Exploring Georgia's southern highlands
Visit Javakheti, Georgia's 'lake district', and meet the last-remaining 'spirit wrestlers' in the region

In the past few years, Georgia has seen a large rise in international tourists, says Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent in the Financial Times. Despite fears about its ruling party's "growing authoritarianism and support for Russia", numbers rose 37% between 2022 and 2024, and new flights (including direct services from London) look likely to bring even more this year. Visitors come for a "culture-rich city break" in Tbilisi, or to tour the vineyards of Kakheti in the east, or the villages of Svaneti in the north. But few head south to Javakheti, a region bordering Turkey and Armenia known as Georgia's "lake district".
Javakheti's vast, "rolling" grasslands are punctuated by "steep-walled gorges" and volcanic peaks rising to over 3,000 metres. Seljuks, Mongols, Persians and Ottomans all fought over these wild borderlands, which once lay on the Silk Road, and you'll spot "cyclopean" forts on "craggy" summits. I hiked up to one, the 9th century castle of Tmogvi, on a "perfect" autumn day. En route, I picked wild apples from trees sheltered in a rocky valley, and watched "daffodil-yellow" butterflies flitting among "spires of mullein and purple sage". The region is home to lynx, wolf and brown bear, and its huge lakes and wetlands are a crucial habitat for migratory birds, including spectacular species such as great white pelicans.
There's only one upmarket hotel in Javakheti – the Vardzia Resort – so I stayed in "simple" village guest-houses. Many are owned by Armenians, who comprise the majority of the region's "patchwork of ethnicities". I also visited Georgia's last-remaining Doukhobors, or "spirit wrestlers", members of a pacifist Christian sect with roots in 18th century Russia. In their wooden prayer house in Gorelovka, I listened as three women sang together, turning to bow to one another in recognition of the divine spirit that resides in us all.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Grenfell: Uncovered – a searing account of an avoidable tragedy
The Week Recommends Netflix's feature-length documentary brings together an array of witnesses whose grief 'bleeds off the screen'
-
The rise of performative reading
In The Spotlight Why Gen Z may only be pretending to read those clever books
-
Delivery drivers face continuing heat danger with Trump's OSHA pick
The Explainer David Keeling is the former head of UPS and also worked at Amazon
-
Music reviews: Bruce Springsteen and Benson Boone
Feature "Tracks II: The Lost Albums" and "American Heart"
-
Thomas Mallon's 6 favorite books from the 80's and early 90's
Feature The author recommends works by James Merrill, Calvin Trillin, and more
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Axel Scheffler picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends From Steig to Finkelstein, the award-winning illustrator shares his top picks
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash