Gudauri | Georgia

By jbuae in Georgia on 4th March 202415th January 2025

High above Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi sits the modern ski resort of Gudauri that’s accessible via the Georgian Military Highway. The resort is about two hours by road from the capital and while the scenic route is hairy at times it’s worth the squeaky bum moments to reach the snowy destination.

As the Transcaucasian highway climbs above the city the scenery changes with the snow capped mountains teasing what lies ahead. Sightseeing stops include the Zhinvali Reservoir with its stunning panorama and the medieval Ananuri castle in the valley between the Aragvi and Vedzatkhevi rivers. As you near Gudauri the terrain is more challenging with hairpin bends, deteriorating roads and sheer drops edged with flimsy barriers. The constant flow of heavy trucks, travelling to and from Russia, have eroded the congested freight route making it a bumpy ride in places. It’s important to have a good, knowledgeable driver who can navigate the switch-back roads and avoid oncoming heavy vehicles swinging wide to make the tight turns. A new bridge and tunnel are under construction to divert the trucks away from the ski resort so that’s good news for future travellers.

Gudauri is Georgia’s premier ski resort that’s 2,192m above sea level and nestled in the south face of the Greater Caucasus mountains. The 70km of skiable terrain is home to twenty-two pistes of varying difficulty in the wind-protected basin at the base of Mount Kudebio. A series of chairlifts and a singular gondola offers piste access for beginners and immediate skiers/snowboarders as well as family groups of all ages. Ski schools at the base of the mountain offer lessons for new skiers, boarders and children. Higher up towards the peak (an altitude sickness-inducing 3279m) there’s some red and black slopes for the more adventurous plus off-piste areas for adrenaline junkies. Chair lifts and the gondola can be used by non-skiers to visit the mountain restaurants and enjoy the incredible panorama. Hang gliding, heliskiing and the less risk averse snow-showing are also popular activities.

Although the resort opened in the late 80’s it feels like a hidden gem and is still considered an up-and-coming ski destination. The season starts in mid-December and closes in April. We were there mid-February and the snow was excellent with a good dump a few days before we arrived. Lift queues were busy at times but nothing compared to the long lines in France and considerably less pushy too. The local currency is Georgian Lari (GEL) which converts to approximately GEL 1 = AED 1.39 (GBP 30p). A 3-day lift pass is an affordable GEL 200 (AED 277/GBP £60).

We stayed in Gudauri Lodge, a stunning modern hotel on the slopes at the bottom of the resort with ski-in and ski-out access. The contemporary accommodation offers a fantastic breakfast, an indoor heated swimming pool, outdoor heated hot tub, fitness centre, sauna and spa. The village nightlife is definitely still evolving and from the bottom of the resort it’s a taxi ride away to the centre where the majority of bars and restaurants are located. Drunk Cherry is definitely worth a visit for dinner, drinks and live music but give Platforma a miss as it was the weirdest dining experiences ever! Try local foods such the meat filled khinkalis (soup dumplings) and Khachapuri (Georgian cheese bread), a heavy, densely filled cheese bread with a runny egg. If you’re in the market for something to warm your soul, try a shot of chacha (Georgian brandy).

The snow conditions, infrastructure and accommodation we stayed in far exceeded my expectations. The lift passes, equipment hire, dining and drinking on the mountain itself were very well priced compared to bigger European resorts I’ve visited. In fact the resort claims to have the cheapest ski passes in Europe. Gudauri gets my vote for a great all-round ski resort with the only negative being, apart from being atop one of the world’s most dangerous roads, the lack of good restaurants and the variety of food available.

Gudari is especially good for UAE dwellers as it’s only a three-hour direct flight from either Abu Dhabi or Dubai. We flew to Tbilisi with Air Arabia and our friends flew with Fly Dubai. We hired a driver from locally based GoTrip and were very impressed with Aleks who was a confident driver. His SUV (Jeep Compass) was clean, he was punctual, spoke excellent English and was extremely knowledgeable about Tbilisi and the surrounding area.

Tops Tips:

Book your driver in advance via GoTrip (see above). I highly recommend our driver Aleks and you can search for him personally on the website using his name, by selecting SUV (Jeep) and English speaking. He also collected us and dropped us off at Tbilisi Airport and offered lots of local information. Visit gotrip.ge/en/
Exchange money at the airport kiosks or in Tbilisi as the rate is better than in Gudauri. Cards are also welcomed in most places
Book specific resort restaurants in advance. We booked two nights at Drunk Cherry to ensure we had tables for dinner
Lift passes are available to buy in resort (we bought ours in our hotel lobby)
Novice skiers and boarders, those in need of refresher lessons or parents looking to book kids into ski school should check out English speaking Vagabond Adventures. They offer private lessons for all levels as well as group lessons for children. Visit vagabondadventures.ge (not a personal recommendation but have seen lots of people in AD recommending them).
Find out up-to-the-minute information about the resort including snow conditions by visiting gudauri.com

I discovered a really great blog for all things Georgia written by Australian journalist & photographer Emily who lives in the region – visit wander-lush.org to read her guides.

We flew to Georgia with Air Arabia and booked Gudauri Lodge via Booking.com