Abkhazia is stunningly beautiful places, an amazing region with unique nature, which varies from subtropics to alpine meadows. However, not only the natural beauties can be admired here. In Abkhazia there are many historical as well as architectural monuments, religious buildings of completely different faiths. In our article we want to highlight the most beautiful places in Abkhazia, which are definitely worth seeing if you have the opportunity to visit these parts. This is not only a beautiful country, but also a fabulous one. Here, with each fortress, lake or stone, some kind of instructive legend is associated.
New Athos
New Athos is a beautiful town located on the slopes of the Iverskaya and Mount Athos. There are beautiful beaches and numerous shrines (Christian), historical monuments and unique natural sites that are rich in Abkhazia. Beautiful places to relax are everywhere, as well as attractions that are worth a look.
Among the most beautiful places is the Simon-Kananitsky monastery (male). It was built under Alexander III on the very slope of Mount Athos, and it was revived in 1994. The monastery itself is very beautiful.
Anacopian Chasm
Here is located one of the most famous karst caves called Anacopian precipice. It is one of the largest caves in the world. Its size can be compared with the largest dungeons in the world, such as the Shkotsian in Slovenia. The cave is located under the slopes of the Iverskaya Mountain. In fact, it is a huge karst cavity, the volume of which is about one million cubic meters. The cave has a large number of karst formations. This is a very beautiful place, amazing with its majesty and size. Here, a man seems to be a small grain of sand in a huge underground world. In the cave you can admire the stalactites and stalagmites. The legend says that the apostle Simon himself lived in one of the branches.
The New Athos cave includes nine halls, six of which lead daily excursions, two can be accessed only once a week, and one conducts scientific activity.
Discussing the most beautiful places in Abkhazia that are worth seeing, you should definitely recommend the New Athos cave.
Ritsa Lake
This beautiful place is called the pearl of the country, which is rich in Abkhazia. The most beautiful places, the nature of which is truly amazing in its beauty, cause a lot of emotions. Alpine lake Ritsa is located at an altitude of 950 meters above the sea. It is surrounded by the majestic mountains of the Caucasus, which are covered with dense forests. Five mountain rivers flow into it, because of this the color of water masses in its different places is different.
The most beautiful places in Abkhazia are sometimes simply unique. Ritsa Lake is a natural miracle. It is fabulously beautiful and clean. Its length reaches two kilometers and a depth of 150 meters. It is hard to imagine, but the green waters are visible at ten meters, the lake is so transparent. And there is a reservoir in the north-west of the country, in the territory of a relic national park, which was founded in 1996. This beautiful reserve has an area of about forty thousand hectares, its lowest parts are located almost at sea level, and the highest - at an altitude of three kilometers. Here really are the most beautiful places of Abkhazia. Where else can you find such a rich natural diversity.
Not so long ago, Lake Ritsa was the leader in the lists of "mast-si" for those who came to Abkhazia. By the way, on its shores were the cottages of Brezhnev and Stalin, where guided tours. But then times completely changed, Abkhazia was not up to tourists. However, in recent years, many guests of the country independently and with excursion groups come to Lake Ritsa to admire indescribable beauties.
Gegsky waterfall
Beautiful places in Abkhazia that are worth seeing will not only make your vacation unforgettable, but will also help you to get to know this region better. One of them is Circassian Falls or Gegsky. Its height is 60-70 meters. And it is located in the valley of the wonderful Gega River (these are the slopes of the Gagra Range). The waterfall has its own unique feature. It consists in the fact that the waters do not flow down from the mountain ledges, but break out in a rapid stream from rock crevices, which are practically invisible. This creates an absolutely stunning effect of the emergence of water from nowhere, although in reality flows flow through a karst cave. Such beautiful places of Abkhazia amaze the human imagination.
The gorge along which Gega flows is also unusually picturesque. On its way, streams overcome many thresholds and cascades. However, the beauty of the waterfall attracts not only tourists. Filmmakers have also been here. For example, the scene of the fight between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty was filmed here. So the beautiful places of Abkhazia are even immortalized in the cinema.
Sukhumi Botanical Garden
Many beautiful places of Abkhazia are simply unique. These include the Sukhumi Botanical Garden, which is one of the most ancient. It was founded in the thirties of the nineteenth century by the doctor Bagrinovsky as a place for growing rare and medicinal plants. And now the garden already occupies about thirty hectares, and more than five thousand species of unique plants from around the world grow on its territory. And despite the fact that in its history the Botanical Garden was devastated by the Turks twice (in 1855, 1877), and wars and twentieth-century revolutions also caused considerable losses. But, despite all this, the Botanical Garden has survived and is currently operational.
Old linden botanical garden
One of the most interesting sights of the garden is the three-hundred-year-old linden (Caucasian), which grew here even before the foundation of the park. Its diameter is three meters. As early as 1877, the tree was cut down by the Turks. However, it did not die and continued to grow, reaching a twenty-meter height. In 1987, during a hurricane, the main part of the crown was damaged. Many years have passed since then, but the linden bears fruit and blooms to this day.
Prince Oldenburg Castle
Going around the beautiful places of Abkhazia (photo is given in the article), you should definitely visit the wonderful castle of the Prince of Oldenburg. It is located in the area of Old Gagra. The building itself is located on a mountainside not far from the confluence of the Joëquara River in the Black Sea. And on the coast there is a park with agaves, cypresses, palm trees, lemon and orange trees.
The castle was built in 1902 in the Art Nouveau style. The author of the project was the architect Lutseransky. The palace itself is a beautiful amazing building with a red tiled roof, high chimneys, balconies, a falconry tower, which wonderfully fits into the entire ensemble of construction. Simultaneously with the construction of a beautiful castle, the prince began to implement his plan to create a real climate resort, which could become "Russian Nice." This became his main merit.
His financial investments made it possible to create a telegraph and subtropical technical school, water supply was carried out and electric lighting was made. And in 1903, the climate station was inaugurated. It is January 9, 1903 that is considered the foundation day of the resort.
And then all the undertakings were not developed. The First World War began. The prince was recalled to St. Petersburg. He was no longer able to return to Gagra. And in 1917 he left for Finland altogether, later he was able to move to France. The rest of his days, the prince of Oldenburg spent on the Cote d'Azur.
In 1992-1993 Gagra was very affected in the hostilities, and the castle also got it. Fires and looting mutilated the building. Nevertheless, the tourism business is developing, so there is hope that the castle will be restored, as it is of historical value.
Krubera-Voronya cave (Abkhazia)
The most beautiful places (photos are given in the article) in Abkhazia are so numerous that, perhaps, a single visit to the country is not enough to see everything. Close attention should be paid to the Krubera-Voronya cave, which is the deepest in the whole world (of those that have been studied by cavers). The entrance to it is at an altitude of 2256 meters above the sea in the village of Orto-Balagan. The cave belongs to the Arabica mountain range. It was discovered by Georgian cavers in 1960. It was explored to a depth of 95 meters. Repeated expeditions were carried out in the karst cavity, which revealed small branches at depths. Years passed, research continued. In 2007, they reached a depth of 2196 meters. One of the halls of the cave was even called the "Hall of Soviet cavers." The discovery of the famous Krubera-Voronya cave is a great achievement of several generations of speleologists and karstologists.
Sukhum
It is definitely worth a visit to the most beautiful places in Abkhazia for relaxation. Such is the city of Sukhum - the capital of the country. It has a rich history and many monuments. This is not surprising, because he was 2500 years old! Sukhumi is primarily a resort town with a long tradition. Now it is gradually reborn and occupies a worthy place among the Black Sea tourist centers.
Holidays here will appeal to all age categories. The city is very beautiful and immersed in the greenery of subtropical plants. No wonder it is called the white city, because the restored buildings delight the eye with its whiteness. Next to all this splendor lies the sea. Vacationers will enjoy the wonderful sandy and pebble beaches, stretching over more than ten kilometers.
Besletian bridge
Relaxing in Sukhumi, you can go and see the wonderful gorge of the Basla River, on which is the Beslet bridge, laid out of stones eight centuries ago. Currently, it has darkened and overgrown with mosses, but still connects the banks of a mountain river. Its length is 35 meters. The Besletian bridge is made of stone slabs, the masonry thickness is 80 centimeters. It has a very simple design. The stone vaults are connected by limestone, which for the construction was extinguished for about five years.
The bridge has reached our times, and on it you can move around, it can withstand a weight of up to eight thousand kilograms. Currently, it is a historical monument of Abkhazia, which has no analogue.
Sights of Gagra
Gagra is a small resort town, which is famous for its beautiful landscapes. A new part of the city continues to be built. To admire the beauties of Gagra, you must go to the old part of the town. There, the Joekvar Gorge, as well as the famous Gagra fortress wall, are opened to the eye. You should definitely take a walk through the territory of the fortress.
It is also worth seeing the central park of Gagra, which stretches along the sea. It has ponds, sculptures, palm trees, countless citrus and coniferous plants. About a thousand varieties of plants from all over the world grow here. Just from the park there is a cable car to the Oldenburg castle, which we mentioned earlier.
Stalin's dacha
On the territory of the arboretum in Sukhumi is one of the cottages of Stalin. The park itself was founded in the late nineteenth century. The building of the summer house itself is located in the very center of the arboretum, and therefore is buried in flowering plants and centuries-old trees. The construction is a small two-story house, consisting of twenty rooms. The area of the apartments is more than six hundred square meters. Now the cottage is considered the residence of the President of Abkhazia.
Blue Lake
The nature of Abkhazia (photos, the most beautiful places described by us in the article) is so unusual and beautiful that within the framework of the article it is not possible to describe all the beautiful places of this region. However, we tried to give the main places that are certainly worth seeing.
One such place is the blue lake. It is located in the Yupshar Canyon, which is popularly called the Stone Sack. To get here, you need to climb the mountain serpentine for a long time. You will have wonderful views. The canyon itself is a twenty-meter split between the rocks. It is here that the Blue Lake is located. The water in it has a crystal blue color. The place is unusually beautiful, here it would be in silence to enjoy nature ... But do not rely on calm and solitude, because there are many tourists.