After the Abano Pass, Omalo feels like a reward you did not quite believe in. It is the main village of Tusheti, a high, remote valley system in the northeast of Georgia, on the far side of the Caucasus watershed, and it is split into two parts: Upper Omalo on the hilltop, Lower Omalo a little below. For centuries the Tush people drove their sheep over the pass each autumn to winter in the lowlands, and returned each summer. The tradition is still alive, and this is a landscape of stone towers, slate roofs, dry-stone walls and sheep as far as the eye can see.
Above Upper Omalo stands the fortress of Keselo, a cluster of old stone towers and houses built for defence in a region where mountain clans had plenty of reasons to fear raiders. Walking up there takes only a short time, and the view down the valley, with the Alazani headwaters and the ridge of the Caucasus behind, is worth the effort. Further up the valleys are villages such as Dartlo, with its tight cluster of towers, and the wider Tusheti National Park protects forests, meadows and alpine ground rich with flowers and rare birds.
Food is the thing you will remember. Tusheti has its own cheese, a smoky, salty sheep's cheese often called guda, and its own dumplings, called khinkali in the Georgian style but sometimes made a little differently here. Guesthouses serve big, simple meals of potatoes, bread, soup, local lamb and homemade chacha or beer if you are not riding. A night here is far better than a quick passing visit, because the light on the towers at dusk and the cold clear sky at night are part of the story.
The practical side demands respect. There is no reliable fuel in the area, so you must arrive with enough to get back over the pass. Roads in the valley are gravel and rock, and the season is short, roughly early summer to early autumn, dictated by the snow on Abano. Bring warm clothing even in July, cash in lari, and spare tubes. Cell coverage is patchy. The nearest real towns on the other side are Akhmeta and Telavi, a long, slow day away.