Dartlo (Tusheti)

Location "Zaza's House" in Dartlo 42°26'26"N 45°34'42"E 6020 ft. = 1835 m elevation above sea level Dartlo is a beautiful intact Tushetian village made up of stone house in original condition and watch towers. Many structures have been converted to RB&Bs or places to have a beer with no impact on their appearance. Zaza's house is located at the north-east end of Dartlo, above the Omalo-Dartlo-Girevi road in the direction to Shatili. It belongs to Ilia Bugridze, a Tushetian 4-wheel taxi driver, his wife Mariam Oniani, and their son Zaza, currently a High School student. Everybody speaks Kartuli, the language of Sakartvelo. Besides this, Mariam and Zaza speak English, and Zaza also German. Languages spoken:

Zaza's house has a 10-bed capacity. It offers two rooms with 2 beds and two rooms with 3 beds. The guest rooms are clean, comfortable, but not luxurious. There are multiple power outlets in the covered common area, allowing you to recharge your mobile devices. The beds have fresh linen, sufficient blankets for the cool nights, and each guest obtains a towel. There are two shared bathrooms with a shower, washing basin and a toilet. Mariam can heat up the limited hot water supply upon demand, typically in the late morning, to a "hot beyond comfortable" temperature. There is a time delay of several minutes before water from the "hot water" faucet turns really hot.

The house owner Ilia may take you along on his scheduled trips to neighboring locations at no extra cost, or show you interesting places nearby.

As part of the AGAPE Sakartvelo network, the cost of a

• simple dinner with the family,
• overnight stay, and
• breakfast with the family

  Contact the Hosting Family

For future reservations and other inquiries, you may contact the hosting family preferably by email at zazas.house@gmail.com.
Contacting Zaza's house one the phone or internet depends on the phone signal strength of the owners' location. When Mariam is outside Dartlo, she can be reached directly at +995 557 49 19 76. Independently, she may also be reached on WhatsApp or Viber at +995 591 50 25 06.
Please consider time zone differences when calling. Georgia is in the UTC+4:00 (GMT+4:00) time zone.

How to Get There?

Most tourists first come up to Omalo, the capital of the Tusheti region, by boarding a 4WD taxi in Kvemo Alvani in the Alazani valley. The 82 km long trip to Omalo, which crosses the Abano pass in Tusheti at the altitude of 2,826 m, is spectacular and takes around 6 hours. Dartlo is 15 km up the road and can be reached after another hour of driving or one day hiking past Omalo, along the most popular trail to Shatili in Kvevsureti. The trail from Dartlo to Shatili crosses the 3,431 m high Atsunta pass that is not reachable by car.

Most tourists meet their driver at the main crossing in Kvemo Alvani in the morning, past 8 a.m., and join others to share the ride in a four-wheel drive Mitsubishi Delica with a high clearance and a capacity of 7 passengers, which is particularly suited for this drive and is driven by an experienced local driver. Ilia, the owner of Zaza's house, is one of these drivers. The cost of the 6-7 hour drive, around GEL 700 in 2024, is split among the passengers. The road to Dartlo is closed from October to May, as it is covered by covered by snow. The date of opening and closing the road changes from year to year, contact Zaza's house first for up-to-date information.

At the main crossing in Kvemo Alvani you will find several markets, two ATMs, and a pharmacy. Except for an excellent local bakery in Pshaveli along the road, this is the last stop to purchase supplies. Only cash is accepted in most cases. Phone signal is weak and spotty, depending on the provider. In 2024, the strongest/only signal is Dartlo is being provided by Magticom. There is typically no Wi-Fi access.

The journey is spectacular not only for its views and is ranked as one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the World. It is not for the weak of heart, who may consider taking a tranquilizer or covering their eyes. Because of the local geological conditions, some road segments are interrupted by snow or land slides and require repair by heavy equipment located along the road. Some tourists try to conquer the road on their own; more then 10 people do not complete their trip alive every year.

There are no shops and no ATMs in Dartlo. There are places serving food, but most services require cash. Dartlo is a walking distance away from the Russian border; please bring your passport along "just in case".

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