Kazbegi1 day≈ 11 h
Kazbegi and the Georgian Military Road
The most beautiful road in the country, at your pace
From Tbilisi to the foot of Mount Kazbek is 155 km and a climb to 2,395 metres. The road itself is the attraction, reservoirs, fortresses, serpentines and the main ridge of the Caucasus, and with your own driver you stop wherever the view asks for it.
- 1 daylength
- ≈ 11 hwith driver
- from $240per vehicle
Book this tour
Pick the date and the car. No payment now, you pay the driver after the tour.
- per vehicle, whole tour
- Starts in Tbilisi
- Free cancellation up to 24 h before
At a glance
- Pickup
- 08:30 at your hotel in Tbilisi
- Back in Tbilisi
- around 19:30
- On the road
- about 6 h of driving, 310 km
- Best season
- May to October; winter in the Prado
- Best time to go
- May to October is the classic season: green slopes, open passes, long days. The mountain is clearest in the mornings; by afternoon clouds often sit on the summit. Winter is spectacular and quiet, with Gudauri's lifts running from December, but it is Prado-only territory and we keep an eye on the pass. Avalanche closures are rare but real.
- Food and wine
- Khinkali come from these mountains: in Stepantsminda and Pasanauri the dumplings are made with lamb or beef, pinched by hand and eaten without the knot. Add river trout, sulguni cheese, a local honey and, in the right season, wild raspberries sold at the roadside. Lunch is about 30 to 50 GEL per person.
About this tour
The Georgian Military Road was built by the Russian army in the 19th century as the only carriage road across the Caucasus, and it is still the main route north from Tbilisi. It follows the Aragvi river past a turquoise reservoir and a medieval fortress, climbs through the ski resort of Gudauri to the Jvari Pass, then drops into the valley of the Terek, where Stepantsminda sits under Mount Kazbek, a 5,054-metre volcano with a 14th-century church on the ridge in front of it.
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We leave early. The first hour is easy valley road with two stops, then the serpentines begin above Pasanauri and the air gets thinner and colder. Lunch is in Stepantsminda, the village everyone still calls Kazbegi. After it comes the climb to Gergeti Trinity: six kilometres of rough track that the Prado drives itself; in the sedan or the van your driver puts you in a local 4×4 for the last stretch. Then the same road home, which looks entirely different in the afternoon light.
It is a long day, around eleven hours door to door, and it is worth every one of them. The driver watches the weather and the road bulletins, so in winter the date can shift by a day if the pass closes after heavy snow.
Highlights
- Zhinvali reservoir and the fortress of Ananuri
- Gudauri and the mosaic Friendship Monument
- The Jvari Pass at 2,395 metres
- Gergeti Trinity Church under Mount Kazbek
- Photo stops wherever you like, in both directions
Along the way
Itinerary
- 0109:15
Zhinvali reservoir
Turquoise water in a mountain bowl, forty minutes from the city. The first photo stop, from the viewpoint above the dam.
- 0209:45
Ananuri fortress
A 17th-century fortress of the dukes of Aragvi with two churches inside the walls, on the shore of the reservoir. Half an hour on the towers and in the carved church.
- 0311:15
Gudauri and the Friendship Monument
The ski resort at 2,200 metres, empty and green in summer, and the Soviet mosaic viewpoint hanging above the Devil's Valley, with the whole road you just drove laid out below.
- 0411:45
Jvari Pass
The highest point of the road at 2,395 metres, and just beyond it the mineral springs that have painted the hillside orange and white.
- 0513:00
Stepantsminda
Lunch in the village at the foot of Kazbek: khinkali, trout from the river, local cheese. The church is already visible on its ridge above the roofs.
- 0614:30
Gergeti Trinity
The 14th-century church at 2,170 metres, with Mount Kazbek behind it when the clouds allow. An hour on top, then the drive back down into the valley and the road home.
The route
- 1 Zhinvali reservoir
- 2 Ananuri fortress
- 3 Gudauri and the Friendship Monument
- 4 Jvari Pass
- 5 Stepantsminda
- 6 Gergeti Trinity
Straight lines between the stops; your driver takes the best road on the day.
What's included
- Car and driver for the whole day (about 11 hours)
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Water, Wi-Fi and chargers on board
- The drive up to Gergeti Trinity when you travel in the Land Cruiser Prado
- Photo stops wherever you like
Not included
- Lunch and any entrance fees
- A local 4×4 up to Gergeti Trinity if you travel in the sedan or the van (about 60 to 80 GEL per car, paid on the spot)
Good to know +
- Leave by 08:30: the road is long and the light on Kazbek is best around midday.
- Bring a warm layer even in summer; it is ten degrees cooler at the pass.
- From December to April the pass can close for a few hours after heavy snow; we check the road status every morning.
Questions about this tour
Can we reach Gergeti Trinity in the V-Class?
The paved road ends in Stepantsminda; the last six kilometres are a rough track. In the Prado you drive up; in the van or the sedan your driver arranges a local 4×4 for the climb.
Is the tour possible in winter?
Yes, and the mountains are at their most dramatic. We travel in the Prado, follow the road service bulletins and move the date if the pass closes.
Can we stay overnight in Kazbegi?
Yes. Tell us when booking and we price the trip as a two-day tour with the driver staying nearby.
Can we add Gudauri skiing or a walk?
In winter, yes: a few hours on the slopes at Gudauri fits before the drive to Kazbegi if you start early. In summer, a short walk to the Gveleti waterfall or along the Truso valley can replace one of the stops.
How long is the drive?
About three hours each way with photo stops, around eleven hours door to door.
When to go and what to see: our guide to Kazbegi.
Read the guide
