Rafting near Zhinvali: On the River That Fills the Reservoir

Is there rafting at the Zhinvali reservoir?

Not on the reservoir itself, which is a dammed lake and flat by design. The rafting is upstream, on the White Aragvi at Zemo Amirni above Pasanauri, where the Raft in Georgia camp sits on the moving water.

That is a short way further along the same road. Zhinvali is at roughly 70 km from Tbilisi on the Georgian Military Highway and the camp is further up it, so nobody has to backtrack.

Where does the Zhinvali reservoir water come from?

The Aragvi. The reservoir was formed by damming the river, and the turquoise colour that makes it the first proper photo stop out of Tbilisi is glacial and snowmelt water coming down out of the mountains.

The White Aragvi that Raft in Georgia runs is that same water further upstream, before it slows down and spreads out. It is the reason the rafting season follows the snowmelt: the river is high and fast when the mountains are releasing, and gentler later in the summer.

How far is the camp from Zhinvali?

Further north on the Military Highway, past the Ananuri fortress at the top of the lake and on through Pasanauri. It is one continuous road, gaining height slowly, with the valley tightening the whole way.

Most people driving this stretch are already going that direction, toward Gudauri or Stepantsminda. The camp is on the right by the river with a Raft in Georgia banner, just above Pasanauri.

What kind of rafting is it?

Guided white water, run by Raft in Georgia with a certified guide in every raft and all equipment provided: life jacket, helmet, paddle, and a wetsuit when the snowmelt is cold. Two routes, a 6 km half-day and a 12 km full day.

No experience is required and most guests are first-timers. Families raft from age five on the calmer stretches, and the extreme section is there for crews who want the version with bigger water.

Can you combine Zhinvali with a rafting day?

Easily, and it makes a better day than either alone. The reservoir and the Ananuri fortress are the classic morning stop out of Tbilisi; the rapids are what the afternoon needs so the drive home is not the last thing that happened.

The 6 km route is the one that fits that shape. Book it a few days ahead in July and August, or message Raft in Georgia on WhatsApp from the road and ask what is still open that day.

Is the water cold?

It is snowmelt, so yes, it is mountain-cold, and that is the same water that gives the reservoir downstream its colour. Raft in Georgia provides a wetsuit when the river calls for one, along with the life jacket and helmet, so the cold is a detail rather than a problem.

It also changes through the season. Early on the river is higher, faster and colder; by late summer it has warmed and settled. Neither is better, they are simply two different days out on the same stretch of river.

What is the drive up from the reservoir like?

It is the good part of the Georgian Military Highway. Above the Ananuri fortress the lake narrows back into a river and the road climbs gently alongside it, through Pasanauri and on toward Zemo Amirni where the camp sits.

You are following the water upstream the whole way, which makes the geography obvious: by the time you reach Raft in Georgia the flat turquoise lake has turned back into the moving river that feeds it.

Can you get there without your own car?

Yes. The camp sits on the Georgian Military Highway, and marshrutkas running from Tbilisi toward Gudauri and Stepantsminda pass it. Ask the driver for Zemo Amirni, just after Pasanauri, and watch for the Raft in Georgia banner by the river.

The thing to plan is the way back, since you are flagging down whatever is heading south later in the day. Most guests without a car pair the trip with a driver or a tour that is already doing the reservoir and the fortress, which solves the return leg as well.