Those who have decided to rest in Apsny will have many small trips, during which they will visit castles, caves, fortresses, museums. Those who carefully planned the leisure program will not be puzzled by the question: "What to see in Abkhazia?"
Holiday season in Abkhazia
The best time to travel to Abkhazia is summer, and since this is the high season in the country, vouchers will cost 10-20% more.
It is advisable to go diving (divers will meet with mollusks, crustaceans and various fish, as well as inspect the underwater city of Dioscuria) in March-October, spend time on the beaches - from late spring (sea temperature + 18-20˚C) to September (the sea warms up up to + 25-26˚C), join excursion groups - at the end of April, May, September-October, heal in Abkhazian health resorts - in spring and autumn.
Top 15 interesting places in Abkhazia
Lake Ritsa
Lake Ritsa
The location of the mountain lake is the Gudauta region of Abkhazia in the Bzyb river basin. The length of the lake is 2.5 km, and its width is 270-870 m. In the spring and summer months, tourists will be able to admire the yellow-green water, and in the winter and spring - blue-blue water.
The main attractions of Lake Ritsa are the dachas of Brezhnev and Stalin with preserved interior items and historical furniture. Those who wish are offered to ride a catamaran on the lake, as well as enjoy Abkhaz dishes and trout in restaurants and cafes located on its shore. Important: when going on an excursion to Ritsa, you should understand that the path will lie along a serpentine mountain road, and it is rather cold in the lake area (about + 15˚C).
Gagra colonnade
Gagra colonnade
The colonnade is a visiting card of Gagra: elements of secular classicism and Moorish style can be traced in the architecture. The length of the monument formed by 4 arched towers (they are connected by arcades, each of which has 8 small arches) is 60 m. A fountain is installed on the square near the colonnade (it is decorated with a sculpture of a white dove), and those who want to admire the sea and buy souvenirs (trade is carried out next to the colonnade), as well as visit the restaurant "Gagripsh" with a stage and a mechanical clock (they are wound manually), located just 500 meters from the Colonnade.
Castle of the Prince of Oldenburg
Castle of the Prince of Oldenburg
The Art Nouveau castle, owned by Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg, stands on the side of a mountain. The road to the ruins of the castle passes through the Seaside Park, where rare trees and plants grow, there is a pond and recreation areas (there are fountains and benches where you can admire the water jets). Despite the fact that the castle is closed for visits (the building is abandoned), especially brave tourists tend to climb to the 2nd floor, where they rush for the sake of amazing views of the surroundings.
You can explore the castle on your own, having reached it on foot or using the cable car from the Primorsky Park. The Gagripsh restaurant also conducts sightseeing tours with the castle for its visitors.
New Athos monastery
New Athos monastery
The monastery complex consists of 6 churches - St. Andrew the First-Called, in honor of the Athonite Fathers, in the name of the Martyr Jeron, the Ascension of the Lord, in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "The Redeemer" and the Panteleimon Cathedral with 5 domes (neo-Byzantine style; the walls of the cathedral were painted in 1913- 1914). You shouldn't ignore the former refectory, the walls of which are decorated with frescoes created by the Olovyannikov brothers. Important: the monastery is open to the public on Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 6 pm; women must cover their heads and wear long-length clothing before entering.
Patriarchal Cathedral
The Patriarchal Cathedral (entrance ticket costs 80-100 rubles, and for a concert - 400 rubles) is a landmark of the city of Pitsunda: stone and brick were used in the construction of this 3-nave and cross-domed church. Inside there are the tombs of Simon the Canaanite and Andrew the First-Called with frescoes of these apostles (you can bow to their relics). In addition, the cathedral boasts ancient frescoes from the 12th and 16th centuries (note the fresco depicting cherubs, Christ Pantokrator and the archangels) and occasional organ concerts that take place here. Those who wish can get to the 2nd floor by stairs to admire the stage and organ made in Germany in 1975 from the balconies. Well, next to the cathedral there is a chapel: it can accommodate only 2 people.
Azant dolmen
A large dolmen (presented in the form of a stone box with a trapezoidal shape, created from massive slabs), more than 2000 years old and about 3 m high, is located in the vicinity of the village of Azanta (30 km from Sukhumi). Those who decided to see the Azant Dolmen (the back wall of the structure collapsed, so green vegetation made its way through this hole on the facade), a long walk through the boxwood forest awaits. The trail will twist and go uphill, but if, upon reaching a fork, turn right, you can go to Lake Amtkel, where the water level fluctuates around 40-80 m (this indicator depends on the season).
Sukhumi Botanical Garden
Sukhumi Botanical Garden
The Sukhumi Botanical Garden, with an area of 30 hectares, is famous for its 250-year-old Caucasian linden, 170-year-old sequoia, 67-year-old metasequoia, as well as laurel, bamboo and citrus trees, eucalyptus, cotton, lotus, dyeing indigo, tea bushes from China, which grow here. magnolia … A part of the garden (5 hectares), intended for demonstration to tourists, is divided into 50 sections by means of pedestrian paths, and is open for visits daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
In the garden, you can not only walk along the alleys, but also inspect the monument to Nestor Apollonovich Lakoba, take a photo of plants, next to which there are plates with their names, spend time on the pond where water lilies bloom, and linger at the enclosures with swans and peacocks.
Anakopia fortress
The location of the Anakopia fortress (built in 4-5 centuries) is Mount Anakopia (New Athos). Travelers should not ignore the fragments of the Roman tower and the temple in honor of the great martyr Theodore Tiron, the chapel, the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, the inexhaustible well with healing water, the watchtower restored in 2008 (there is an observation deck there). You will be able to get to the top along the hiking trail laid along the slope of the Iverskaya (Anakopia) mountain. You can buy a ticket, costing 150 rubles, at the ticket office located at the foot of the mountain, as well as the parking lot and the recreation area.
Villa Aloisi
Villa Aloisi
Villa Aloizi (built in 1896) is a symbol of the Abkhaz capital, which initially did not differ from other mansions. After the restructuring by the architect Alexander Sinitsyn, the villa became a palace, in the architecture of which elements of Gothic, Art Nouveau, pseudo-Russian and Moorish styles began to be traced. Noteworthy are the lancet windows, a dome-shaped tower, corridors decorated with the heads of various animals, rich stucco molding, a fountain (there is a Cupid holding a fish in his hands) in the garden, stone lions at the gate.
Gega waterfall
The 70-meter Gega waterfall is located at a 530-meter height above sea level at a distance of 6 km from the confluence of the Gega and Yupshara rivers. On the way to the waterfall (in the rock to the left of it, there is a grotto where many people collect clean water for drinking), which will pass along rocky cliffs over precipices and mountain rivers, travelers will admire the local landscape. Advice: before you set off, it is advisable to take care of warm things, since the waterfall water is cold, and at the foot of the mountain from which it falls down, there is snow even in summer. To see the Gega waterfall, tourists will have to pay an environmental fee of 350 rubles (a ticket for 8-12-year-olds costs 150 rubles).
Mount Mamdzishkha
Mount Mamdzishkha
The 1873-meter-high Mamdzishkha mountain is 6 km away from Gagra, and on the opposite side the ridge of the same name adjoins it, descending along which you can reach the Blue Lake. It will be possible to get to the top of Mamdzishkhi on horseback or in a Soviet jeep (UAZ): there you can rest in the shepherd's sheds (shepherds offer tourists to taste alpine cheese and thyme tea) and admire Pitsunda, Gagra, the village of Alahadzy, the sea, the Colchis lowlands with its flowering from any of the 2 viewing platforms. Those who wish will be offered to descend from the mountain by paragliding, which will take 10 minutes (cost - 3500 rubles).
Krubera cave
The location of the cave, more than 2 km deep, is the Arabica mountain range. The main entrance is 2250 meters above sea level, and the second is 3 meters above the main one. The vertical cave of karst origin is represented by wells, which are connected by climbing frames and galleries. Permanent underground camps are located at 1200 and 1640 meters depth. It is worth noting that those who descend into the cave to a depth of 1400 meters will have to put on a wetsuit and overcome siphons (there are 8 of them).
An independent visit to the Krubera Cave is not provided: those who have ever gone in for mountaineering and who have specialized equipment can join the expeditions of cavers, which are organized twice or three times a year.
Lake Mzy
The water temperature in Lake Mzy is unchanged (+ 4˚C), and the depth slightly increases (about 40 m) due to the melting of ice. Tourist transport stops 7 km from Lake Mzy, which will have to be overcome on foot (you cannot do without warm clothes and comfortable shoes). The road to it will lie past fir and boxwood forests, emerald meadows, Gega waterfall, Goluboe and Lake Ritsa. A difficult climb will be rewarded with a survey of the incredibly beautiful Lake Mzy with crystal-clear water, the shores of which are covered with a small snow cover even on summer days.
Tsarcheyskaya fortress
Tsarchai fortress is located at a distance of 3 km from the village of Tsarcha (Tkuarchal district). The ruins of the fortress are subject to inspection in the form of the main tower (sand blocks and river cobblestones were used in its construction), an arch decorated with a wonderful geometric ornament (this is what is left of the entrance gate), a rectangular courtyard with shining gaps (they were overgrown with bushes) at one time strong walls, as well as the ruins of a Christian temple, located not far from the courtyard.
To get to the Tsarcheyskaya fortress, you need to turn off the Kodori highway onto an unpaved road (you will have to drive a couple of kilometers along it until an ancient structure appears on the way).
Pskhu-Gumista reserve
The Pskhu-Gumista Reserve, with an area of 40 thousand hectares, is located in the center of mountainous Abkhazia: its flora is represented by Colchis boxwood, Pontic rhododendron, Caucasian hornbeam, Nordman's fir, Litvinov's birch, oriental beech, black alder, medicinal laurel cherry, tall sassaparil, red juniper, berry yew, Caucasian honeysuckle, Pontic butcher, and fauna - spindle (lizard), comb newt, Caucasian black grouse, quail, woodpecker, hoopoe, wagtail.
One 6-km dirt road runs through the reserve, and the nearest village is Akhalsheni (4 km from the village to the southern border of the reserve).
