Guest memo: how to prepare for the excursion

How the day is built

A one-day excursion is a full day, usually 8 to 12 hours including the driving and the stops. The tour is private: your party only, your own car with a driver and a guide. No mixed groups and no waiting for strangers.

The departure time is agreed with you when you book: we pick you up from your hotel in Tbilisi or Gudauri, or from Tbilisi airport, and bring you back.

The route is a construction kit. You can add places and photo stops, drop what you do not need, slow the pace down. Tell the manager what you want in advance, and tell the guide during the day: stops are made on request.

The guiding is in Russian or in English. Say which one when you book.

The Georgian Military Road: what you see, in order

The classic route from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda runs along the Georgian Military Road. The stops usually come in this order:

1. The Zhinvali reservoir — turquoise water framed by mountain slopes, where the White and the Black Aragvi meet.
2. Ananuri fortress — a mediaeval complex above the reservoir: towers, churches and the view from the walls.
3. Gudauri — a mountain resort with open panoramas. This is usually where the snack stop is, and where the day can be topped up with activities.
4. The Friendship of Nations arch — a viewing platform above the gorge with a mosaic panel and one of the most recognisable views in the Caucasus.
5. The Jvari Pass (2395 m) — the highest point of the Georgian Military Road: passes, alpine meadows and the first views of Kazbek (5054 m).
6. Stepantsminda — the village at the foot of Kazbek.
7. Gergeti church (2170 m) — the 14th-century Trinity church above Stepantsminda and the classic view of Kazbek.

A mountain road leads up to Gergeti church. How you go up — in the tour car or in a local 4×4 — is settled when you book; the guide arranges it on the spot.

Altitude: what to do about it

In one day you climb from the level of Tbilisi to the pass at 2395 m and to the church at 2170 m. For a healthy person this is not a risky altitude, but three things are noticeable.

• It is colder than down below. At Gergeti church it can be +10–15 °C even in summer while Tbilisi is baking. A warm layer is needed always, in any season.
• The sun is harsher. Above 2000 m it is stronger: sunglasses and sun cream are not about looks but about not burning within an hour at a viewpoint.
• Breathing and tiredness. Being short of breath on a flight of steps at altitude is normal. Do not rush, drink water, and give yourself a few minutes to acclimatise at each stop.

If you have a heart or lung condition, or you do not handle altitude well, tell the manager in advance. The pace and the climb can be planned more gently.

What to bring

In winter add: warm waterproof footwear and thermal underwear.

The dress code in the church: women cover their heads, everyone covers shoulders and knees.

If you get car sick

Let us be honest: the stretch from Gudauri over the Jvari Pass is a series of hairpins, and people prone to motion sickness may feel it there. That is normal and it can be handled.

• Motion-sickness medicine is taken in advance, not when you already feel bad — usually 30 to 60 minutes before departure, following the instructions for the medicine.
• Sit in the front and look at the road rather than at your phone.
• A light breakfast is better than a heavy one or an empty stomach.
• Ask for stops. That is what the private format is for: tell the driver and we stop.
• Fresh air — a slightly open window helps more than the air conditioning.

Weather, the road, and what happens if the pass is closed

The tour runs all year round, but in winter and in the shoulder seasons the Georgian Military Road over the Jvari Pass can close because of snowfall and avalanche danger — sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a day.

What we do. The decision to set off is made by the guide or the carrier on grounds of safety. If the road is closed, the tour is moved to another date without losing the deposit or replaced with an equivalent route. Safety comes before the plan — that is a rule, not a polite phrase.

What that means for you in practice: allow a margin on the day and do not book a flight or an important meeting tight against that same evening.

With children and at your own pace

The tours are family tours: children travel with their parents, and the private format lets us stop more often and match the pace to a child.

• A child seat — on request when booking, tell us in advance.
• Snacks and water — bring them: the drive is long.
• Motion-sickness medicine for a child — as agreed with your doctor.
• Warm clothes are needed by children even more than by adults: it is windy on the pass.

What is included in the price and what is paid separately

Included: a comfortable private car with a professional driver, a guide, all the transfers within the tour, a flexible route and the team's support during the day. The organising — agreeing the route, the departure time and the format — is included too.

Not included: food and drinks, personal expenses, entrance tickets and local services (a 4×4 up to Gergeti, for instance), and any extra activities not stated in the programme.

Lunch — if you want it, in a traditional Georgian restaurant, paid on the spot. Along the way, Pasanauri for instance is famous for its khinkali — the guide will suggest where to stop.

The deposit secures the booking and is deducted from the price of the tour; its size depends on the tour, and the manager names the sum when you book. The balance is usually paid in cash on the day of the tour.

The prices on the site are indicative and can change with the season: the final sum for your dates and party is confirmed by the manager.

Can activities be added

Yes — if the day goes through Gudauri, it can be topped up. Everything is booked and paid for separately, and it is better discussed in advance than on the road.

A paragliding flight fits a Georgian Military Road day particularly well: Gudauri is right in the middle of the route.

How to book