Omalo towers seen from northwest, Tusheti, July 2017

Tusheti to Khevruseti, July 2017

A trek from Tusheti to Khevruseti — or from Omalo to Shatili crossing the Atsunta range — in the Georgian Caucasus. Following the standard route, six bivouacs. July 2017.

Tusheti is one of three Georgian historical provinces situated north of the Caucasus main range (the other two being Khevruseti and Khevi). As we have crossed the high Abano pass between Kacheti and Tusheti (or formally between A.sia and Europe) in heavy rain on 7th July, it was difficult to drive on a road already affected before by landslides and risen water levels in fords, but nothing really to stop our driver and his Mitsubishi Delica. However, the rain was catastrophic elsewhere with rivers changing their bed in valleys washing out the roads and causing ugly landslides. The featured image shows the old defense towers of Omalo in Tusheti seen from northwest and the main Caucasus ridge behind just after our arrival.

Consequently, after a few days of happily undisturbed trekking by foot from Omalo in Tusheti over the Atsunta pass to Shatili in Chevruseti we were confronted with long stretches of destroyed and still not repaired dirt road south of Shatili, with the village itself cut-out from food provisions and electricity for well over a week already. We had to change our further trekking plans beyond Shatili to an evacuation from there with a perspective of breaking through along the impassable road stretch to the present road head in Kistani, one day of a very rough walking.

But a totally unexpected rescue occured. We had an incredible luck to be flown out almost instantly upon arrival in Shatili back to the lowlands, made possible by generous Georgian border guards offering us place in their sturdy Mi-8 helicopter. The sheer contrast between magnificent Caucasian valleys and busy Tbilisi streets could not be greater.

For the overall description of the trek crossing the Atsunta range refer e.g. to the site causasus-trekking.com. We have originally planned a different, longer and wilder route via Borbalo pass in a slightly larger party but changed plans shortly before the flight to Georgia when it occurred there’s only two of us eventually going there. We have also planned to go a few days longer beyond Shatili, over Chaukhi pass towards Kazbegi, but forced by circumstances finished the trek just in Shatili.