The challenging and narrow Kazbegi Tunnel

Kazbegi Tunnel is an international high mountain tunnel on the Russia-Georgia border, on the northern slopes of the mighty Caucasus range.
Kazbegi tunnel

The tunnel is a border crossing point within the Kazbegi National Park. It’s 350m long via the A301 (part of the E117 road), the Georgian Military Road. The road is very nice, except this zone, where you have 14 km of really bad road. The road here is unsafe, experiences heavy traffic, and is difficult to maintain in winter, resulting in lanes being closed to trucks and occasionally full closure of the road. The rest is brand new and fun to ride.

The tunnel links the villages of Dariali (Georgia) and Verkhniy Lars (Russia). It’s very rough and unlit with poor road surface. There is barely enough room for trucks and cars to pass by at the same time. The tunnel sits at an elevation of 1.253m (4,110ft) above the sea level. The road traffic consists mostly of trucks driving to Russia and trying to cross the Georgian-Russian border before 6 pm when it closes. The road offers stunning views of Mt Kazbek.
Pic: Roberto Viaggiatore