Georgia Atsunta Pass Trek

It's hard not to fall in love with the villages you see on the trek, starting right from Omalo, going through Dartlo, Girevi, Pharsma, Shatili and Mutso. They are not just villages. They are living, breathing archeological sites. They are centuries old — many of them nestled within the ruins of old fortresses and towers. With the astounding grasslands around them, the villages themselves are a sight on the trek.  

You stay overnight in two of these villages, in old Georgian homes. The hosts, locals of the region who live in these villages throughout summer, make you feel warm and pampered. With almost motherly care, they feed you their delicious homemade kachapuris, khinkalis, breads, and fresh jams until you are bursting at the seams.

If there's one thing that is different from most Indian trails in Georgia, it is this. Come July and August, you will see the every inch of the trail exploding with flowers. It doesn't stop anywhere, except for a few hundred metres near the pass. So dense are the flowers, that if you sweep your arm across the grasslands and clutch your palm together, you'll have a bouquet in your hand. 

This trek is known for its grasslands. And it does not disappoint. It is hard to find such perfectly landscaped grasslands. They stretch out far and wide and on a good day, sun rays light up the grasslands in a grand way. This is when you see the grasslands in all their splendour, with wildflowers and glowing beds of grass!

Once you exit Dartlo, you will see the grasslands transforming into soft, manicured meadows. The sheer expanse from left to right, with the Alazani river flowing in between is hard to take in at a glance. 

Look out especially for the trek from Girevi to Atsunta Base Camp. It is a very long day and thank heavens it is. It is a perfect showcase of the grasslands.

After you cross the Atsunta pass, the Khidotani meadows can make anyone weak in the knees. It is laid out over a ridge top, something rare to see.

This pass crossing is as thrilling as any Himalayan pass crossing. Right from the base of the climb, where you see the pass as a tiny speck, to finally reaching and crossing over the pass is exhilarating! Not many treks in Europe have such a spectacular pass crossing. The landscape changes dramatically with every meter. Within a few hundred feet you leave the grasslands behind and enter the stone and shale. It is almost too dramatic.

It's common knowledge that Eastern European countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary are full of mysterious castles and fortresses. Georgia is no less. The entire trail is dotted with ancient fortresses and towers hanging in the sky. At Dartlo, you get a chance to trek to one of these towers and explore the insides. With wind whistling through the walls of the tower and clouds passing in and out of the windows, it's an experience that can send shivers down your spine.

On most treks, the drive to the basecamp is not much of a highlight. But here's something interesting: many tourists come to Georgia just to do the mountain drives that we do while driving to the basecamp. Because along these drives, you are climbing high mountain passes, which climb above 9,000 ft! 

On your onward drive from Tbilisi to Omalo, you drive across the Abano Pass, crossing several vineyards on the way. It's a pleasure to see the countryside of Georgia. 

While returning, it is a long 4½ hour journey over bad roads most of the way. The good part is the superb scenery all along, especially the stunning Datvisjvari pass. It is one last time you’ll see the green Georgian grassland.

The Omalo-Shatili trail across Atsunta Pass is right at the border between Georgia and Russia. As a result, it attracts several keen trekkers from across the border, making the trail a wonderful place to see trekking culture from other countries. Interacting with them, seeing how they camp, and chatting about their experiences and their viewpoints on trekking is an eye-opening experience.

When you land at Liberty Square in Tbilisi, the Capital City of Georgia, you can easily mistake it for a European hub like Berlin or Praguesh . The city is bustling with a sense of modernity, elegance, and polish that you see in the most developed cities of Europe. It's wonderful to experience this modernity, without spending the big Euros that Western Europe costs you. 

This modernity wears off to an extent as you dive deeper into the veins of the city. But there is still a sense of urban luxury almost everywhere you go, with modern restaurants, nail salons, supermarkets, and fast cars all along the capital city.

As Indians, we love flavorful food. While most Western countries fall short by a mile in terms of flavours, Georgia sets a completely different precedent. The food here is delicious, and often, it closely resembles Indian cuisine. Even though bread is a part of their staple diet, they stuff their breads with delicious fillings. Some must trie dishes are kinkhali (dumplings), kachapuri (cheese-filled bread), lobio (made with beans).

Not to mention the copious amounts of fruits they grow, right from grapes to pomegranates (which you can literally pluck off the streets), apples and berries, a fruit-lover will never want to leave Georgia.