Mtskheta
Mtskheta has been Georgia’s spiritual heart since Christianity was established here in about 327, and holds a near-mystical significance in Georgian culture. It had already been capital of most of eastern Georgia from about the 3rd century BC, and remained so to the 5th century AD, when King Vakhtang Gorgasali switched his base to nearby Tbilisi. Mtskheta has always kept its status as Georgia’s spiritual capital, and its Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is still the setting for important ceremonies of the Georgian Orthodox Church. With an alluring setting where the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers meet, Mtskheta makes an easy and enjoyable day trip from Tbilisi.
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Gori
Gori has long been synonymous with Joseph Stalin, who was born and went to school here. During his rule of the Soviet Union the town’s centre was rebuilt to his neoclassical tastes, and even today much of the downtown area is defined by its Stalinist architecture. The large Stalin Museum is the town’s best-known attraction, but there are also some fascinating older sights nearby, most notably the cave city of Uplistsikhe.
In the 2008 war over South Ossetia (whose border is just 13km north of town), Gori was bombed by Russia, with at least 20 civilians killed, and the town fell under Russian control for 10 days. Predictably, anti-Russian feeling still runs high today
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Borjomi
Famous throughout the former Soviet Union for its salty-sour, love-it-or-hate-it fizzy mineral water, Borjomi is a tranquil resort town surrounded by thickly forested hills in all directions. The 19th-century Russian governor of Georgia, Count Vorontsov, developed Borjomi as a resort after his soldiers discovered a health-giving mineral spring here in 1810, and it became a particularly fashionable one when Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov (brother to Tsar Alexander II) built a palace at nearby Likani in the 1890s.
Today the town of Borjomi is spread out along the the north of the river, while to the south is the resort area, home to Borjomi Central Park, which includes warm sulphur baths. Popular with Georgian and Russian holidaymakers and people visiting Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Borjomi is also a good jumping-off point for the cave city of Vardzia.
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Bakuriani
Thirty kilometres up a winding road through pine-clad hills southeast of Borjomi, Bakuriani is the cheaper and more family-oriented of Georgia’s two main ski resorts. The area is also good for mountain walks in summer, with ski lifts operating in July and August. Georgia’s wholesale conversion to the religion of tourism has led to an extraordinary building boom here, and scores of hotels were being built at research time, rather eroding Bakuriani’s rustic mountain-village vibe. Outside the skiing season and July to August, much of the town closes down.
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Akhaltsikhe
The capital and biggest town of the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Akhaltsikhe means ‘New Castle’ in Georgian. The castle dominating the town from the north side of the Potskhovi River hasn’t been new since the 12th century, but it’s been lavishly restored, helping to turn a town that was previously a sad case of post-Soviet decline into a reasonably attractive stop and jumping-off point for Vardzia. Until the 19th century the Rabati area around the castle was all there was of Akhaltsikhe. It was celebrated for its ethnic and religious diversity and tolerance, in a frontier area where different empires, kingdoms and peoples met. Rabati today still has Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches, a synagogue and a mosque, and the town still has a large Armenian population.
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Vardzia
The 60km drive into the wilderness from Akhaltsikhe to the fascinating cave city of Vardzia is as dramatic as any in Georgia outside the Great Caucasus. The road follows the upper Mtkvari River, passing through narrow canyons and then veering south at Aspindza along a particularly beautiful valley cutting like a green ribbon between arid, rocky hillsides. There are several places of interest along the way: taxi drivers are often happy to stop at one or two of them for no extra charge. The star of the show is Vardzia itself, however, with its scores of caves and tunnels, impressive church and dozens of extraordinary frescoes. You can see Vardzia in a day trip from Akhaltsikhe or Borjomi, but the river valley area is a magical one, and an overnight stay is very worthwhile.
The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is both a cultural symbol and a spectacular natural phenomenon with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi III built a fortification here in the 12th century, and his daughter, Queen Tamar, established a cave monastery that grew into a holy city housing perhaps 2000 monks, renowned as a spiritual bastion of Christendom’s eastern frontier. Altogether there are over 400 rooms, 13 churches and 25 wine cellars, with many more still being discovered today.
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Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park
he ranges of the Lesser Caucasus in southern Georgia are less well known and much lower than the Great Caucasus, but they still contain some very beautiful and wild country. Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park provides the perfect chance to get out into this landscape. The park spreads over 851 sq km of forested hills and alpine meadows up to 2642m high.
The park is crisscrossed by 11 marked walking trails of various lengths, some suitable for horses as well as hikers. Trail marking is mostly by paint marks on trees. Most trails are accessible from May to October or November.
All visitors must obtain a permit beforehand from either the National Park Visitors Centre in Borjomi or the National Park Visitors Centre in Kharagauli.
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Tbilisi
Nowhere blends the romance of Georgia’s past with its exciting future better than its magical and chaotic capital, Tbilisi. Its Old Town, in parts gloriously restored and in others still totally dilapidated, is a wonderfully atmospheric place of winding lanes, ancient stone churches and shady squares. The rest of the city is relentlessly fast-paced and a showcase for all that contemporary Georgia has to offer: world-class dining, fabulous natural wine bars, local fashion brands, a thriving techno scene and a slew of architectural gems from the ancient to the modern.
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Kutaisi
Once the capital of several historical kingdoms within Georgia, Kutaisi is today something of a charming backwater. Now the country’s third city – Batumi eclipsed it as second city in 2014 – most people know Kutaisi for its airport, which has become Georgia’s main hub for low-cost airlines. But it would be a mistake to skip this lovely town, which makes a great base for exploring the region of Imereti and has a smattering of worthwhile sights and restaurants to enjoy.
The Bagrati Cathedral is one of Georgia’s most beautiful churches, and the attractively renovated central area around Kutaisis bulvari park and Pushkinis qucha is well worth exploring, with its colourful market, good museum, cafes and the grand Colchis Fountain.
The rolling countryside around Kutaisi is full of natural beauty, churches, canyons and historic fortresses. It’s perfect for day trips from the city, many of which can be covered easily in one day if you have your own transport or hire a driver. Gelati Monastery, a Unesco World Heritage–listed monastery complex, on a wooded hillside 8km northeast of Kutaisi, is an outstanding example of Golden Age architecture and one of Georgia’s most important churches. Gelati was a cultural hub of Georgia’s medieval renaissance, and many Georgian rulers were buried here, including the great 12th-century king, David the Builder. The interior of the main Cathedral of the Virgin is among the brightest and most colourful in Georgia, with fascinating frescoes.
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Zugdidi
The bustling main city of Samegrelo (Megrelia), Zugdidi is the nearest city to the Abkhazian border and has absorbed a high number of refugees since the war there in the early 1990s. While it’s a stepping stone for getting to Svaneti or Abkhazia, and a good base for exploring the lesser-known attractions of Samegrelo, in itself it has little to offer travellers save some decent sleeping and eating options and a rather quirky museum in the town’s old palace.
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ADJARA
Adjara has taken on the mantle of Georgia’s holiday coast since the loss of Abkhazia, Soviet Georgia’s traditional summer destination. Centred on the boom town of Batumi, Adjara is the destination of choice for most Georgians – and many others – in search of summer fun, with a real party atmosphere in August. Travellers entering Georgia at the busy Sarpi border post with Turkey will find that this alluring region is their introduction to the country, and it’s not a bad one at all.
Though Adjara’s beaches are mostly stony, the subtropical climate is fantastic and the scenery gorgeous, with lush hills rising behind the coast, and peaks topping 3000m inland, giving a dramatic backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Indeed, a drive through the region’s largely Muslim hinterland is very rewarding, offering superb scenery scattered with picturesque mountain villages.
**Batumi**
With a backdrop of mist-wrapped hills and soaring snow-capped peaks, Georgia’s second city is a charismatic place with a charming Old Town. Fronted by the calm waters of the Black Sea, Georgia’s main summer resort boasts a long beach and a vast and beautifully maintained corniche.
Batumi is also undergoing a construction boom, with new hotels and tower blocks transforming its skyline in recent years, even if the renovated charm of its original belle-époque architecture from a century ago is hard to beat. July and August are supremely busy here, but the town has atmosphere year-round, with May, June and September also excellent times to visit.
**Inland**
Mountainous inland Adjara is a different world from the coast. The heartland of Adjaran tradition, it’s a region of beautiful old arched stone bridges, waterfalls, remnants of ruined castles, and wooden village houses clinging to steep slopes with the minarets of small mosques rising above them. The majority of Adjara’s Muslims live here, principally in the Khulo district. A road runs 80km from Batumi up to the small town of Khulo, then continues unpaved for 50km (rough in parts) over the 2025m-high Goderdzi Pass (snowbound from about November to March) to Zarzma in Samtskhe-Javakheti, from where it’s 30km (paved) on to Akhaltsikhe. This is a lovely drive, and a more scenic (and far slower) alternative than taking the main highway between Batumi and Tbilisi.
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Great Caucasus
A trip into the Great Caucasus along Georgia’s northern border is a must for anyone who wants to experience the best of the country. Spectacular mountain scenery, wonderful walks and picturesque old villages with strange defensive towers are all part of a trip to the southern side of Europe’s highest mountain range.
Georgia’s very identity hinges on this mighty range that rises in Abkhazia, runs the length of Georgia’s border with Russia and continues into Azerbaijan. The most accessible destination is Stepantsminda (also known as Kazbegi), reached by the dramatic Georgian Military Hwy from Tbilisi, but other areas are more than worth the effort to travel to – including enigmatic, mysterious Svaneti and beautiful, pristine Tusheti.
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Juta
The small village of Juta (2150m), an outpost of the Khevsur people from over the mountains to the east, is about 15km along the mostly unpaved Sno Valley road and a starting point for some great hikes. A taxi from Stepantsminda to Juta costs about 80 GEL; for the same price the driver will often wait and take you back again after a few hours if you want.
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Svaneti
The mysterious mountain valleys of Georgia’s Svaneti sit high in the Caucasus, surrounded by spectacular snowy peaks, alpine meadows and thick forests – a paradise for walkers in summer. Long isolated and insulated from the outside world, Svaneti has its own language and a strongly traditional culture, symbolised by the centuries-old 175 koshkebi (ancient stone defensive towers) that stand proudly in its villages, and the 1000-year-old frescoes in its churches. Accessible only by a long road trip until relatively recently, Svaneti can now be reached by plane from Tbilisi.
Breathtakingly wild and mysterious, Svaneti is an ancient land locked in the Caucasus, so remote that it was never tamed by any ruler. Uniquely picturesque villages and snow-covered, 4000m-plus peaks rising above flower-strewn alpine meadows provide a superb backdrop to the many walking trails. Svaneti’s emblem is the koshki (defensive stone tower), designed to house villagers at times of invasion and local strife (until recently Svaneti was renowned for its murderous blood feuds). Around 175 koshkebi, most originally built between the 9th and 13th centuries, survive here today.
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Ushguli
Set in the topmost reaches of the Enguri valley beneath the snow-covered massif of Mt Shkhara (5193m), Georgia’s highest peak, Ushguli is an unbelievably atmospheric place. With more than 40 ancient Svan towers, it has been on the Unesco World Heritage List since 1996, and even though it’s now awash with tourists, nothing can dim its enduring magic.
Made up of four villages, Ushguli is a combination of ancient slate homesteads, muddy streets full of livestock and people who look like they’ve just stepped from the pages of a particularly compelling issue of National Geographic. Most visitors come from Mestia just for the day, but stay here for a night or two if you can to experience more of the town’s day-to-day life, and to enjoy some of the wonderful nearby hikes
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Becho
Becho, the community of small villages strung up the Dolra valley west of Mestia, is a very beautiful and relatively little-visited area with some wonderful walks. The spectacular, twin-peaked Ushba (4700m), Georgia’s toughest and most dangerous mountaineering challenge, towers at the head of the valley. The highest village in the valley, Mazeri, is the best base.
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Tusheti
Tucked away in Georgia’s far northeast corner bordering Chechnya and Dagestan in neighbouring Russia, Tusheti is one of Georgia’s most picturesque and pristine high-mountain regions. The single unpaved (and often terrifying) road to get here from Kakheti passes over the nerve-jangling 2900m Abano Pass and can only be done in a 4WD from around late May to mid-October.
Centuries-old koshkebi still stand in many villages, and evidence of Tusheti’s old animist religion is plentiful in the form of stone shrines called khatebi (singular: khati) decked with the horns of sacrificed goats or sheep.
Today most Tusheti folk only go up to Tusheti in summer, to graze their flocks, participate in festivals, cater for tourists and generally reconnect with their roots. Many have winter homes around the villages of Akhmeta and Alvani in Kakheti. Welcome to one of Georgia’s least explored and most mysterious regions.
**Omalo**
Tusheti’s biggest settlement, Omalo is itself little more than a village, which is neatly divided into two parts, some distance from each other, Zemo (Upper) Omalo and Kvemo (Lower) Omalo. Zemo Omalo is the oldest part, and includes Keselo, a group of several ancient towers on a hillside that have recently been restored.
Beyond Omalo, Tusheti is as wild and spectacular as anywhere in Georgia, with ancient villages scattered among its dramatic wilderness, soaring peaks, rushing rivers and thick forests in every direction. This is superb horse-riding and hiking country.
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Gudauri
Georgia’s most popular ski resort, Gudauri is the highest town on the Georgian Military Hwy and at present a rather scruffy place undergoing a massive construction boom. Its recently improved and expanded facilities are highly rated by foreigners who come here for cheap skiing, though the town itself is far from charming: a long meandering road without any obvious centre or much planning. Normally the ski season lasts from shortly before Christmas to April, with the best snow in January and February.
Ananuri
This fortress 66km north of Tbilisi is a classic example of Georgian architecture, enhanced by its superb location overlooking the Zhinvali Reservoir. The fortress historically belonged to the eristavis of Aragvi, who ruled as far as the Tergi valley from the 13th to 18th centuries, and is today a (very) popular stop on the Georgian Military Hwy. Within the fortress are two 17th-century churches, the larger of which, the Assumption Church, is covered with wonderful stone carvings on its exterior walls, including a large cross on each and various ancient scripts from all over the region, some of which have now totally disappeared. Inside the Assumption Church are a few vivid 17th- and 18th-century frescoes, including a Last Judgement on the south wall, although much of the church is bare due to a 19th-century fire. You can climb the tallest of the fortress towers for fine views, as well as walk along the battlements: it was here that the last defenders were killed in 1739 when a rival duke set fire to Ananuri and murdered the Aragvi eristavi’s family.
Stepantsminda
Just a couple of hours’ drive from Tbilisi, the small town of Stepantsminda is the hub of one of the South Caucasus’ most spectacular, yet easily accessed, high-mountain zones. The sight of Tsminda Sameba Church silhouetted on its hilltop against the massive snow-covered cone of Mt Kazbek is perhaps Georgia’s most iconic image. Numerous walking, horse and mountain-bike routes lead along steep-sided valleys and up to glaciers, waterfalls, mountain passes and isolated villages – ideal for getting a first taste of the high Caucasus.
This is most people’s destination on the Georgian Military Hwy: a valley town with the famous hilltop silhouette of Tsminda Sameba Church and the towering snowy cone of Mt Kazbek looking down from the west. Now officially named Stepantsminda, but still commonly known as Kazbegi, it’s a base for some wonderful walking and mountain biking. What 20 years ago was just a big village has now grown into a sprawling town, with guesthouses and hotels everywhere and tourists arriving by the busload in the summer months. While this may not have added to Stepantsminda’s charm, the town’s location remains absolutely stunning and it’s still very easy to escape the crowds and explore the surrounding mountains and valleys in peace.
Mount Mkinvartsveri (Kazbegi)
This 5047m extinct volcano (also called Mkinvartsveri or Mt Kazbegi), towering west of Stepantsminda, has much folk history. The Greek Prometheus was supposedly chained up here for stealing fire from the gods, as was the Georgian Amirani, for challenging God’s omnipotence. The Betlemi (Bethlehem) cave, 4000m above sea level, was believed to be the abode of many very sacred objects – Christ’s manger, Abraham’s tent and a dove-rocked golden cradle whose sight would blind a human being. There were taboos against hunting on the mountain and climbing it. Not surprisingly, the first to conquer Kazbek’s peak were foreigners: Freshfield, Tucker and Moore of the London Alpine Club in 1868.
Today many thousands of people attempt to reach Kazbek’s summit each year (it’s especially popular with Poles), but this is a serious mountaineering challenge that requires fitness and acclimatisation to altitude: perhaps half of those who try do not reach the top. Unless you’re suitably experienced, it’s highly advisable to take a guide, which you can organise through agencies in Tbilisi or locally, including Mountain Freaks and Mountain Travel Agency. Climbers should register at the Emergency Management Department building at the bottom of the Gergeti road, on their way up to the mountain.
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Kakheti
The eastern region of Kakheti is Georgia’s premier wine-producing area. Almost everywhere you go, you’ll be invited to drink a glass of traditional qvevri brew, and it’s easy to find yourself wandering around in a semipermanent mellow haze. Kakheti is also rich in history: here you’ll find the incredible monastery cave complex of Davit Gareja in a desolate spot overlooking the Azerbaijan border; the vaguely Tuscan-looking hilltop town of Sighnaghi; and many extraordinarily located churches and castles – both ruined and restored – around the charming regional capital, Telavi.
The largest town in Kakheti, **Telavi** is set in the vineyard-strewn Alazani valley, between the Gombori Mountains and the Great Caucasus (visible to the northeast). It’s the perfect base for exploring the region’s viticultural, historical and architectural riches, and has a number of good guesthouses, hotels and restaurants, as well as a fascinating castle and museum complex.
The villages and lovely countryside around Telavi are full of fascinating wineries and old castles, palaces, monasteries and churches. Public transport reaches most of them, but you can pack a lot more into your day by taking a taxi tour or hiring your own vehicle.
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Pankisi Valley
Visiting this remote slice of Kakheti between the region’s fertile wine-producing lowlands and the inhospitable mountains of Tusheti is a fascinating cultural experience. The local population, who refer to themselves as Kists after the village in nearby Chechnya from where their ancestors once came, are Sunni Muslims, speak a dialect of Chechen as well as Georgian and normally Russian, and live a traditional agrarian lifestyle in a series of five small villages strung along the Alazni River, all linked by one road.
Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi is perhaps Georgia’s single most attractive town, with an amazing position perched on a lofty hilltop facing the snow-capped Caucasus looming in the distance across the vast Alazani valley. Full of 18th- and 19th-century architecture and with a vaguely Tuscan feel, Sighnaghi has undergone a comprehensive renovation program in recent years that has seen scores of hotels open as the local population reorients itself towards the tourist dollar. The good news is that despite the tour groups and quad bikes, the town has retained its easy charm and is still a lovely place to spend a couple of days.
David Gareja Monastery Complex
Set in remote, arid lands near Georgia’s border with Azerbaijan, these much-revered cave monasteries were carved out of a lonely cliff-face by 6th-century missionaries. They became a cradle of medieval monastic culture and fresco painting. Saints’ tombs, vivid 1000-year-old murals, an otherworldly landscape and the very idea that people voluntarily chose – and still choose – to live in desert caves all combine to make visiting Davit Gareja a startling experience today. Though remote, the site makes an easy day trip from Tbilisi, Telavi or Sighnaghi.
In July and August it can get fearfully hot here by the middle of the day, so an early start, getting here by 10am, is ideal. Bring sunscreen, water and sensible shoes as you’ll have to scramble up the hillside with no shade. Also be sure to have your passport or ID card with you, as you’re in border area and could potentially be stopped by both Georgian and Azerbaijani military patrols.
Lagodekhi Protected Areas
The 244-sq-km [Lagodekhi Protected Areas](www.visitlagodekhi.com), above the small east Kakhetian town of the same name, climb to heights of over 3000m in the soaring Caucasus. The protected areas, which date from 1913 and are Georgia’s oldest, feature deep river valleys, glacial lakes and some of Georgia’s best-preserved forests. They’re also home to several hundred East Caucasian tur, deer and chamois. Few travellers make it out here to the remote border with Dagestan (Russia) and Azerbaijan, but those who do find some fantastic hiking and nature-watching opportunities and an enthusiastic Visitors Centre determined to help travellers make the most of this magical region.
The most popular hike to do here is this 24km trail from Lagodekhi up to picturesque Shavi Kldeebis Tba on the Russian border (a three-day circular route with an ascent of 2200m). The path is walkable from mid-June to late October and you can sleep at two mountain shelters on the way.
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ABKHAZIA
Abkhazia boasts the best beaches in the Caucasus, stunning semi-tropical landscapes of mountains, lakes and valleys, and an attractive capital in Sukhumi. As little has changed in the region since the end of the war in the early 1990s, there are many relics of the Soviet Union to explore, including some fascinating abandoned train stations, sanatoria and hotels. It’s also possible to visit several dachas (country cottages) once favoured by Stalin, and the country’s most famous religious complex, Novy Afon Monastery.
**VISIT**
It’s perfectly possible and safe for non-Georgians to visit Abkhazia from Georgia, though most governments advise against this, as your embassy in Tbilisi will not be able to offer you consular assistance once you enter the region.
The first step to visiting Abkhazia is to obtain a clearance letter. Instructions are on the website of the Abkhazian Foreign Ministry: you fill in a form and email it to the foreign ministry’s consular service along with a copy of your passport’s photo page. Within seven working days you should receive your clearance letter (in Russian) by email.
**HISTORY**
The Abkhaz are linguistically distinct from the Georgians, their language being one of the northwestern Caucasus family (although Russian is now the most common language in Abkhazia). During the Middle Ages, Abkhazia was an important component of Christian Georgia. It came under Ottoman rule in the 15th century. Russian conquest in the 19th century resulted in many thousands of Muslim Abkhaz fleeing to the Ottoman Empire, and there is a big Abkhaz diaspora in Turkey today.
Under Soviet rule in 1921, Abkhazia signed a treaty of union with Georgia, but in 1931 it was downgraded to an autonomous region within Georgia. The number of ethnic Georgians in Abkhazia increased to the point where by 1989 Abkhazia’s population was 46% Georgian and only 18% Abkhaz. The Abkhaz began to agitate for more rights in the late 1970s, and in 1990 Abkhazia’s Abkhaz-dominated Supreme Soviet unilaterally declared Abkhazia a separate Soviet republic.
Real conflict broke out in August 1992 when the Georgian National Guard occupied Sukhumi, driving out most of its Abkhaz inhabitants. Abkhazia was plunged into a year of fighting, in which about 8000 people died. The Abkhaz were aided by fighters from the Russian Caucasus, and on some occasions by Russian armed forces. Both sides committed appalling atrocities. In September 1993 the Abkhaz attacked Sukhumi in violation of a truce and drove the Georgian forces and almost all of Abkhazia’s Georgian population (about 230,000 people) out of Abkhazia. Only in the southern Gali district have significant numbers of Georgians (around 40,000) since returned.
After the 1992–93 war, Russia imposed trade sanctions on Abkhazia, but Vladimir Putin changed Russia’s stance when he entered the Kremlin in 2000. Abkhazians were offered Russian passports from 2001, and in 2008 Russia removed trade sanctions. During the 2008 South Ossetia War, Russian forces came from Abkhazia to attack Georgian military installations in western Georgia. Soon afterwards, Russia recognised Abkhazia as an independent nation, and since then only Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria and Nauru have followed Russia’s lead.
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SOUTH OSSETIA
Ethnically and linguistically distinct from the rest of Georgia, the breakaway region of South Ossetia stretches up to the main Caucasus ridge north of the Georgian town of Gori, and was the subject of a short war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. Russian forces currently guarantee the borders of the territory, an act that Georgia condemns as an illegal occupation. At the moment, South Ossetia was not letting any foreigners in from Georgia and this looked unlikely to change soon. It may be possible to enter South Ossetia from Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia (part of Russia), although Georgia considers this illegal, and the [British Foreign Office](www.fco.gov.uk) and [US State Department](http://travel.state.gov) advise against travel to both South and North Ossetia. In the meantime, you can peer at the region any time you travel between Tbilisi and Gori, as the boundary comes to within 400m of the highway just west of Karapila village.
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Georgian Military Highway
This ancient passage across the mountains towards Vladikavkaz in Russia provides the quickest and most scenic access from Tbilisi to the Great Caucasus, leading from the capital along the Zhinvali Reservoir, past the Ananuri Fortress to the ski resort of Gudauri and over the 2379m Jvari Pass down into the Tergi valley. The road then continues to the town of Stepantsminda, unofficial capital of the spectacular Kazbegi Area, and a superb base for walking, climbing and birdwatching.
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Abkhazia border
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South Ossetia
Border of South Ossetia
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