Bakhmaro - climatic health resort and powder paradise

Bakhmaro is the pearl of the Lesser Caucasus. It is a popular destination for Georgians in summer and a powder paradise for Europeans in winter.

Thanks to its ideal location, unspoiled nature, abundant rainfall and, above all, good quality snow, the popular resort of Bakhmaro is slowly becoming a dream destination for ski tourers and freerides. 

The location

Bakhmaro Resort is located in western Georgia, in the Guria region, 80 kilometres from the town of Ozurgeti and 52 kilometres from Chokhatauri, at an altitude of approximately 2,000 metres. Distance to the Black Sea as the crow flies: 50 kilometres.

The weather

- Average temperature 3.4 °C. Winter -5.2 °C and summer +13 °C.

- Snow depth in winter: 2 to 5 metres

- Average wind speed: 2 to 3 m/s.  

From the west, the sea side, Bakhmaro is open, creating a so-called "land-sea wind system". 

Due to its proximity to the sea, rainfall is abundant, with an annual average of 1,900 mm.

Transport and road conditions to Bakhmaro

Public transport directly to Bakhmaro is only available during the summer season, July/August, from the village of Chokhatauri.

You can get to Chokhatauri by marshutka. (Public minibus), but because Chokhatauri is a small village, there are few buses from certain towns, such as Kutaisi, Samtredia, or Ozurgeti.

If you miss the bus in Chokhatauri (the last one is supposed to leave at 4pm), there are plenty of taxis in the centre that go to Bakhmaro for the equivalent of 25 euros. (As of 2023)

Otherwise, the roads are paved and you can drive up in any car. (In summer).

In winter there is no public bus to Bakhmaro and the roads are not cleared, which means you can get to Chokhatauri easily and about 10 to 15 kilometres from your destination, you need a snow groomer, CATSKI or something similar. Of course, a lot depends on how much snow has fallen at that moment, in some winter months you can also drive up with a four-wheel drive vehicle and snow chains.

Accommodations in Bakhmaro

There are many very simple wooden houses that are rented out in the summer. They can also be rented out in winter, but then they are very spartan, especially if the toilet is outside.

There are a few average hotels now, but winter sports are something new to Bakhmaro and a lot has to be improvised during the winter season.

The name

The name is said to be of Svaneti origin and means something like "men's passage". "Back" means "passage" in Svanetian and "Maro" is a modified form of "mare", which means "man" in Svanetian. (The Svanetian language is spoken in the north-western part of Georgia, in the region of Svaneti).

According to legend, the village was named after a woman named Maro who was kidnapped by the Turks.

History of Bakhmaro

The Bakhmaro area, about 33,000 ha, belonged to the regional princes who took tax from the farmers for the use of pastures. Tax was not money, however, but one cheese a year per animal.

In 1875, the local doctor recommended to his Russian chief physician that patients with tuberculosis should not only be sent to the then well-known health resorts, Abastumani, or to Sairme, but should also try Bakhmaro. Initially, mildly ill patients were sent to Bakhmaro, followed by severely ill patients, and it was found that the air properties of Bakhmaro were as good as those of other air spas in the country.

By 1899, roads, the first houses and shops had been built, and infrastructure, water supply and sewerage systems were in place. In the same year, the Bakhmaro Theatre was founded, where Schiller's "The Robbers" was performed as the first play.

In 1923 Bakhmaro was recognized as an official climatic health resort by the then Soviet Union.

In the following decades, several explorations were also made in winter, and because of its snow safety, Bakhmaro was earmarked for development as a ski resort already in Soviet times.

In 2007, a recent feasibility study was carried out by an Austrian consulting firm, which highlighted the potential of the place.

After 10 years, in the spring of 2017, the Prime Minister announced an expansion from a climatic health resort to a year-round resort, and a master plan is being developed.

Bakhmaro is still unspoilt and most of the mountains and slopes have never been skied, which is a unique experience for many.

Interesting facts

Bakhmaro is situated at a higher-than-average altitude compared to some European climatic resorts:

St. Moritz at 1,855 m above sea level.

Arosa at 1,755 m above sea level.

Davos at 1,560 m above sea level.

Bakhmaro - 1900 to 2,050 m a.s.l.

Bakhmaro is where Eduard Shevardnadze, the former President of Georgia, was treated for tuberculosis.