The Georgian Military Highway is the historic road linking Tbilisi to the Russian border through the Greater Caucasus. The 150-kilometre drive from Tbilisi to Kazbegi climbs through increasingly dramatic scenery — the Ananuri reservoir, the ski resort of Gudauri, the Jvari Pass at 2,379 metres, and finally the plunge down into the Terek valley.
The road was built in its modern form by Russia in the 19th century to connect its newly conquered territories south of the mountains. Before that, versions of the same route had been used for millennia — armies, merchants, and pilgrims all came this way. Today it is a straightforward asphalt road, though the section near Kazbegi can close after heavy snow. The drive itself is worth doing slowly, with stops at the roadside and a look at the Ananuri fortress complex on the Zhinvali reservoir about 70 km north of Tbilisi.