Waterfalls Irina and the Giant in Abkhazia

🕐 Working hours

Access to the waterfalls is possible around the clock, it is better to visit during daylight hours.

💵 Entrance fee / ticket price

A fee (eco–collection) of 300 rubles / person is charged for travel / passage to the waterfalls, children under 10 years old are free of charge. If you arrive here early in the morning (before 10 o'clock), then there is a chance to travel for free, since there may not be any toll collectors at this time.

🚶 How to get there

Irina and Velikan waterfalls are located far to the south-east of Abkhazia in the mountains behind the famous abandoned ghost towns of Tkuarchal and Akarmara (Irina on the map, Giant on the map). For reference, there are 90 kilometers from Sukhum to here, and almost 180 from Gagra. There is no way to get here by public transport, a taxi will be very expensive, so people usually go here with a group or individual excursion, and it is also easy to get there on their own by their own transport:

• Irina and the Giant waterfalls with a guided tour

  Irina and the Giant are included in the program of all excursions to the abandoned towns of Tkuarchal and Akarmara. As standard, these excursions include a visit to the trinity of the Saint, Irina and the Giant waterfalls at once, the entrance fee for them is the same for all three waterfalls at once. Additionally, some excursions may also include a visit to the Gold-bearing waterfall, which is also located in these parts, but you will have to pay extra for the entrance to it.

  You can buy excursions to waterfalls and abandoned cities at all popular resorts from distributors on the street and in travel agencies, but the most convenient points for departure are Sukhum and Ochamchira, because they are the closest, which means you will spend less time on the road. For reference, excursions cost from 2,600 rubles from Sukhum and from 3,000 from Gagra, and this price already includes all entrance fees and a jeep ride to the waterfalls.

  If you prefer individual trips rather than trips in a large group, we advise you to watch these excursions:

  • 📷 Gagra, ghost towns, cathedrals and thermal spring on Sputnik8.com
  • 📷 Secrets of Eastern Abkhazia: Tkuarchal and the ghost town of Akarmara on Sputnik8.com
  • 📷 Ghost town and nature of Abkhazia on Tripster.ru

• Waterfalls Irina and the Giant on their own

  If you are traveling by car, then this is a great way to get to ghost towns and waterfalls, and at the same time visit many other attractions along the way. As we have already written above, ideally you should come here with an overnight stay, but in principle almost everything can be seen in one light day, but it is advisable to arrive as early as possible. It is best to be here already at 10 o'clock before the appearance of large groups with tourists, and for this you need to leave the resorts at 6-7 in the morning, because the road is not very far, but because of its not very good condition, it takes a lot of time.

  It is very difficult to get directly to the Irina and Velikan waterfalls by car, the last one and a half kilometers of the road is a difficult primer with a steep climb. Without an all-wheel drive SUV with a high landing and the experience of traveling on difficult roads, it is not even worth meddling with. But still there are options to get here on your own: you can walk the last part of the way on foot or transfer to sightseeing jeeps.

  Here is the route description route:

  There is only one road to the waterfalls, so you can safely set a route on the navigator and follow it. At first, excellent asphalt leads to the city of Tkuarchal. After Tkuarchal to the ghost town of Akarmara, you will need to drive 9 kilometers along an old, heavily broken asphalt road, which sometimes turns into a rocky primer. You should drive carefully, take your time. At the entrance to the city of Akarmara you will be met by drivers of sightseeing jeeps who offer trips to all three waterfalls at a price of 3,500 rubles per car for 6 people. In 2023, it was really possible to bargain even up to 3,000 rubles, but here you need to discuss where you want to go for this price, and ideally you can negotiate a trip additionally to the Gold Carrier waterfall, but it will probably cost a little more. By the way, even by jeep you will not get to the waterfalls themselves, but you will have to walk along the trail for 20 minutes to one waterfall, and another 10 minutes to another. An important point: to see the Giant in all its glory, you need to walk along the path along the cliff under its jets to the other side of the river.

  But in fact, it is not necessary to hire an excursion jeep here, and you can drive part of the way on your own. Drive past drivers with jeeps, along the main street through Akarmara and then along the road to the fork with a sign: to the right to the Gold Bearer waterfall, and to the left to the trinity we need. Of course, you need to turn left, if that navigator and the pointers will tell you everything. After this fork, you need to drive another 3.5 kilometers. The road, of course, is tin, but on a dry road everything is driven even on sedans, just drive very carefully. So you will get to the exit from this dirt road to the left on an even more terrible road only for off-road vehicles, and then it's better to leave the car, and then walk. There is little parking space near the exit itself, but if you drive a little further, there will be a good platform. From here to the waterfalls will have to walk 1.7 kilometers with a climb of almost 300 meters, which will take at least an hour in one direction.

  When you return to the car, you can drive or walk further along the road to another waterfall of the Saint, the smallest of this trinity, but also impressive and worth a visit.

  In 2023-2024, the road to the city of Akarmara and waterfalls is being repaired. To what condition it will be repaired, and whether a hard asphalt surface will be laid, we do not know, but it will definitely be even easier to get here!