Aragvi River Valley Nature and Monasteries
Follow the Aragvi River north from Mtskheta into the dramatic Georgian Military Highway corridor, where ancient monasteries perch above the river and the landscape transitions from the warm Kartli plain into the high Caucasus foothills.
- 1
Mtskheta Bridge Over Mtkvari
Cross the bridge over the Mtkvari River from Mtskheta, the view from this crossing encompassing the sacred geography of the ancient capital — Jvari on the hill above, Svetitskhoveli below, and the two rivers meeting at the city's edge.
- 2
Zhinvali Reservoir
Reach the turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir where the dammed Aragvi River has created an artificial lake of striking beauty in the mountain landscape, the reservoir's color produced by glacial melt minerals that give it an otherworldly blue-green hue.
- 3
Ananuri Castle Complex
Explore the magnificent Ananuri Castle on the reservoir shore where a 16th-18th century fortified monastery complex — two churches, defensive towers, and crenellated walls — stands in one of the most dramatic settings in the Caucasus above the gleaming water.
- 4
Riverside Picnic Site
Stop at one of the riverside picnic areas where Georgian families spread traditional feasts on weekends, the Aragvi valley being a favored recreation destination for Tbilisi and Mtskheta residents seeking natural beauty within easy reach.
- 5
Military Highway Vista
Drive the Georgian Military Highway's early section where the road built by Russian imperial engineers follows the Aragvi's course into increasingly dramatic mountain terrain, the route that historically connected Georgia to Russia across the Caucasus.
- 6
Pasanauri Village
Reach Pasanauri village where the White and Black Aragvi rivers merge, famous throughout Georgia as the supposed origin of the khinkali dumpling, with roadside restaurants offering these filled dumplings in the mountain setting that made them famous.