Our Snow Drive in Georgia

The snow only fell for that one day, but caused havoc on the roads in and out of the mountains, so with our impending departure, we were monitoring the road closures. The highway was opened back up the night before we were due to leave our beautiful Airbnb mountain oasis, and trucks were still forbidden to travel due to risk and safety; the roads were very icy, needed widening, and to be cleared of more snow.

If we hadn't made the run on our scheduled day, more snow was coming, and our little hire car with summer tyres and no chains would have presented challenges in getting it back to the capital and down the snowy terrain.

Our friendly hosts came to farewell us and, I am sure, wished us lots of luck in Georgian, as we descended the mountain in our little hire car. We managed to get the car from the drive and onto the now one-way road, praying we wouldn’t meet oncoming traffic as we made our way to the main road.

As we passed our wild horses, we quickly stopped and left the last feed we had prepared, nourishing them until the grass reappeared from the snow.

Arriving at the main road, we were happy to see it was relatively clear; snow had been grated from this section, and the trucks were still waiting to be permitted back.

We accelerated out on the road and started our three-hour trek along the icy, slippery and slushy highway. Although the views were spectacular, all eyes were on the road, and we made our way to safety.

Wayne expertly navigated the road as we battled the ice on the highway and through the traffic. The Georgian way still existed, and they would still pass in these conditions on risky terrain, and at times, we only had one lane for us all!

The tunnels we entered were pitch black, although it was the middle of the day. The higher we went, the blizzard started, and the visibility was limited. Still, we crawled up the mountain slowly, and as we reached the ski resort town of Gudauri, where we had stayed a few weeks before, it was now covered in snow, and a whole new village opened up!

We attempted to take a break for a coffee and go, but after attempting to park and nearly becoming stuck, we hurried back out to the road and continued our journey.

The trucks were all laid up on the other side of the ski village, miles and miles of semis just waiting to continue their deliveries. After seeing the hundreds of trucks with full loads from all nearby countries, you quickly understand the impact of a few days of delays on the supply and demand chain as they were waiting to cross the border to Russia.

As we descended, the skies cleared, the snow became scarce, and we were back dealing with the Georgian droves of horses, sheep and cattle, which was a blessing after the torturous icy roads. We could relax again!

In the final hour or so, we continued to our next destination, a cosy little historical village called Mukhrani, located on the outskirts of Tbilisi, where we relaxed for a few nights.

Date: 23 November 2023