Aragvi River Route Guide: Sources, Landscapes and Water

The valley of the Aragvi River is located north of Tbilisi and south of the watershed of the Main Caucasian Ridge. The area of its catchment area reaches 2,740 km2, which is 4% of the entire territory of the country. The fall of the river reaches 2,700 meters, which indicates its great energy potential: Aragvi ranks 9th in terms of the total amount of energy potential.

There are a lot of rivers in the Aragvi River basin, among which the largest are Tetri (white) Aragvi flowing through Mtiuleti, Shavi (black) Aragvi in Gudamakari, Pshava and Khevsurskaya Aragvi with Pshava Aragvi - near the village of Udzilaurta. In the vicinity of the village of Zhinvali, the Khevsurskaya and Pshavskaya rivers form a single river and merge with the Kura near Mtskheta.

The valley of the Aragvi River is distinguished by its natural diversity. According to the flow parameter, the climate indicators are quite contrasting. In July , the air temperature here ranges from +10 to +23 , and in January from -10 to 0 , and the amount of precipitation ranges from 1800 mm . to 500 mm . there are 7 types of landscapes in the catchment area, which increases the perceptual and aesthetic significance of the valley. Aragvi has different sources of nutrition: at the sources it feeds on snowmelt, in the middle reaches - snowmelt and rainwater and groundwater. Its waters are used by the population of Tbilisi, the Zhinvali reservoir and the Zhinvali hydroelectric power station, the Tbilisi reservoir ("sea"), settlements of the Aragva Valley and irrigated areas.

The Aragvi Valley is distinguished by its unique landscapes. This valley serves as the most important recreational area for residents of Tbilisi and its guests. Here, on a small territory, in a short period of time, you can explore many natural, historical and ethnographic attractions.