Changes

In 2015, the [[Ardahan-Akhalkalaki]] border crossing between Çıldır and Kartsakhi reopened, having been closed for the previous two decades. It is 30 kilometres from Akhalkalaki, Georgia - which is on a main trucking route to and from [[Yerevan]]. On the Turkish side, you will be 10 kilometres to Çıldır. From here, it is easy to get to [[Ardahan]] and onwards. Hitchwiki user Ben hitchhiked through this border in September 2017 and found the road on the Georgian side newly refurbished with plenty of traffic to and from Akhalkalaki including a regular flow of large trucks. On the Turkish side the highway is fresh for a few kilometres, before becoming a smaller road. Construction of a new duel carriageway is underway as of September 2017, but despite that, there's plenty of traffic. The truck driver who took Ben told him that many trucks travel from here from Georgia to Istanbul via [[Erzurum]] or the Black Sea coast at [[Hopa]]. It was a quicker hitchhike from [[Yerevan]] to the coast than hitching a ride to the border further away in [[Batumi]]. The road from Ardahan, through Artvin, to Hopa at the coast is thoroughly spectacular and switchback filled. It's well worth hitching down here purely for the scenery. The road from this border also passes the intersection to head south to [[Kars]] as well as north to the coast.