GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Koma Pass

Where Khevsur shepherds touch the sky

Koma Pass

Why go

Koma Pass (2,830m) is the ancient threshold between Khevsureti's Shatili and Ardoti valleys, a route trodden for centuries by armed highlanders and their flocks. The pass embodies the raw autonomy of Georgia's mountain warrior culture—Khevsurs who governed themselves by blood law and defended Christianity against northern raiders. Today, the track threads through flower-thick alpine meadows where stone shepherd shelters (kalaki) still stand, offering sudden, staggering views of the Chaukhi Massif's seven granite horns. It is worth the journey because this is Georgia's most dramatic accessible wilderness: no villages, no asphalt, only the wind, the stone, and the silhouette of a medieval world.

On the ground See

  • The Chaukhi Massif's seven peaks from the pass summit, often called the 'Georgian Dolomites'
  • Abandoned stone shepherd shelters (kalaki) with intact slate roofs, used seasonally into the 1990s
  • The descent to the abandoned village of Ardoti, with its 10th-century ruined tower and wild walnut groves

Practical Know before you go

Accessible June through September only; requires high-clearance 4WD from Shatili or a two-day trek with local guide—snow blocks the pass until late spring and returns by October.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly