Rkoni – Kldekari – Cholmana (Choliani)

The Beginning of the Trail

Rkoni Village, Kldekari Fortress, and Cholmani (Choliani) are all located in the Tedzami River Valley, near the Trialeti Mountain Range in Tsalka Municipality. The fifteen-kilometre trail connecting these three landmarks is of intermediate difficulty and takes approximately six hours to complete.

The trail begins in Rkoni Village, winding through a beautiful forested area on its way to the Rkoni Monastery Complex. This complex was built over a period of ten centuries, stretching from the 7th to the 17th centuries. Here, there is also an arch bridge named after King Tamar, as well as the ruins of an ancient tower.

After exploring the monastery complex, you’ll set out on the next section of the hike. It is here that the trail becomes somewhat more difficult, bringing you to Kldekari Fortress after another eight kilometres. Kldekari Fortress was built in the 9th century and, due to its location on the border of three historical regions, acted as an important strategic structure at that time. 

From the fortress, you can get a lovely view of Trialeti, Kvemo Kartli, and Shida Kartli.

The End of the Trail

From Kldekari the trail descends and finally reaches Cholmani Village, where you can see an ancient megalithic building. The Cholmani Dolmen is still being studied, but its very existence shows us that this place has been inhabited since at least the 3rd or 2nd millennium BCE. The dolmen may have been a grave or the living area of a community chieftain.