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AbkhaziaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Mineral spring Auadhara or Avadhara is a natural natural source of the famous healing mineral water of Abkhazia. This sodium bicarbonate therapeutic table water, due to its content in minimal doses of arsenic, has a beneficial effect on hematopoietic functions and stimulates bone marrow activity. It is also rich in boron, due to which it has a positive effect on the regulation of redox and metabolic processes, regeneration of the gastric mucosa in peptic ulcer disease. It is used in sanatoriums and balneological hospitals for chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, chronic colitis and enterocolitis, chronic diseases of the liver and biliary tract, iron deficiency anemia.
Auadhara springs were developed back in the USSR in the mountainous area of the Ricin National Park above the famous Lake Ritsa, this place used to be known as the mountain balneological resort of Auadhara, but now everything there has come almost to desolation. However, one of the wells developed at that time operates up to the present day, water is extracted from it on an industrial scale, delivered to the factory and bottled water is produced there, which can be freely bought in all shops of Abkhazia and in the Russian Federation. This production was established back in the USSR, then it was very popular with Soviet citizens, and was sent by wagons to all corners of the big country.
For tourists and travelers, the source is interesting because here you can taste this water in its original form without factory processing, and take it with you as much as you like. True, there is no great point in recruiting it for future use, because without special storage conditions it quickly deteriorates: it turns yellow, becomes cloudy and becomes tasteless. But if you really want to take it with you, then you need to put it in bottles at the very neck so that there is a minimum of air in the container, close the bottles tightly, and store in a dark cool place.
For a set of water, there is an outlet with a tap, it is located in the center of a fenced area. The fence is installed to protect against the passage of animals, you can safely walk to it through a rotating turnstile. However, the water from the spring does not always flow out, and when we visited this place, it was dry. But nearby there are large barrels where water accumulates for industrial recruitment, and you can safely open the tap and collect it from there. Just do not leave the tap open in any case: after all, this water is the property of Abkhazia, and there is no need to spill it in vain.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
A visit to the spring and a set of water from it is free, but it is located on the territory of the Ricin National Park, for which you need to pay an environmental fee: adults – 700 rubles; children 8-12 years old – 200 rubles; children under 8 years old – free of charge. The fee is paid at the entrance to the park at the checkpoint.
🚶 How to get there
The Auadhara mineral spring is located above Ritsa Lake on the way to Mzy Lake (source on the map). Just do not confuse this Auadhara source with another so-called Eye source next to the cafe not far from here, this is a completely different place and different water. You can get here with jeep tours that take tourists to Lake Mzy, and regular excursions to Lake Ritsa do not reach here.
You can get to this place by car, though the road here, to put it mildly, does not lead very far. At first, you will reach Ritsa on excellent asphalt, but after it begins 17 kilometers of terrible road. Once upon a time in Soviet times there was asphalt here, too, but since then, apparently, it has never been repaired, and the road has turned into a sieve of pits. Theoretically, you can drive along it in any car, we have even seen foreign sedans with a low landing, but you will have to drive very carefully and slowly. The pits on the road are deep, with sharp edges, and at least in one place you still have to cross a deep stream that flows right along the road. Therefore, we still recommend driving a car with high ground clearance and short overhangs, preferably on a crossover or SUV.
There is no pointer to the source, so use our coordinates on the map to find it.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: