Svaneti is a historic province in northwest Georgia, bordering Russia. Sitting in the Greater Caucasus mountain range, it's characterized by snowcapped peaks and deep gorges. The medieval villages of Upper Svaneti are dotted with koshki, defensive stone structures built from the 9th century onwards. You can see one in the image below. Apparently they used spiral scaffolding and oxen to haul up the stones.
The region of Svaneti is very old and is mentioned in Roman texts. Because of the isolated region the people still live in a very traditional way. Many villagers still travel by horse. They cut their hay by hand and transport it with oxen.
This is a hiker's paradise. You can travel for days hiking from one small village to the next. I only got to spend 4 days here but it was like traveling to another time.
