A few tips for novice Abkhaz tourists

Going on a trip

Abkhazia is a very specific holiday on the Black Sea coast. Before you go there, weigh everything FOR and AGAINST, so that later there was no disappointment from the spent vacation.

FOR:

• Another clean sea. Why else? Because Sochi 2014 is nearing, construction is actively underway, and I am 100% sure that Abkhazia will be attracted to this construction. As our meetingee told us, the plans are huge. Priority plans, to open and improve the airport, so that the planes did not fly to Adler, but to Sukhum. Secondly, the plans to simplify the transition of the border ... but this is all plans and plans, for now ...
• Cheapness of rest in comparison with Sochi hotels.
• Endless mountains and the primeval nature.

AGAINST:

• The war with Georgia was not so long ago, 92-93, the infrastructure is not fully restored, so be prepared for the fact that there will be destroyed houses, bridges, etc. on the way. Are you ready to see all this? This is undeniably difficult. Some tourists compare the past Gagra 80-ies and the current - it's absolutely different things!
• Some recreation facilities are classified as "very economical". But this will be a separate conversation.

Destination - Abkhazia

You all weighed it and decided to go. Getting there is very easy.

We go all the way to Adler. Trains run every day. From Moscow, a high-speed service is available, but the journey will take more than 24 hours. Long? Then your option is an airplane. Flights from Moscow are sent daily. The duration of the flight is only 2 hours. The airport and the railway station in Adler are nearby, in a distance of 30-40 minutes from each other. And remember: you come to Adler, and fly to Sochi, here is such a paradox.

Border and transfer

Here its big zamorochki. You can reach the border yourself, BUT, do not forget about the construction and many kilometers of traffic jams. Marshrutka from the cork will not turn anywhere and will stand in it, and a shuttle or taxi will take you, as a rule, on a freer road. The cost of the transfer and taxi is the same. And again a small nuance: the taxi driver will take you only to the border, and a shuttle to the place of your rest.

I'll give advice, if you still do not order a transfer, then ... A small example from life: we rested in the "Boxwood Grove", went there remarkably, without traffic jams, quickly to the border and from it ... but back, left the boarding house at 10:00 am, and in Adler, at the railway station we were at 14-00!

More about the transfer. An accompanying person leads you across the border. The road is long, about a kilometer across the market and bumps. If you decide to give him your suitcase, you will have to pay 150 rubles for this. He will guide you through the checkpoint, to the second car. That is, to the border you are traveling on one machine, after the border to another. All this complicated procedure is organized for faster passage of the border. By the way, on the border there is a "duty free", if you have free time, visit.

About Passports

The passport can be any, Russian or foreign. I crossed the border on a canceled passport. The tour was a wedding tour and I did not have time to change my passport. Just in case, they took a marriage certificate, but they did not even look at it.

About insurance

To be honest, why the insurance on the border, we did not understand. You get the form of Abkhazosgostrakh with a stamp and EVERYTHING.

Where to call on the case, who to contact - nothing will be explained. But insurance must be paid, since it is still another state and our health insurance policies do not operate there.

We were insured by the tour operator, which is much more reliable, but I was still reinsured and insured in an insurance company independent of tourism from an accident, is it not enough that.

You are in Abkhazia

How to rest only for you.

• Plus the private sector, no doubt, in cheapness.
• Plus an organized trip: you are already waiting, you have three meals a day, a warm room, a cozy area and a clean beach.

When to go

To be honest, this weather does not understand. In July and August it was hot, but there were frequent rains and thunderstorms.

We were in October, afraid to freeze, but the temperature was + 30 ° C, and we bathed. Judging by the cost of permits, of course, June, July, August and September are the most expensive months.

Sea

The sea is cleaner in Pitsunda, although the rest there is more calm. This resort is more suitable for those who are tired of the hustle and bustle.

In Gagra, the sea is not so clean, but rest is a bit more fun. Still, this is a resort town and nightlife is more active here than in Pitsunda.

Excursions

Question: where to buy? I came to the conclusion that it is better to arrange outside the hotel, and on the route that you need. To make it very simple. As it was with us - you leave the gate, there are a lot of cars in the parking lot, they call and offer various options. We from the Boxwood Grove went to Gagra to the market for souvenirs, it cost us 600 rubles. At the same time the driver drove us to the clothing market, waited there, then drove to the fruit and then back to the boarding house. You can also go on any excursion. At the hotel it will cost more than 200-300 rubles.

What to Buy

This is a separate song. I'm going to Abkhazia for food for wine and for local seasonings, for me it's a whole ritual. If I do not have Abkhazian condiments, then dinner was not a success. This year we decided to bring honey from there, at a price much cheaper than in Russia. You can buy mountain or lime.

What to take from Abkhazia? Of course, wine! Money on it do not regret (we are talking about the number, if that). What do private traders buy carefully, but do not buy at all. This wine is not worth a long time. It is better to buy wine in glass factory bottles. There is nothing more remarkable than this wine!

Also from Abkhazia they bring mandarins, persimmons and nuts. We also discovered their local fish ... The Abkhazians cook it very well. Do not regret it, try a smoked fish on the beach.

Freshly squeezed juices are best not to be transported across the border, unfortunately, they are perishable.

In general, Abkhaz cuisine is a separate conversation!

View from the sea to Gagra

Waterfall, New Athos

Mountains in Abkhazia