Gudauri
travel guides

Gudauri sits at roughly 2,200 metres on a south-facing plateau of the Greater Caucasus, in the Kazbegi Municipality of Georgia's Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. It is a purpose-built ski resort rather than an old mountain village - the permanent population is only a few dozen people, and almost every building is a hotel, apartment block or rental chalet. The terrain around it is high, open and above the treeline, with the Jvari Pass immediately above the resort.

Skiing is why most people come. Lifts run from about 1,990 metres to 3,276 metres, and estimates of the marked piste network range from 55 to 75 kilometres depending on the source. The season usually holds from late December to early April. Gudauri is known for wide above-the-treeline runs, heliskiing and ski touring, and for costing a fraction of comparable Alpine resorts. In summer the plateau becomes one of the better-known paragliding sites in the Caucasus.

Everything arrives on a single road. The Georgian Military Highway climbs 120 kilometres north from Tbilisi, and the drive takes two to three hours depending on snow and on lorry queues heading for the Russian border. Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) is around 135 kilometres away. There is no railway. Marshrutka minibuses leave from Didube station in Tbilisi, and most hotels arrange private transfers.