Homestay gifts, customs and etiquette

Just take it as it comes mate. I hiked for 4 days around Tusheti, and found the people very, very nice, although perhaps not as 'legendary' as in Iran, for example. Twice I was nearly mauled by sheep dogs, which was when the hospitality came out at its finest. Problem was, I couldn't communicate with the locals at all, as I couldn't speak even a few words of Russian. I wouldn't necessarily expect the people will invite you to stay for free, there are guest houses where some lovely people offer great hospitality, but at a price. Although at other times, I was invited to join people drinking local wine, without expectation of any reciprocity at all.

Bringing something small from the UK is a nice gesture, and can only go down well. Some Australians, for example bring small toy koalas and kangaroos to give out as reciprocity for hospitality. Really don't recommended giving money, only when its expected, like at guesthouses.

Theres no hard and fast rules about this, you need to follow your instinct. If someone gives you some wine and some food, offering them something you have, like packets of tea from England, is a nice gesture. If the girl at your guesthouse spends 2 hours hand washing all your stinky clothes, then offering $5-10 at least is kind of expected. Just take it as it comes, and don't think too much about it.

Georgia is easy compared to Iran! There, people offer hospitality and don't ask payment for things (ta'rof), like taxi rides. You are supposed to offer payment a maximum of 3 times to the individual, if they still refuse, then it really is genuine hospitality. This is something you are supposed to know while there!

Besides the advice given above, i just want to say prepare for the weather. You say you are planning to do a lot of hiking in area's like Svaneti. In a few weeks from now there probably will be snow there!

Enjoy Georgia, it is beautiful!
Matthijs

I dont think it will be possible to travel to Tusheti in a few weeks and even if you will make it there, noone will be probably there to welcome you. Even by now were all sheep herded down to Kakheti and most of the inhabitants left the area because of snow - road through Abano pass is usually accesible till early or late October. Only few dozen remain in the area in winter.

Svaneti could be maybe accesible, but still, mid of November... you picked quite bad time for mountain walking. Better bring some skialp equipment.

Ah, and about the gifts - no need for overplan it. Bring few small, but nice bottles of some good British alcohol, people there will definitely appreciate that.

Edited by: Thanatos_

Thanks for all the advice on homestay gifts etc.

As for accessibility and weather, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I was reading a blog (see below for link) which seemed to indicate that the weather might not be that unfavorable in November, although obviously I'm preparing for the worst. Also, I've recently purchased the book Walking in the Caucasus by Peter Neysmith, which list quite a lot of walks that are either do-able all year round, or should still be accessible in November.

I'm a pretty seasoned hiker and have dealt with my fair share of long walks, heavy backpacks and crap weather at various altitude, so with the right equipment I should be okay. But obviously, if the weather looks really bad I'm not going to do anything stupid because from what I gather there isn't much in the way of a dedicated mountain rescue in Georgia.

Anyway, here's the link to the blog I was talking about:
http://www.bravelemming.com/from-last-october-svaneti-part-1-from-zugdidi-to-ushguli/

All that advice from me, and I didn't even contemplate the time of year! The others are right, When I went in june, it was freezing at night, and the high passes covered by snow. In a couple of weeks, you would be lucky to even get up there I think. IF a snowstorm happens while up there, its entirely possible you could get stranded with the 2 or 3 families that are still there, and be reliant on an air lift to get out. The road up is very, very precarious, and going up in icy conditions would be damn scary. Also, nearly every guesthouse would be closed, food supplies minimal and hiking would be really cold and slippery.

Not saying its not impossible, but its would be recommended not to go. Best advice, as I've offered to other travellers, is to call the extremely helpful visitor's centre in Tusheti and ask their advice, they are best placed to know whats going on once you are in Georgia.

As an alternative, you can always go to Kazbegi if it doesnt work out with Sventi or Tusheti.

Thanks again for the heads up. Do you know where I can find contact details for the visitors centre in Tusheti?

I dont sorry mate, google it...

I read about the famous Georgian hospitality, and have to say I didn't find it, not like I read about. While they were certainly friendly, and very honest, not a single person invited us to join them for anything. I also brought small gifts etc for homestays. I was a bit surprised by this after reading so much about it, but it certainly didn't spoil my holiday in anyway.

I stayed about 8 days in Svaneti region, and traveled around most of the country, although I didn't get to Tusheti. Perhaps it's just too late now, too many tourists have been and changed the way locals see tourists now.

It is a wonderful country however, one of my favourites, but like someone said, it's no Iran in terms of hospitality. The food in homestays in my experience was amazing, especially in Svaneti, one of the best places I stayed was Becho, which is just absolutely beautiful. They were definitely friendlier there, and also in Ushguli, in Mestia they barely broke a smile at me, there does seem a lot of tourists there, and it seems to be changing very quickly.

Thats because they get so many tourists in Georgia now, they're used to it. Just waiting for that to happen to Iran...