Saddle Up for Adventure: Horseback Riding in Georgia's Scenic Trails

The Greater Caucasus expedition is always an adventure. The group rides through pathless tracts and sleeps at spots not mentioned on European maps. Hot water, electricity and mobile coverage aren’t that obvious and always available. In exchange for that, one can admire sailing eagles, drink water from streams and rest in the shade of mysterious stone towers.Tusheti is populated mainly by shepherds who spend July to October season there. During the rest of the year, the land is cut off from the rest of the world by valleys covered in deep snow. Life pace is different here. It’s slow and steady, which is something one should be prepared for. The locals are cordial and hospitable.

Highlights:
♦ Tbilisi - the capital of Georgia
♦ Abano Pass - one of the most dangerous, yet most beautiful, roads in the world.
♦ The ruins of old Diklo
♦ Lake Oreti

Itinerary:

Day 1. Arrival in Tbilisi
All riders are picked up from the airport (in Tbilisi) or a bus stop in Tbilisi (for flight arrivals to Kutaisi) and taken directly to the hotel. Due to different arrival hours no group activities are planned on that day until evening. Riders are free to roam Tbilisi in their spare time. Around 8 PM we will gather all riders go to a dinner together.

Day 2. Tbilisi - Omalo
Right after breakfast cars will arrive at the hotel and take the group north-east, to Kvemo Alvani. The first part of the drive takes approximately 2 hours. Next, we’ll switch to 4×4 vehicles and drive to Upper Omalo. It’s just a bit over 70 kilometers, but it’s a 4-5 hour drive. The road runs through the Caucasus, through the Abano Pass (2836 m elevation). It’s one of the most dangerous, yet most beautiful, roads in the world. We’ll reach our destination in the late afternoon. We’ll settle in our guesthouse in Upper Omalo and have a welcome-to-Tusheti dinner together.

Day 3. Omalo - Shenako - Diklo
In the morning, after breakfast, we will pack our stuff for the trail, meet our horses, strap luggage to saddles and start our ride. First, we head to Shenako, a small village with a picturesque, old church. The path is wide and not too steep; a good place to test our horses. We will reach Diklo, our place for this night, in the afternoon. The other side of the valley is already Dagestan. In between – a no man’s land.

Day 4. Diklo - Dartlo
That day, the group will have to make it through a mountain ridge. The path is quite scenic and a bit of a climb. After making it to the top we have to go down, riders will need to get off their horses and lead them for about an hour. Then we’ll hop in the saddles and continue through the forest, a small village and on a local dirt road. Our destination is Dartlo, one of the most beautiful villages in Tusheti and an important heritage place for all Georgians. We stay for dinner and night in a local guesthouse. It’s worth trying local beer made by our hosts.

Day 5. Dartlo - Girevi
Today we have a shorter ride ahead of us. Starting in Dartlo, we’ll be riding west. The wide and firm path leads down the riverbank, which gives a chance to canter a bit. Along the way, stone towers appear every once in a while. In the past days, those towers were both defensive objects as well as passed fire and smoke signals. In the afternoon, we reach Girevi, where we will have dinner and stay for the night.

Day 6. Girevi - Tusheti
After breakfast we ride out for one of the most pictureque day of the trail. It’g going to be a long day as today we climb up the stunning Nakaicho pass. It’s one of the highest points of our trail, with views stretching to all sides of the Greater Caucasus. After leaving our guesthouse and a short ride along the local road we cross a stream and begin our climb. After 2-3 hours we will make it to the top where we stop for a short lunch break. Then we have to go down. The path is rocky and narrow in multiple spots, so we will walk and lead our horses for about an hour before we mount up again. We will continue riding through a forest and along the mountainside before reaching Jvarboseli, a beatiful village on the riverbank where we stay for dinner and night.

Day 7. Jvarboseli - Omalo
After breakfast we leave Jvarboseli behind and head towards Omalo. First we will ride along the river and then on the dirt road, with a stunning view to the Southern parts of Tusheti. The road is perfect for happy canters, so we will use the opportunity. On our way we will ride through Bochorna, one of the highest permanent settlements in Europe (2345 m elevation). We’ll stop for a lunch brake on the way and then we still have an hour or so riding before we reach our guesthouse in Omalo.

Day 8. Omalo -Shtrolta
After breakfast we saddle our horses and ride out again, we’ll be back to Omalo tomorrow in the afternoon. We ride down to lower part of the village and then continue along the road we drove on when arriving to Tusheti. We continue along the stream and then turn into a small, local road leading to Shtrolta, a tiny, nearly uninhabited village. We stay for the night in very basic conditions, in a spot ran by an elderly couple. It’s the most ”uncomfortable” spot during our tour, yet you will love it.

Day 9. Shtrolta - Omalo
After breakfast we leave Shtrolta. A long day ahead of us, well worth the effort. After leaving the village we go up the forest and continue along the ridge to one of the most beautiful and panoramic spots in Tusheti, a tiny mountain lake called Oreti. Upon reaching it we will dismount and enjoy a lunch break with absolutely stunning views to the Northern part of the region. After break we mount up and ride to Omalo. In an hour or so we will reach a steep path in the forest, where we will dismount and lead our horses down. Upon reaching a clearing we’ll mount up again and ride to Omalo on a dirt road, both slowly and cantering. In the afternoon we’ll be back to our base in Omalo for dinner and night.

Day 10. Omalo
Today we ride out light-weigth, with no luggage. Our destiantion point today is the Sakheo pass, the highest spot of our trail (3000 m elevation). We ride out of Omalo, have some horse climbing ahead of us and then continue along a very picturesque ridge. The narrow path is surrounded by beautiful vegetation, but the most stunning part is the view to the Caucasus and villages down in the valley. We’ll stop for lunch at the pass and then ride back the same way we came to Sakheo. On the way we’ll lead our horses for a few moments so they could rest a bit before we jump in the saddles and canter to Omalo for the last time during our tour. In the evening we will gather for our last dinner and party in Tusheti.

Day 11. Omalo - Tbilisi
After breakfast we’ll take seats in our 4×4 cars and drive back to Tbilisi. Riders can rest a bit and refresh before we head out to our last dinner together in the city center.

Day 12. Departure
The group leaves Georgia. All riders are taken to the airport in Tbilisi or to a bus stop (Kutaisi airport flights).

Price Includes:
2 nights at a hotel in Tbilisi
9 nights at guesthouses in Tusheti
Breakfasts in Tbilisi
All meals in Tusheti (brakfasts
lunches “to go”
dinners)
Transfers to and from Tbilisi airport (on first and last days of the tour)
Transport from Tbilisi to Omalo and back
Horsemen and guides during the entire ride in Tusheti
English-speaking pilot during the entire tour
Horse with full tack and equipment
Tourist insurance covering high-risk sports

Not Included:
Flight tickets to and from Georgia
In Tbilisi: two dinners – on the first and last nights (a meal at a restaurant is around 15 Euro)
Minor expenses (souvenirs,additional snacks,аdmission tickets,etc.)

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