Bakuriani Ski and Forest Resort

Bakuriani is a mountain resort in the Borjomi Municipality of Samtskhe-Javakheti, in southern Georgia, about 180 km from Tbilisi at an altitude of roughly 1,700 m among pine and spruce forest in the Trialeti range. The journey takes about 3.5 hours each way, which makes it a long day trip, and it is easier as an overnight stay. Marshrutkas from Didube bus station go to Borjomi, from where a local marshrutka or taxi continues up the valley to Bakuriani; the combined cost is about 15-20 GEL. A private driver costs about 400-550 GEL per day, a one-way taxi about 200-280 GEL, and winter ski packages from Tbilisi about 150-250 GEL plus a lift pass. In winter the resort offers skiing and snowboarding on the Didveli and Kokhta slopes, with a day pass of roughly 80-130 GEL, plus equipment rental, sledding and snowshoeing. In summer the same forests are used for walks, mountain biking and trips on the narrow-gauge Kharagauli-Bakuriani railway or the small Mitarbi lake area, and the air is noticeably cooler than in Tbilisi. A typical winter day leaves Tbilisi before 07:00, rents equipment at the base, skis until mid-afternoon, has lunch of khachapuri, soup or grilled meat at a slopeside cafe, and heads back before dusk, since mountain roads can be icy. A summer day includes a forest walk, a lunch stop and possibly a stop at Borjomi on the way. The best season is January-March for skiing and June-September for forest walks. Visitors should check weather and road conditions before travel, and carry warm layers even in summer.