Top Tusheti National Park Classes & Workshops: A Detailed Review

Tusheti National Park, way up in Georgia’s Caucasus mountains, is really something else, almost like stepping back in time. You know, it’s a place of old stone villages, pretty amazing landscapes, and a super strong cultural identity. Getting to explore Tusheti is more than just seeing some cool sights; that is, it is an opportunity to totally engage with the local traditions and the lovely countryside. So, too it’s almost like this, I thought I’d put together a look at some of the absolute top classes and workshops you could check out there, whether you are into Georgian cooking, taking photos of wild places, or picking up some traditional crafts.

Traditional Georgian Cooking Class

One of the neatest ways to connect with a culture is totally through its food, so, you know, this cooking class gives you a real taste of Tusheti life. It’s almost a given that Georgian food is super popular around the globe, but the stuff you find in Tusheti is even more special because it uses ingredients that are grown right there in the mountains. This workshop? Basically, it is run by local families who are just super excited to share their family recipes with visitors. It’s all hands-on, so you get to really learn as you’re making stuff like khachapuri (that’s cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (meat dumplings). This is one cooking class that is going to teach you how to create some pretty tasty dishes, sure, but you will also get to pick up on some seriously cool cooking methods that have been used in Georgia for ages.

I remember once being in a small village, pretty high up in Tusheti, and this older woman, like your stereotypical grandmother, was showing me how to fold khinkali just right. It’s not easy, that’s right. I totally butchered my first few, but she just kept laughing and showing me again. By the end, my khinkali looked… passable. Yet, it was just such a genuine experience. We were communicating totally without needing a bunch of words, just by making food. And when we all ate together after, outside overlooking the mountains, everything just tasted so much better. Maybe this cooking class is where your experience starts, in a way.

During a usual cooking session, the leaders often get together to teach things, almost like this. You would start by preparing the dough with the proper amount of gluten formation to make great bread and pastries. Next, you’d prepare meats or plant based dishes. At the end you’d have made great dishes to serve to your travel group.

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Landscape Photography Workshop

So, the Tusheti National Park? Oh my gosh, this place is pretty much heaven if you’re really into taking photos. That’s right, its crazy beautiful mountains, the old villages, and unique flora and fauna give you photo opportunities at almost every single turn. And it’s that beauty which this photography workshop is really set on using to its advantage. These aren’t your typical “point and shoot” kind of experiences, even. It’s structured to teach you how to totally capture the spirit of Tusheti. These landscape workshops are often conducted by experts in the field, who, basically, show you different angles, lights, and composition techniques. Participants explore, sometimes even early in the morning, to grab just the right photo as the sun rises.

There’s one trip, very clear in my mind, when I hiked to this high overlook at sunrise. This instructor just kept going on and on, and it’s so true, about how the light changes every single minute, totally changing the whole feel of the place. That is, learning how to actually see that, and capture it, felt pretty amazing. You’re not just documenting the mountains, actually. That’s right, you are kinda telling a story. Anyway, that’s what good photography does.

Tusheti is truly amazing and, sometimes, just walking down a path presents a new way to view this wild region of the planet. The views stretch out hundreds of miles when you make it near the tops of mountains, where clouds float over you. Sometimes you can watch local shepherds heard their flocks as they head to new pastures and grazing spots. All of this provides an opportunity for photos you will truly never forget.

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Traditional Craft Workshops

You know, way beyond the stunning scenery, Tusheti actually has a rich artistic heritage just really kept alive through the work of its people. This workshop offers, I would argue, an excellent chance to peek into a few of these older traditions. From learning how to work wool (an important resource there) to trying your hand at wood carving, a world of awesome history lies there. Local craftspeople are your instructors. They often lead classes that don’t just teach technical skills, but share bits of their traditions too. So, too it’s almost a cultural lesson as well.

This artisan, a quiet woman with lines etched deep on her face, she was working this ancient-looking loom. I asked her about the designs, the crazy patterns she was weaving in. She went on and on about how each symbol, each color, just means something, tells part of a story about her family and Tusheti’s story. Getting your hands busy making something is neat, but seeing the soul that goes into it, very impactful.

These kinds of skills and talents pass between one family member to the next over many years, creating an amazing skill to behold. Those families who are well-practiced can create awesome works for decoration and as a utility in the home. Getting in on one of the classes would probably introduce someone to one of the hidden secrets about Tusheti and what it is to live there. And, let’s be clear, to give a try with the ancient traditions of the local artisans would likely have a lasting, meaningful impact on anyone visiting the park. The weaving or wood-working can even present one with an art form that goes back a long time and whose impact to those cultures and traditions has been significant for generations and is highly valued today.

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Shepherding and Livestock Management Experience

The core of the local economy and, to a degree, life is animal herding in Tusheti, just really showing a way of life that has remained, arguably, the same for ages. The experience involves working directly with local shepherds, participating in herding sheep and cattle across the high pastures. What you will see, too, is how significant sheep and goats really are, a commonality and way of wealth throughout this place. From shearing practices to the methods that protect these animals, everything is usually carefully taught through observation, basically.

Anyway, this tough old shepherd, windburned and lean, he had generations of knowledge in his eyes, in a way. He told tales of bears, very common thieves. Also, crazy weather patterns. And you know, what it all added up to, actually? That is, a real picture of reliance, total dependence, on animals and just an understanding of the mountains and, furthermore, the natural world, it felt really humbling.

A really long history goes with this kind of lifestyle that you can explore more if you participate in these types of hands-on sessions. People throughout Georgia, basically, and many parts of Asia, do similar shepherding that has, for them, been common practice for centuries. Also, in many of these cultures, what is involved with it gets celebrated in festivals and other art gatherings.

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Survival Skills Workshop in the Wilderness

Since Tusheti is incredibly wild and untamed, getting a better appreciation of how you would navigate, potentially, survive there could make a bunch of difference. This workshop usually has a set of skills, often provided through professionals, covering what a person would do if stranded, like creating fires, basic directions, locating clean drinking liquid, creating shelter. Along with orienteering strategies, a real focus is just ensuring folks act consciously about nature.

There was one instructor, seriously, with a gentle personality, but a wealth of skills to offer; in effect, this woman could seemingly spot safe water miles away. She pointed out that survival, more often than not, depends simply on respecting the natural resources around and not acting against that source of value. Learning how to co-live, in a way, it really transforms a simple trek to somewhere pretty profound.

Learning the ins and outs to outdoor survival are pretty interesting due to this Georgian terrain having been the setting to so many fascinating parts in time. Throughout wars and political clashes, this national park has been refuge, but one that presents danger and excitement, simultaneously. As part of your experience with any kind of survival workshop, be clear on being respectful of park grounds and don’t violate the many historical sites spread around.

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