Border Crossings Between Georgia and Russia

The border between Georgia and Russia is a frontier of breathtaking beauty and immense political tension, set along the spine of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. This is one of the most dramatic mountain landscapes in the world, but your journey here is overshadowed by a complex and unresolved political conflict.

For international travelers, there is only one official land crossing you can use: the Verkhny Lars (Russia) and Stepantsminda (Georgia) border point. This crossing is located on the historic Georgian Military Highway, a spectacular road that winds its way through the mountains.

The journey is stunning, but the crossing itself can be extremely challenging. It is notorious for exceptionally long queues, often lasting many hours or even days. The crossing is also subject to frequent closures due to weather conditions like heavy snow and landslides, or for political reasons.

This is a highly sensitive border. Russia maintains troops in and controls the borders of two breakaway regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, crossings which are considered illegal by Georgia and the international community. The Verkhny Lars crossing is therefore the only legitimate, albeit difficult, way to travel by land between the two nations.