Ghebi

Ghebi is the main village of Mtaracha, the highest part of Racha, set at about 1,350 m in the upper Rioni valley, where the river is still a fast, cold mountain stream. Around 300 people live here all year and more in summer, in stone and wooden houses with balconies and vegetable plots, surrounded by hay meadows and steep forest. To the north rise the peaks of the main Caucasus ridge, which forms the border with Russia, and the glaciers that feed the Rioni.

Ghebi is a base for walking rather than a sight in itself. Paths climb into side valleys towards high pastures and viewpoints over the main ridge, and guesthouse owners can arrange horses or a guide. Stroll through the village to see its small medieval churches, and buy fresh cheese and smoked ham from families in summer. Chiora and Glola, the other villages of Mtaracha, are a short drive back down the valley.

Ghebi, Chiora and Glola together form the historic district of Mtaracha. Excavations near Ghebi, especially at the Brili burial ground, uncovered rich Bronze Age and early Iron Age graves with links to the Colchian and Koban cultures, proof of trade across the mountains thousands of years ago. The oldest local churches date from the 9th and 10th centuries. In the Middle Ages the district belonged to Dvaleti and then Svaneti before joining the principality of Racha in the 16th century.