South Ossetia Voyage Tips and guide

	WARNING: Unexploded land mines and ordinance can be encountered along the borders of South Ossetia. Most countries cannot provide consular assistance to their citizens here. Many governments recommend against all travel to South Ossetia.
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	(Information last updated 29 Aug 2025)

South Ossetia is a self-declared and de-facto republic with limited recognition which has seceded from Georgia. It is under the control of Russia, that can be considered an occupying power fully responsible for "border control" and military defense. Its mountainous, wild isolation gives South Ossetia both reasons to visit and reasons to think twice about it. There was a lot of damage inflicted during the 2008 war, and rehabilitation of the region is slow and stifled by corruption; government control is weak. Nearly 89% of the region is above 1,000 m; the southern lowlands are influenced by the same subtropical climate that blesses lowland Georgia.

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Map of South Ossetia

• 42.22566143.9700721 Tskhinvali — the capital and the largest town in the region, home to the government of South Ossetia
• 42.12444444.4830562 Leningor (Russian & Ossetian)/ Akhalgori (Georgian) — a small town that was under Georgian control until 2008, home to the Lomisi Brewery
• 42.39083343.9227783 Java — nominally the administrative center of Georgia's Java district, but not under Georgian control

Central Georgia's Kartli region lies to its south and east and the Rioni Region to its west. To the north is the ethnically identical North Ossetia-Alania region of Russia's North Caucasus. The only UN members that recognize the Republic of South Ossetia are Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and lastly Syria.

A person of Ossetia (oh-SEH-tee-ah) is an Ossete (oh-SEET). The ethnicity and language are Ossetian (oh-SEH-tee-ahn). The Ossetes belong to the ancient nation of Alans, which was located on the north side of the Caucasus mountains and is distinctive from the Georgians. Both communities have mixed together in the past in the area now known as South Ossetia.

Shortly after the Soviet Red Army conquered independent Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1921, South Ossetia was created as an autonomous region within the Georgian SSR of the Soviet Union. The boundary drawn in the 1920s caused many (ethnic) Georgian communities and lands to be included in the autonomous region, the consequences of which can still be witnessed today. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the Soviet Union was undermined by strong nationalist feelings among its various peoples, and the South Ossetians moved to secession from Georgia, opting a merger with their North Ossetian neighbors in Russia. The Georgian government overruled this by abolishing the autonomy in late 1990 which led to the 1991–1992 civil war between South Ossetian separatists and the Georgian national government. A Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1992 resulted in Russian peacekeeping deployment in the region under the Joint Control Commission (JCC).

After the civil war, South Ossetia was effectively independent; the Georgian government had little control over the highly autonomous region, which was ethnically cleansed of its Georgian population. Georgia's Rose Revolution of 2003 established a government keen to regain the lost control over Ajara, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a region which had a similar separatist post-Soviet history.

Georgia's handling of the situation derailed in 2008 when Georgia shelled South Ossetia's capital Tskhinvali to assert its authority through a military campaign after a period of Russian-backed Ossetian provocations. This backfired when the Russian army entered the region through the Roki Tunnel and overran much of Georgia proper. A "6-point ceasefire agreement" was brokered by the EU between the Russians and Georgians. Eventually the Russian forces withdrew to the boundaries of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, leaving them well beyond Georgian control. Meanwhile both regions were quickly recognized by Russia as independent countries, citing the Western-pushed Kosovo independence earlier that year as a precedent.

In effect this enabled Russia to legitimize its continued military presence, circumventing the ceasefire agreement which stipulated that Russia should withdraw its forces from Georgia to pre-conflict positions: Russia does not recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia as part of Georgia anymore and thus renders repeated international calls for compliance with the ceasefire agreement void. Since 2009 Russia has constructed a dozen military bases along the boundary line monitoring the boundary zone and enforcing a so called "international border" upon the local community, frequently arresting and detaining "violators".

The de facto South Ossetian government has since tried to merge the region with Russia, but so far this hasn't happened despite far reaching integration agreements signed with the Kremlin, just short of formal annexation.

While the separatist conflict between the de facto Ossetian authorities and the Georgian central government has cooled to a much lower level than during the 2008 war and despite a heavy Russian military presence, security and government control are both weak. The Ossetians are largely grateful for Russia's military intervention against Georgia. Many Ossetes from North Ossetia crossed the border to join militias fighting against the Georgian military during the war.

However, it is mostly the remaining Georgian community of several thousand that bear the brunt of the aftermath of the war: increased boundary enforcement as "international border" by Russian and Ossetian troops means freedom of movement principles for local civilians are restricted. Local communities on both sides of the boundary have been separated, risking arrest and detention when trying to visit their farmland or relatives. Since 2013 fences and barbed wires have been constructed, sometimes right through villages.

According to the last Soviet census in 1989, the region had a population of 98,527 of which 65,233 (66%) Ossetian and 28,544 (29%) Georgian. According to unofficial estimates the population declined to roughly 70,000 by 2007 (~45,000 Ossetians and ~17,500 Georgians respectively). As result of the 2008 war and subsequent restrictive policies by the de facto South Ossetian authorities, the Georgian community in the region has been decimated by 2015 to 7% (or 3,966 - down from 4,600 or 9% in 2012) on a total population of 53,532. Most remaining Georgians in the region live in Leningor (Akhalgori) district, others live scattered in villages along the southern section of the boundary line.

The main language spoken in the region is Ossetian, though most people also speak Russian.

Given the ongoing Georgian-Ossetian conflict, most ethnic Ossetes will find it offensive to be addressed in Georgian.

English is spoken by almost nobody. For this reason, the independent traveller requires a solid knowledge of Russian or Ossetian to get around.

It is not possible to visit South Ossetia from Georgia. The only way to go to Tskhinvali is via Vladikavkaz in Russia. All roads from Georgian controlled territory to South Ossetia are closed for foreigners, including between Ergneti and Tskhinvali, and to Akhalgori (Leningor). All three active Ossetian-run checkpoints (Sinaguri, Kardzmani, Leningor) are only selectively open to locals.

However, it is possible to get very close to the demarcation line and to view Tskhinvali a few km away. People come to Ergneti with goggles to try having a look at South Ossetia, which is fine as long as no Georgian military equipment or soldier is filmed.

From Russia, head to Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia-Alania. There are trains and planes from Moscow and you can also get there from neighbouring cities like Mineralnye Vody or Nalchik via bus.

If you want to get to South Ossetia from Georgia, you can get to Vladikavkaz via the Georgian Military Highway through Kazbegi. Buses between Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz take roughly seven hours.

From there, go onward by a mountain road that passes through the Roki Tunnel. There are buses and marshrutkas from Vladikavkaz to Tskhinvali and back which you can find on bus station, it takes approximately 3.5 hours and costs 400-600₽ to get to Tskhinvali. Taxis are also there, which will make a trip last around 3 hours, but will be 2-3x more expensive. Take note, that taxi drivers are likely to increase the cost of a trip in a direction of leaving South Ossetia.

On a border you will be at the mercy of the Russian authorities, but they are willing to let some people in, including journalists. If they allow you in, simply drive into the tunnel from Russia. When you exit, you will be in South Ossetia. Consider engaging the services of a guide/tour operator, who will say the right things and pay the right people at the right times.

If travelling from Russia, the South Ossetian embassy (9 Kurcovoi Pereylok, ☏ +7 495 644-27-57) in Moscow should be able to arrange your documents. A South Ossetian Consular Agency in Vladikavkaz is at 43 Krasnodonskaya Ulitsa. Foreign access is restricted but not impossible. An invitation should be arranged according to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Ossetia: "foreign citizens arriving to the Republic of South Ossetia for tourism must address the Committee on youth policy, sports and tourism of the Republic of South Ossetia and ask to write an official invitation letter."

You must have at least double entry visa to Russia. There is no way out to the rest of Georgia: you have to re-enter Russia. Also, the Georgian Law on Occupied Territories applies to foreigners as well: this means that unwarranted visits to South Ossetia through the Russian border section are considered an illegal entry onto Georgian territory, as no Georgian immigration has been passed.

If you are a Russian citizen, you don't need a visa to enter South Ossetia, and you can enter the country using your internal Russian passport which will not be stamped (it's not even recommended to use your foreign passport at all, border authorities will not understand or get suspicious). South Ossetia has the same visa regime for Abkhazia and Transnistria.

In any case, you have to make sure your visit cannot be traced in your passport if you are going to Georgia later, as Georgia considers this area an occupied territory, hence in eyes of their authorities - it's an illegal entry to their country. This can cause a variety of problems on their border - starting from a refusal to entry and deporation (most likely), fines or even up to permanent ban to enter the country or jail time (while it seems that there are no such precedents).

Various companies run tours to the region. They offer a good advantage of sorting out all your paperwork and permits for you.

Kavkaz Explorers^{[dead link]} - offers week long itineraries. In the summer you can be driven around the main sites. In the winter you can trek across the mountain snow to remote hill stations. From US$700 per person per week (does not include transport to Vladikavkaz in Russia).

Abchasien Reisen ^{[dead link]} - Abkhazia specialists that also run week long trips to South Ossetia. From €1,390 per person per week (includes flights from Europe to Vladikavkaz).

There is a bus service between the republic's capital Tskhinvali, and major populated areas on the country. Buses run on schedule, you can find out the departure time at the bus station or on this website (schedule is in Russian). Tickets can be bought on the bus station only, there is no online sales.

It's also possible to move around by taxis, or for more adventurous - by means of Hitchhiking.

In Tskhinvali there are sights related to the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, as well as several monuments of medieval Georgian architecture, with the Kavti Church of St. George being the oldest one dating back to the 8th–10th centuries.

Most of the region is over 1,000 m above sea level and the Caucasus Mountains occupy most of the South Ossetia, with many picturesque gorges, rivers and lakes. During the Soviet era, the mountains of South Ossetia were actively visited by organized and "wild" tourists. Visiting them as part of an organized group with a local guide is still possible, which can hardly be said about independent hikes - it's not impossible, but it's noticeably harder to do because you need to apply a special permit, most likely in advance.

A number of medieval churches have been preserved in South Ossetia. The most notable of them are the temples in the villages of Ikorta (1172), Tigva, Dzagina, Monaster, Largvisi and others. Along with the churches, several medieval fortresses have also been preserved.

The Russian ruble is the commonly used currency in South Ossetia.

Plan on only using cash there and prepare enough of it before the trip - there are just a handful of any ATMs in the Tskhinvali, which only use Russian MIR cards and will take a commission, and there are none of them outside the city.

Ossetian food, a Caucasian cuisine similar to but significantly different from Georgian cuisine, is delicious. Be sure to feast on Ossetian pie, a dish similar to khachapuri, but with meat and mushrooms instead of cheese.

Overall, South Ossetia can be considered a safe place to visit, and not dangerous anymore, for now it's more like a question on how easy is it to get there, due the not so easy logistics and the absence of standardised formalities.

Because of its size and small tourism, everybody knows each other and allegedly there are no reports on attacks on tourists or similar issues for 10+ years. Because this country gets few visitors, it's reported that locals are open, welcoming and very friendly to anybody visiting.

But, especially if you are not Russian or don't speak Russian or Ossetian, you may need to be careful with taking photographs, as, supposedly, officials may believe that, by taking pictures, you are spying on their country, and somebody may confront you about that. So just be mindful on what you make photos of.

After the conflict, there are still many unexploded ordnances and mines. It is better not to leave popular roads and paths, and not to approach destroyed and abandoned buildings and objects.

If possible, avoid touching on the topic of war and the relations of Ossetians and South Ossetia with Georgians and Georgia, since some residents of the republic react quite painfully to these topics, and the war has affected almost every one of them.

When communicating with locals, especially elders, you need to be polite and respectful to them, without violating customs.

While the war and conflict has ended, the situation is far from over and medical supply is not always going to reliable and efficient. Heating, electricity, plumbing are basically commodities owing to years of failing infrastructure due to lack of investment. Likewise, the healthcare system is dilapidated - be sure to bring the necessary medical equipment and only buy bottled water.

• The only legal way in and out of South Ossetia is via Vladikavkaz in the province of North Ossetia in Russia. The roads from and to Georgia are closed to foreigners. There are buses and taxis going every day between Vladikavkaz and Tskhinvali
• The Russian border crossing at the Roki Tunnel is a formal border crossing. Very often the security officers call foreign visitors leaving South Ossetia for a "quick" interrogation. When asked why they do this interrogation on these particular borders and not, for example, Abkhazia or Mongolia, they explain that these are sensitive borders and they have to do this frequently. Nevertheless, the young officers, when finished doing their duty, may be very friendly. The Russians and South Ossetians pass through the checkpoint without any delay.