Achipse fortress in Krasnaya Polyana

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Ruins of the fortress of Achipse or Achipsin fortress of the early Middle Ages (VII-X centuries) it was an excavation site where many fragments of ceramics, glassware and metal objects were found, which became exhibits of local museums. Today it is a protected archaeological site of history, but in fact almost abandoned place. Only a couple of crumbling walls of several buildings remained from the fortress, so lovers of antiquities and archeology will not see anything special here. In total, and in a well-recognizable form without the help of guides, you can see three separate ruins at a distance of a few minutes walk from each other.

But a walk through the forest to The Hill will be quite a pleasant entertainment for inexperienced tourists, since the trail leading to the fortress is one of the hiking eco-routes of the Sochi National Park. In addition, at the top of the hill with the fortress there is an observation deck above the confluence of the Mzymta and Laura rivers with views of the resort complexes Gazprom and Rosa Khutor, and the river valleys.

The eco-route to the fortress and the observation deck is simple and can be easily overcome within 1-2 hours, but there are features that are worth knowing about:

• First of all, you will have to pay for the entrance to the route according to the tariffs Sochi National Park 200 rubles per person (until 2021, the fee was only 100 USD). In our opinion, this is a somewhat inflated price for such a not very diverse and spectacular route, but fortunately there is often no one at the ticket office at the entrance, and you can safely take up the trail for free. So that tourists do not pass for free during the cashier, signs are hung at the entrance to the trail like "repairs are underway, passage is prohibited, "but in fact there is nothing like that, and all tourists pass unhindered. Even if there is a cashier at the entrance, there is still a way to get on the trail for free. To do this, you need to find an inconspicuous path from Berezovaya street behind building 49, and follow it. Getting lost on it is difficult, but if there is no experience, it is better to use navigation through applications like Organic Maps, OSM et al. There is also a free trail to the right of the main entrance about 50 meters also from Berezovaya street, but there is a very steep climb.
• The official route or eco-trail of Achipse is circular. From the main entrance, you will first go a little to the fork, and then you can go to either of the two sides, and if you do not get off the route anywhere, you will return to the same place.
• There are climbs on the trail, but you will not need special skills and equipment to pass. You can go through it even in slippers, although for safety reasons we recommend sports or trekking shoes.
• The observation deck when visiting the fortress of Achipse is certainly worth a visit, but keep in mind that it is not equipped in any way and is just a piece of rock. It is not difficult to climb it, but be careful with children-it is dangerous. It is reached by an unmarked branch from the main trail, which is not so easy to detect without knowledgeable people or navigation through applications like Organic Maps, OSM, etc. As a landmark, this branch starts from a recreation area fenced with wooden barriers along the route, and some tourists mistake this particular platform for an observation deck. When you find the path to the observation deck, you will only have a couple of minutes to walk along it to the rock.

We also advise you to see interesting options for individual and group excursions on these proven sites:

• 📷 search for excursions in Krasnaya Polyana on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 excursions in Krasnaya Polyana from the tour operator TEZ Tour
• 📷 search for excursions in Krasnaya Polyana on Tripster.ru