Tusheti Protected Areas

The Tusheti Protected Areas form a network of linked natural spaces covering more than 80,000 hectares in the far northeast of Georgia, pressed against the border with Russia. The core is Tusheti National Park, but the territory also includes the Tusheti Strict Reserve and the protected zone of Pshav-Khevsureti, which shares similar characteristics though it lies in a different watershed.

What defines these areas is not nature alone —alpine meadows above 3,000 metres, birch and pine forests, snowmelt rivers audible in the background on every trail— but the combination with the stone villages the tushetians have inhabited for centuries. In summer, herders bring their flocks of tushetian sheep, the thick-fleeced breed native to the region, and villages like Omalo or Dartlo come to life: the air smells of wood smoke, wet grass and damp wool. In winter, everything lies under snow and the villages remain empty for entire months.

Trail signage is sparse and physical maps are hard to find even in Tbilisi. Anyone venturing into these areas without a guide should carry a compass, GPS and provisions for several days. Brown bears are common in the lower parts of the National Park during autumn, especially near the beech forests on the lower slopes.

Tusheti has been a land of passage and refuge since pre-medieval times. The tushetians, of uncertain origin but linked to the tribes of the eastern Caucasus, built their villages in difficult-to-reach positions precisely to resist incursions by peoples from the north. The defensive towers dotting Omalo and Dartlo are direct testimony to that strategy. The natural area was declared a reserve during the Soviet era and, after Georgia's independence in 1991, was reorganised as a national park in 2003. The tension between conservation and traditional livestock farming remains an open debate in the management of the territory.

• Tusheti National Park The core of the protected area, with peaks exceeding 4,000 m and high-mountain meadows grazed by herds of tushuri, the native thick-fleeced sheep. At dawn, the raking light across the meadows with snowy ridges behind is hard to forget.
• Atsunta Pass At 3,431 m, it links Tusheti with Khevsureti via a 3–4 day trekking route that passes through some of the most isolated landscapes in the Caucasus. The descent towards Shatili is technically demanding.
• Wildlife corridor The park is home to brown bear, wolf, Caucasian tur and red deer. Ungulate sightings are relatively common in the high zones at dawn, especially around Naho and the adjacent valleys.
• Dartlo village One of the best-preserved villages in the park, with dark stone houses and towers that seem to grow out of the terrain itself. In July and August families are in residence, but it remains a quiet place even in high season.
• Deciduous forests The park's lower slopes have beech, oak and birch forests that turn yellow and ochre in September and October, making the approach from Alvani a visually very different journey from summer.
• Tusheti Strict Reserve A more restricted-access zone to the north of the park, with almost no tourist infrastructure. Entry requires a special permit from Georgia's Ministry of Environment.

Photo gallery

The main access is the dirt road that climbs from Alvani (Kakheti region) to Omalo, about 70 km of mountain track requiring a 4x4, usually open between June and October. From Tbilisi the standard approach is to hire a vehicle with a driver or join an organised tour. There is no regular public transport to Omalo. In summer a charter flight between Tbilisi and Omalo operates occasionally, but with variable frequency and schedules: confirm availability before planning your trip.

The only viable window is mid-June to early October, when the access road from Alvani is open. July and August are the busiest months with the most settled weather, though afternoons often bring brief thunderstorms. June and September are quieter: fewer visitors, and the landscape shifts from intense green to the golden tones of autumn. Outside that window, access is practically impossible without specialist mountain equipment.