Goderdzi in winter: getting there from Batumi, where to stay, ski pass and rental prices

Goderdzi is a ski resort in the mountains of Adjara, 110–120 km from Batumi. It is not Gudauri: there are few pistes, three lifts and no bars or nightlife. But it gets more snow than any other resort in Georgia, and queues at the lift are rare outside the New Year holidays.

Humid air from the Black Sea hits the mountains and falls as snow. At the peak of the season the top has about 2.3 metres on average, and another half metre can fall overnight. People come here mainly for fresh snow and tree skiing.

Goderdzi in brief

• Ski area: 1724–2366 m, vertical drop 642 m.
• Pistes: about 8 km, green, blue and red.
• Lifts: the 8-seat Zanka gondola, the 6-seat Chanchakhi chairlift and a moving carpet on the Borano beginner slope.
• Season: usually from the second half of December to the end of March. Last season opened on 28 December 2025 and closed on 29 March 2026. The 2026/27 opening date has not been announced yet.
• Lifts run 10:00–16:00 on weekdays and until 17:00 on weekends and holidays. The chairlift closes in strong wind and fog.
• No night skiing.

Where to stay

There is no real village at the lifts: a few hotels, apartments and about ten cottages. There are no shops or exchange offices at the resort, so get lari in Batumi and bring food with you or buy it in Khulo.

Counting from the base station, the options are:

• Right at the lift: Ambassadori Goderdzi, Ire Palace Goderdzi, Goderdzi Twins, Forest apartments. Walk out of your room and you are on the gondola in a couple of minutes.
• Danisparauli, 4 km away: a village with guesthouses, noticeably cheaper. Awkward without a car.
• Meteo and Arsiani hotels, about 5 km away.
• Khulo, 25 km away: an ordinary district town with shops, a petrol station and a bank. Cheap to stay, but you drive the mountain road there and back every day.

Rough prices per night for December 2026:

Places near the lifts sell out early for New Year and February weekends, so book a month or two ahead.

Driving from Batumi

The road follows the Adjaristskali river through Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo. It is almost all paved, but the last 15 km after Khulo climb steeply and are slippery in winter. Without snowfall it takes 2.5–3 hours, in snowfall 3.5–4.

On the way, just 30 km from Batumi, stop at Makhuntseti waterfall and the Queen Tamar arch bridge.

What to know:

• Winter tyres are a must, AWD is strongly recommended. Keep chains in the boot.
• The last petrol station is in Khulo, and cars use noticeably more fuel in the mountains.
• After heavy snowfall the road is cleared by machines, and sometimes you have to wait.
• The "Goderdzi Pass Closed" sign as you leave Batumi refers to the pass beyond the resort, towards Akhaltsikhe. The road to the resort itself is kept open.
• From the Akhaltsikhe side the pass is closed from about mid-December to the end of April, so in winter you reach the resort only via Batumi.

You can rent a car from us: car rental for Goderdzi. For winter we have AWD crossovers: Subaru Crosstrek, Hyundai Tucson, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Ford Escape. Chains are $10. Pickup in Batumi is free, or we can bring the car to the resort for $120. For rentals of 7 days or more delivery is free, and a normal ski week qualifies.

Minibus and taxi

Minibuses run daily from Batumi bus station to Khulo, about 5 GEL. Direct ones to Goderdzi do not always run, cost about 15 GEL and leave only in the morning. From Khulo, transport to the resort leaves the tourist centre at 11:00 and comes back at 16:00, about 7 GEL. A taxi from Khulo is about 20 GEL.

Schedules change often, and early and late in the season there may be no minibuses at all. If you only have a couple of days to ski, do not count on this option.

A 4x4 transfer from Batumi costs from 350 GEL per car, a regular taxi asks 500 GEL or more. Bargaining is normal.

Ski pass prices

These are 2025/26 prices in GEL. The 2026/27 rates have not been published yet; they usually change only slightly.

• Children under 6 ski free.
• A season pass is 155 GEL for teenagers 13–18 and 100 GEL for students.
• The pass goes on a plastic Multicard for 5 GEL. It works at other Georgian resorts too, so keep it.
• If you also want to ski Gudauri, Bakuriani or Mestia, there is the shared Multiski pass: any 7 days for 370 GEL, any 10 days for 460, a season for 650.

For comparison, a day in Gudauri costs 70 GEL, more than twice as much.

Rental and instructors

• Full set in the small rental shops below Ire Palace: from 30 GEL a day.
• The new rental shop in Ire Palace: about 50–70 GEL.
• At Ambassadori: from 100 GEL.
• Instructor: 120–150 GEL per lesson.

There is no point renting gear in Batumi: a set there costs from 60 GEL a day, more than on the slope.

Pistes and who Goderdzi suits

Beginners have an easy time here: the Borano learning slope at the bottom has a free moving carpet, there are few people and nobody flies past you. Next comes the blue run from the gondola, and the red runs start from the Chanchakhi chairlift.

If you ski confidently, the groomed pistes will last you a day or two. Then comes what people really come for: forest, untracked slopes and deep snow. For freeride there is a snowcat with a guide, about 400 GEL an hour per machine for a group of up to 13. People also go ski touring to Goderdzi Pass and the Green Lake plateau.

There is no avalanche service at the resort. Do not go off-piste without a guide and avalanche gear.

Food, phone and small things

• The cafés at the base station are simple; kharcho at Family Kitchen costs about 12 GEL.
• You cannot buy a SIM card at the resort, get one in Batumi. Magti and Geocell have coverage.
• Emergency number: 112.
• Medical insurance is required to enter Georgia. A regular policy often does not cover injuries on the slope, so check that it includes skiing or snowboarding.

When to go

• December and early January: less snow so far, crowds and expensive rooms at New Year.
• February and March: the deepest snow. Goderdzi Fest and the amateur Ambassadori Goderdzi Cup slalom take place in late March.
• In summer, from late July to early September, the Zanka gondola runs, so you can ride up for the views and hiking.

The verdict

Goderdzi suits you if you live in Batumi or fly in there, want lots of snow and do not mind simple service. If you need dozens of kilometres of pistes, bars and a wide choice of hotels, go to Gudauri. But if you want the sea and the mountains in one trip, nothing is closer to Batumi.

More about the snow, the pistes and the character of the resort: Goderdzi, Adjara's snowiest ski resort.

Read also

• Kazbegi by Car from Tbilisi: Georgian Military Road, Stops and the Winter Pass
• Goderdzi – One of the Snowiest Ski Resorts in Georgia
• Gudauri – Georgia’s Premier Ski Resort