Gudauri town

The town of Gudauri is located in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kazbegi Municipality, the center of the administrative unit Gudauri (villages: Ganisi, Gudauri, Ereto, Sokuriani, Palagkau, Kumlistsikhe).

Gudauri is located on the southern slopes of the Central Caucasus, at an altitude of 2,196 m above sea level, 33 km from Stepantsminda and 120 km from Tbilisi.

Gudauri is a new ski resort in the Central Caucasus. Its climate is very favorable for active recreation and sports. Solid snow cover lasts six months of the year. The average height of snow on the ski slopes reaches 190 cm. The duration of sunshine is 2,100 hours per year, strong winds are rare.

The settlement was first mentioned in 1868. A meteorological station was opened in 1887. The popularity of the resort was due to the nearby Georgian Military Road. The Gudauri-Mleti section of the latter (Mleti Descent, engineer — B. Statkovsky, 1855-1861) was considered one of the most impressive mountain roads. The first skiers of the resort used artificially created lifts and used a car winch (“lebyodki”) to slide down the mountain.

The first fully equipped hotel in Gudauri was built in 1988 (originally the Marco Polo Hotel, now Gudauri). At the same time, a cable car was built by the Austrian company Doppelmayr, which led to the further development of the resort. The three- and four-seater lifts operating today take skiers from 2000 meters to 3006 m. altitude (on the mountain's slopes) and 3270 m. altitude (on the mountain's slopes). Currently, a total of 5 lifts are operating. The total length of the ski slopes is 16 km. The ski season lasts from December to April.

Due to its location, the town of Gudauri is also visited by guests in the summer.