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Bakuriani Ski resort -travel guide

                                     

 

                             The Best Family-friendly and budget Bakuriani Ski Resort

Skiing in Georgia is much more rewarding and cheaper than you would expect. There are dozens of ski resorts in this mountainous country, countless ski slopes, snowshoeing trails, and ski touring tracks.  

While there are five different ski resorts in Georgia, some stand out from the rest. Bakuriani Ski resort offers more affordable skiing than the sometimes overhyped and overcrowded resorts such as Gudauri Ski resort. In terms of pure quality, nature and comfort, it can compete with Gudauri Ski resort.

Bakuriani ski resort is the most family-friendly ski resort in Georgia. It has different difficult ski slopes and is an ideal destination for people who are beginners or would like to learn skiing or snowboarding.  Bakuriani offers also many other snow activities. If you have kids who want to do something than skiing, you have plenty of options here. You and your children can try sledding, snow mobiles, or horse riding

Bakuriani Ski Resort - Didveli

                                                     

                                                     How to get to Bakuriani 

Bakuriani is located in 180 km from the capital of Georgia – Tbilisi, and 205 km from the second biggest city – Kutaisi. Both cities have an international airport with multiple direct flights to European cities and Middle East’s countries.  The ski resort is located at 2000m and the ski season starts usually on December 20 and lasts till mid-April.

Public mini-buses (Marshutka) from Tbilisi run from the Didube bus station from 08:00 till the afternoon. The central bus station in Bakuriani is in the center of the town.  The major bus stop (central station) is located in the town center here. The ticket costs 15 GEL (6 USD) one way.

You can also rent a car in Tbilisi or Kutaisi and drive to Bakuriani. Make sure that the car has winter tires and snow chains. Even though the road to Gudauri is often cleaned by the road department of Georgia, we still recommend choosing 4X4 cars in case of big snow coming.

Tbilisi to Bakuriani

A private car or Taxi is the easiest but the most expensive choice for you.   You can book these services before you come to Georgia, or when you arrive. The costs vary from 40 USD to 150 USD depending on the car and service.  For better service and cars, you can rent a private car with a driver.   We offer private transfers to Bakuriani Ski resorts. Prices vary from 80 USD to 140 USD depending on the car and the date. If you want to book private transportation, please contact us here.

                                        Bakuriani Ski Tracks and Snow Conditions

Bakuriani offers 5 ski tracks and 23 ski different traces.  These ski traces are different difficulties from very beginners to expert levels. 

Bakuriani Ski tracks

                                       The major ski tracks in Bakuriani

  • Twenty-five: This is ideal for people who never skied before. It is a small snow park and offers small ski trails for kids and beginners. However, because it is short and easy, you can practice your very first skills here.

Bakuriani Ski Resort - Twenty Fives Ski

  • Didveli 1 : eight-seat, Gondola. This trace is also very good for beginners who are trying to improve their ski skills.
  • Didveli Nodo: eight-seat, Gondola.  The beginning and end is the same as Didveli 1 ski trace, but this trace is more difficult with some challenging drops. After Didveli 1 would be already easy for you, then you can try to Didveli Nodo ski trace. On weekends, you can enjoy night skiing on this trace. 
  • Didveli Deka & Didveli Panorama Traces : eight-seat, closed and open type.  This is the second station of Didveli where an already black, difficult trace starts. You need to be above intermediate to ski here comfortably. 

Bakuriani Ski Resort

  • Kokhta – six-seats, high speed chairlift (detachable) with bubble. Kokhta 1 and Kokhta 2 are already for intermidate and advanced skiers. Here base station is at 1720, and the top station at 2157 with a vertical drop of 432.
  • Mitarbi – six and four-seats, high speed chairlift. Mitarbi is the longest ski trace in Bakuriani. The total length of the tracks is 10 km. Resort Mitarbi is connected to Kokhta Resort by cableway. Mitarbi traces are for intermediate and advanced skiers.

Kokhta-Mitarbi Ski Tracks

Some Tips:

Didveli and Mitarbi often are closed due to the strong winds. You can check whether they are open or not with a management company – M.T.A. Bakuriani’s Facebook page. They updated the information every morning.

       

                                      Ski Pass Price List – 2023 Season

Bakuriani Ski Pass Price List

                                      

 

                                                   Ski Rental in Bakuriani

You can rent ski equipment in Bakuriani. There are numerous ski rental places in both old Gudauri, and New Gudauri.  Prices depend on the type of skis/snowboards. The average prices are between 40 til 80 GEL  (12-25 USD) for a pair of skis and boots per day. You can rent it cheaper in the town than at the entrance of the ski stations.

Ski rentals also offer ski clothes, however, sometimes, especially on big holidays and Weekends, the choice is very limited. If you want to make sure that you get appropriate clothes, you can rent them in Tbilisi. Mplus, Burosport are good places for renting or buying ski clothes.

                                                      Ski Instructor in Bakuriani

Bakuriani is a relatively large town, and practically everyone knows how to ski. The locals are working as ski teachers at very good prices. If you are a beginner, then you can choose easily ski teachers. You can ask the ski rental shops and they will provide information and contact for their ski instructors.

However, if you want to get English speaking ski instructor, it could be challenging.    This is why we strongly recommend getting a ski instructor beforehand if you decide to learn or improve your ski level at Bakuriani ski resort. You can contact us beforehand, and we will find a suitable English-speaking instructor for you.  

Ski Instructor in Bakuriani

                                 Accommodation & Food in Bakuriani

 

You can find easily your preferred accommodation in Bakuriani.  Most hotels and apartments are located nearby of ski lifts. However, you can choose your accommodation place according to your desired skiing areas. The best hotels are Rooms Hotel Kokhta, and Crystal Palace Hotel. The rest hotels are 3-star hotels and guesthouses. They are all basic with comfortable rooms, and good food.

Recommended restaurants are Restaurant Kokhta Bakuriani, Mimino, and Sazandari.

Rooms Hotel Kokhta

                               

                                                     What to do in Bakuriani 

Do you plan to spend some time in Bakuriani, but wondering what to do in Bakuriani in winter times?  First of all, lucky you.  Aside from skiing, Bakuriani offers beautiful nature and lots of things to do there. Find out about the best activities to do in Bakuriani in winter times.

Horse Riding in Bakuriani

If you have kids, or you want to try short horse riding, then you can try it in Bakuriani. Horse riding is cheap and very rewarding. However, make sure that you do at least 2-hour horse riding outside of the city or in a quiet neighborhood.

Winter Hiking Bakuriani

 

Hiking isn’t just for summer. If you prefer to be on your feet rather than skis, consider a winter hike and snowshoeing. This is a great way to experience Bakuriani in December, January, February,  March, or even early April. 

winter hike in Borjomi kharagauli national park

 

Snowshoeing in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park

Another great winter hike near Bakuriani is Borjomi-Kharagauli National park. You can do snowshoeing for 2 or 3 days in the national park, overnight at the basic shelter, and explore the Caucasus mountains wilderness. The options of snowshoe hiking in and around Bakuriani and Borjomi are endless. Your winter hike will give you a chance to really explore the natural beauty of the area.

You can hike by yourself to these places, or book guided winter hikes with us. We organize snowshoeing tours and winter hikes in Bakuriani and Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park.

winter hike in georgia

 

Snow Mobiles in Bakuriani/ Bug Tour Riding to Tabatskhuri Lake

Other outdoor activities that you can enjoy in Bakuriani are definitely Quadro/bug rides. You can do a short quadro bike in Bakuriani for 30 minutes, or 1 hour, or take a long trip outside of Bakuriani.

One of the best destinations in the Bakuriani area is one-day Quadro trips to Tabatskuri Lake. The lake is located at 2000m and in winter times it is frozen. The driving distance from Bakuriani to Tabatskuri lake is 25 km one way. The way is off-road, and is possibly only by quadro bikes in winter times.

frozen lake tabatskuri Bakuriani Ski Resort - Travel Guide

Nutsa - Hiking, Trekking & Cultural Guide

Nutsa is a certified cultural and trekking guide in Georgia. Her deep knowledge about Georgian culture, enormous experience, and her super cheerfulness makes her one of the best guides in Georgia and not only. She speaks Georgian, Engish and Russian languages. Nutsa is an active member and a trainee for a future guides in Georgia.

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                                     How to get to Bakuriani

 

The highest point of the resort is Mount Sadzele – 3307 m above the sea level. The summit Kudebi (3007) is another popular destination because one can ski basically from any side of the mount, 360 degrees.

Gudauri offers unlimited ski possibilities.  The ski resort has different difficulties of 11 Ski lifts & 3 Moving carpets.  Chair lifts (Doppelmayr, Austria) and a gondola line (POMA, France) make available skiing and snowboarding along the southern slopes (70 km certified trails of various difficulty levels) at an altitude from 3275 m to 2000 m, with an altitude difference of 1275 meters.

Gudauri Ski Resort

                         

                                                       Gudauri Main ski lifts are:

  • PIRVELI (First Trail): six-seat, open type.  Start – at an altitude of 2000 m. Vertical drop – 150 m., cableway lengths – 1010 m. This is the easiest ski trail ideal for beginners.  The ski lift starts in old Gudauri, near Marco Polo hotel.
  • SNOW PARK: three-seat, open type. Start – at an altitude of 2700 m. Vertical drop – 120 m., cableway lengths – 900 m. Snow Park is an ideal for beginners. You can reach Snow Park through Soliko line.
  • SOLIKO – six-seat, closed type. Start – at an altitude of 2150 m. Vertical drop – 520 m., cableway lengths – 2310 m. This is the medium difficulty ski trail. From Soliko, you can ski on SOLIKO trail, or you can move to SECOND Trail, OR SPORT Trail.  All of the trails are medium difficulty (blue trials).
  • SHINO – six-seat, open type. Start – at an altitude of 2200 m. Vertical drop – 500 m., cableway lengths – 2750 m. This is also moderate difficulty line.
  • GOOD AURA, gondola (10-seat closed type cabins)-: Start – at an altitude of 2160 m. Vertical drop – 540 m., cableway lengths – 2380 m. The ski trail from Gudaura is the moderate difficulty, however some sections are pretty sharp and requires intermediate skiing skills.
  • KUDEBI – six-seat, closed type. 2Start – at an altitude of 2850 m. Vertical drop – 290 m., cableway lengths – 850 m. This is already red line, and you should be experienced to expert level to ski comfortable here.
  • SADZELE: four-seat, open type. Start – at an altitude of 2770 m. Vertical drop – 488 m., cableway lengths – 1300 m. Another difficult skiing line which requires good skiing skills especially in bad weather, where often visibility is very low.
  • KOBI PASS, gondola (10-seat closed type cabins): Start – at an altitude of 2700 m. Vertical drop – 300 m., cableway lengths – 1560 m.  A moderate difficulty ski line with the brilliant views over Mount Kazbegi.

Gudauri Ski lifts

Some Tips:

  • All the above-mentioned ski lines are located on the south slope of the Caucasus mountains except Kobi Pass Trai. We recommend skiing on the southern slope during the first half of the day, while you can move to Kobi Pass trail in the second half of the day. Less numbers of the skiers, and better frozen trails are the ideal conditions for skiing here.
  • For off-piste lovers, you can also use Kobi pass trail and go sideways for skiing.

                                            

 

                                      Ski Pass Price List – 2023 Season

 

Gudauri Ski Pass Price List 2023

                                                            How to get to Gudauri

 
 

Gudauri is located just two hours of driving from Tbilisi and is easily accessible by both private and public transportation.

Public mini-buses (Marshutka) run from the Didube bus station from 08:00 till the afternoon. The last stop of Marshutka in Gudauri is the new Gudauri. The Marshutka leave Gudauri from 09:00 till 17:00. The major bus stop (recommended to go there) is located near Policy Station on the major highway. The ticket costs 10 GEL (4 USD) one way.

You can also rent a car in Tbilisi or Kutaisi and drive to Gudauri. Make sure that the car has winter tires and snow chains. Even though the road to Gudauri is often cleaned by the road department of Georgia, we still recommend choosing 4X4 cars in case of big snow coming. In addition, the inner roads of Gudauri are mostly frozen and icy, and you need a good car to navigate there.

A private car or Taxi is the easiest but the most expensive choice for you.   You can book these services before you come to Georgia, or when you arrive. The costs vary from 40 USD to 150 USD depending on the car and service. However, the cars with the least budget tend to be equipped less for winter, and often the car is inappropriate for driving on the mountainous roads of Gudauri. If you decide to choose a taxi or private car with a small budget (40-80 USD), make sure that the car has proper winter tires and snow-chains in case of emergency. For taxis, you can choose BOLT or GO TRIP applications.

For better service and cars, you can rent a private car with a driver.   We, as well as other companies, offer private transfers to Gudauri Ski resort. Prices vary from 90 USD to 140 USD depending on the car and the date. If you want to book private transportation, please contact us here.

roads snow Bakuriani Ski Resort - Travel Guide

                         

                                                      Ski Rental in Gudauri

 

You can rent ski equipment in Gudauri. There are numerous ski rental places in both old Gudauri, and New Gudauri.  Prices depend on type of skis/snowboards. The average prices are between 40 til 80 GEL  (12-25 USD) for a pair of skis and boots per day. Good rental places are Marco Polo Hotel Ski Rental in old Gudauri near the first lift, or Burosport  Ski Rental in New Gudauri.

Ski rentals also offer ski clothes, however, sometimes, especially on big holidays and Weekends, the choice is very limited. If you want to make sure that you get appropriate clothes, you can rent them in Tbilisi. Mplus, Burosport are good places for renting or buying ski clothes.

          

                                                   Ski Instructor in Gudauri

 

Skiing or snowboarding is very exciting sports activities but can be quite challenging especially if you are starting from the very beginning. A good teacher can make an incredible impact on your first steps in skiing/snowboarding.  The ski teachers will teach you the basics, you will be less timid, and will need less time to practice and develop your skiing/snowboarding skills.   This is why we strongly recommend getting a ski instructor if you decide to learn or improve your ski level. There are numerous skiing schools in Gudauri. You can contact them beforehand, or try to find on place.

If you want an English-speaking SKI/SNOWBOARD instructor, you can contact us and we will find one of the best ski teachers in Gudauri. 

  Gudauri Ski Instructors                                    

 

 

                                     Accommodation & Food in Gudauri

 
 

You can find easily your preferred accommodation in Gudauri.  Most hotels and apartments are located nearby of ski lifts. However, you can choose your accommodation place according to your desired skiing areas. If you are an advanced skier, then New Gudauri (e.g. REDKO) are would be more suitable. However, if you are a beginner, or you are with family, then the old Gudauri is more suitable for that.  The best hotels are Marco Polo, Carpe Diem, Gudauri Loft, etc. The major apartment area is REDKO Apartments in new Gudauri (just in front of Soliko ski lift), or Marshal Development/Aksis apartments.

Recommended restaurants are Marco Polo Restaurant, Gudauri Loft Restaurant, Kudebi restaurant. For hanging out in the evening for a drink,  Mtvrali Alubali – Drunk Cherry, Powder Bar Gudauri, or Black Dog Bar Gudauri are good places.

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