Prohibited routes
Akhaltsikhe – Batumi via the Goderdzi Pass
The road surface is in very poor condition, with many dangerous and hardly passable sections. The journey takes 8 to 9 hours rather than the 5 hours a map app suggests, and if you need assistance you will hardly find it.
Drive this instead: Drive Akhaltsikhe - Borjomi - Kutaisi - Batumi, or Tbilisi - Kutaisi - Batumi.
Mestia – Ushguli – Lentekhi
Rugged terrain and very dangerous. Ushguli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is closed to rental cars, and the area is remote and hardly accessible to evacuation services.
Drive this instead: Reach Mestia from Kutaisi through Jvari. Under the rental terms, the Mestia - Ushguli - Lentekhi route is permitted only for vehicles equipped with the travel authorisation option, and only from 1 May to 30 September.
Sairme – Abastumani
A narrow unpaved road in the mountains with tight turns, where driving can be unpredictable and dangerous. It is not covered by insurance.
Prohibited regions
In most of these regions you can drive a rental car as far as a named village, then continue with a local driver, an off-road tour or a guide. Abkhazia and South Ossetia cannot be entered at all.
Truso Gorge
No further than the village of Almasiani.
A narrow unpaved road that goes right over the cliff in some places.
Juta
No further than the village of Sno.
A narrow, bumpy unpaved road over the gorge, not suitable for regular cars.
Vashlovani Nature Reserve
No further than Kasristskali village; you cannot drive inside the national park.
The unpaved roads through the park are not covered by insurance, because it would be difficult to evacuate a car and its passengers from parts of it.
Tusheti and Omalo
No further than Kvemo Alvani.
Known as the road of death: a bumpy unpaved road with steep serpentines, numerous cliffs, rock falls and small waterfalls running across it. Emergency assistance is very difficult to get in this region.
Shatili
No further than Gudani, where the paved road ends.
A very bad unpaved road; at the Bear Cross Pass the roadside disappears into a precipice in places.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Entry is not permitted at all.
These territories are not controlled by the Georgian authorities, and insurance is not valid there.
What happens if you drive there anyway
No insurance is valid on the prohibited routes or in the prohibited regions, so any damage or accident there is the responsibility of the renter. Many rental companies also fine renters for driving in prohibited areas specified in the rental agreement.
Rental cars are fitted with GPS trackers, and the rental company can block the car when it enters a forbidden area. The only exception in the rental terms is the Mestia - Ushguli - Lentekhi route, for vehicles equipped with the travel authorisation option, between 1 May and 30 September.
Planning a mountain trip?
Compare 4x4 and SUV rentals for the paved mountain roads that are allowed, such as Tbilisi to Kazbegi.
See the full rental terms and conditions and the insurance guide. Tbilisi Rent A Car is an independent comparison site; each supplier's own terms are shown before you pay.