Dartlo

Dartlo is Tusheti's most photographed village: a cluster of stone houses with wooden balconies and slate roofs, guarded by defensive towers, on the left bank of the Pirikiti Alazani river at about 2,000 m. It has been declared an architectural reserve, and its houses and towers were restored over three years with support from the World Bank and the Georgian government. Above the village, a steep path climbs about 350 m to Kvavlo, a tiny fortified hamlet with a tall tower, from which you see Dartlo laid out below.

Dartlo lies about 12 to 15 km from Omalo along a rough 4x4 track, or about four hours on foot. Most visitors spend at least one night in a guesthouse here, then continue up the valley to Chesho, Parsma and Girevi, or return to Omalo. Nobody was recorded living here year-round at the 2014 census, but in summer the village fills with guests and returning families. The small Dartlo church, a monument of national importance, dates from the 19th century.

Dartlo is one of the old villages of Pirikiti, the upper valley of Tusheti, where Tush families built tall towers to defend against raids. Like much of Tusheti, the village emptied in the 20th century as people moved to the lowlands for good, and today it is lived in mainly in summer. Its restoration as an architectural reserve was co-financed by the World Bank and the Government of Georgia.