Glola

Glola lies in the far north-east of Racha, a few kilometres west of the former Shovi resort, where the upper Rioni and its mountain tributaries meet beneath the main Caucasus ridge. With Ghebi and Chiora it makes up Mtaracha. Houses are scattered over meadows and terraces on the edge of dense fir and spruce forest, and the peaks of the main ridge, some above 4,000 m, close the view to the north. It is one of the most remote villages in western Georgia that you can still reach by an ordinary road.

With much of Shovi still closed after the 2023 mudflow, Glola is one of the few places at the head of the valley where you may find a bed. Simple guesthouses offer rooms and home cooking, and walks lead up side valleys towards glaciers and high pastures. Check road and bridge conditions before you set out, and remember that many local families were touched by the disaster. The road beyond, towards the Mamisoni Pass and Russia, is closed to travellers.

Glola is one of the three villages of Mtaracha, which belonged in the Middle Ages first to Dvaleti and later to Svaneti before passing to the rulers of Racha. In the 19th century the Ossetian Military Road was built up this valley and over the Mamisoni Pass to the North Caucasus, giving the village a place on a strategic route. Through traffic over the pass ended long ago.