Why go
Kobi sits at 2,000 meters where the paved Georgian Military Highway surrenders to gravel and goat trails. This cluster of stone houses and seasonal pastures has long served as the last reliable stop before the treacherous Jvari Pass and the Russian border. For travelers, it functions as an essential staging ground: from here, you can strike north toward the dormant volcanic cones of the Truso Valley—its abandoned Ossetian villages, mineral springs, and the haunting Dzivgis fortress—or ascend toward the iconic silhouette of Mount Kazbek. Kobi itself offers little spectacle, which is precisely its value. It is threshold country, a place to gather supplies, hire horses, and feel the altitude settle into your lungs before the real ascent begins.