Ritsa relict National Park in Abkhazia

Description and what is interesting about the Ritsa National Park

Ritsa relic National Park - this is the most popular and visited tourist reserve of Abkhazia. The excursion route through the park, known to most tourists as an excursion to Lake Ritsa, is the most popular among tourists, and almost every vacationer in Abkhazia visits it. The park is located in the southern mountainous part of Abkhazia near Gagra and almost at the border with the Russian Federation (Ritsa Park on the map. Almost the entire National Park is located in the mountainous part with complex relief, Heights from 100 to 3256 meters, many mountain lakes, rivers, waterfalls, caves, glaciers, Gorges.

For most tourists, Ritsa National Park is synonymous with Lake Ritsa. Indeed, this lake is located in the park, is its calling card and the most visited attraction. From the coast to Lake Ritsa through the park stretches an asphalt road, which, however, does not end after the lake, and leads further to other attractions. Along this road there are other interesting places of the Reserve, which are usually visited during an excursion to Lake Ritsa. :

• Lake Ritsa
• Malaya Ritsa island
• Blue Lake
• Waterfall of male tears
• Waterfall maiden's tears
• Gega waterfall
• Yupshar gorge
• Bird's beak falls
• Waterfall Milk
• Stalin's dacha

There are also several viewing platforms along the route. More advanced and challenging overnight itineraries may include Valley of the Seven Lakes, Lake Mzy, Auadhara Resort and mineral water source.

How to visit Ritsa National Park

Access to the park is paid at the entrance to the checkpoint on the main road (checkpoint on the map) an environmental fee is charged in the amount of: adults – 350 rubles; children 8-12 years old – 150 rubles; children under 8 years old – free of charge. Excursions to the park from Gagra and other resorts of Abkhazia - from 750 rubles+entrance fee to the park.

You can visit the park yourself in your car, or with a group or individual tour. Public transport does not go here.

There are no restrictions on independent visits by private transport, however, the independent organization of hikes and camps is officially prohibited. This means that you can not put up a tent anywhere and wander anywhere. Any independent route must be agreed in advance with the park administration, which is located at: Gudauta, 1A Lakoba Street, ritsa-park@mail.ru +79409934598. Fortunately, in practice, you can safely drive a private car through the entire park on an asphalt road, make stops, go to popular attractions, and do not necessarily coordinate walks to places that are slightly off the road: Geghi waterfall, Lake Malaya Ritsa, Lake Mzy, Valley of Seven Lakes. More serious routes should be coordinated, and, of course, you should not leave the asphalt road without coordination.

💥 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 options with online booking on these proven search and comparison sites price:

• 📷 Search for excursions in Gagra on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 Search for excursions in Gagra on Tripster.ru

What to see in the Ricin National Park

• Blue Lake

  

  Blue Lake (Lake Tskhyna) is a small lake in the Gagra region of Abkhazia, known for its turquoise water. This is one of the beautiful and memorable sights of Abkhazia, but it is rarely visited separately, making a short stop here on the way to Lake Ritsa. It is forbidden to swim here, it is too cold, so people come here just to admire the beauty of the lake and its picturesque surroundings, to take pictures, including for money a photo with a peacock or in traditional clothes is offered. Learn more about Blue Lake here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: the lake is located 30 kilometers from the center of Gagra on the road to the mountain lake Ritsa (Blue Lake on the map. Public transport does not go here, you can get there by private car, taxi, with a tour, hitchhiking or cycling.

• Yupshar gorge (Stone bag)

  

  Yupshar Gorge is one of the natural attractions of the Ritsa National Park. The gorge was formed along the Yupshara River (Yupsara), and along it passes almost 8 kilometers of road to Lake Ritsa. The walls of the gorge overhang the road and river at its highest point for almost half a kilometer, and the width of the gorge ranges from 100 meters to 20 at its narrowest point. Usually tourists make a short stop of up to 5 minutes to admire this unusual natural formation, go down to the mountain river, and take pictures against the background of intricate steep cliffs and amazing vents in the wall, similar to narrow rectangular windows. Learn more about the Yupshar gorge here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: the gorge is located 45 kilometers from Gagra on the road to Lake Ritsa in the territory of the Ritsa National Park (gorge on the map), the road passes right through the gorge and along the way there are several places to stop and descend to the river. You can get here only by your own transport, taxi or with a tour. As a rule, excursions to Lake Ritsa make a five-minute stop in the gorge.

• Gega waterfall

  

  Geghi waterfall is the largest and most beautiful waterfall of Abkhazia. It is located at an altitude of 530 meters above sea level, a height of 70 meters. Its peculiarity is that it breaks out of the rock, not from the top. The waterfall is interesting because it was filmed several times in the cinema. So, he appeared as Reichenbach Falls in the film about Sherlock Holmes, and also got into the frames of the Soviet films "Sportloto-82" and "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi".

  The trip to the waterfall is a rather extreme route, since the last seven kilometers of the way to it pass along a mountain road that can only be overcome by Jeep. Along the way there are breathtaking views, and when driving in a Jeep on the edge of the abyss is simply breathtaking. Dress for the trip should be warm, because here even in summer it is cool. Learn more about Gegskiy waterfall here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock, it is better to visit during the day. Access to the waterfall is possible only from May to November, the rest of the year it is simply not accessible.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: the waterfall is located 45 kilometers from the center of Gagra in the Ritsa National Park (waterfall on the map. You can only get directly to the waterfall by Jeep or on foot, since the last seven kilometers of the way pass along a terrible mountain road, where only the most serious cars will pass. Drivers in jeeps (UAZ) are constantly on duty at the turn to the waterfall on the main road, so you can use their services (from 1500 rubles per car). Walking from the turn is not difficult, but very difficult due to stones and mud, and depending on your preparation will take from 2 to 5 hours.

• Malaya Ritsa Lake

  

  Mountain Lake Malaya Ritsa-the younger brother of the Big Lake Ritsa, is located five kilometers from it at an altitude of 1235 meters above sea level, which is about 360 meters higher. Its dimensions are only 243 by 125 meters, depth 76. No river flows into it, and the water comes from the glaciers of the surrounding mountains melting in the spring, and precipitation. The small lake is considered even more beautiful than the big one, but you can only reach it on foot. The trail passes through a beautiful relic forest, and is accessible to every tourist without special training, you only need good physical shape, comfortable shoes, and drinking water. For the entire route it is better to lay 4 hours. Learn more about Lake Malaya Ritsa here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock, during the day.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: Malaya Ritsa Lake is located five kilometers from the big Ritsa Lake (Malaya Ritsa Lake on the map. To get to it, you should first get to the Big Lake, leave the transport in the parking lot, and then continue on foot. A path leads to the lake without branches and sometimes marked with arrows, so it is difficult to get lost on it, but still a compass or Navigator will not hurt. The beginning of the trail is indicated on our map (entrance to the trail on the map).

• Waterfall of male tears

  

  The waterfall of men's tears, as well as "Girl's tears", is located on the road to Lake Ritsa, only a little further, 30 kilometers further along the way, and already on the territory of the Ritsa National Reserve. Here the water flows in a thin stream, as if reminding that men's tears are stingy. But in addition to the waterfall itself, which is actually not very spectacular, there is a very beautiful forest in the vicinity, which is worth a walk. Learn more about the waterfall men's tears here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: waterfall men's tears is located 45 kilometers from the center of Gagra on the road to the mountain lake Ritsa in the Ritsa National Park (waterfall men's tears on the map. You can get to it by private car, taxi, with a tour, hitchhiking or cycling.

• High mountain lake Mzy

  

  Highland Lake Mzy (Mzym) is one of the remarkable natural attractions of Abkhazia, located far in the mountains at an altitude of 2000 meters, but at the same time available for visiting not only travelers with long experience of hiking and equipment, but also ordinary tourists in the form of a one – day hike. Its size is small, only 100 by 45 meters, but the depth is as much as 40 meters (according to other sources, 16 meters). It is formed from the waters of melting glaciers, the water here is rarely above 4 degrees Celsius. Also, depending on the time of year, snow Glades remain around the lake, they can be seen even in June. For a hike, you should take warm clothes and raincoats with you. Learn more about Lake Mzy here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for admission to the National Park. The cost of the excursion from Gagra from 2000 rubles/person.

  🚶 How to get there: the lake is one of the most easily accessible mountain lakes, located at an altitude of 2000 meters 80 kilometers from Gagra (Lake Mzy on the map. You can get there by your own transport or with an excursion (from 2000 rubles from Gagra). You can not get directly to the lake, but on foot you will have to walk only about 7 kilometers (usually no more than 2 hours in one direction) along a simple route that does not require special training. To do this, go by car towards Lake Ritsa, and continue on to the village of Auadhara. The road after Lake Ritsa becomes worse, but you can drive any car.

• Seven Lakes Valley

  

  The valley of Seven Lakes in Abkhazia is a beautiful plateau at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, on which there are several beautiful mountain lakes formed by Meltwater of mountain snow caps and rains. Reaching the valley along a mountain path through alpine meadows and still pristine nature, you will see a breathtaking view of the lakes, mountains and the ridge of the Caucasus Mountains. The views here are wonderful and definitely worth it to get here. Any tourist can get here without special training and equipment, only good physical shape is required, since it will be necessary to climb up on foot. Learn more about the valley of the Seven Lakes here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock, but it is better to start the route in the daytime, ideally in the morning or early in the morning, in the season from May to October.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for admission to the National Park. The cost of the excursion from Gagra from 2000 rubles/person.

  🚶 How to get there: the valley is located at a distance of 75 kilometers from Gagra, 68 kilometers of which are on a satisfactory asphalt road, and the remaining seven will have to be overcome on foot (Seven Lakes Valley on the map. You can get here by your own transport or with a tour. On excursion UAZs you are taken almost to the pyv pass, from where you can walk about four kilometers to the valley, but you will go there on foot.

• Waterfall Milk

  

  The Molochny waterfall is located in the Ritsa National Park near the eastern shore of Lake Ritsa, where the waterfall river flows into the lake. Nearby is another attraction-Stalin's dacha, together with which he is usually visited. It is notable for the fact that the water in it is white and resembles milk. This is because the Waterfall consists of several Rapids and bends around many stone ledges, as a result of which the water boils strongly and fills with air, becoming white. It is believed that if you swim in the waterfall, you can keep your youth longer, which is not surprising, because the water is very cold. Learn more about the molochny waterfall here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: the waterfall is located on the shore of Lake Ritsa 60 kilometers from Gagra (waterfall on the map. You can get here with an excursion to Lake Ritsa and Stalin's dacha, or by yourself in your own car.

• Bird's Beak Falls

  

  The bird's beak waterfall is quite picturesque and beautiful, it is located next to Lake Ritsa right next to the road, a little further than the lake, so most tourist groups do not reach it. But all tourists and travelers moving towards the Valley Of The Seven Lakes, Lake mza and Auadhara certainly pass by this waterfall. The water in it is drinkable, so it is quite possible to replenish supplies if you go on a long hike in the mountains. Nearby is an observation deck on Lake Ritsa. Learn more about the bird's beak waterfall here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: around the clock.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge, you only need to pay for the entrance to the National Park.

  🚶 How to get there: the waterfall is located near Lake Ritsa 60 kilometers from Gagra (waterfall on the map. You can get here with an excursion to Lake Ritsa and then a little walk.

• Stalin's dacha on Lake Ritsa

  

  Stalin's dacha on Lake Ritsa is one of about twenty Generalissimo dachas that operated throughout the former USSR, and is believed to have been one of his favorites. This is not surprising, because it is located on the shore of Lake Ritsa surrounded by beautiful green mountains. Today, any tourist can visit this place as a historical landmark.

  It can not be said that this is a must-visit place, because there is not much to see here, and the architecture is quite unremarkable. But with a good guide, the tour of the dacha becomes unexpectedly exciting. Read more about Stalin's dacha here.

  Practical Information

  🕐 Working hours: 09:00 – 18:00.

  💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: 150 rubles, including excursion support. Since the dacha is located on the territory of the Ritsa national reserve, you will also have to pay an environmental fee to the Reserve.

  🚶 How to get there: the cottage is located on the shore of Lake Ritsa (Stalin's dacha on the map. You can get there with an excursion to Lake Ritsa, many of which include its visit in their itinerary, but the entrance and excursion will have to be paid separately. You can also drive yourself to Lake Ritsa and cottages by car, the distance from Gagra is 60 kilometers.