Why this ride
A mountain highway from Tbilisi, Georgia to Stepantsminda, Georgia, via Ananuri. Key character: Greater Caucasus; fortress; high pass. Surface: paved.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Georgian Military Highway
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 155 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 38
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Georgian Military Highway
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 4 km this is Georgian Military Highway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 4 km
- Named road
- Georgian Military Highway
- Pass
- Jvari Cross Pass
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Near Tbilisi
Tbilisi spreads along the Mtkvari river in a bowl of dry hills, and its first impression is of balconies. Old houses lean over narrow streets with carved wooden verandas, sulphur bathhouses sit under domes of brick in the Abanotubani district, and on the ridge above, the ruined Narikala fortress watches the city. The name Tbilisi comes from a Georgian word for warm, and the story says that a hunting king found hot springs here and decided to found a city.
Read the complete Near Tbilisi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Georgian Military Highway point 1 sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Georgian Military Highway point 2.
2. Near Zhinvali
Planning note
Georgian Military Highway point 2 comes up 29 km in. Next is Georgian Military Highway point 3.
3. Gudauri
Gudauri is a ski resort first and a village by accident, strung along the road a little below the Jvari Pass in the High Caucasus, at roughly two thousand metres. In winter it is full of Georgians, Russians and Gulf visitors with skis, and the lifts rise from just behind the hotels. In summer it empties out, the slopes turn into flower meadows, and paragliders drift above the grass. Either way the main road, the old Georgian Military Highway, runs straight through the middle, and everything on it, from lorries to cows, goes by at its own speed.
Read the complete Gudauri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 90 km in you reach Georgian Military Highway point 3. Next is Georgian Military Highway point 4.
4. Near Gudauri
Gudauri is a ski resort first and a village by accident, strung along the road a little below the Jvari Pass in the High Caucasus, at roughly two thousand metres. In winter it is full of Georgians, Russians and Gulf visitors with skis, and the lifts rise from just behind the hotels. In summer it empties out, the slopes turn into flower meadows, and paragliders drift above the grass. Either way the main road, the old Georgian Military Highway, runs straight through the middle, and everything on it, from lorries to cows, goes by at its own speed.
Read the complete Gudauri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Georgian Military Highway point 4, late in the day. Next is Georgian Military Highway point 5.
5. St’epants’minda
Planning note
Georgian Military Highway point 5 sits at 155 km, late in the day.