking.com (property photos)
Evening
Khinkali and a first glass of amber qvevri wine in the old town, then a walk past the brick domes of the sulphur baths, lit up at night.
Baths and the bazaar
The day
A private room at the Abanotubani sulphur baths in the morning, the cable car up to Narikala fortress, and an afternoon at the Dezerter Bazaar for churchkhela, dried fruit and nuts for the saddle bags.
- Book the bath room for the morning; the hot water comes straight from the spring
- Early to bed: the jeep leaves at seven
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why the valley empties
Most Tushetians spend the winter in the lowland villages of Alvani and come back up with their sheep in summer. Snow closes the only road from autumn to late spring.
Over the Abano Pass
Getting there
A private 4x4 with a local driver: two hours east to Kvemo Alvani, then 77 km of dirt road over the Abano Pass and down into Omalo, about four to five hours in good conditions.
- No barriers and sheer drops: this is a road for local drivers only, never a hire car
- No phone signal for most of the way
- About GEL 500 to 650 one way for a private 4x4 from Alvani (2026), more from Tbilisi; we book it with a Tusheti operator
Where you're staying
A North Homestay in Upper Omalo, below the Keselo towers: rooms with balconies onto the mountains and home cooking at a shared table.
- One night; dinner and breakfast are cooked by the family
- Rated 9.9 on Booking.com from about 250 reviews; guests single out the food
- Tusheti guesthouses run about GEL 30 to 150 a night with breakfast
Flagship day
On horseback to Shenako
Day 4 · Tue 7 Sep
The day
The first day in the saddle with a Tushetian guide and a pack horse for the bags: down to the Pirikiti Alazani river and up through pine forest to Shenako, a village of slate houses around a small church, then on along the ridge to the ruined fortress of Diklo, looking across to Dagestan.
- Walking pace on sure-footed mountain horses; one soft bag each, the horses carry the rest
- We arrange a private ride: the small-group departures end in late August. For scale, a six-day group ride from Tbilisi costs €940 each for four, all included (2027)
- Use the bridges, never wade the river
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Rusudan Beridze, CC BY-SA 3.0; Levan Gokadze, CC BY-SA 2.0; Daviti Zhorzholiani, CC BY-SA 4.0; Alsandro, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Where you're staying
Above the Clouds, an adults-only guesthouse in Shenako with a terrace over the valley, run by Nino and her family.
- One night, dinner and breakfast at home
- Rated 9.5 on Booking.com, from only 19 reviews, every one about the dinners
Photos: booking.com (property photos)
Guda
Tushetian guda is a sharp sheep's cheese, pressed and aged inside a sheepskin bag. You will meet it at breakfast, at lunch on the trail and at dinner.
Over the pass to Dartlo
The day
The big day: up to the Nakle-Kholi pass at about 2,900 m, leading the horses on the steep parts, then down to Parsma and along the valley to Dartlo.
Where you're staying
Pirikiti, a guesthouse in Dartlo where Mari cooks; rated 9.9 on Booking.com.
Down to the vineyards
The day
Back over the Abano Pass by 4x4 and down to Babaneuris Marani, a family winery among its own vineyards, with a pool for tired legs.
Harvest day
The day
The rtveli with a winemaking family: picking, treading the grapes in the wooden press, filling the qvevri, and the supra that follows. Evening in Sighnaghi.
Sighnaghi
The day
Lunch and natural wine at Pheasant's Tears, the old town walls at sunset over the Alazani valley, and a last night at 4 Rooms.
Home
Getting home
About two hours back to Tbilisi airport.
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