Shatili
History
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About Shatili
A medieval fortress village of tightly packed stone towers and houses in Khevsureti, on the north side of the Greater Caucasus near the Chechen border. It is reached over the Datvisjvari pass and is one of Georgia's most striking highland villages; guesthouses operate in summer.
Travel Tips
The Datvisjvari pass (about 2,600-2,700 m) usually opens between mid-May and mid-June and closes in October-December. Guesthouse half board; bring cash. Do not sell it as a day trip (about 16 h). Routes further toward the Chechen border (Ardoti, Atsunta) need border registration.
Tours Including Shatili
View All Shatili ToursShatili & Mutso: Khevsureti by 4x4 — 2-Day Private Trip
Two days by 4x4 over the Datvisjvari pass to Khevsureti, on the far side of the main Caucasus ridge. The road runs from Zhinvali through Barisakho; beyond Korsha it is a mountain dirt road that needs a 4x4, and the drive to Shatili takes at least 4–5 hours. You stay the night at a guesthouse in Shatili, a fortress village of stone towers, with dinner and breakfast included. On day two you walk 20–30 minutes up a steep path to restored Mutso, see the stone crypts at Anatori, and drive back to Tbilisi by about 19:00. Late June to September only, when the pass is open. We don't sell this as a one-day trip, which would take about 16 hours.
Caucasus 4x4: Tusheti, Khevsureti & Kazbegi — 8-Day Private Expedition
Eight days in the three mountain regions of Georgia where you really need a 4x4: Kazbegi's Truso or Juta valley, Khevsureti with the fortress villages of Shatili and Mutso over the Datvisjvari pass, and Tusheti over the Abano pass (about 2,850 m). There is no road between Khevsureti and Tusheti, so the route returns to a night in Telavi between them. Our own 4x4 with an English-speaking driver-guide (Russian-speaking on request) covers days 1–5 and the drive home from Kvemo Alvani on day 8; for Tusheti a local licensed jeep driver takes over, because only local drivers drive the Abano road, and only in daylight and dry weather. Nights are in hotels in Stepantsminda and Telavi and in mountain guesthouses with half board in Shatili and Tusheti. Days 3 and 5 are long mountain drives. July to 20 September; we recommend a spare day before your flight home.