Gudauri’s base station sits at 2,200 metres. That is worth pausing on: it is higher than the top of most ski areas in the Alps, and it is where this resort starts. The lifts run up from there to 3,279 metres, onto open bowls above the treeline with the Greater Caucasus standing all around.
What that altitude buys you is snow that behaves. Gudauri is dry and cold through most of the season, and while resorts across Europe are watching their base layers turn to slush, this one is still running on the real thing. It is also, by the standards of any comparable mountain, extremely cheap — a full-day lift pass costs roughly what a single lunch does in the Alps.
Getting there is the other half of the day. The Georgian Military Road climbs out of Tbilisi through the Aragvi gorge, and in winter the whole route changes character: the Zhinvali reservoir sits dark against white hills, Ananuri fortress stands on its shoreline with snow picking out every course of stonework, and above Pasanauri the forest gives way and the road starts switchbacking in earnest. People book this tour to ski and come back talking about the drive.
You do not have to ski. Roughly half the people who book this day never put boots on. The gondola will take you to 3,006 metres for the view alone; there is sledding, snowshoeing and a great deal of standing about with a hot drink looking at mountains. Mixed groups work well — skiers go up, everyone else does something else, and the whole party meets for lunch.
One honest note on the season. December can be thin and April can be soft. January through March is when this mountain does what it is famous for. If you have flexibility, take it then; if you do not, ask us what the snow is actually doing before you book, and we will tell you rather than sell you.
What you’ll see
Tour highlights
- Gudauri, base at 2,200 m — the resort begins higher than most Alpine areas end, which is why the snow holds when everywhere else is struggling.
- Lifts to 3,279 m — the gondola climbs to Kudebi at 3,006 m and on towards Kobi at 3,279 m, onto open bowls above the treeline.
- A day on the slopes for the price of a lunch elsewhere — full-day lift passes run around 50–70 GEL and a complete equipment rental around 40–60. Georgia is the cheapest serious skiing in the region.
- Gentle enough to learn on — Gudauri has wide beginner terrain and instructors who are used to first-timers. A surprising number of our guests ski for the first time here.
- Ananuri fortress in snow — a sixteenth-to-seventeenth-century complex above the Zhinvali reservoir, with the carved grapevine cross on the church wall and the whole scene reduced to black stone and white ground.
- The Zhinvali reservoir — dark water in a white gorge, with the fortress on the shoreline. The single best photograph of the drive, and it comes forty minutes in.
- The Georgian Military Road — two centuries of traffic between Georgia and the north, and a genuinely dramatic mountain highway once the snow starts.
- Ski or don’t — the day works either way, and mixed groups are the norm rather than the exception.
Step by step
Tour itinerary
About eleven hours door to door, 240 kilometres round trip. Roughly four and a half hours at the resort. Runs December to April.
08:00 — Pickup in Tbilisi
Collected from your hotel in a heated vehicle. The road runs north out of the city onto the Georgian Military Road, and the landscape starts changing almost immediately — city, then hills, then gorge, then snow.
09:30 — Zhinvali Reservoir
A short viewpoint stop above the water. The reservoir was filled in the mid-1980s and drowned a whole valley; in winter it sits dark and still between white hills, with Ananuri on the far shoreline. Fifteen minutes, mostly for photographs, and the morning light here is the best of the day.
10:00 — Ananuri Fortress
Forty to fifty minutes. The stronghold of the Aragvi dukes, with curtain walls dropping to the water, the Sheupovari tower, and two churches inside. Look for the carved grapevine cross on the south wall of the Church of the Assumption — late seventeenth century and one of the finest pieces of stone carving in Georgia.
Winter suits this place. Snow picks out every joint in the masonry and there is almost nobody here between December and March.
11:00 — Climbing the Military Road
The serious ascent. Deciduous woods give way to conifers, villages thin out, and the snow gets deeper by the kilometre. We stop at a viewpoint or two on the way up — the run of hairpins below Gudauri is one of the more photographed stretches of road in the country.
12:15 — Arrival at Gudauri
Straight to a café to warm up and take stock, with mulled wine or hot chocolate. The Georgian version of mulled wine is made with Saperavi, which gives it more body and considerably more colour than you may be used to.
Then your driver-guide helps you sort out whatever you need — rental shop, lift ticket office, or directions to the gondola.
12:45 — The mountain, your way
If you ski or board: equipment rental runs about 40–60 GEL for a full set, a helmet around 10, and a full-day lift pass roughly 50–70 GEL — all paid at the resort. The terrain is broad: gentle marked areas for beginners, long groomed intermediate runs, steeper black terrain and off-piste for people who know what they are doing. Instructors are available and worth it if you have never done this before.
If you don’t: take the gondola to 3,006 metres and look at the Caucasus in every direction — about 20–30 GEL and half an hour up and back. Or sled, snowshoe, walk, photograph, or sit on a terrace with a drink and do none of the above. All of these are legitimate ways to spend an afternoon at 2,200 metres.
15:30 — Lunch
An hour and a half in a mountain restaurant with the view. Khinkali, which is the correct food after cold air and exercise and not seriously disputed by anybody; khachapuri; mtsvadi grilled over coals; lobio; bread out of a clay oven. Vegetarian and other requirements are straightforward with notice.
17:00 — Back down
The descent gives you the road in different light — late sun on the snowfields, the gorge filling with shadow. If the timing works we stop once more high up for the last of it.
19:00 — Return to Tbilisi
Back at your hotel between 19:00 and 19:30.
Starting from
€180
per person
Locally operated since 2011
We reply within 24 hours
What your price covers
What’s included
Included
- Private heated vehicle for your group only, on winter tyres, with a driver who does this road all season
- English-speaking driver-guide for the full day
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tbilisi
- Entry to Ananuri
- Mulled wine or hot chocolate on arrival at Gudauri
- Traditional Georgian lunch in a mountain restaurant
- Help with equipment rental and lift tickets — we do the queuing and the Georgian
- Bottled water in the vehicle
- All taxes and booking fees
Not included
- Ski or snowboard rental — around 40–60 GEL for a full set, plus about 10 GEL each for helmet and goggles
- Lift passes — around 50–70 GEL for a full day, 35–50 for a half day, single rides available
- Gondola tickets for non-skiers — around 20–30 GEL
- Ski lessons, which we can arrange in advance from about 80 GEL per person for a two-hour group session
- Drinks and food beyond the included lunch and welcome drink
- Travel insurance — and on this tour it should explicitly cover winter sports
- Tips for your driver-guide
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
Photographs
Gallery
Where you’ll go
Map & route
Practical details
Good to know before you go
The numbers
| Duration | About 11 hours, 08:00 to roughly 19:00–19:30 |
| Distance | 240 km round trip, 120 each way |
| Time at the resort | Around four and a half hours |
| Season | December to April. Best snow January to March |
| Altitude | Resort base 2,200 m; top lift 3,279 m |
| Activity level | Whatever you choose. Non-skiers do no strenuous walking at all |
What to wear — read this properly, it matters more here than on any other tour
People underestimate this and spend the afternoon in the café instead of on the mountain. Temperatures at Gudauri sit between −5°C and −15°C through the season, colder at the top of the lifts, colder again with wind.
- A waterproof winter jacket and insulated trousers. Ski trousers ideally. Jeans in snow are wet jeans within the hour.
- Thermal base layers. The single highest-value item on this list.
- A hat that covers your ears, and waterproof gloves — not woollen ones, which soak through.
- Waterproof boots with grip. Resort paths are packed ice by afternoon.
- Sunglasses or goggles. Snow glare at 3,000 metres is genuinely painful without them, and it is the thing people forget most.
- Sunscreen and lip balm. You will burn faster on snow in February than on a beach in June.
- Cash in lari for rentals, lift passes and the gondola. Card machines exist and card machines fail.
- A spare battery or power bank. Cold flattens phone batteries fast, and this is a day you will photograph.
What things cost at the resort
| Item | Approximate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full equipment set | 40–60 GEL | Skis or board, boots, poles |
| Helmet | ~10 GEL | Take one |
| Lift pass, full day | 50–70 GEL | Half day 35–50; single rides available |
| Gondola for non-skiers | 20–30 GEL | Up and back, about 30–40 minutes |
| Group ski lesson | from 80 GEL | Two hours; book in advance through us |
Prices move a little between seasons and children and seniors get discounts. Everything here is paid directly at the resort.
Altitude
Some people notice 3,000 metres — mild headache, breathlessness on stairs. It passes. Drink water, do not go straight to the top lift and start sprinting, and if you feel poor, come down a stage. Nothing about this day requires you to go above the base if you would rather not.
Weather, and when we will not go
The Gudauri–Kobi section of the Military Road closes for avalanche control several times a winter, sometimes for hours and occasionally for a day. We check road status every morning before departure. If it is closed or the forecast is genuinely dangerous, we will contact you to reschedule or refund in full — we do not run this road on a maybe. Ordinary snowfall, on the other hand, improves the day considerably.
Which month
| Month | Conditions | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| December | Early season, snow variable | Quiet, and cheaper on the mountain. Ask us what the base is doing |
| January – February | Peak season, best snow, coldest air | What the resort is famous for. Dress properly |
| March | Excellent snow, warmer days, more daylight | The best all-round month, and the busiest |
| April | Spring skiing, soft afternoons | Lower slopes go patchy; the top stays good |
Children
Families do this trip constantly. Gudauri has gentle terrain for children learning, and the ones who are not skiing have snow, sledging and a cable car to occupy them. Under-12s get a 30% discount. Child seats free on request.
Booking
Book at least 24 hours ahead, and further in advance for weekends in February and March. Free cancellation up to seven days before departure, and a full refund or a new date if the road closes.
From our travellers
Reviews
Before you book
Frequently asked questions
What if I have never skied before?
Gudauri is a good place to start. There is wide, gentle beginner terrain and instructors who teach first-timers all season. Plenty of our guests learn to ski on this day trip. And if you decide you would rather not, the gondola, the snow and the café are all still there.
Do I have to ski at all?
No, and roughly half the people who book this don’t. The gondola to 3,006 metres, sledging, snowshoeing, walking and photography fill the afternoon comfortably. Mixed groups are normal: skiers go up, everyone else does something else, and you meet for lunch.
How cold is it?
Between −5°C and −15°C at resort level through the season, colder at the top of the lifts and colder again in wind. That is manageable with proper clothing and unpleasant without it. See the clothing list above and take it seriously — it is the difference between a good day and an afternoon indoors.
Is snow guaranteed?
January to March, effectively yes — Gudauri’s altitude gives it far better snow reliability than lower resorts. December and April are variable. We watch conditions and we will give you an honest assessment when you enquire rather than a hopeful one.
How much are lift passes and rentals?
A full-day lift pass is roughly 50–70 GEL and a complete equipment set around 40–60 GEL, with helmet and goggles about 10 each. Both are paid at the resort and your driver-guide will take you to the right counters. Children and seniors get discounts.
How long do we actually get at Gudauri?
About four and a half hours, from roughly 12:15 to 17:00. That covers sorting out equipment, several hours on the mountain or sightseeing, and lunch. If your group wants the balance shifted, tell your driver-guide in the morning and we will adjust within the daylight we have.
Can the tour be cancelled because of weather?
Yes, and sometimes it should be. The Gudauri–Kobi road closes for avalanche control several times each winter. We check status every morning and will reschedule or refund in full if it is not safe. Snow falling is not a reason to cancel — it is a reason to come.
Is it suitable for children?
Very. Gentle slopes for those learning, snow and a cable car for those who aren’t, and child-friendly food at lunch. Under-12s receive a 30% discount and child seats are free.
Do I need travel insurance?
You should have it, and if you intend to ski or board it needs to say so explicitly — a lot of standard policies exclude winter sports. This is the one tour on our list where we push the point.
When is the tour available?
December to April. The best snow is January to March. Outside those months the resort is closed and we would be selling you a drive.
Ready when you are
Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling. We’ll come back within 24 hours with availability, a confirmed price, and your guide’s name.
