Omalo and Keselo Fortress

About this place

Omalo is the main village of the historical region of Tusheti in northeast Georgia, part of Akhmeta Municipality in Kakheti, about 52 km north of Telavi and 99 km northeast of Tbilisi in a straight line. It lies between the Greater Caucasus range and the Pirikita range. Because of its altitude and the lack of good roads, Omalo is cut off from the rest of Georgia for most of the year; the only road crosses the Abano pass at 2,850 metres. Above the upper village stands Keselo fortress, built in the 13th century, which once had 13 towers where villagers sheltered during raids. In 2003 work began to rebuild five of its towers using traditional methods. Keselo's grey, battlemented stone towers stand on a green hilltop above the village, with wooden and stone houses with long balconies below. Wide meadows where horses graze surround the village, along with pine and birch woods and the towering Caucasus mountains, within Tusheti National Park. Visitors arrive by four-wheel drive from Alvani on a long mountain drive, usually open only from late spring to early autumn. They climb to the fortress, walk or ride horses to nearby villages such as Dartlo, and stay in local guesthouses.