The best places to see in Abkhazia

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Anyone who is planning an independent trip to Abkhazia will be curious to know what you can see there and where it is better to go. We will tell you about all the sights, both natural and man-made.

General information about Abkhazia

The territory of the republic is not so big, but despite this, the country is ready to offer tourists not only rest on a gorgeous beach under the rays of the gentle sun, but also a rich cultural program, including sightseeing.

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If possible, it is better to go there by car - this will significantly expand the cultural program by visiting remote places. An interesting option would be to visit the medieval temples.

In addition to the Lykhny temple and the Dranda cathedral, well-known in Abkhazia, you can go to the ruins of the Tsarcheyskaya fortress and visit the Bedia cathedral, partially destroyed by time.

These national heritage sites are rarely included in group visits. Meanwhile, they are of great cultural and historical value, so you should definitely look at them.

It is quite difficult to get to some of the natural attractions due to their inaccessible location, which should be taken into account when traveling around the country on your own in your own car.

For example, it is better not to drive to Gega waterfall in a car with low ground clearance - it is very dangerous. For such excursions, some brands of crossovers and SUVs are most often used.

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Gagra

This is one of the most popular tourist destinations, attracting tourists not only with its beach holiday, but also with an extensive cultural program.

If you go a little further, outside the resort town, you can get to the small mountain village of Auadhara, which is located at an altitude of 1.5 km above sea level. This is a unique natural complex, surrounded on all sides by the majestic peaks of the Caucasian mountains.

There are stunningly beautiful meadows, lakes with crystal clear water, relict forests and even waterfalls with "soda" - another attraction of Abkhazia. Water from mineral springs located nearby has healing properties, which makes it possible to use it in the treatment of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system.

In the reserve you can see unique plants, for example, black tulips and rare animals. It will be interesting to independently visit the Ritsa National Park, which occupies an area of 39 thousand hectares between the rivers Pshitsa and Gega.

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Due to the features of the relief and favorable climatic conditions, several unique natural attractions have formed in the reserve at once: glacial lakes, bubbling rivers, deep gorges and high mountain ranges covered with relict forests. All this in the complex creates incredibly beautiful landscapes, which tourists from all over the world come to admire.

In Gagra itself, along the coast, the central Primorsky Park is located with a length of six kilometers. Here you can see a huge number of sculptures and famous architectural creations, for example, the building of the famous restaurant "Gagprish", the walls of which still remember Chaliapin himself.

On the southeast side, the park is limited by the Gagra Colonnade - another famous landmark of Abkhazia, which is also its symbol.

The old town invites you to look at the masterpieces of architectural art on your own - on the slope of the mountain, a problem with the central park is the castle of the Prince of Oldenburg, a little diagonally from it is the ancient fortress of the Abbot. Interestingly, the Orthodox Church is still operating there.

New Athos

The old name of this small town is Anakopia. New Athos acts mainly as a center of pilgrimage. Within its boundaries, right at the foot of the mountain, there is a unique complex of a male monastery, on the territory of which there are six temples, including the famous Panteleimon Cathedral.

The complex, immersed in greenery, looks very beautiful and elegant, despite the fact that it has not yet been fully restored. When planning a trip to Athos, you should definitely include in your cultural program a visit to the New Athos Cave, which is famous for its huge size - its internal volume is 1 million m³.

Tourists have the opportunity to visit several beautiful halls and grottoes with a frozen waterfall and underground lakes, look at the stalactites fancifully hanging from the ceiling.

Among the most ancient sights of Abkhazia is the New Athos Fortress, the construction of which was started by the Byzantines in the 7th century. This ancient city fortification is well preserved - even now, centuries later, you can see the beauty of the arched gate and fragments of the walls.

And if you independently climb the watchtower, you will have views of all the architectural monuments that make up the fortress complex. Here, on the territory, there is an inexhaustible source, which is supplied with water through a natural channel.

Sukhum

This is one of the oldest European cities, which has seen a lot of destruction, after which it was revived again and again. Even now, the fate of Sukhum cannot be called easy - the consequences of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict have left an indelible mark on it.

But, despite this, the famous resort of Abkhazia is always glad to tourists, because there is something to see here. You can walk around the city all day, independently considering the sights, of which there are a great many.

Several unique architectural monuments are located on the main street, and after walking along the beautiful and clean embankments of the Diskov and Makhajars, following the Ritsinsky pier, eucalyptus park, the Sukhum fortress, the sea station and the city beach, you can reach the commercial port.

The landscape of the embankment is decorated with a neoclassical colonnade designed by Ya. O. Kvaratskhelia in 1948. This is a symbol of Sukhum and one of its main attractions. An irrefutable fact remains that all the other colonnades built in other cities of the Black Sea coast were erected according to the Sukhumi type.

It is worth stopping by the ruins of the ancient fortress of Sukhum and taking a closer look. After all, this is the first protective structure erected on the seashore in I-II BC. NS. Since then, the wall has been repeatedly completed, after which it was almost completely destroyed. Only small fragments remain, which can be seen on the site between Voronova and Sakharova streets.

You can learn about the history and natural resources of the state by visiting the art gallery and the Abkhaz State Museum. Fragments of the Kelasur wall and medieval castles have been preserved in the suburbs, as well as the Kaman monastery, natural parks and picturesque mountains with ancient buildings visible.

Pitsunda

One of the main attractions of this small town is the Pitsundo-Myussera Nature Reserve, represented by a pine grove with relict trees and occupying almost the entire coast of the Pitsunda Cape. Magnificent landscapes open before the eyes of the tourist, and the unusually clean air with the scent of pine needles literally intoxicates.

In the central and western parts of the Pitsunda peninsula, there are several relict lakes, including the famous Inkit, a favorite resting place for fishermen. The history of the emergence of this reservoir is approximately 2-3 thousand years old. Now it is a slightly salted lake, but once the water in it was fresh.

An interesting fact: at the beginning of the 20th century, not far from the unique reservoir there was a swamp, from where malaria mosquitoes spread throughout the district. In 1931, the authorities decided to launch mosquito fish into the lake, a fish that destroyed the mosquito population, which helped to solve the problem.

It will also be interesting to look at the magnificent waterfalls of Maiden's Tears and Men's Tears, adorning the suburb of Pitsunda.

History lovers will gladly go to the village of Ldzaa, another attraction of Abkhazia, where there is a museum complex created by the master Khetsuriani. The same craftsman independently created the main part of the exhibits stored here. The complex consists of the main building, erected especially for the guests of the house, the Old Mill tavern and an orchard.

The places among the turquoise lakes are stunningly beautiful, it was not in vain that the "father of all nations" Comrade Stalin decided to build himself a dacha here. His outwardly inconspicuous house is shrouded in many legends, which is not surprising, because the very life of the leader is shrouded in secrets.

The building, erected in 1935, has an interesting shape and looks more like a ship from a bird's eye view. The interior of the rooms is finished with wood, and only one of them, where poisonous yew was used for decoration, was lacquered.

Summarize

1. In the vicinity of Pitsunda there are beautiful relict lakes, including the famous Inkit Lake - a favorite resting place for fishermen.
2. New Athos invites you to the unique complex of the male monastery, which has several temples, headed by the Panteleimon Cathedral.
3. You can improve your health and see unique waterfalls with sparkling water by visiting Gagra.