Travertines of the Cross Pass (Bidara)

The Jvari Pass travertines are located in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Kazbegi Municipality. They are located in the Bidari River gorge, adjacent to the Kobi-Gudauri highway, at an altitude of 2197 m above sea level. The calcareous tuffs of the Jvari Pass are presented in the form of extensive fields, which are deposited by springs and are largely associated with carbonate series. They are white in some places, and in others they are colored orange with impurities of iron salts. In the area of the pass there are subalpine and alpine landscapes. In connection with the expansion of the Gudauri-Kobi section of the Jvari Pass road, in May 2013, builders removed the roadside part of the travertines, after which the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia included it as a protected object along with several other monuments. The Jvari Pass Travertines are a Natural Monument