Bakuriani

Introducing Bakuriani

Thirty kilometres up a winding road through pine-clad hills southeast of Borjomi, Bakuriani is the cheaper, and more locally popular, of Georgia’s two main ski resorts (the other being Gudauri in the Caucasus). Though new hotels big and small are going up all the time, Bakuriani still has the atmosphere of a mountain village. Developed in Soviet times as a training centre for Olympic skiers, its facilities declined after the Soviet collapse but are now being improved again.

The Bakuriani area is also good for picturesque walks in summer. The climate here is subalpine, with snow usually falling from December to the end of March, but it also has long, warm summers and high ultraviolet radiation.

Approaching the centre of town from Borjomi, you’ll turn right (south) up the main street, Tavisupleba. After 500m Tskhakia runs off to the right to the bus station, 120m away, and Tavisupleba becomes Aghmashenebeli. There’s a Tourist Information Centre (40037; bakuriani.cenn.ge; Aghmashenebeli 1; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri) at this corner, where you can find out about good summer walking routes.

The ski season runs from late December to some time in March. The main runs are Kokhta I, 1.5km long with a chairlift (per ride 2 GEL), on the eastern edge of town, and Didveli, 1.8km with a cable car (3 GEL), to the south. Skiing and snowboarding equipment is available for rent at around 25 GEL a day near the foot of the lifts. You can ice-skate and snowmobile here too.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009