2026-09-22
A Kazbegi private driver is the booking where the driver matters more than the car. We at Hawa Georgia provide a private car with an Arabic- or English-speaking driver from your Tbilisi hotel up the Georgian Military Highway to Gergeti Trinity Church, as a day trip or with a night in the mountains. No prepayment, you pay on arrival: the driver is paid each morning in dollars or lari, with no deposit before you land.
This page covers the mountains only. For hiring a driver in Georgia generally, see Arabic-Speaking Driver in Georgia: Price per Car, No Deposit; for the stops, their elevations and history, see Kazbegi and the Caucasus: A Day Trip Guide from Tbilisi.
Why the driver matters most on the Military Highway
Stepantsminda is about 155 km from Tbilisi, and the road climbs from 500 m to 2,379 m at the Jvari Pass before dropping to 1,740 m. The Gudauri–Kobi section is the sensitive one: hairpins, avalanche galleries, wind at the Friendship Monument, and fog that comes down in minutes even in July. A driver who does this road weekly knows where the edges fall away, where the border lorries queue, and whether to stop at the arch now or on the way back.
In winter the driver is the whole difference. The roads department closes the Gudauri–Kobi section in heavy snow or avalanche risk. Our driver checks the official road status that morning before leaving the hotel, and if the pass is closed we propose one of two options on the spot: Gudauri, Ananuri and Zhinvali, since closures usually start beyond the resort, or Mtskheta or Kakheti instead, with Kazbegi moved to a later day. That is why we never put Kazbegi on your last day.
The Military Highway day from Tbilisi, step by step
The timetable we actually run on a day trip; anyone wanting longer at the church shortens Ananuri.
| Time | Stop | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Tbilisi hotel | Driver at the door, child seats fitted |
| 09:00 | Zhinvali reservoir, 65 km | Photo stop over the water |
| 09:15 – 10:00 | Ananuri fortress, 70 km | Walls and churches, then coffee |
| 10:45 | Gudauri, 120 km, 2,200 m | Noticeably cooler; cable car in season |
| 11:15 | Friendship Monument | Most photographed point; always windy |
| 11:45 | Jvari Pass, 2,379 m, then Kobi | Highest point, then the mineral springs |
| 12:30 | Stepantsminda, 155 km | 4x4 arranged in the square |
| 12:45 – 14:15 | Gergeti Trinity Church, 2,170 m | Twenty minutes up, an hour there, twenty down |
| 14:15 – 15:30 | Lunch in the village | A restaurant the driver knows |
| 15:30 | Return | Second stop at the arch if fog covered it earlier |
| 19:00 – 19:30 | Tbilisi | Dropped at your hotel door |
Getting up to Gergeti Trinity Church
Your programme car parks in the square at Stepantsminda and does not go up. The last 6 km are rough track, covered in a local 4x4 that your driver hires from the square within minutes, paid on the spot; walkers take the old trail in up to two hours while the driver waits below.
The Truso valley
From Kobi the Truso valley branches off, with mineral springs and abandoned towers. It is a border zone needing advance registration and a suitable vehicle, so we arrange it a day ahead for guests who stay overnight.
Day trip or a night in the mountains?
The day trip means about 310 km and six to seven hours in the car. It is what we are asked for most often, Tbilisi and Kazbegi Two Day Tour is built on it, and in Georgia 4 Day Tour - Tbilisi and the Caucasus it is one of four days alongside the capital and Mtskheta.
A night in Stepantsminda changes the trip: Gergeti in the quiet afternoon, Mount Kazbek from the hotel terrace in the clear morning, then Gveleti waterfall and the Dariali gorge or the Sno valley. That is the logic of Kazbegi and Caucasus 4 Day Tour: Gudauri, Ananuri, Gergeti and an extra valley in four days with one driver throughout.
Gudauri in winter: snow, chains and skiing
From December to March the road turns white, and Gudauri at 2,200 m is Georgia's main ski resort. It is about 120 km from Tbilisi, and in winter the drive takes two and a half to three hours, because the driver goes slowly and fits chains at the start of the icy section when needed. Our cars on this route carry winter tyres.
For skiers the driver stays useful on resort days: hotel to the cable car each morning, a run to Tbilisi or Kazbegi on a rest day. Georgia Snow Tour 5 Days - Gudauri packs that into five days, more resort programmes are in Gudauri Tour Packages, and Gudauri or Bakuriani? Which Georgia Ski Resort Is Better compares the two resorts for families. We cannot promise snow or an open road on a given date, only that the driver will know the situation before you get in.
What to wear, children and altitude
Subtract ten degrees from Tbilisi, and more for the wind at the arch. Carry a light windproof jacket even in summer, closed shoes for the gravel at Gergeti, sunglasses and sunscreen; in winter add a thermal layer, gloves and waterproof boots.
The altitude is not a problem for most people: 2,170 m at the church and 2,379 m at the pass, far below any real risk. Expect at most a mild headache from too little water and motion sickness on the bends in some children, so the driver drives without haste and stops whenever you ask. Child seats and pushchairs are free, and many of our guests from the Gulf, Jordan and Palestine do this road with infants.
Halal food on the road, and the driver waits at every stop
The driver is not a licensed guide, but he runs the day and translates. Mountain cooking here is meat-based, so he asks the kitchen what the meat is and where it comes from, and points you to what is safe: trout from the river farms at Stepantsminda, cheese or mushroom khinkali, khachapuri and lobio. The cautious stock up at Tbilisi's halal butchers.
At every stop the car is yours alone: the driver drops you at the nearest point, waits nearby and returns when you call, with no fixed time for lunch or photographs.
An English-speaking driver on the same road
We have drivers who speak Arabic and drivers who speak English, with the same car, price and road. Anyone looking for an English speaking driver in Georgia finds one with us, including many guests from the Arab interior flying in from Ben Gurion airport. Tell us the language when you book, and we confirm the driver's name before you arrive; he meets you at Tbilisi airport with a name sign.
Car with driver to Kazbegi: priced per car, not per person
The car price is fixed all year and charged per car for a day of eight to ten hours: sedan 85 USD for three passengers and three large bags, minivan 100 USD for six passengers and eight bags, van 140 USD for eight, Sprinter 240 USD for twenty. It includes fuel, tolls, parking, the driver's lodging, a SIM card for a week, child seats and airport transfers. From seven days the car is discounted 5%, from fourteen 10%. The 4x4 to Gergeti, cable car tickets and meals are paid on the spot.
- Three friends from Amman, day trip: sedan, 85 USD for the whole day, paid to the driver that morning, no deposit.
- Family of five from Riyadh, four-day Caucasus programme: minivan for six seats and eight bags, 4 days × 100 USD = 400 USD for the whole family, not per person. Hotels are optional, from our approved hotels, and you see the whole-stay total with breakfast: three nights in a four-star double room from 297 USD in low season, with the hotel chosen at confirmation by availability. A third guest in a room takes an extra bed, four people and more take two rooms, a child aged five or over counts as a guest, and under-fives stay free; if all five are aged five or over, the two rooms with the extra bed come to 684 USD in total.
Every package page has a "Build your package" button that totals it in USD, SAR, AED, KWD or ILS. Driver only is paid day by day; car with hotels is paid in full on arrival, in cash or by bank transfer to the company's account. Cancellation is free 48 hours ahead for driver only, 72 with hotels; details are on the terms page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a driver from Tbilisi to Kazbegi and back in a day?
85 USD for a sedan, 100 USD for a minivan, for the whole day with fuel and parking, whatever the number of passengers within capacity. No prepayment: you pay the driver that morning.
Does the driver take us up to Gergeti church?
The programme car stops in the village square; the climb is by a local 4x4 the driver arranges there, paid on the spot, or on foot in up to two hours while he waits.
What if the road is closed by snow?
The driver checks the road status that morning. If the closure is beyond Gudauri we spend the day at the resort, Ananuri and Zhinvali; otherwise we swap the day and move Kazbegi later at no charge.
Is the trip suitable for small children?
Yes. The altitude is moderate, child seats are free, the driver stops whenever you need, and under-fives stay free in our hotels. Pack an extra layer; the arch is ten degrees colder than Tbilisi.
Is there halal food on the road to Kazbegi?
The driver knows the restaurants our Arab guests use and asks about the meat himself; every restaurant has fish, vegetarian dishes and cheese khinkali. The cautious stock up at Tbilisi's halal butchers.
Book your driver to Kazbegi and Gudauri
Send us your name, arrival date, flight number and number of travellers on WhatsApp, and we reply with the timetable, the car and the driver's name. No prepayment, you pay on arrival, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours ahead. Reach us on WhatsApp at +995550000663. Hawa Georgia Travel is a licensed tour operator in Tbilisi, registration 415120808.