The White Aragvi: Georgia's Classic Rafting River
Snowmelt water, a green gorge, and the Military Highway running alongside. This is the river our camp calls home, at Zemo Amirni just above Pasanauri.
The river
The White Aragvi, Tetri Aragvi in Georgian, comes down from the Greater Caucasus and runs a bright, fast course through the gorge at Zemo Amirni before meeting its darker twin, the Black Aragvi, near Pasanauri. The name is honest: fed by snowmelt, the water runs pale and lively, with rapids that shift character through the season.
For rafting, that seasonal shift is the whole charm. Spring brings high, pushy water for the extreme crowd. By midsummer the river settles into a friendly rhythm that suits families and first-timers, and early autumn turns the gorge gold and quiet.
Pasanauri and Zemo Amirni
Our camp sits at Zemo Amirni village, on the riverbank just above Pasanauri. If the town's name rings a bell, it should: Pasanauri is the place Georgians call the home of khinkali, which is why the feast at our camp is not a side show but a matter of local honour.
Looking for rafting in Pasanauri? This is it. The camp is a few minutes up the road from town, right where the good water is.
On the road to Gudauri and Kazbegi
The Georgian Military Highway runs right past the camp, which makes the White Aragvi the natural adventure stop on the country's most famous road trip. Driving from Tbilisi toward Gudauri, Stepantsminda, or the Gergeti church, you pass us at around the 90 km mark, just after Pasanauri. Break the drive, run the rapids, eat at the grill, and carry on to the mountains: the full plan is on the rafting near Tbilisi page.
One river, three moods
- May and JuneSnowmelt high water: the biggest waves of the year, best for the extreme route.
- July and AugustWarm, lively, sociable: prime time for families, groups, and first-timers.
- September and OctoberQuiet water, golden gorge, no crowds: the connoisseur's season.