Racha tours | Off the beaten track
Racha is the twin of Lechkhumi, just up the Rioni river valley, and they share many characteristics with each other. Lechkhumians always complain that Racha gets all the attention, that in fact Lechkhumian wine is better and Lechkhumian landscapes more beautiful. Well, you can be the judge of that – they are both some of the most spectacular parts of Georgia.
Racha can be divided largely into a lower and upper section. Lower Racha is situated along the wide, sloping banks of the Rioni, the greatest river of western Georgia, and its villages carefully cultivate the prized grapes that are blended to create Khvanchkara, Georgia’s most famous semi-sweet red wine. Further up, the valley narrows in on itself, and the Rioni flows wilder and swifter as one approaches its birthplace in the high mountains. In Upper Racha, you are never more than just a few steps from the mountain itself.
Rachan people are renowned for their slow pace of life, and indeed Racha feels like the kind of place where time moves at a bit of a different pace. Some of the greatest achievements of medieval Georgian art and architecture stand in quiet grandeur in a Rachan hamlet. Most famous of them are Nikortsminda, praised in poetry, which guards the southern entrance to Racha; Barakoni, which stands watch in a forested glen on the Rioni banks; and Mravaldzali, the ‘place of many powers’, commanding a high ridge opposite the Great Caucasus, staring the mountains face to face. Bugeuli and Krikhi chapels also have some magnificently preserved frescoes.
The high mountains of Upper Racha by Ghebi and Glola attract many hikers and nature lovers, and treks to the Udziro (“Bottomless”) Lake or at the feet of the Greater Caucasus itself are stunning beyond words. But all of Racha is a hiker’s paradise – Mravaldzali ridge can be traversed in the direction of Shkmeri for one of the easiest panoramic hikes in Georgia. Satsalike mountain’s exquisite pine forests, Chutkharo’s forgotten wilderness, the mystical abandoned St George at the cliffs of Leknari, the otherworldly quiet of Shareula valley, the countless caves and waterfalls of the karstic region, and much more await anyone willing to take the time to wander.
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Facing the main ridge of the Caucasus mountains near Ghurshevi.
On the way to Udziro (Bottomless) Lake from Glola.
Tamar’s Cliffs near Shkmeri village in early spring.
The water pumping station of Shaori Reservoir, a Soviet project which turned a beautiful forested meadow in central Racha into a misty lake.
At the cliffs of Satsalike Mountain in southern Racha.
The Rachan Gates, a gap in the cliffs controlling travel towards the upper mountain regions in past centuries.
Vernacular architecture: the Dove’s Spring of Nikortsminda.
Oni Synagogue. The main town of upper Racha had a significant Jewish population for centuries.
The village of Nikortsminda with its famous cathedral in the center.
On some trackless wanderings between the forest and the sky.
Khotevi village and the Caucasus beyond.
Looking out at the peak of Katitsvera Mountain near Udziro Lake.