Svaneti

Svaneti

Attraction Introduction Today, no one dares to venture into Svaneti without the accompaniment of Svans. Located in the central Caucasus Mountains, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, Svaneti is virtually inaccessible to outsiders. It takes at least three days of driving from Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, to reach these remote valleys, crossing a perilous 250-kilometer route.

Travelers risk being attacked by bandits, so driving at night is unwise. Although Georgia gained independence as early as 1991, Russian soldiers in bulletproof vests still control the main entrances to the valleys in armored tanks. The region is rugged and the people tough—Svans have lived here for ages.

Some historians claim their ancestors were Semitic people who migrated from Lower Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq) 5,000 years ago.

Highlights

Today, no one dares to venture into Svaneti without the accompaniment of Svans. Located in the central Caucasus Mountains, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, Svaneti is virtually inaccessible to outsiders.

It takes at least three days of driving from Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, to reach these remote valleys, crossing a perilous 250-kilometer route.

Tbilisi, Georgia