GEO-RUS border Geo Mil Highway

[monnomania]

Landslide 23 june 2016. Word is the road/border is closed for at least one month.

Its still raining there today and on our way back to Tbilisi there were at least 4 oversized bulldozers on flatbed trucks heading up. Clearly they have much work to do.

[cliffi]

There seem to be differing stories on when the road will open - latest I heard today at Gudauri (from a government official) is that they will open a track road (meaning gravel / stone) within the week. Will keep you posted on what I hear.

[monnomania]

Nice! Thanks

Following georoad.ge as well.

[cliffi]

The latest news

Interior Ministry offers alternative route to Russia - News Agency InterpressNews

[monnomania]

We 're a bit stuck here in Georgia now. Our Russian transit visa dates from 25 jun to 2 july.

We tried the Roki tunnel and got turned away at gunpoint. We applied for a Abkhazia visa...no prob, they were very responsive to emails (in broken but understandable English) but 5 days processing and a very uncompromising hardline about being illegal to transit Abkhazia. You go in and out the same border- i dont understand how they can refuse you to cross into Russia if you have a visa.

We did go to the GEO-ABK border on the 25th and there was something happening politically. The Georgians were refusing the Russian tourists from entering Abkhazia (2 days and counting) while the Abkhazian authorities were willing to permit the CIS passports to transit. The feeling was very sketchy.

There is a passenger and car ferry from Batumi. Costs for a car from Batumi to Odessa Ukraine seem very reasonable. However it is a 50 hr sailing (price includes meals, showers...) and it sails probably 2x per week.
Schedules of ferries in Black Sea: Geroi Odessy, Greifswald, Geroi Sevastopolya, Geroi Plevny, Geroi Shipki, Vilnius Seaways

We just spoke to the russian consulate here in Tbilisi. They are up to date on the landslide and were very helpful. They told us they will change the visa _free_ as soon as we know when the road is open and it seems that the date correction can be done in one day or less

[monnomania]

The Interior Ministry article appears positive on first glance, but...
1) we foreigners need a visa to Azerbaijan, not an easy thing, and if you have an older vehicle you need a CdP.
2) you end up smack in the guts of Chechnya. Yikes.

or if you run to Baku, our readings show that the Caspian Ferry is neither cheap, reliable or timely. Then there is the whole issue of trying ot get a Turkmenistan Transit visa.

In the end it is probably easier to wait for the Larsi border to open. It will not likely take more time to wait than the delay to issue a Azeri visa (and Turkmen visa maybe).

The largest concern, is the delay may play havoc with our schedule vis-a-vis Taj, Uz and Kz visas which are all date sensitive.

[monnomania]

georoad.ge/?lang=geo&act=news&func=menu&uid=1467618635

Apparently road opens today 4 jun 17hrs.