Tago: the Adjaran cable car village

We talk a lot about Glamping, about our concept, share interesting information about Adjara, and much more! But we never talked about the village of Tago, the place where our Glamping is located!

Tago is a village in Adjara, Khulo municipality. Located to the left of the Adjaristskali River, 1000 m above sea level, 7 km from Khulo. The village is connected with the village of Khulo by a cable car.Tago, as well as the Khulo municipality itself, is not well documented and does not have large archives, and we decided that it would be better to tell about what the village of Tago is about and how people live here today!

Without a doubt, the most famous part of Tago is the cable car. This cable car is the second-longest free span cable car in Europe. You can read more about Khulo Cable Car in our blog post: https://glampingtago.ge/khulo-cable-car-2/

Tago Nowadays

You would think that Tago is a village-like any other. But no! In fact, the locals adhere to a simple way of life here. The local population is not spoiled by the charms of a modern person or a resident of a big city, but you must admit that these details only emphasize the uniqueness of this place. It is a small village with picturesque views, preserved ancient culture. Morning here begins with the first rays of the sun, and night comes with sunset.

The morning for a resident of the village of Tago, who professes Islam, begins with a prayer. Later, the women go to the barn, and after returning from there they prepare the children for school and accompany their husbands to work. After the women see off their children and husbands, they begin to do household chores: they process the cow’s milk received in the barn in the morning, separating the cream, and make a sour milk product, similar to sour cream, called kaimagi. After that, from the remaining milk, they make cheese and cottage cheese, and from the kaimagi, they make homemade butter. Then they cook dinner and set off to cultivate the earth.

Returning from there, they again prepare food and later go back to the barn. After dinner and after the fifth prayer, the family can get ready for sleep. (they pray 5 times a day).

As for the daily routine for men, after the first-morning prayer, many husbands help the wives with the livestock in the barn. If a man works in a family, then he spends the whole day at work. For many, work activity depends on the season.

Population

The village of Tago is home to about 60 families, but the number of residents varies depending on the season. Many villagers have moved to the city and come to Tago in the spring to cultivate the land, and many come only in the summer for recreation. Each resident of the village has his activity.

The reaction of locals to the Glamping

As we mentioned above, Tago is connected to the outside world by a cable car and the villagers have preserved the old traditions and a simple way of life as much as possible. Locals are very friendly and they like the idea of Glamping because it promotes the popularization of the village and people learn about such a wonderful place not only within Georgia but all over the world.

Education

The village has a secondary school with 9 classes. (Secondary education in Georgia is 12 years). The school has 23 students and 18 teachers are responsible for their education. Yep you read that right there are almost the same amount of teachers as students!

Flora and fauna

Agriculture is developed here and the locals are supported by livestock, mostly cows Many have pets – dogs and cats. The inhabitants of the village of Tago eat local products and those that are grown directly in Tago.

In the city we are often looking for organic products, here you don’t even have to think about it because everything is organic and locally grown!

If you suddenly decide to come to Tago, we have written down the seasonality of certain fruits and vegetables that are grown here:

Strawberries (both summer and autumn)
Cucumber (both summer and autumn)
Tomatoes (both summer and autumn)
Radish (both summer and autumn)
Sweet cherry (summer)
Mulberry (summer)
Raspberry (both summer and autumn)
Plum (in summer)
Apples (both summer and autumn)
Pear (both summer and autumn)
Cabbage (both summer and autumn)
Potatoes (both summer and autumn)
Green beans (summer)
Black beans (in autumn)
Corn (both summer and fall)
Cranberries (in summer)

Once a week, the families in Tago go to Khulo to get the things they can’t grow or make themselves, and they are going by cable car! The necessary shops are in the center of Khulo: grocery, pharmacies, household goods stores.

As soon as you go to Tago by cable car, you suddenly feel as if time has stopped, all the noise of the big city and civilization will seem like some kind of myth, and you suddenly want to stay where all material goods cease to have meaning.

People here are closer to nature than ever. The locals are no longer afraid of bears, wolves, jackals. Okay maybe they are still scared but they are for sure more used to them than most people.

The villagers have many stories of when they accidentally stumbled upon wildlife that lives in the area. We would like to tell you more but would rather keep those stories around our campfire!

Religion

Tago is notable for the fact that most of the local population is Muslim. In general, most of the Georgian population is pro-Orthodox. But the history of Georgia goes back centuries. Often the territory of this country was subjected to invasions and Khulo’s population, largely Islamized under the Ottomans, diminished dramatically under the Russian oppression of Islam in the 1870s. Several times a day you can hear a prayer for the whole village, read by a mule. We are sure it will leave you deeply impressed!

Tago is also inhabited by people who profess Christianity, but there are only a few of them. However, this does not in any way affect the relationship of people to each other. The people of Tago live in harmony.

Cafe / Restaurants

There is a restaurant near the cable car. It is worth noting that Georgia has a very diverse cuisine and each region is distinguished by certain dishes. People who visit the local cafe most often order:

– Adjarian Khachapuri – a boat-shaped Khachapuri, with cheese, butter, and egg yolk in the middle. It is thought to originate from the Lazi people, who were sailors. Khachapuri is a certain representation of the boat, sea, and sun.

– Achma – a type of Khachapuri, Georgian cheese bread, from Adjara and Abkhazia, the western regions of Georgia. Achma is often compared to lasagna for its texture and appearance. This kind of Georgian cheese bread has both a crisp top crust and tender cheesy, buttery layers inside.

– Sinori – Adjarian dish prepared using lavash that is combined with Georgian cottage cheese and butter. This dish is largely unknown outside Adjara but is very popular in Georgia’s western seaside region.

– Cheese borano – a traditional dish from the Adjara region, made with Sulguni cheese and melted butter. Usually, melted butter is poured over soft cheese, causing it to melt and stretch. Borano is also often called Georgian fondue.

Glamping Tago Restaurant

You can also come visit us in our restaurant which is located in a yurt (mongolia tent).We have a vegetarian menu based on local products.

Cafe Toma

Toma is a hotel, but on the ground floor of the building there is a cozy cafe overlooking the mountains. https://goo.gl/maps/ZjgZaQjJ3aXZozgs6

Family-type hostels/ home-stays in Tago

Homestays are a type of accommodation when families rent rooms that are not being used by them, to the travelers. A lot of travelers prefer homestay accommodation as you get to know the life of the locals.

There are several accommodations in Tago, where you can stay. We have a list of contact information for you. Please note that the home-stays are located in the village in the highlands. You will not be able to find them on google maps or the booking. Call in advance the indicated numbers to find out if there are free places for living. Homeowners will also help you if you cannot find a guesthouse. The owners themselves can meet you along the way if you ask them.

1. Guesthouse “Aslan” 50 GEL with two meals a day 577 20 94 95
2. Guesthouse “David” 60 GEL with two meals a day 598090961
3. Guesthouse “Zurab” 40-50 GEL with two meals a day 598 09 59 09
4. Guesthouse “Guram” 40 GEL 598 09 61 43
5. Guesthouse “Zeburi” 40 GEL 591 05 58 15

How to get to Tago

The distance from Batumi to the center of Khulo is 85 km. It is two hours to two hours and a half by car.
The road from Batumi to Khulo is completely asphalted, so road quality is not a fact you shouldn’t be worried about. Sometimes there are pieces with potholes but there is no need for a 4 wheel drive car.

There are several ways to get to Khulo: you can rent a car, you can order a taxi, take a minibus also known here as a “marshrutka” or you can even take a bike.

Read more about how to get to Khulo in our post: https://glampingtago.ge/how-to-get-to-khulo/

Must visit:

Many travelers come here to visit the monastery in Skhalta. It is a Georgian Orthodox monastery and cathedral church, dating from the mid-13th century.

The Khulo-Skhalta hiking trail connects 2 gorges of the Khulo district of Adjara. The route is available in both directions. The main path starts from the center of Khulo, which is 85 km away from Batumi, and ends in the Skhalta gorge (82 km from Batumi).

Through the village of Tago, there is a walking path to the church. Skhalta is the only medieval church in Adjara that survived both the Ottoman and Soviet periods to become functional again in 1990.

Walking time – 2 hours 45 minutes
Distance: 9 km
Elevation – 1125 meters above sea level

Skhalta Route

The route passes outside the settlements along the edge of the forest. At the end of the route, you will reach the Skhalta gorge and its villages near the Skhalta Monastery (1.3 km) and the Sherif Khimshiashvili Museum.

The museum of Sherif Khimshiashvili is 700 meters from the monastery, on the right side of the road. The site is dedicated to the last ruler of Upper Adjara. After 500 meters from the museum, the route turns from the central road to the right and goes to the mountains, to the village of Gurdzauli. The motorway ends there. A pedestrian path (a rise of about 1 km) that continues the route allows tourists to rest in guesthouses. You can spend a night and eat there. The cable car from the high point will bring you to the center of Khulo. Get in the desired direction by city transport.

As we mentioned above, you can reach Tago by cable car. Many tourists come here just to ride it. There is also an observation deck.

If you want to take this route make sure to pay us a visit at our glamping where you can get some food/drinks and enjoy the beautiful views.

Tago’s tourism potential

Now let’s take a look at Tago from a mountain ecotourism perspective!

Strong interest among extreme tourism lovers and travelers in general, has led to the rapid development of mountainous areas. One of the countries with a good tourist image and huge development potential, especially in mountains and ecotourism, is Georgia. This area is the country’s economic priority that should be used to the limit. The development of both domestic and foreign tourism has a positive effect on the economic growth of the regions, especially highlands, which have low incomes and tourism is the door that opens a lot of prospects.

Thereby, to boost the economy, Georgia needs to expand tourism in regions and rural areas. It will create new jobs, facilitate domestic tourism, and get foreign visitors exploring the country more extensively!

There are many reasons why we believe that Tago has a huge potential for tourism development. First of all, this is the perfect distance between Batumi, the capital of Adjara, and the village of Tago. Just a couple of hours by car and you are already watching not sea sunsets, but mountain sunrises. You just need to get from Batumi to the center of Khulo, take a ride on the cable car, and there you are, in the village of Tago!

Second, here you can feel all the delights of a simple way of life. People here live in wooden houses, do agriculture, keep livestock and pets. The delicate bonds of locals connecting them with nature create a special atmosphere where everything material fewer matters than we are used to in our everyday life. Here are simplicity, harmony, and love.

It should be noted that the people living here are surrounded by incredible nature. This place is also for adventure tourism due to the fact of its incredible views and all the activities that might be organized here, such as climbing, for example.

Speaking of agriculture, as we mentioned above, it is developed here at Tago. Therefore, we can say that Tago has a huge potential for the development of ecotourism.

For the exact reasons that we mentioned above, we chose to build our glamping in the mountains of Adjara! We aim to create better opportunities for the local communities, encourage relaxation, personal wellness, curiosity, adventure, and social interaction, and become the driving force for the country’s success.

Glamping Tago is a small start-up set on a mission to enhance mindful traveling, providing equal care and love to our guests, environment and team members.

We do so, by creating a comfortable space in one of the most authentic places in Adjara.

Turning it into a getaway where people can reconnect with themselves, step into adventures and begin new stories.