Dusheti Highlands

Where the Caucasus unfolds in silence

Dusheti Highlands

The Dusheti Highlands sit at the threshold of the Greater Caucasus, a realm of summer pastures and winter stillness that has shaped Georgian highland life for millennia. This is not a destination of monuments but of presence: the Tergi River carving its gorge below, shepherds moving flocks along ancestral trails, and the Aragvi River valley opening toward the distant peaks of Kazbegi. The highlands preserve a way of life that predates modern borders, where villages like Korsha and Roshka maintain seasonal rhythms of transhumance. Come here for the unmarked trails that climb toward the Roshka Pass, for the stone towers that once guarded against raids, and for the particular quality of light that makes these mountains feel older than memory itself.

On the ground See

  • The village of Roshka, a starting point for the trail to the Abudelauri Lakes—three glacial lakes colored white, green, and blue from mineral deposits
  • The 16th-century stone tower in the village of Korsha, one of the northernmost examples of Svanetian-influenced defensive architecture in the region
  • The Tergi River gorge along the Georgian Military Road, where the river cuts between the Dusheti Highlands and the main Caucasus ridge

Practical Know before you go

Best visited June through September when mountain passes are open; Dusheti town is reachable by marshrutka from Tbilisi's Didube station (1.5 hours), with onward transport to trailheads by arranged 4WD or hiking.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly