4 / 5 - One review
How to get there
A 5/6 hour walk from Omalo
When to go
From late June to mid-September
Minimum stay
2 to 3 days
Girevi (Georgia)
©
Nicolas Landru
Practical information on Girevi
Reviews of Girevi
Girevi is the last village of the Pirikiti valley. Remote and close to the Chechen border (Russian Federation), it exudes beauty, harshness and austerity. Above the village is a picturesque group of defensive towers.
My suggestion:
A hike from Tchecho to Girevi along the river is a dream. Steep, arid mountains, wild torrents, sheepfolds, herds, horsemen, defensive towers, all join to create the timeless archaism and splendour of Tusheti.
My review
Girevi itself is only a small, muddy border village occupied by more border guards than shepherds. But what a site and what a landscape - it is literally breathtaking. The high mountains are everywhere, majestic, arduous and grandiose. The Pirikitis Alazani River is a mountain torrent here.
The ancient Tush civilization is also visible everywhere in the surroundings: here and there on seemingly impossible sites, the partially ruined defensive towers are said to harbour the protective scrutiny of the ancestors over our actions and their sacred lands. The group of towers which dominate the village imposes respect, especially when we know that it was the first rampart against the impetuous Chechens who carried out raids and vendettas in Tusheti until the 1920s.
The houses of the Girevi shepherds are more compact than in other villages, proof of the harshness of the mountain climate and also of the rudimentary life of the shepherds when they lived there permanently - a life they still lead in summer... A conversation and a coffee offered by the soldiers and a delicious local cheese - those are my other memories of Girevi!
©
Nicolas Landru
