Datvisjvari Pass
The 2,676 m pass on the Shatili road — the gateway to Khevsureti and one of Georgia's most dramatic mountain drives.
- Time needed
- 0.5 h
- From Tbilisi
- 125 km · 4:00
- Road
- Unpaved sections
- Car needed
- Crossover / SUV
- Season
- June–September
- Entry
- free
Datvisjvari is the point where the lowlands end and Khevsureti begins. At 2,676 m the dirt road crests the ridge and an endless sea of mountains opens on both sides: behind you lie the Pshavi valleys, ahead the Argun gorge and the long descent to Shatili. The name — "Bear's Cross" — is traced to a cross that marked this watershed as far back as the Russian Empire era.
The road itself was built in the 1970s and has never been paved — which is precisely its charm:
- Switchbacks with gradients up to 10% and narrow bends along sheer drops
- The panorama from the crest — on a clear day the view runs to the main Caucasus ridge
- Lebaiskari tower and roadside waterfalls on the way down
It ranks among Georgia's most famous "dangerous roads", yet in dry weather, taken unhurried, it is entirely feasible in an ordinary high-clearance vehicle. Snow seals the pass for much of the year — in practice the road is open only from June to October. When cloud rolls in, visibility can drop to a few metres.
Practical advice
Check the road status before setting out — in late spring and autumn the pass closes at short notice. Cross in the morning: cloud tends to settle in by afternoon and steals the view. If you stop on the crest, park well clear of the bends. Carry water, food and warm layers — at 2,676 m it is cold even in summer. The last fuel and shops are in Barisakho.
How to get there from Tbilisi
From Tbilisi take the Georgian Military Highway (E117) to Zhinvali, then head for Barisakho — asphalt and potholed concrete this far. Beyond Barisakho the gravel begins and the road climbs the switchbacks to the pass: about 125 km and four hours in total. A high-clearance SUV is essential, doubly so in wet weather; an economy car gets you no further than Korsha. Refuel in Zhinvali or Barisakho — there is nothing beyond. The road is open from June to October.
Click a marker for details. Coloured lines are ready-made road trips.
Nearby places
Shatili
A stone fortress-village in Khevsureti on the Chechen border — one of the most striking places in the Caucasus.
Mutso
An abandoned Khevsur fortress village stacked on a rock spur, thirteen kilometres east of Shatili.
Roshka
A Khevsur village of giant boulders and the trailhead for the coloured Abudelauri lakes — at 2,000 m under the Chaukhi massif.
Anatori Crypts
Medieval burial vaults near Shatili where plague victims walked in to die — the most haunting monument of the Argun gorge.
Best car for this trip
Unpaved sections
Guides
- Do You Need a 4x4 in Georgia? We rate the road surface and the minimum car class for all 267 places in our database. 227 of them need nothin
- Winter Driving in Georgia: What Closes, What Opens, Which Car Of the 267 places we map, 161 are in season in winter and 52 are flagged as not reachable year-round. The pass
Pickup locations
Car Rental in Tbilisi — 94 km (straight line)
Booking and enquiries
The easiest way to reach these places is by car — you pick the route and the stops.