Skip to main content
Geotour
Houses of Upper Omalo below the hilltop towers of Keselo fortress, Tusheti
The switchback road down from Abano Pass into a green valley with patches of snow, Tusheti
Stone houses of Dartlo beside a dirt track on a green mountain slope, Tusheti
Tour photo

Photos: Abramia Giorgi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Moahim (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Draceane (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons

Tusheti by 4x4 — 4-Day Private Trip to Omalo & Dartlo

Abano Pass · Omalo (Tusheti) · Dartlo

  • 4 days
  • Private, 1–8 travellers
  • Moderate
  • Late June–20 Sep

Overview

A four-day private 4x4 trip from Tbilisi to Tusheti, the highland region behind the Abano Pass (2,826 m), reached by a single unpaved mountain road. You sleep in family guesthouses with all meals, look over Omalo from the Keselo towers, and walk the stone-tower villages of Shenako, Dartlo and Kvavlo, plus Diklo fortress near the border. From Kvemo Alvani an experienced local driver takes you over the pass in a 4x4, only in daylight and dry weather; the mountain section takes 3.5–6 hours, so the first and last days are long. The days in between are slow: short drives on village tracks and walks of 2–4 hours. It suits travellers who are happy with simple rooms, shared bathrooms in some guesthouses and patchy mobile signal. The road usually opens in June (on 20 June in 2026) and closes with the first heavy snow; the tour runs until 20 September. We make a go/no-go call on the morning of departure, and we recommend keeping a spare day before your flight home.

Itinerary

3 stops: Abano Pass, Omalo (Tusheti), Dartlo

1

Day 1Over the Abano Pass to Omalo

⚠ Long day: Tbilisi to Kvemo Alvani about 2.5 hours, then 3.5–6 hours on the mountain road (6–8.5 hours in vehicles).

  1. Pickup in Tbilisi

  2. Kvemo Alvani: switch to the 4x4

  3. Abano Pass (2,826 m) with photo stops; packed lunch (not included)

    • Abano PassDays 1 and 4: the Abano Pass (2,826 m), the only road into Tusheti, about 70 km of unpaved track from Kvemo Alvani. An experienced local driver takes over at Alvani, with photo stops at the top.

      Days 1 and 4: the Abano Pass (2,826 m), the only road into Tusheti, about 70 km of unpaved track from Kvemo Alvani. An experienced local driver takes over at Alvani, with photo stops at the top.

      Abano Pass (2,826 m) carries the only road into Tusheti: about 70 km of unpaved, mostly single-lane track from Kvemo Alvani in Kakheti, via Pshaveli, to Omalo, with hairpins, drops of several hundred metres and waterfalls running across the road. The crossing takes 4–6 hours by 4x4 and is itself one of the highlights of a Tusheti trip: you stop at the pass for the view over both valleys, then descend to Omalo, the gateway to the Pirikiti and Gometsari valleys. It is open only in summer, when the snow has gone.

      View destination details

  4. Arrive in Omalo and check in

    • Omalo (Tusheti)Nights 1 and 2 in Omalo, the main village: the Keselo towers above Upper Omalo at sunset, then Shenako and Diklo on day 2. Family guesthouse with full board.

      Nights 1 and 2 in Omalo, the main village: the Keselo towers above Upper Omalo at sunset, then Shenako and Diklo on day 2. Family guesthouse with full board.

      Omalo is the main village of Tusheti, a high mountain region in north-east Georgia reached by a single dirt road over the Abano Pass (2,826 m), usually open only from June to early October. Upper Omalo sits below the restored stone towers of Keselo, and Lower Omalo has the national park visitor centre. From here you walk or drive by 4x4 to the tower villages of Shenako, Diklo and Dartlo, and eat Tushetian food in family guesthouses.

      View destination details

  5. Evening walk up to the Keselo towers for sunset (about 20:30 in July, 19:30 in mid-September)

  6. Overnight: Omalo (family guesthouse, full board)

2

Day 2Shenako and Diklo

Short drives on village tracks; walks of 2–4 hours.

  1. Shenako village and its church

  2. Diklo village and fortress (border-zone permit arranged by us)

  3. Picnic lunch from the guesthouse (included)

  4. Back in Omalo

  5. Overnight: Omalo (family guesthouse, full board)

3

Day 3Dartlo and Kvavlo

About 1 hour by 4x4 from Omalo; a full-day hike to Parsma on request.

  1. 4x4 to Dartlo

    • DartloDay 3: the stone-tower village of Dartlo and a steep 30–45 minute walk up to Kvavlo's towers, with an optional walk towards Parsma. Night in Dartlo with full board.

      Day 3: the stone-tower village of Dartlo and a steep 30–45 minute walk up to Kvavlo's towers, with an optional walk towards Parsma. Night in Dartlo with full board.

      Dartlo is a stone-tower village at about 2,000 m in the Pirikiti Alazani valley of Tusheti, about 12–15 km from Omalo by 4x4 track. Its slate-roofed houses and towers have been restored, and the tower ruins of Kvavlo stand 350 m above on the ridge. No one lives here in winter; in summer families return and open guesthouses. Travellers come to walk up to Kvavlo, see the old stone council seats and start the walk up the valley to Parsma.

      View destination details

  2. Walk up to Kvavlo's towers (30–45 min each way)

  3. Lunch at the guesthouse (included)

  4. Afternoon: optional walk towards Parsma or a horse ride

  5. Overnight: Dartlo (family guesthouse, full board)

4

Day 4Back over the pass to Tbilisi

⚠ Long day: Dartlo to Kvemo Alvani 4–5 hours, then about 2.5 hours to Tbilisi.

  1. Depart by 4x4 over the Abano Pass

  2. Kvemo Alvani; lunch (not included)

  3. Drive to Tbilisi

  4. Drop-off at your Tbilisi hotel

Make this tour your own:Build your own tour

What's Included

  • Private car or minivan Tbilisi–Kvemo Alvani and back, with fuel and parking
  • 4x4 with an experienced local driver over the Abano Pass and for village transfers
  • English-speaking driver-guide throughout (Russian-speaking on request)
  • 3 nights in family guesthouses (Omalo 2, Dartlo 1), twin/double rooms, breakfast, lunch and dinner included
  • Border-zone permit for Diklo and a donation to the Tusheti Protected Areas
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Tbilisi
  • Bottled water

  • Lunch on days 1 and 4 (about 25–40 GEL per person)
  • Drinks beyond the guesthouse meals
  • Horse hire (about 40–50 GEL a day, plus a horseman)
  • Tips (optional)
  • Travel insurance (mandatory for visitors to Georgia from 1 January 2026)

Map

Good to know

Best Time to Visit
Late June–20 Sep (once the Abano Pass has opened)
Physical Requirements
Moderate fitness level required. Includes longer walks, some uphill sections, and possibly uneven terrain.
Cancellation Policy
Nothing to pay now. Your quote includes the cancellation terms before you pay anything.
Heads-up
the Abano Pass road is unpaved, narrow and exposed, with long drops. We drive it only in daylight and dry weather and can postpone by a day if it rains.
Flights
keep a spare day between the end of the tour and your flight home, in case the pass is closed for a day.
Cash
there are no ATMs or card payments in Tusheti; bring enough cash for drinks, horses and souvenirs.
Connection
mobile signal and 4G work in Omalo and some villages; elsewhere there is none.
What to bring
warm layers (evenings at about 1,900 m are cool even in August), rain jacket, walking shoes, torch and motion-sickness tablets if you need them.
Documents
bring your passport; it is needed for the border-zone permit to Diklo.
Categories:
Short trip (2–5 days)
Mountains

You Might Also Like