Pictured in early April, Omalo, the central village in the remote montane region of Tusheti in northeastern Georgia, is virtually empty. It is inaccessible by road from October until the winter snows clear in May, and until then is home to only a handful of residents who brave the winter alone. Once the road opens, however, the traditional residents of the area flood back into the region with their sheep, cows and horses, and open up guest houses that have been shuttered for the long winter - tourism is now the mainstay of the region’s economy, as hikers travel from near and far to experience the beauty of the Greater Caucasus mountains.

A shepherd driving a flock of sheep into the Abano Pass along the road to Tusheti in the Greater Caucasus mountains in Georgia. The Pass is an infamous stretch of road at an elevation of 2850m that is known for volatile weather and avalanches, and is said to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Every spring, shepherds trek their flocks from lowland winter pastures up to their traditional mountain homeland of Tusheti, approximately a two-week hike, and in the fall they make the return journey before the region is sealed off by the winter snows.

Tamari Khucishvili playing with her daughter, Sophia, at their home in Omalo, the central village in the remote montane region of Tusheti in the Greater Caucasus mountains in northeastern Georgia. It is early April, and Omalo is virtually empty - Tusheti is inaccessible by road from October until the winter snows clear in May, and during this time is home to only a handful of residents who brave the winter. Through the winter, they depend heavily on their cows for milk and cheese, and on supplies delivered by a Border Service helicopter which visits monthly to rotate crews at a nearby border outpost. During the summer months, they operate a guesthouse from the home, catering to hikers who come to experience the beauty of the Tusheti National Park.

A defunct electricity pylon in the Greater Caucasus mountains along the road to the Tusheti region of Georgia on 19 May 2017. Tusheti had electricity during the Soviet era, but the infrastructure collapsed and was cannibalised following the demise of the Soviet Union.

Murmani Tcharelidze's brake discs sizzle and steam as he fords a river crossing on the way to Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia, on 30 June 2017. Carrying solar panels, antennas, reflector dishes and other equipment, he is part of a team that was setting out to begin construction of a solar-powered wireless network that will bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organisations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

Adding their infrastructure to an existing telecommunications tower, Amirani Giorganashvili, Giorgi Kitidze, Giorgi Kirvalidze, Konstantin Stalinsky and Murmani Tcharelidze install a free Wi-Fi hotspot in the Abano Pass, which at at 2850m is said to be the highest driveable pass in the Caucasus Mountains. The team were on their way to begin construction of a solar-powered wireless network that will bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organisations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

Amirani Giorganashvili's looks at his tablet while Giorgi Kirvalidze lights a cigarette as they work on a Wi-Fi antenna and Internet connection for testing purposes at Hotel Tusheti near the central village of Omalo in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. They were part of a team that was building a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organisations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

Murmani Tcharelidze (left) Konstantin Stalinsky and Giorgi Matchavariani while working on the construction of a tower near Koklata in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. They were part of a team that was building a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organisations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

The 13th century fortress of Keselo looks down on the village of Zemo Omalo in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia.

Children race through the yard of an abandoned Soviet-era children's home in Omalo, the central village of Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. One room of the building was being used as a base for a team that was building a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti.

A bareback horserace through the Alazani River is a highlight of the traditional Khitanoba festival in the village of Jvarboseli in Tusheti, a beautiful and remote area of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia.

Kvemo Alvani in the Kakheti region of Georgia. The small towns of Kvemo and Zemo Alvani (Upper and Lower Alvani) are on land that was given to the Tush people in exchange for their assistance in defeating a Persian army in the 17th century. Most Tush now spend the majority of the year here, while spending summers with their sheep and cows in the remote montane region that bears their name.

People lighting votive candles at the Jvari Monastery, also known as the Church of the Holy Cross, near the town of Mtskheta, Georgia. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was built at the turn of the sixth and seventh centuries when Mtskheta was the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia.

Marita Genebashvili assisting participants at an Internet literacy training session covering ecommerce, egovernment and ebusiness basics in Akhmeta in the Kakheti region of Georgia. Part of a pilot program run by the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), the training sessions dovetail with a project that will bring Internet access to the remote montane region of Tusheti in northeastern Georgia. The participants are Tush, most of whom spend the winter months in lowland towns in Kakheti, and summers in Tusheti.

An amateur weekend rugby game between Tbilisi team Khalibebi (in black) and home team Tushebi, in Zemo Alvani in the Kakheti region of Georgia. (Tushebi won 25 - 20.) The small towns of Kvemo and Zemo Alvani (Upper and Lower Alvani) are on land that was given to the Tush people in exchange for their participation in a battle to defeat a Persian army in the 17th century. Most Tush now spend the majority of the year here, while spending summers with their sheep and cows in the remote montane region that bears their name.

Temuri Babulaidze playing a game online at his family's home in Kvemo Alvani, Georgia. His father, Zurabu Babulaidze, is one of the founders of the Tusheti Development Fund, which initiated a project supported by the Internet Society that will bring wireless Internet access to the remote Georgian montane region of Tusheti.

Lasha Tunauri approaching the tiny village of Chiglaurta with a string of packhorses in tow in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The village was the staging point for the construction of a tower on a peak called Kheki, and as there is no road equipment had to be transported the rest of the way using packhorses. The tower is one of four that form the core of a solar-powered wireless network that is bringing broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organisations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

Lasha Tunauri (left) and his packhorses wait while Konstantin Stalinsky, Giorgi Kirvalidze and Amirani Giorganashvili complete construction of a tower on Kheki, a mountain peak in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The tower was part of a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. Tremendous difficulties were had due to difficult terrain and the unwieldy nature of the loads that had to be brought up by packhorses.

Giorgi Kitidze (left), Giorgi Kirvalidze, Konstantin Stalinsky, Murmani Tcharelidze and Amirani Giorganashvili having dinner after a day of logistical setbacks while building a tower on Kheki, a mountain peak in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The tower was part of a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. Tremendous difficulties were had due to difficult terrain and the unwieldy nature of the loads that had to be brought up by packhorses, meaning that the team was unable to complete the build in one day as planned, and had to camp on the mountain.

Amirani Giorganashvili connecting a sector antenna while setting up a tower on Diklo Mountain in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. He is part of a team that was building a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organizations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.

Iason Gatsiridze (29, right) with owner Lela Arindauli (55) as he installs an Internet connection at Hotel Nakudurta in the village of Girevi in Tusheti, a beautiful and remote area of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. In addition to being a ranger, Gatsiridze is responsible for customer support and maintenance on a solar-powered network that provides the village - and the region - with connectivity, thanks to a group of volunteers who hauled masts and equipment up several of Tusheti's peaks in four-wheel drives and on horseback. Internet access is particularly valuable in villages like Girevi, which are beyond the reach of phone connections.

Temo Darkizanidze (55, at right) on a Viber call with a relative while with friends and guests at Guesthouse Posholi, which he owns together with his wife Ia Gioshvili (48), in the village of Jvarboseli in Tusheti, a beautiful and remote area of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The village is located in the Gometsari Valley, and while it has neither mobile nor radio reception, it is now connected to the Internet thanks to a group of volunteers who hauled masts and equipment up several of Tusheti's peaks in four-wheel drives and on horseback to build a solar-powered network that beams WiFi signals across the region. One of the network's aims is to make it easier for local tourism business operators to reach and interact with their clients, as well as to offer convenience to visitors.

A campsite near the village of Zemo (Upper) Omalo and the historic fortress of Keselo in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. Tourism is the mainstay of the local economy.

A group of trekkers from the Czech Republic doing yoga at their campsite on a hill above the village of Zemo Omalo in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. Tourism is the mainstay of the local economy.

Copious quantities of chacha - a potent spirit distilled from grape pomace - are consumed during traditional religious observances at Iakshari shrine above the village of Dartlo in Tusheti, a beautiful and remote area of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. Though it is a fertility shrine, women may not approach, and the observances are for men only. Later, however, there is a feast in which the entire community participates.

The community gathers together to make and enjoy khinkali, traditional Georgian dumplings, during the traditional Khitanoba festival in the village of Jvarboseli in Tusheti, a beautiful and remote area of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia.

A group of Georgian tourists sharing their table and taking photos with newfound Russian friends at Hotel Tishe in Omalo, the central village of Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. The hotel was one of the first to be connected to the Internet by a team that was building a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. According to hotel owner Eteri Markvaidze, since the connection had been installed people were staying longer and spending more on drinks and food accordingly.

Horse riders approaching the village of Bochorna in Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia.

Zakariya Mohammed Ishaque (left) from India playing a game while Martin Skarovpka from the Czech Republic looks up something on Facebook using the new Internet connection at Hotel Tishe in Omalo, the central village of Tusheti, a beautiful but very remote region of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the Republic of Georgia. Asked what he thought about the fact that he could now get online at the hotel, Ishaque said, "I wasn't expecting it, but that's actually why I'm here." Hotel Tishe was one of the first to benefit from the construction of a solar-powered wireless network to bring broadband Internet access to Tusheti. The network project was the result of the partnership between several local and international Internet and development organizations including the Internet Society and its Georgia Chapter, and the Tusheti Development Fund. The project aims to provide a way for the people who live in Tusheti to build opportunities while preserving their local heritage, traditions, and ways of life.