The Jvari Pass is the high point of the Georgian Military Highway, the road that has linked Tbilisi and the north Caucasus for centuries and that the Russian empire paved and straightened in the nineteenth century. At 2,379 metres, it divides two worlds: south of the summit the Aragvi river runs down towards Mtskheta and the Georgian heartland, while on the north side the waters head toward the Terek and Russia. The name simply means cross, and the monument at Gudauri, a short way down, was built in the Soviet era to celebrate friendship between the two nations. Politics have moved on; the view has not.
Gudauri itself is a ski resort, and the whole upper valley feels like one. From the south you climb out of the green valley of Pasanauri in a string of bends, and the road gets steeper and more open as the trees give way to grassy slopes. Above Gudauri you have wide, easy corners and big sky, with cloud often rolling over the ridge at lunchtime. Trucks are a real feature of this road, particularly lines of lorries heading for the Russian border, and you will spend a few corners behind a diesel plume. Overtake with care; the surface can be patched and uneven, and the edge is often unprotected.
The weather changes quickly up here. Fog, rain, and even snow outside high summer are normal, and in winter the pass closes or restricts traffic when storms blow through. Mornings are clearest, and early autumn gives the most stable days with the hillsides turning gold. Wear layers, because the temperature at the top may be a surprise after a warm valley.
For a rest, Gudauri has cafes, small hotels and viewpoints, and the paragliders launching from the slope above the resort are worth ten minutes of your attention. Fuel is available in Gudauri during the season, but the sensible plan is to start with a full tank from Mtskheta or Pasanauri, or to refill farther north at Stepantsminda, beneath Mount Kazbek. The long ridge to the north is the Greater Caucasus, and on a clear day, with snow in the high gullies, you will understand why people have been arguing about who owns this road for a very long time.