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Geotour

Photos: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Shatili

Tusheti & Khevsureti · History

Getting there
About 150 km and about 4.5–5 h from Tbilisi via Zhinvali, Barisakho and the Datvisjvari pass
Best time
Late June–September
Recommended stay
1–2 days

About Shatili

Shatili is a fortress village of about 60 joined stone towers and dwellings at about 1,400 m in the Argun gorge of Khevsureti, on the north side of the Greater Caucasus near the Chechen border. It is reached by 4x4 over the Datvisjvari pass (about 2,700 m), about 4.5–5 hours from Tbilisi, and only from early summer to autumn. You walk the narrow passages and ladders between the towers, visit the Anatori crypts and Mutso down the valley, and sleep in a family guesthouse.

Tours Including Shatili

See all 2 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • The tower complex

    Walk the lanes, stairways and wooden balconies between the joined stone houses above the Argun river.

  • Upper viewpoint

    The slope above the village gives the classic view of the towers stacked against the hillside.

  • Anatori crypts

    Stone burial houses on the bank of the Argun a few kilometres downstream, linked to a plague epidemic.

  • Mutso

    A restored fortress village on a crag above the Andaki valley, reached by 4x4 and a steep walk.

Nearby

  • Mutso

    Restored fortress village about 11–12 km from Shatili (40 min by 4x4, then a 20–30 min steep walk).

  • Datvisjvari pass

    The about 2,700 m pass on the road in, with views over the main Caucasus ridge, about 1.5 h south.

  • Roshka

    A Khevsur village below the Chaukhi massif and start of the Abudelauri lakes walk, a side trip near Korsha on the Tbilisi side of the pass.

Location42.6583° N, 45.1569° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 150 km and about 4.5–5 h from Tbilisi via Zhinvali, Barisakho and the Datvisjvari pass; paved to about Korsha, then a mountain dirt road that needs a 4x4.

Best time

Late June–September

Best time

July to September gives the most reliable pass and the driest road; in June there can still be snow near the top, and autumn weather can close the pass early.

Recommended stay

1–2 days

Season/Access

The Datvisjvari pass usually opens between mid-May and mid-June and closes with the first heavy snow in October–December; after Korsha the road is a mountain dirt track that needs a 4x4.

Documents

Carry your passport in this border zone; walks beyond Mutso toward Ardoti or the Atsunta pass need registration with the Border Police, which we arrange.

Money

No ATMs; bring enough cash from Tbilisi for guesthouses and extras.

Heads-up

This is not a day trip from Tbilisi; plan at least one night. Mobile signal is limited.

History & culture

Culture

Khevsureti kept older highland customs longer than most of Georgia: local shrines (jvari or khati) where only men may enter, home-brewed beer for village feasts, and richly embroidered Khevsur clothing, which you can see in museums in Tbilisi. Please respect the signs at shrines and do not approach them unless a local tells you it is fine.

History

Shatili grew from the Middle Ages to the early modern period as a single defensive complex: houses and towers were built wall to wall so that the whole village could be defended from the roofs. It guarded the Argun valley route between Georgia and the North Caucasus. In the early 1950s most families were resettled to the lowlands under pressure from the Soviet authorities, and the village stood nearly empty for decades. Today a few families live here in summer, some of the towers have been restored, and several work as guesthouses.

Local Cuisine

Guesthouse dinners are simple mountain food: khinkali, cheese, potatoes and local butter; ask for home-brewed Khevsur beer if the family makes it.

Accommodation

Several family guesthouses operate in summer, some in restored tower houses, with dinner and breakfast. Rooms are simple, often with shared bathrooms. There are no hotels.