Georgia: Kutaisi to Tbilisi and the Caucasus

Across Georgia, from the west coast lowlands to the Caucasus. About 400 km by car: from Kutaisi airport east through the green hills of Imereti, over the low Rikoti Pass, through the old towns of Shida Kartli, past the capital Tbilisi and up the Georgian Military Road to the ski resort of Gudauri, at over 2,000 m below the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus.

The route. Kutaisi Airport – Zestaponi – Rikoti Pass – Kareli – Gori – Mtskheta – Tbilisi – Dusheti – Pasanauri – Jvari Pass area – Gudauri.

On the way. The Rikoti Pass (about 1,000 m) is the watershed between western and eastern Georgia. Near Gori the cave town of Uplistsikhe was carved out of the rock more than 3,000 years ago. Mtskheta, the old capital, has the Jvari Monastery and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Tbilisi is known for its old quarter and the sulphur baths of Abanotubani. After Tbilisi the road follows the Aragvi river into the mountains; Pasanauri is a famous place for khinkali, the local dumplings.

Good to know. The mountain section can close for snow from late autumn to spring, and trucks make it slow: plan for about 7–8 hours of driving without stops. The music in the background is Georgian.

Picture: The Georgian Military Road in the Greater Caucasus, Vadim Tolbatov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.