This is the story of our last day in Georgia – a dirt-road crossing of the Gombori Pass on a fast-emptying tank, right as Armenia’s worst floods in a decade closed our route into the country.
It was day 8 – the last day of our Georgia trip and we had to drive back to Tbilisi. Our hotel had been kind enough to pack breakfast for us and we started early at 6 am. We had to return our car before 9 am and take our next car to Armenia by 10 am.
We had to drive over the Gombori pass to get to Tbilisi. Both our hotel and driver from the previous day had told us that the road was really bad due to renovation happening there. We hoped it would not be closed. We passed by some petrol pumps but decided to skip them for now. Our car’s fuel indicator showed that we were good for at least 100 km and our route was around 92 km long – it should make the cut. In any case, we would be over the mountain pass soon and we could refill petrol.
The roads were empty at this time of the day. We left behind the villages and entered the dense forests and mountain roads. Here also, we saw sections of the road which were completely washed away and had to drive with caution. We started wondering if the Georgian definition of a “bad road” meant a road with some potholes – in that case, we had nothing to worry about.
Soon enough, the road ended and became a dirt track. We couldn’t drive faster than 15-20 kmph as we rolled over the mud and negotiated the sharp turns along the cliffs. Gombori pass was brutal.
That’s when I noticed the fuel indicator – it was depleting fast. The original indicator showed the distance based on the speed at that time – we were cruising at 70-80 kmph without much use of the accelerator or brakes. But the current road was a mileage killer. And it continued for another 20 kms even past the town of Gombori!
All my hours of driving in Bangalore traffic came in handy now. I used to set the “live mileage” option on the dashboard and keep looking at how it changed when I hit the accelerator and brakes. The trick was to minimize acceleration to maximize mileage.
It also meant I had to minimize braking – otherwise I would need to use the accelerator more. Bottomline – I had to drive at a steady speed using gravity as much as possible. Since we were on a downhill slope, it helped.
The mountains were almost done but there was no sign of a petrol pump. I continued my fuel-saving driving style for almost 40 kms more until we hit the main highway. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we got to a petrol pump! Thankfully, I hadn’t told anyone else about this predicament we were in – driving through that horrible road was bad enough. I didn’t want anyone worrying about getting stuck on the remote mountain pass with no help nearby.
It was smooth sailing from there till we reached Tbilisi. If you have been reading our earlier blogs, you would know that we were worried about the parking fine which the car owner had informed us about. We had tried checking the parking systems in Telavi and with some locals also but found that there were no fines outstanding on our car. He only charged us the cleaning fee and didn’t mention anything about the fine – happily taking back the car and asking us to leave him a good rating. All’s well that ends well, I guess!
Our next journey was a road trip to cross the border into Armenia. We had found out the previous day that Armenia was witnessing its worst floods in over a decade and the northern part was most affected. The highway that we were supposed to take to enter the country had been entirely washed away in the landslides and floods. Our driver had told us that he knew an alternate route through the mountains and we kept our fingers crossed that we would reach our next destination safely.
Blogs on Armenia coming soon!
Check out all the Georgia blogs here:
- The Georgia Itinerary – your guide to planning the perfect Georgia trip
- A Rainy 2 AM arrival in Georgia – avoiding scams and a rainy adventure
- Celebrating Independence Day in Tbilisi – a unique experience in Georgia
- Tbilisi Travel – Hidden Gems and Local Experiences
- The Georgian Military Highway – A Georgian road trip
- Discovering Kazbegi – A Travel Guide to Georgia’s northern mountain escape
- The Romantic Towns of Sighnaghi and Telavi – exploring the Kakheti region
- A deep-dive into the Wine Culture of Georgia – Saperavis, Rkatsitelis and Chacha
- An Exciting End – Dirt road, petrol scare and upcoming floods
If you’re going: practical notes
- Getting around: Fill up before attempting the Gombori Pass if it’s under renovation – our comfortable-looking fuel margin (100km range for a 92km route) nearly wasn’t enough once dirt-track sections killed our mileage. Budget extra buffer time before any car handover or border-crossing deadline.
- Watch out for: If crossing into Armenia during flood season, confirm your route is open first – the direct highway was completely washed away during the May 2024 Armenia floods, and our driver had to take a mountain detour instead.
Gombori Pass: Quick Answers
Is the Gombori Pass safe to drive?
It was drivable but rough when we went – sections had turned into a dirt track under renovation, cutting our speed to 15-20 kmph and badly hurting our fuel mileage over nearly 90km with no petrol station in between. Check current road status before relying on it, especially if your fuel margin is tight.
How do you save fuel when running low in a remote area?
We minimized acceleration and braking, coasting on the downhill using gravity instead of the pedal, watching a live-mileage readout the whole way. It got us close to 40km further than the fuel gauge’s original estimate suggested we’d manage.
What happened with the 2024 Armenia floods at the Georgia border?
Heavy rain on May 26, 2024 caused the worst flooding in Armenia in over a decade, washing out a section of the main highway into the country and shutting the Bagratashen border crossing. We had to take an alternate mountain route with our driver to cross safely.
Do rental cars in Georgia charge phantom parking fines?
We were warned about an unexplained 150 lari parking fine earlier in the trip, but it never actually materialized – the owner only charged the standard cleaning fee when we returned the car. Worth double-checking with your rental company rather than assuming the worst.
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