Hi Friends! So, here it is, one of my most fun and exciting memories of my journey, and the reason I extended my time in Georgia. I learned about this trip when I was on my first tour with Friendly.ge on the Rainbow Mountain and David Gareji Monastery tour. My guide, Alex spoke about the mix between the untouched natural beauty of Tusheti and the crazy dangerous mountain road to get there and I just couldn’t leave without doing it! With that said, be ready for a photo dump!
As it turns out, our group of five was the first group of the season to go on this tour due to the unseasonal heavy rains that had caused landslides and several sections of the road to washout. Of course, this made it that much more exciting and nail-biting!
When Aleksi (the guide) and Achiko (the driver) arrived to pick me up, I instantly knew I was in good hands. They were bright-eyed and smiling with a nice Delica 4WD ready for the dirt roads. Once we had everyone in the vehicle and headed out of town, Aleksi’s commentary was spot on as he talked about all the interesting sites along the way until we reached the beautiful Alaverdi Monastery, a perfect place for a stop.
Parts of the monastery date back to the 6th century, but the current cathedral was built in the 11th century. There is even a vineyard on the grounds with over a hundred varieties of grapes, where the monks have been making traditional wine for over 8,000 years in giant clay pots buried in the ground, called qvevri. The production of wine was stopped at one time, but in 2006, the cellar was restored and the winemaking took hold once again.
As we continued into the mountains, Achiko’s calm, happy demeanor made us all feel comfortable even as we began up the narrow, winding road. The views were absolutely breathtaking, and the guys found a perfect place to stop for lunch up on the mountain, complete with fresh bread, fruit, cheese, sausage, and wine!
I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the guesthouse in Omalo as it was quaint, but very comfortable with stunning views of the mountains, valley, and the fortified Tushetian towers (“koshkebi”) above. The meals at the guesthouse were delicious with a big variety of local dishes to taste. This was particularly great for me being a solo traveler as I don’t usually get to try more than one dish in a meal!
The second day was just as awesome as the first as we went on an amazing hike and explored the nearby villages, Shenako and Dartlo. Aleksi offered us so much insight into the area, culture, and traditions, making it a rich experience.
The third day was perfect too! With a couple more stops for views and a short hike, it couldn’t have been any better. We even made a stop at Bochorna Village, the highest settlement in Europe (2,345m/7694ft) where one old doctor is the only resident who toughs out the weather. The area is packed with so much untouched nature, I literally felt like I was in a fairytale during the entire trip!
After all the fun and excitement in the mountains, the beautiful trip was coming to an end. We made our way back up the winding road with another stop at the top of Abano pass to stretch our legs and visit the chapel on the hill. The sheets of slate all along the road are really amazing and provide the main building material for all of the homes, roofs, and koshkebi in all of the small villages in this region. I have never seen anything like this and found it so cool!
Being my second tour with friendly.ge, I had high expectations, but this trip far exceeded anything I could have imagined. I am so grateful for this amazing, once in a lifetime experience in this beautiful country! Did I mention one couple on the trip, Tuhina and Mike, got engaged the second night? Big stuff!
I hope you enjoyed the ride and I’ll see you again soon!
Hugs, Michelle
BACKPACKING ADVENTURES 
Amazing!!!! What a gorgeous landscape and a perfect end to your trip.
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