Weaving our way up the narrow mountain road, our 4×4 hugged the edge of the steep drop-offs as it navigated a series of tight switchbacks. At times, we couldn’t decide if we should watch the road or trust our driver and enjoy the view. Eventually, we did the latter, soaking in the breathtaking scenes on the drive to Tusheti, in Georgia’s remote north.
Our destination was the secluded communities in Georgia’s Tusheti region, but getting there is no easy feat. The 77 km (48mi) drive from Kvemo Alvani, on the plains, up to Omalo in Tusheti takes 3½-4 ½ hours. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a slow drive because the road also climbs over 2,400 m (7,875ft) in those 77 km. It was once called one of the most dangerous roads in the world and if you search it online, you may not want to take the trip. We didn’t think it was nearly as bad as these reports describe. At least it’s not that bad anymore, and when the weather is good, but the road still deserves to be driven with respect.
You can find Tusheti and Omalo on the right side of the map below. Omalo is the main village in Tusheti. The drive travels between the two. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker for a link to our post from that region.
After leaving the town of Kvemo Alvani at 410m (1,345 ft), the mountain road goes through a tight gorge surrounded by a forest of overgrown deciduous trees. There are no communities here, only an untamed wilderness. The first half of the drive to Abano Pass does not gain a lot elevation. Despite this, there are still countless tight corners, many seem close to 180° turns, and most have sharp drops. Deep potholes and ruts make manoeuvring around these corners even more difficult, causing the jeep to bounce around in whiplash-inducing jolts. The road is not very high at this point, but the lack of guardrails makes it quite unnerving.
Waterfalls somehow manage to find passage through the dense forest. We saw several coming down through the green slopes. Some of them even spilled out on to the road, making it very wet, adding one more challenge for drivers to deal with.
In most parts of the road, there is enough room for one vehicle, but when met with oncoming traffic, there’s not much extra space. In one spot, we held our breath as we watched three cars reverse through a narrow, exposed section of the road. They had to back up to an area where there was enough room for a cement truck to pass.
As you gaze out the window, enjoying the view, it’s not easy to ignore the many crosses left for those who died on this very road. We were told that most of the accidents were caused by drunk drivers. Partway into the drive, we realized that this may be true. Ahead of us, a van had stopped in the middle of the single lane road with its doors wide open. Four drunk 50-year-olds were laughing and peeing in the middle of the road. One of them was so drunk that he could barely stand. We could only hope that the driver was sober.
The government is improving the road by widening it, installing bridges, barricades and paving it. Parts of the lower section have been completed, but there are still plenty of spots in poor condition. In these sections, there’s barely enough room between the rock face and sheer drop offs for a 4WD. Add to that, rockfall debris, frequent dips and bumps, and oncoming traffic, and the road is treacherous in places. As if the drive weren’t challenging enough, most of the 4x4s are right hand drive Japanese vehicles, still with Japanese writing on the dash. The problem is that in Georgia, you drive on the right side of the road.
For the final 23 km (14mi) to the pass, the road dramatically increases in steepness, often at a 13% grade, to gain almost 2000 m (6,500ft). But the landscape also opens up, giving us a full view of the switchbacks clinging to the mountain’s edge, high above. We could see 4WDs and trucks slowly making their way up the hill, and we knew we would soon be one of them.
With a sheer rock wall on one side and a 1,000 m (3,300ft) drop on the other, drivers must pay constant attention. One wrong bump or swerve and they could get forced off the road. There are no guardrails if they make a mistake. Adding to the difficulty, the switchbacks are often much steeper, likely 60%. It’s scary going up, but worse coming down.
As a passenger, you have to forget about the risks and enjoy the magnificent scenery from the balcony-like road.
We hired a 4×4 through our guesthouse in Telavi. We expected to share the ride with one or two other passengers, but were surprised when we saw our seatmate. The driver’s daughter was celebrating her 4th birthday, so in the front seat was a large birthday cake, while the rear was filled with a Barbie doll set and other gifts. Sitting in the back seat with us was another birthday surprise, a blue budgie! The road was so bumpy. I’m sure the poor thing was traumatised, being stuck in the cage while the jeep was rocking and rolling.
Just below Abano Pass, we looked back to see the straight road cut into the mountainside of the green peaks we had just travelled through. The second picture below, gives you a good understanding of the narrow, rough road with no barriers and sharp, exposed corners. These pictures also demonstrate why you only want to travel this route in good weather.
We reached the pass in under two hours. Abano Pass (2,860m/9,400ft), is a large open space above treeline with expansive views of the surrounding 4,000 m Caucasus Mountains. Most drivers stop for 20 minutes or so before resuming the drive. That gives them a break and allows passengers a chance to absorb the scenery without being distracted by the harrowing drive.
It wouldn’t be Georgia if there weren’t a church at the pass. There’s also a small cafe at the pass with remarkably good coffee.
As we drank our coffee we looked down upon the route we were about to take to descend from the pass. This view of the switchbacks reminded us of our drive on Romania’s Transfăgărășan. The main difference is that the Romanian road is paved and this one is not. You can read about it in our post Driving The Transfăgărășan.
After zooming down the switchbacks, the road reaches the Chabalakhi River, over 900m (2,900ft) below. We noticed a change in vegetation as we drove down from the pass. There are forests, but instead of the leafy trees that live on the south side, on this side, they are mostly evergreen trees.
From here to the village of Omalo, the road is much less steep as it slowly descends the last 300m (990ft). The pastoral lands and rolling hills are home to only a few small communities. There was less traffic on this side of the pass. It seemed that many just drove to the pass, but didn’t continue on to Tusheti. They don’t know what they missed.
After 3 ½ hours, including the break at the pass, we arrived in Lower Omalo. The spectacular views from this small community, made us excited for our next few days exploring the mountains of Tusheti. You can read about that in our post Walking Between The Remote Villages of Tusheti.
Final Thoughts
The highway is touted as being one of the most dangerous roads in the world. At one time it likely was, but today it is much less dangerous and scary than we expected. With the road improvements that are taking place, in a couple of years, the drive will be even better. But, it still needs to be treated with respect. We have experienced much worse roads driving to K2 in Pakistan and in Nepal to the Manaslu Circuit Trek.
We were very lucky with the weather. We had 4 sunny days in Tusheti, including the drive over the pass. On return trip however, the pass was shrouded in clouds and fog. The forecast was for heavy rain, so our driver was trying to get over the pass before it began. There were still many vehicles making the drive up as we went down. We felt bad that they were not going to be able to enjoy the wonderful views that we had.
Getting To Tusheti
Shared 4x4s leave from Kvemo Alvani, 27 km from Telavi. If you’re in Telavi, take a taxi to the shared 4×4 stand. They all seem to know where it is. If you’re in Tbilisi, take a marshrutka from Ortachala Station to Kvemo Alvani. Most shared 4x4s leave Kvemo Alvani by 10 or 11am, so it’s best to arrive in the morning. We organized a ride though our guesthouse in Telavi and it worked out great. The cost is 100 GEL (€31.50) per person, one way. We were able to go with the same driver back, but if not, your guesthouse in Tusheti can help you organize.
If you are experienced at driving on narrow, exposed mountain roads and have a 4×4 with high clearance, then you may be able to drive yourself. People at our Tusheti guesthouse drove from Tbilisi in a Subaru Forester, but it would have been safer to have higher clearance. Many of the potholes and water runnels are extreme, especially on the backroads between villages. Also, keep in mind that you can not buy fuel in Tusheti.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Georgia.
To read more of our adventures in Georgia, click here.
Coming Next – Walking Between The Remote Villages of Tusheti.
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