Plan a trip / Road data
Mountain road and pass status
The ten mountain roads our readers ask about, with what the Roads Department of Georgia says about each one today, when each pass actually opened and closed in past years, and whether a rental car is allowed on it. Every status is copied from the department's own list with the time we read it.
Read from the Roads Department restriction list on 7 October 2026, 03:50 Tbilisi time. Season tables from all 1,557 entries back to 20 September 2022. Re-read every Wednesday from November to May and monthly in summer.
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Abano Pass to Tusheti
ClosedPshaveli to Omalo, 72 km, unpaved over 2,826 m
All traffic prohibited on km 22 to 72 for snow and black ice. Km 1 to 22 is open. This is the end of the 2026 season.
Latest entry, 4 October 2026, 14:16: Traffic prohibited on the km 22 to km 72 section of the Pshaveli-Abano-Omalo road.
- Seasons on the list
- Opened to 4x4s on 20 June 2026, 25 May 2025 and 9 June 2023; closed for the winter on 4 October 2026, 13 October 2025 (briefly reopened to 4x4s, shut again 6 November), 20 October 2024 and 10 October 2023.
- In a rental car
- Not allowed: Localrent lists Tusheti and Omalo among the regions its cars may not enter.
-
Gombori Pass, Tbilisi to Telavi
ClosedVaziani to Telavi over the Gombori ridge, paved
All traffic prohibited at km 26 after a rockfall, until the slope is cleared. The highway through Sagarejo is the way round to Kakheti.
Latest entry, 6 October 2026, 21:29: Traffic prohibited at km 26 of the Vaziani-Gombori-Telavi road.
- Seasons on the list
- Open all year. Snow can shut the top. Last winter the department let only high-clearance vehicles on the Verona to Telavi section (km 36 to 64) on 27 February 2026, closed it to all traffic on 28 February and lifted every limit on 1 March.
- In a rental car
- Allowed. Paved throughout; any compact does it.
-
Datvisjvari Pass to Shatili
ClosedZhinvali to Shatili, 106 km, gravel after Korsha over 2,676 m
The last entry closed the road at km 96, beyond Giorgitsminda, after a landslide in heavy rain. No reopening has been posted since, so phone the hotline before you set off.
Latest entry, 30 August 2026, 09:10: Traffic temporarily prohibited at km 96 of the Zhinvali-Barisakho-Shatili road.
- Seasons on the list
- Korsha to Shatili opened to 4x4s on 9 June 2026, 31 May 2025 and 4 June 2024. Winter closures came on 2 December 2025 (Khakhmati to Shatili), 25 November 2024 and 22 November 2023 (Gudani to Shatili).
- In a rental car
- Not allowed: Shatili is on Localrent's list of regions its cars may not enter.
-
Jvari Pass, Gudauri to Kobi
OpenGeorgian Military Highway, km 93 to 107, paved over 2,379 m
No restriction posted. The last entry on this road reopened the Dariali gorge, north of Stepantsminda, after a closure of under three hours.
Latest entry, 25 September 2026, 11:30: Traffic restored in the Dariali gorge on the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi road.
- Seasons on the list
- Open all year, closed in snow and avalanche weather. The department posted a closure to all traffic 13 times in the 2025-26 winter (9 January to 23 April), 13 times in 2024-25 (26 November to 14 April) and 14 times in 2023-24 (16 November to 7 May).
- In a rental car
- Allowed. Winter tyres compulsory on the mountain sections from December; chains when the police ask.
-
Sno to Juta
OpenAchkhoti to Juta, the side valley off the Military Highway
No restriction posted. Our Juta guide still has the last 2.6 km closed to cars since the June 2025 collapse, which the department's list does not cover.
Latest entry, 5 May 2026, 12:28: Traffic restored near Karkucha village (km 7, after an avalanche on 13 April).
- Seasons on the list
- Only two entries since September 2022: the avalanche closure at Karkucha on 13 April 2026 and the reopening on 5 May.
- In a rental car
- Not allowed: Localrent lists Juta among the regions its cars may not enter.
-
Truso valley road
Not on the listKobi into the Truso gorge, a dirt track
The department does not report this road: no entry in the list since September 2022. Ask in Stepantsminda or at your guesthouse.
- Seasons on the list
- A dirt track from the Kobi turn up one valley. Our Truso guide covers the taxi up and the walk.
- In a rental car
- Not allowed: Truso is on Localrent's list of regions its cars may not enter.
-
Mestia to Ushguli
OpenKm 138 to 185 of the Zugdidi-Mestia-Lasdili road, 47 km
No restriction posted since a rockfall at km 179 was cleared on 4 May. In winter the department bans trailers and big buses here and makes cars carry chains on the Ulakhi to Ushguli stretch.
Latest entry, 4 May 2026, 10:23: Traffic restored at km 179 of the Zugdidi-Jvari-Mestia-Lasdili road.
- Seasons on the list
- Open all year with short closures for rockfall and avalanches near Ushguli: six between 15 February and 4 May 2026, each cleared within two days. The winter regime (trailers and buses over 8 seats banned) was posted on 1 December 2025.
- In a rental car
- Only with Localrent's travel authorization option, and only from 1 May to 30 September.
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Zagari Pass, Ushguli to Lentekhi
RestrictedUshguli to Lasdili and Mele, over 2,620 m
Open to cars. Trailers and passenger vehicles with more than 8 seats are banned on Mele to Lasdili and Ushguli to Lasdili since the August landslide repairs.
Latest entry, 30 August 2026, 21:49: Traffic restored near the village of Sakdari on the Lentekhi-Lasdili road.
- Seasons on the list
- Opened to 4x4s on 28 May 2024 and on 16 June 2025 (no 2026 opening was posted). Winter closures came on 16 and 24 November 2024 and 1 December 2025. Landslides shut it on 19 to 23 July and 28 to 30 August 2026.
- In a rental car
- Only with Localrent's travel authorization option, and only from 1 May to 30 September.
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Goderdzi Pass, Batumi to Akhaltsikhe
OpenThe Adjara mountain road over the 2,027 m pass
No restriction posted. The last entry lifted every limit between the pass and Beshumi.
Latest entry, 16 June 2026: Traffic unrestricted on the Goderdzi Pass-Beshumi road.
- Seasons on the list
- Reopened to light vehicles on 27 April 2026 and 25 April 2025, and on 8 May 2023; the pass to Beshumi section on 16 June 2026. Winter closures came on 13 and 18 December 2025, 28 November 2024 and 20 November 2023.
- In a rental car
- Not allowed: Localrent's Georgia terms prohibit the Akhaltsikhe to Batumi road over the Goderdzi Pass.
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Stepantsminda to Gergeti Trinity Church
Not on the listThe paved spur up to 2,170 m
The department does not report this road: no entry in the list since September 2022. In deep snow the church often needs a 4x4 or a walk.
- Seasons on the list
- Paved and open in summer. The town's 4x4s run people up for about 20 GEL a seat on the tours.
- In a rental car
- Allowed in summer; a sedan manages it on a dry day.
No road matches that filter today.
On the list at 03:50 Tbilisi time, 7 October 2026
- Closed 3
- Restricted 1
- Open 4
- Not on the list 2
Closed now
- Abano Pass to Tusheti, since 4 October 2026
- Gombori Pass, Tbilisi to Telavi, since 6 October 2026
- Datvisjvari Pass to Shatili, since 30 August 2026
Statuses change by the hour in bad weather. Check the newest entry on the department's list, or phone 032 2 31 30 76, on the morning you drive.
Four years of the department's list
When the high passes opened and closed
Our road guides plan the Tusheti road around a season from about 20 June to late October. The department's own entries are more useful, because they show how much the dates move. We read all 1,557 entries on the list, back to 20 September 2022, and pulled out every opening and closing it posted for the four passes that shut each winter. The dates are the day the entry was posted. Where a year's opening was never posted, the table says so rather than guess.
Two things stand out. Tusheti has closed for the winter between 4 and 27 October in every year on the list, and 2026 was the earliest. And the passes open to 4x4s only: every spring entry that reopened the Abano or Datvisjvari pass let through high-clearance vehicles and kept every other vehicle banned.
Abano Pass (Tusheti)
| Year and opening | Winter closure |
|---|---|
| 2026: opened 20 June (4x4s)Chains-only on km 39 to 45 from 3 October | 4 October |
| 2025: opened 25 May (4x4s)Flood closure 3 to 5 July; 4x4s let back on 22 October, closed again 6 November | 13 October |
| 2024: opening not posted | 20 October |
| 2023: opened 9 June (4x4s) | 10 October |
| 2022: opened before the archive starts | 27 October |
Datvisjvari Pass (Shatili)
| Year and opening | Winter closure |
|---|---|
| 2026: opened 9 June (4x4s)Landslide closure at km 96 on 30 August, no reopening posted | Not yet |
| 2025: opened 31 May (4x4s)Korsha to Shatili closed 25 December | 2 December |
| 2024: opened 4 June (4x4s)Closed 5 November, 4x4s back the next day | 25 November |
| 2023: opening not postedKorsha to Shatili closed 7 December | 22 November |
Zagari Pass (Ushguli to Lentekhi)
| Year and opening | Winter closure |
|---|---|
| 2026: opening not postedLandslide closures 19 to 23 July and 28 to 30 August | Not yet |
| 2025: opened 16 June (4x4s)Mele to Lasdili 4x4s only from 26 November | 1 December |
| 2024: opened 28 May (4x4s)First closed 16 November, 4x4s back on 18 November | 24 November |
Goderdzi Pass (Adjara)
| Year and opening | Winter closure |
|---|---|
| 2026: opened 27 April (cars)Pass to Beshumi unrestricted from 16 June | Not yet |
| 2025: opened 25 April (cars)Pass to Beshumi closed 18 December | 13 December |
| 2024: opening not postedRestricted 5 November, 4x4s back on 7 November | 28 November |
| 2023: opened 8 May | 20 November |
Jvari Pass (Gudauri to Kobi) in winter
The Military Highway does not close for the season. It closes for a night or a few days at a time when snow and avalanche risk build up, and the department posts each one. Counting only closures to all traffic (not the far more frequent bans on trucks):
| Winter, first and last closure | Closures |
|---|---|
| 2025-269 January to 23 April 2026 | 13 |
| 2024-2526 November 2024 to 14 April 2025 | 13 |
| 2023-2416 November 2023 to 7 May 2024 | 14 |
About half of last winter's closures were lifted for cars within a day. The longest ran from 09:00 on 10 April to 20:05 on 14 April 2026, which is why we tell winter drivers to keep a spare day either side of a Stepantsminda trip. Our winter guide has the tyre rule and the rest.
The whole country
Latest entries on the list
The newest nine entries as we read them on 7 October 2026, 03:50 Tbilisi time, for every road the department runs, not only the ten above. Titles are shortened from the department's English.
| Entry | Posted |
|---|---|
| Traffic prohibited at km 26 of the Vaziani-Gombori-Telavi road (rockfall)Traffic restriction | 6 Oct 2026, 21:29 |
| Traffic prohibited on km 22 to 72 of the Pshaveli-Abano-Omalo road (snow, black ice)Traffic restriction | 4 Oct 2026, 14:16 |
| Traffic unrestricted at km 11 of the Tsalenjikha-Obuji-Jikhaskari roadTraffic restored | 4 Oct 2026, 10:12 |
| Traffic temporarily prohibited at km 11 of the Tsalenjikha-Obuji-Jikhaskari road (bridge damaged by a swollen river)Traffic restriction | 4 Oct 2026, 00:42 |
| High-clearance 4x4s with chains only on km 39 to 45 of the Pshaveli-Abano-Omalo roadTraffic restriction | 3 Oct 2026, 16:12 |
| Traffic restored at km 11 of the Tsalenjikha-Obuji-Jikhaskari roadTraffic restored | 1 Oct 2026, 14:04 |
| Batumi bypass restricted at night for two months of tunnel works; traffic diverted through BatumiPartial restriction | 28 Sep 2026, 17:25 |
| Traffic restored in the Dariali gorge on the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi roadTraffic restored | 25 Sep 2026, 11:30 |
| Traffic prohibited in the Dariali gorge after the Devdoraki early-warning sensor triggered an evacuation at 06:30Traffic restriction | 25 Sep 2026, 08:40 |
How to check a road yourself
This page is a snapshot with a time on it. The source is public, in English, and quicker to read than it looks once you know how the department names its roads.
- 1
Open the restriction list
Go to georoad.gov.ge/en/restriction. Entries run newest first, nine to a page, each tagged Traffic Restriction, Partial restriction or Traffic Restored with the date and minute it was posted. The Filter button narrows them by date and status.
- 2
Find your road by its full name
The department names roads from end to end, so the Tusheti road is the Pshaveli-Abano-Omalo road, the Military Highway is the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi road and the road to Ushguli is the Zugdidi-Jvari-Mestia-Lasdili road. Each entry gives the closed section in kilometres from the start of the road.
- 3
Read the newest entry, not the first one you see
A road can be closed and reopened several times in a week. Whatever the newest entry for your section says is the status. If the newest entry is a closure, the road is closed until a Traffic Restored entry appears.
- 4
Check the Georgian list too
Some older entries were only ever written in Georgian, and the Georgian list at georoad.gov.ge/ka/restriction carries the same entries. A browser's page translation reads them well enough to get the road and the verb.
- 5
Phone when the list is silent
The department's hotline is 032 2 31 30 76. Silence on the list means no restriction has been posted, not that the road is clear of a fresh rockfall, so call or ask your guesthouse before a mountain road in bad weather.
What the entries mean
- High-clearance vehicles
- The department's phrase for vehicles with two or more driving axles: a 4x4. When an entry says only high-clearance vehicles may pass, an ordinary car may not.
- Anti-skid chains
- Snow chains. An entry that allows light vehicles only with chains means a car without them may not use that stretch.
- M3 category
- Passenger vehicles with more than 8 seats besides the driver and over 5 tonnes: coaches and big buses.
- Trailers and semi-trailers
- Trucks and anything towing. These are the first vehicles banned in snow and the last let back, so a trailer-only entry does not affect a car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the road to Tusheti open now?
When does the Abano Pass open?
Is the Georgian Military Highway open?
Is the Zagari Pass open?
How do I check road closures in Georgia?
Can I drive a rental car to Tusheti, Shatili, Juta or Truso?
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