Abkhazia. “Stone Bag” is a gorge in the Yupshar Canyon. The road to Lake Ritsa: attractions, legends, tips and photographs The road to Ritsa
Per day!
There are many natural attractions in the vicinity of the Gagra resort. One of the most attractive objects not only of Gagra, but of the entire Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is high mountain lake Ritsa.
Road to Lake Ritsa
The first road connecting the coastal highway with the pearl of the mountains was built in 1936.
The road to Lake Ritsa goes past the settlements of the Gagra resort, turns left from the highway and enters the picturesque Bzyb gorge, where the current is squeezed by high rocks. The flow of the Bzybi slows down, its channel expands, and it flows into the sea in two branches.
Village Bzyb
Before the mouth of the gorge is the ancient village of Bzyb. Its antiquity is evidenced by the ruins of the fortress, which are clearly visible on the rock hanging over the highway.
Bzyb(translated as “river gorge”) one of the most beautiful and turbulent rivers of the Western Caucasus. It originates from the eternal snows of the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range at an altitude of 2300 meters, runs down the slopes of mountains densely covered with forest, and receives many tributaries. The total length of the river is 101 kilometers.
Vacationers and tourists will find many interesting places on the way to Lake Ritsa. In the vicinity of the village of Bzyb there are state farm lands where tobacco, corn, and citrus fruits are cultivated. Behind the village, in the forest clearings, numerous apiaries are visible everywhere. The history of beekeeping in Abkhazia goes back to ancient times.
Even the ancient Greek writers Xenophon (IV century BC) and Strabo (1st century BC) noted the great development of this branch of the economy among the ancestors of modern Abkhazians. Honey and wax have always been an important sector of the economy of Abkhazia, finding constant demand in overseas trade markets.
As a rule, bees were bred by local Abkhaz tribes that inhabited the foothills and river gorges. But especially favorable conditions for beekeeping have developed in the Bzyb River gorge. The abundance of vegetation and wild honey plants in the meadows and clearings allows the population of the republic to receive large incomes from beekeeping.
But the secret lies not only in the area’s honey plants. The gray native mountain bee is bred here Abkhazian. has gained worldwide fame for its high productivity, peacefulness and other valuable qualities. In particular, the Abkhazian is famous for its large flight radius and long, up to 7 millimeters, proboscis, which allows it to collect nectar, even if it is located deep in the calyx of the flower. Her honey is incomparable to the honey of other bees in terms of its exceptional taste and healing qualities. Over the past decades, the Abkhazian has been cultivated in large numbers in the USA, in a number of Western European countries and other areas of the globe.
Waterfalls of Maiden's and Man's Tears
Having traveled a short distance from the village of Bzyb, tourists will suddenly see a rainbow. Thin streams of crystal water, as if protruding from a stone, pour from somewhere above. That is how it is. This fabulous waterfall, formed by meltwater filtering through the thickness of limestone rocks, has a poetic name "Girl's Tears".
A beautiful legend glorifies this natural phenomenon.
“A long time ago,” the old people say, “only one family lived in these places. The only daughter, a beauty named Amra, went to the banks of the Bzybi to herd goats and sang songs that reached her lover, who lived in the mountains. The girl was so good and her songs were so good that the heart of the mermaid who lived in the waters of Bzybi flared with jealousy. One day, unable to bear the beauty of Amra. A mermaid climbed onto a rock and wanted to throw the girl down. The beautiful Amra cried bitterly. Her girlish tears flowed down the rock and reached the river. In response to the call for help, the god of water rose from the river. He menacingly called out to the envious mermaid. And she turned into stone out of fear. But in memory of Amra’s rescue, springs still ooze from under the rock...
And Amra's beloved, Adgur. While hunting in the mountains at that time, I suddenly felt pain in my heart. He realized that some kind of misfortune was threatening his beloved, and that he could not help her... The warrior’s stingy tears fell on the stone...”
And so, as if confirming the ancient legend, a few kilometers further, Blue lake, which has yet to be reached, ooze from the stone rare, stingy men's tears...
Not far from the “Maiden’s Tears”, on the left bank of the river, there is a grotto. Here in 1937, archaeologist L.N. Solovyov discovered objects more than 4 thousand years old.
A kilometer from here, to the left of a small clearing, there is a cave called Barrier. During the rainy season, an underground river flows over its threshold. During the dry season you can get into it. This is a fairly large cave with an underground lake.
Cars are running further and further. To the right of the road rises a dark green wall of trees, unusual for these places. These are Himalayan cedars that found their second home in the Caucasus. The cedar was planted in 1938 and has already become a shady grove. Many pets migrated from here to the streets, parks and squares of Abkhazia. This tree is widely used for landscaping coastal cities, reaches a height of 50 meters, its wood is used in shipbuilding, piles, parquet are made from it, and expensive furniture is trimmed with it.
Above the cedar grove, a high hill rises to the sky, on the top of which, among a dense deciduous forest, stands an ancient watchtower - Hasanta-Abaa. The tower is surrounded by a powerful wall one and a half meters thick. This fortification was apparently erected about 700 years ago. In the Middle Ages, the Hasanta-Abaa tower blocked the enemy's path. which usually moved along the road from the Sancharsky, Daursky and Adzybsky passes. If the enemy managed to break past the tower, he was detained by the garrison of the Bzyb fortress located below.
In those days, its owners were practically invulnerable. And even now it’s not so easy to climb this hill! A slightly noticeable trail starts from the left bank of the Bzyb River. But before getting on this trail, tourists will have to cross the river at the 10th kilometer and only then climb the slopes of the hill. But all their efforts will be rewarded handsomely. From the platform on which the tower stands, a magnificent panorama of the gorge and surrounding mountains opens up. You can get inside the tower via a ladder...
Its surface is completely calm, although it is clear that right next to it a deep mountain stream is noisily pouring into it from under the rock. Blue lake of karst origin. It is small: its area is only 180 square meters, but its depth reaches 76 m. Sapphire is an almost exact comparison. The lake is blue, surprisingly bright in color, which does not fade or darken even in the most inclement weather.
An ancient legend says:
“Where the Blue Lake is now, in ancient times there was a cave in which a hundred-year-old man lived - Priests. His snow-white beard hung almost to the ground, and his unusually blue eyes radiated wisdom and kindness. This man, wise from life experience, was a famous hunter in the past. As he grew old, he moved away from people to be closer to nature and settled in a cave. Local hunters often came to him for advice, for his knowledge of mountain trails, the habits of animals and the possibilities of shooting them. For his useful advice, the hunters considered it their duty, when returning home, to leave him one skin of a killed animal and part of the meat.
One day, during inclement weather, strangers found themselves in these places and asked to spend the night in a cave with an old man. He received them hospitably. Having treated them, the hermit showed them a place to stay for the night, laying out the skins of killed animals for them. Having seen a large number of skins of bison, bears, deer, roe deer, and martens, the greedy guests decided to take possession of them. Having killed the owner, they hastily began to put the skins into bags. Almost all the skins had already been collected when an unexpectedly powerful stream of water blocked the exit from the cave. The attackers were trapped. This is how the Blue Lake, or the Lake of the Abkhazian Elder, was formed, the waters of which resemble the blue eyes of the old man, whose body remained at the bottom, and his open eyes gave an unusual color to the waters of the lake.”
This is how the legend explains it. But in fact, according to experts, the bottom of the lake is covered with deposits of the mineral lapis lazuli, and the water is absolutely transparent.
The average water temperature in the lake is plus 7 degrees and only on the hottest days rises to plus 10 degrees. The lake does not freeze all year round, but it would be in vain to take your fishing rods out of their cases, even if you are an inveterate fisherman: there is no fish here. But nearby, in the Bzyb River, there is as much of it as you like. Blue Lake is fed by the waters of an underground river starting on the slopes of a high mountain Akhtsykh.
Gega River
The Bzyb becomes narrower and more turbulent, where it receives the waters of one of its tributaries - the Gega. White cascades of the Gagra massif falling from the heights. The length of the river is 26 km. Gega originates on the northeastern slope of the Tepe-Bashi ridge at an altitude of 2420 m above sea level.
Gorge Bzyb higher Gega not mastered. There is a quiet silence here, there are no roads or populated areas; this section of the gorge is extremely wild and beautiful: rocky cliffs alternate with slopes undermined by dense forest.
Cars cross the river, and now Bzyb is left behind, and the road goes deeper into the valley Gega. It winds through a deep gorge. The slopes are densely covered with coniferous and deciduous forests. There is a lot of oak and linden, hornbeam and maple here. Dense maple wood is consumed as carpentry material, and musical instruments are made from it. Maple is found here up to an altitude of 1900 meters above sea level. You can also find yew - mahogany - in the gorges. Extremely dense yellow-red yew wood is used to make high-quality furniture. Here an inquisitive tourist can see a strawberry tree. Apart from this place, it is found in Abkhazia only on the steep banks of the village of Mussera. In ancient times, the strawberry tree grew in other regions of Abkhazia and beyond. This is evidenced by the remains found by paleobotanists in the fossil flora of the Black Sea region. They were first discovered by the famous botanist Professor A. A. Kolakovsky in the river basin Kodor.
To the side of the road along Geg, deep and narrow gorges are visible. Huge fragments of rocks are piled up in them, and evergreen thickets of boxwood stretch upward. The boxwood tree is often called the Caucasian palm or diamond tree. Its wood is highly valued. It grows extremely slowly and by 500 years it rarely reaches the height of a five-year-old cedar. The export of boxwood from the Caucasian gorges began in ancient times. Shuttles for looms, woodblock prints, various decorations and artistic products were made from boxwood. There is evidence that some of the wooden decorations of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris are made from Caucasian boxwood. According to medieval writers, Abkhazian boxwood in Europe was sold at retail, almost by the gram.
At the beginning of the 19th century, local merchants tried to develop the Bzyb forests. Thus, it is known that one of them procured pine for Turkish ships in Bzybi. Somewhat later, large Russian capitalists became interested in the Bzyb forests.
Following them, foreign capitalists extended their tentacles here. Already in 1893, the Belgian joint-stock company was negotiating with the tsarist government about transferring the forest to the company for development. With the permission of the tsarist authorities, the Belgians had already begun to survey the forests, but, fortunately, the revolution prevented them from destroying the people's property.
Now the Bzyb forests are carefully protected by the state; logging for industrial purposes is not permitted.
Yupshara River
Suddenly, a giant stone wall crosses the road. There seems to be no further way. But the stone retreats before man. Cars rush under its arches. The cliffs are closing in again. Gega remains to the left; Yupshara, flowing out of Lake Ritsa, hurries towards Gega. The length of the river is relatively small - 11 km. Now, if you continue the path along the bed of the Gega River, you can reach the famous Gega Waterfall and the Circassian Glade.
The road to Ritsa now leads us along the river bank Yupshara, By Yupsharsky Gorge. This is one of the most picturesque places in the Caucasus, famous for its unique beauty. The length of the gorge is 8 km. The path becomes steeper and steeper. The mountains close together sharply. It gets noticeably darker. Green and reddish mosses hang from steep half-kilometer-long eaves. The most picturesque and majestic section of the route begins - the Yupshar Canyon. Apparently, it began with a giant crack that pushed the rocks apart, which was subsequently washed away by the Yupshara River.
But now the sun floods everything around. The Yupshar Gate has been passed. Now the road goes over the canyon at a dizzying height. A tingling sensation begins in the ears, hearing becomes dulled - this is caused by a sharp drop in atmospheric pressure.
Finally, when the height reaches a thousand meters, tourists have a view of Lake Ritsa. He was surrounded by high mountains— Agepsta(3263 m), Atsetuk(2542 m) and Pshegishkha(2222 m). Wooded slopes are reflected in the emerald mirror of water. Agepsta and Atsetuk are covered with forest, and the steep Pshegishkha is lifeless and bare. Scientists drew attention to this difference in the appearance of the mountains surrounding Ritsu. This helped them solve the mystery of Ritsa's origin. Apparently, powerful tectonic shifts occurred in this area relatively recently. As a result of these shifts, part of the valley of the Lashupse River, which now flows into Ritsa from the northeast, sank, while in the area of the Pshegishkha ridge there was an uplift of the earth's crust. The shifts caused enormous collapses of the northeastern slope of the ridge. Thus, this marvelous mountain lake was born at an altitude of 926 meters above sea level.
The Legend of Lake Ritsa
Without a doubt, this catastrophe occurred within the memory of the ancient inhabitants of Abkhazia. The thunderous rumbles of avalanches, collapsing and rising mountains were reflected and refracted in their own way in the poetic creativity of the Abkhaz people. Abkhazians tell many legends about Lake Ritsa. Here is one of such legends.
“It was so long ago that even the thousand-year-old boxwood, even the stormy Bzyb River, do not remember how Lake Ritsa appeared. But one shepherd found out about this, who climbed into the mountains in search of good pasture for his sheep. This legend was told to him by a loud, talkative stream. The shepherd retold this legend to his children, the children to their grandchildren, and those to their great-grandchildren...
Once upon a time in the mountains of Abkhazia, in the place where Lake Ritsa lies, there was a valley through which a wide river flowed. She carried her waters to the sea and was so calm that even a child could swim in her without fear.
Along the banks of the river there are lush pastures where the girl Ritsa grazed her herd. She was so beautiful that even the crimson mountain tulips could not compete with the color of her lips, the sea could not overshadow the blue and sparkle of her eyes, and the snow on the peaks seemed black compared to the whiteness of her face. Her braids looked like long, writhing snakes, black as agate.
Ritsa had three brothers: the elder Agepsta, the middle Atsetuk and the youngest Pshegishkha. The brothers spent whole days wandering in the mountains and hunting fast-footed gazelles. In the evening they returned to Ritsa and sat by the fire. Ritsa fried meat, and the brothers sang songs.
The mountains listened to these songs and, falling asleep, were wrapped in thick fog.
One day the brothers said goodbye to their sister and went far into the mountains for prey. A hot day passed, the mountains were colored with the crimson of the sunset, and the brothers did not return. Ritsa waited for them for a long time, then she gathered the herd not far from the river and, without lighting the fire, lay down on the bank. She closed her eyes and sang a song. Her voice flowed so smoothly and beautifully, was filled with such charm that the night birds stopped calling to each other and the streams stopped their flow. All nature listened to Ritsa's voice.
Two forest robbers, brothers Gega and Yupshara, heard this song. The elder turned to the younger: “Go, Yupshara, find out who is singing in the valley? Who has such a charming voice?
He whipped Yupshar's horse and rushed off, not making out the road, in the direction from which Ritsa's song was coming. He stopped his horse at the cliff and saw a girl lying on the river bank. Yupshara was numb. He had never met such a beauty. Bestial passion flared up in the evil heart. He rushed to Ritsa and grabbed her into his arms. Ritsa began to cry out for help and began to struggle in his arms.
A mountain falcon saw this. Spreading his wings, he flew like an arrow to his brothers and told them about what was threatening their sister. Anger flared in the hearts of the brothers. They rushed headlong, hoping to help their sister.
But it was too late... Yupshara did not let Ritsu out of his arms. Then Pshagnshkha raised his heroic shield and threw it at the rapist, but missed. The shield fell across the river and blocked the flow. Water rushed onto the shore.
Ritsa saw that a huge lake was spilling at her feet. Longing filled her heart. The girl could not bear the shame, she cried out sadly and threw herself into the lake...
Yupshara felt the icy touch of the waves and fled. The brothers rushed in pursuit of him and overtook him. Agepsta grabbed him with his mighty hand and threw him into the lake. But the water boiled, threw Yupshara over Pshegishkha’s shield and carried her into the sea.
In vain Yupshara clung to the bushes bent near the banks, tearing them out by the roots. Gega, who ran after him along the shore, could not save him either...
And the three brothers, overcome with grief, turned to stone and turned into high mountains. They still stand above the clear water of the lake, guarding Ritsa’s eternal sleep.”
The surface area of the lake is 0.67 square meters. km, or 132 hectares. Its greatest length is 1704 meters, its greatest width is 447 meters, and its greatest depth is 115 meters. The length of the coastline is 4.29 kilometers.
The lake is fed by waters Lashupse and small streams that arise from the spurs of Mount Atsetuk. The banks of the Ritsa are rugged and in some places represent an inaccessible cliff. The water of Ritsa is of many shades of dark green. This is explained by the fact that in different places it has different degrees of transparency. Ritsa has an abundance of trout, which can be enjoyed in a restaurant on the shore. There is also a boarding house with a restaurant here, and on the opposite bank in the ravine there is a kebab shop and apatskha (national restaurant), where kebab, hominy with cheese, smoked meat, and fresh trout caught in the lake are served.
In the vicinity of Lake Ritsa, lovers of mountain tourism will find many attractions. 5 km northwest of the lake between the Lashupse and Yupshara tracts, in the Gega River basin, there is a lake Malaya Ritsa, lying 300 meters above Bolshaya. Its greatest length is 234 meters, width - 130 meters, depth - 80 meters. Malaya Ritsa is difficult to access, but a tourist who reaches the lake will be rewarded with a charming view.
From Bolshaya Ritsa tourists head to Avadhar mineral springs, located at an altitude of 1650-1700 meters above sea level. On this section of the route (18 km), tourists see harsh mountain peaks and endless forests, where many wild animals live.
The car is walking along the steep slope of Mount Rykhva. A magnificent panorama of the gorge and mountains covered with beech forest opens up to tourists. This is the central section of the Ritsa-Avadhara Nature Reserve, founded in 1930. Here, as in other places of the reserve, the brown Caucasian bear is found. In the spring, after hibernation, bears descend into river valleys, and in the summer they rise closer to alpine meadows.
Wild boars are also found in the Bzyb forests. Sometimes they rise from the base of the mountains to a height of more than 2500 meters above sea level. Often wild boars descend into the valleys.
Among the predators living in the reserve are wolves, foxes, and jackals. The Black Sea wolf is small in stature and has light gray fur. Wolves also climb into alpine meadows in the summer and sometimes attack livestock. Before sunset, the frantic barking of jackals can be heard throughout the reserve - they are getting ready to hunt.
Wild Caucasian cats weighing up to 8 kg are also found in the Bzyb forests; and in the valley of the Lashupsa and Avadhara rivers the marten is found. But among the 25 species of fauna of the reserve, the inhabitants of the highlands are of particular interest: tur, roe deer and Caucasian chamois.
The king of the Ritsa-Avadhar Reserve is called the noble Caucasian deer, which, unfortunately, has been almost completely exterminated in the Caucasus. There are three dozen deer preserved in the reserve.
There are also many birds here. Among them there are rare ones that are not found in other places in Transcaucasia.
Having examined the central part of the reserve, we find ourselves in a river valley protected by mountain ranges from the northern winds Avadhara. This valley is considered one of the most beautiful places in the Caucasus. But it is interesting not only for its landscapes: in its depths there are huge reserves of healing mineral water.
A lot of work to identify the local healing springs was carried out by the famous Abkhaz balneologist Professor A.L. Grigolia. One of the sources he studied, “Ritsa No. 4,” has a flow rate of up to 6 thousand liters per day. In its physical and chemical composition and medicinal properties, the water of Avadhar springs resembles the famous mineral waters “Borjomi” and the French “Vichy”.
Even the day before, when purchasing an excursion to a trout farm, we also took care of continuing the cultural program - we made an advance payment for the trip to Ritsa. In addition to Ritsa herself, Lavrik promised us many more interesting things - the Gegsky waterfall, and Stalin’s dacha, and high-mountain mineral springs in Auadkhara, and alpine meadows, and Lake Mzy. However, he somehow avoided a direct answer to the question about the reality of ending up on Lake Mzy, but for some reason we did not attach much importance to this...
The departure happened long before dawn, very early in the morning of September 29th. An empty truck with a guide arrived straight to the house, picked up the four of us (who, by the way, had time to have breakfast!), and went to the resort. At the resort, PAZik was completely filled with a motley crowd of people of different ages - there were no empty seats left at all - and we went on an excursion. The guy-tour guide spoke quite smoothly all the way about the surrounding area, entertained tourists with stories and generally tried to wake up the sleepy people. People woke up reluctantly, the guy managed to get feedback very, very slowly, around the first stop on Blue Lake. By this time it was just dawn, and it made sense to take out the camera. The bus passed all the bullshit level of the "Maiden's Tears" waterfalls without stopping, but there wasn't really anything to see there either.
Having warmed up on the Blue Lake (some people have already begun to warm up here not only in the literal sense, but also in the sense of chacha and wine, fortunately trade is developed near the lake!), We loaded back onto the bus and drove on. And they didn’t stop until the Geg waterfall. It falls off to the side of the main road; a broken serpentine dirt road leads to it. There is a classic serpentine road, by the way - there is a cliff on the left, a rock on the right, there is nowhere to pass an oncoming car. To the question “how will we pass oncoming traffic, if so?” the guide confidently answered “we are bigger!” =) The waterfall turned out to be beautiful and large-scale, and only seemed small from a distance. The main part of the people jumped a little at the waterfall, clicked against its background, and went back to the bus and apatskhe (to warm up, of course). We and several other people managed to wait for this happy moment and understood the waterfall without the ubiquitous people. However, there are still a number of people in the photographs - for scale;) On the way back to the highway, at one of the serpentine turns, we made another stop - at the so-called. "Waterfall of Lovers" on Gega, where those who wished could fly over the river and waterfall on a "bunge". Vovka, for example, flew, and he has photographs from this flight. Where are they, Vova?.. ;)
After the Yupshar Canyon, where people continued to warm up with you know what, the road began to quickly gain altitude, and we rolled out to Ritsa.
Bzyb River. It's finally dawn, we're going to the mountains.
Lake Tskhina (Blue).
Depth - up to 76 meters, the water is clear.
Bridge near the Blue Lake. Under the bridge there is a drainage of water from the lake and a garbage dump.
Shabaka! A patient Caucasian guarding an apatskhu near the Geg waterfall.
Nosyara! =)
Chestnut... Yes, he is real. Yes, it's edible. No, I can't reach him :(
Dolichos.
Presumably savory.
Black elderberry.
Gega is a small mountain river, a tributary of the Bzybi.
Gegsky waterfall from the bridge.
So small, right?
Bridge over Gega.
If you come closer, it becomes clear that the waterfall is not small at all. Height - 50 meters.
The Gegsky Falls played the role of the Reichenbach Falls in "Sherlock Holmes" - remember, there Dr. Moriarty pushed Sherlock into the waterfall.
Look for the little people in the photos, they are placed there for scale :)
Here you can see the scale very well.
Harsh Abkhazian water supply system detected!
In the grotto.
Eternal drops from the ceiling of the grotto.
Falls of lovers. This is the Gega River, just above the confluence with the Bzyb and just below the Gega waterfall.
The “bunge rope” at the “fall of lovers” consists of an unlucky tourist, a metal cable, a climbing harness, a winch and an elderly Abkhazian =)
Flying Wolves! =)
Yupsharsky Canyon (Yupsharsky Gate, Stone Bag - there are many names, choose any).
The canyon has steep walls.
View of the canyon from the viewing point "Farewell, Motherland!" It's a very long way to fly down... Meanwhile, there's less than a kilometer left to go to Ritsa! :)
4. Ritsa and Gegsky waterfall
Everyone knows about the reserve and the high-mountain lake Ritsa in Abakhzia. This is a kind of calling card of the “country of the soul”. Excursion buses go to Ritsa from the Krasnodar Territory, almost from near Rostov, of course, from Sochi and Adler. And this picturesque corner of Abkhazia is worth visiting at least once.
The road to Ritsa is known to all local residents and it will not be difficult to join any excursion. It’s even more interesting to go on your own. The turn to the reserve is located approximately 15 km from Gagra, 8-10 km after the turn to Pitsunda. You should move along the main highway of Abkhazia, the Sukhumi highway towards the capital. The turn to the reserve is duplicated by an incredibly beautiful and original sign - it is made of mosaic. These are blue pebbles in the form of a background, on which a directional arrow is laid out in white, straight to Sukhum, right to Ritsa. The road itself will go to the left, into the mountains, but the turn is really right; this is one of the few two-level interchanges in Abkhazia.
From the moment you turn, almost 60 percent of the way the speed will be limited by various signs. Don’t rush, the most picturesque climb begins, the surroundings become so beautiful that it’s impossible to describe in words, suitable epithets are not selected. The road stretches along the mountain river - Bzyb. This river is full-flowing in the spring, with a powerful, rapid current, and practically dries up by the end of summer. Literally 5 kilometers after the start of the climb, the excursion buses make their first stop, near the tension foot bridge across the Bzyb. Stop too. There are several such bridges there, at least three, it seems. If you stop at each of them, you will never regret it, but one will be enough for the overall picture of your impressions. Here you can walk along the bridge, which is frightening with its fragility and unreliability. And under the bridge the river is raging. And it is here, standing above it, that you can feel all its strength, all the power of the natural elements and... be horrified. The bridge is so fragile and weightless that it seems as if you are floating above this water storm and one awkward careless movement can interrupt your flight and fall into this abyss. Scary and at the same time incredibly delightful. For some reason, I remembered Lermontov’s “Mtsyri” all the way to Ritsa, and especially vividly above the river. Here you can already find tents selling high-mountain honey, churchkhela, wine, etc.
Bridge over Bzyb
The bridge does not inspire confidence
We continue moving. Very soon you will encounter a checkpoint - the entrance to the reserve. Everything here is grown-up, like at some traffic police post, a barrier, a bright sign, people in uniform. Entry into the territory of the reserve is paid; money is charged per unit of equipment (that is, for one car, for example) and for each tourist who travels in this equipment. We were not inspected particularly carefully, I mean, the question of buying three tickets or two remains more on the conscience of tourists. Entrance is moderately expensive, they charged us about 700 rubles for the whole car and three tourists, it seems.
Not far from the checkpoint, at the thirteenth kilometer of the road, you will make a forced stop. Forced because it is impossible to drive further without stopping. There are always a lot of buses here, crowded and crowded. The road turns right, and in front of it, on the left, is the famous “Blue Lake”. It is small and hundreds of stories about its beauty seem exaggerated in comparison with its size. But it is truly amazing; I have never seen such a bright, rich natural color before. And it is deep blue, sapphire, in any light, we drove through it in different weather. But it will still be great if at the time of making the same trip it is clear and sunny, the lake will sparkle especially brightly.
In front of the lake there is a fairly large market of about 50 stalls. They sell everything here: wine, honey, churchkhella, nuts, tea. I may seem blasphemous and monstrously wrong, but we didn’t find any tasty good wine there, we didn’t buy honey, we only ate nuts in fruit juice. In front of the lake is a stuffed bear in a fur hat and a live peacock. Sometimes you can meet a local resident with an owl or falcon/hawk. All these are props for photography, and they are paid for. Don't buy it. The lake is so beautiful that this bear or you in a hat will look simply wild and tasteless in the photo. And the peacock, although scanty, is really good.
All of Abkhazia in one photo
The road continues moving into the mountains, the ascent becomes pronounced. Although the asphalt was laid a long time ago, it was well preserved most of the way, although some half-collapsed bridges across the Bzyb make your heart skip a beat. Yes, Abkhazians are like that; they cannot preserve or decorate everything they have. Maybe they really need someone’s constant yoke. While there were Turkey, Georgia and the Soviet Union, life in the country seemed to have a tendency to improve. According to legend, the road was built by Germans captured after the Second World War, here in the mountains, as if my grandfather was guarding them, I heard this story from my parents. Probably it is precisely in the German origin that lies this monumentality, thoughtfulness and reliability of the road, which has not been restored or repaired for so many years, but has retained its reliability. When you move along it, you find yourself as if in the Soviet Union, in that happy time when “Operation Y”, “Prisoner of the Caucasus”, “The Diamond Arm”, etc. were filmed. Nowadays they don’t build like that anymore. Sometimes, above the steep slope along the bend, there are simple low granite pillars, painted long ago with black and white stripes.
The thoughtfulness of the road is amazing. Some sections are cut through the mountain; you move along dilapidated tunnel arms, like in a subway. In some areas, there are anti-landslide shields installed due to possible and frequent rockfalls. And permanent bridges, from left to right, from right to left. The road winds along the bed of the high-mountain river Bzyb and constantly switches from one bank to the other.
Tunnels cut right through the mountain
We must pay tribute that, like on the Sochi serpentine road, here every dangerous turn is duplicated by the corresponding signs, some old, some new. And I recommend following them, especially those that regulate speed limits. Sometimes it is even dangerous to take a turn at the maximum speed limit due to the fact that you may simply miss the path of an oncoming car or bus. Be careful, you only have one life, don’t be reckless. From time to time, as when climbing to the Gagra observation deck, you may encounter the consequences of rockfalls. There are heavy boulders on the road, which can only be driven around in one lane. In some areas the road has collapsed and the edge of the asphalt has already turned into a cliff. Well, not all bridges are maintained in perfect condition. You can get a lot of fears on the way to Ritsa, especially if you drive in an open UAZ somewhere on the radar.
Along the way you can come across an inconspicuous steep road into the mountains, stone, as if covered with gravel. And before a sharp rise, there are usually one or two UAZ “bobbies” on duty. This is the turn to the Gegsky waterfall, we will return to it on the way back. Before it, you probably already passed the “Women’s” and “Male Tears” waterfalls. Stops there are planned for all tourists, there are a lot of photo props such as the car from the famous “Prisoner of the Caucasus” and quite ordinary dads and ceremonial costumes of the highlanders. I would only stay there if it's hot. The “male” waterfall is very invigorating; if you climb up the platform to it, there is a lot of suspended water that settles on everything, on clothes, shoes, etc. It’s superbly refreshing.
The next notable stop will be the “Stone Bag” or Yupshar Gate (official name). The place is extremely picturesque. Huge, tall, steep mountain slopes surround the road in two hemispheres, and it, in turn, makes a slight bend in the center of the two hemispheres. Being in the center of this bend, you feel surrounded on all sides by mountains, hence the name of the place - Stone Bag. If you imagine a giant’s huge hand above you, holding the bag by the neck, and yourself inside it, everything falls into place. Here you can come across a huge boulder, on top of which you can capture your loved one, including in a hat. It’s scary at the top, although not very high, about three meters. There is a fee for climbing the boulder, a symbolic 30 rubles. Here you can climb the slopes of the mountains and, again, take photos; they are not as scary as on a block of stone, but much higher and more beautiful. In the center of the "Stone Bag" you can find a relatively decent paid public toilet, the amenities of which you can use, bearing in mind that it will only get worse and more beautiful in the future. It is physically impossible to miss the Yupshar Gate. The chain of tourist transport in front of you slows down and makes a mandatory stop.
The entire subsequent route will not take much time. There is still a lot of driving left, almost as much as was covered from the checkpoint, but you are already rising to such a height that thoughts of time fade before thoughts of the eternal. While the driver works and controls the transport, the gaze clings to the slopes of the opposite mountains, to the impenetrable relict forests, and the invisible beds of mountain rivers. The road sometimes comes close to the edge of the roadway, if a guide is moving with you, he will definitely tell several stories about careless tourists who became victims of these mountains, these unexpected cliffs... But don’t worry, even an inexperienced driver can handle the road and will be able to get underway on the hill without sliding backwards, who, when stopping, will first let all the passengers out and then only get out himself, and then, on the contrary, will be the first to take the place, who will once again be on the safe side and will not accelerate above the limit before a sharp turn.
There are a couple more observation platforms in the immediate vicinity of the Ritsinsky National Nature Reserve. And this time they are actually designed as viewing rooms. Here you can endlessly explore the foothills, rocky slopes and cliffs, forests and rivers, try to make out waterfalls and look at snow-capped mountain peaks. You should park your car here in compliance with all possible safety measures, and I recommend planning this stop on the way back, during the descent.
The fence allegedly appeared after an accident
View of the “stone bag” from the observation deck in front of Lake Ritsa
And then - Ritsa. If you travel by car, be vigilant and attentive, respond to ALL road signs. There is a traffic police post at the top and these hungry parasites are fed by your traffic violations. Attention, stopping along the lake is PROHIBITED, do not pay attention to the fact that local residents and shuttle bus drivers stop their vehicles here in large numbers, this is a provocation, since a bad example is contagious. A little higher, about a kilometer up the road, there is a large paid parking lot for cars, the cost is low, 50 rubles. If you leave the car there, nothing will happen to it or to you, otherwise there is a risk of spoiling your impressions of the lake by prolonged communication with traffic police representatives. The depressing fact is that there is no intelligible and accessible information about where the paid parking is located. Just know, it's right down the road, just above the lake.
Well, the reserve itself does not need a separate description. It is simply worth visiting, you will never regret it. You can join groups of tourists and listen to the stories of their guides about the legends of the formation of the lake and its name, you can rent a catamaran and paddle around the water surface. The only thing I don’t recommend are local cafes. They are unreasonably expensive and the dishes there are extremely rotten. It’s as if you don’t buy them for money, but out of old friendship they prepare them for you, without much desire and for free. But if you prepare well in advance with wine, which is sold in large quantities along the entire ascent to the reserve, then perhaps you will go unnoticed and even enjoy it. Some of our compatriots, who have diligently prepared for such a strong cultural education as a visit to the reserve, manage to swim in Ritsa. The water in the lake, by the way, is cold, does not exceed 17 degrees even in August.
There are a lot of photographs of Ritsa everywhere, I won’t bore you with their repeated demonstration
The descent seems to be even more picturesque than the ascent, but it takes place in sluggish fatigue and is therefore not so impressive. On the way back, I recommend stopping at an observation deck not far from the reserve, although it’s scary there. but terribly beautiful. The journey to Ritsa and back does not exceed 100 km in total, takes on average about 3.5 hours and an hour and a half at the top. If you still have the strength, means and desires, try visiting the Gegsky Waterfall. I'm afraid it's impossible to drive your car if it's not a prepared SUV. I would stop after the Yupshar Gate next to the parking lot of local tourist “bobbies” and negotiate with them. On average, the number of passengers that fit in this Russian jeep does not exceed five people. They usually charge money for the entire car, that is, if there are not enough tourists, then all that is required is to compensate the driver for this shortage. It doesn't cost any extra money to get to the waterfall, so you only pay for the driver's services, and from here they shouldn't be particularly expensive. The drive to the waterfall is not very far, about ten kilometers, and in general, you can walk, but keep in mind that the road is mountainous and the climb is quite steep, so you will need both good shoes and good physical fitness. In response to your positive decision to visit this “shrine” of the Ritsinsky Park, you will be compensated a hundredfold by the indescribable impressions of dizzying cliffs and overhanging slopes over the bed of the stormy Gega River. The road is mostly rocky, there is a lot of light and a lot of air, there are dense forests on the left and right, in which you can hide from the heat and rest if you are tired from the climb.
This photo makes it clear why you should not get into the car before the driver.
Gega - a strong and fast mountain river
At the very top, when the ascent is completed and the car cannot go any further, one way or another you will need to continue moving on foot and here you will need to wade across small but swift cold water streams. Be aware, it is better not to take off your shoes, be prepared to get them wet, the riverbeds are rocky and you can get seriously injured if you walk barefoot. And then this pearl of the mountains, the Gegsky waterfall, will open to your eyes. It is not as small as it seems from afar, and once you get to it you don’t want to leave at all. It’s fresh and cool next to it; in June we observed unmelted snow that remained there for most of the summer and sometimes the whole year. Here, local residents will tell you the story of how the scene of Sherlock Holmes’ fight with Professor Moriarty was filmed on the slopes of the Geg waterfall, and you will involuntarily begin to feel like the hero of that wonderful romantic episode, looking for a crevice in which you could hide and emerge victorious in the fight.
Gegsky waterfall, the pearl of the Ritsinsky reserve
The journey to the waterfall will take you, I think, about 3 hours in both directions (to where your car is parked). Today I would plan a visit to the Ritsinsky reserve with an obligatory excursion along Gega; it is beneficial both from an economic point of view (every time you pass through the checkpoint of the reserve to the top you are forced to buy a new ticket), and from the point of view of the abundance of enthusiastic impressions and masterpiece memorable photographs that have been preserved upon completion of the journey. In total, from Gagra and back with visits to all the sights, the voyage should not take more than eight to nine hours. You can have a snack along the way in many cafes located in places where tourists gather (even at the waterfall we were once fed with local kebab), but I still recommend preparing a packed lunch with you, it will not be superfluous.
The road to Ritsa is beautiful in itself, regardless of the presence of a lake at the end. It passes through a picturesque gorge along mountain rivers, and the landscapes encountered along the way forced us to stop many times for photographs. The road was built in 1936, otherwise we would have had to get to Ritsa along goat paths and shepherd crossings. Now the importance of this route for Abkhazia is difficult to overestimate - during the season tourists are taken to the lake in droves. And this is justified - there is something to look at, there is something to look up and there is someone to give unnecessary money to.
The first part of the path runs along the very pretty Bzyb River, through which there are many bridges and footbridges. This is the largest bridge. The photo was taken from the Bzyb fortress temple, where we are.
But we don't need to cross the bridge. We'll go on this side. Do you see how the mountains meet on the left? Here we go.
Having driven a little towards that very convergence of mountains, we stopped again. What we were unlucky with was the sky. It was cloudy gray, which did not have a good effect on the quality of the photographs.
This is still the same Bzyb River.
Then we stopped at the Maiden's Tears waterfall, ruined by a bunch of ribbons. Well, citizens, if you have an unbearable desire to tie ribbons somewhere, then tie it, for example, to your own ear. Will it be beautiful? Hardly. So why spoil nature?
It's not dripping much here. Really tears.
There is also a neat bridge across the river.
A little later another bridge. Decorated like a Christmas tree.
After another 5 minutes I came across this tower, but I don’t know where it came from or why. If you know, please enter me too.
Next stop in 3 minutes. I went out to take pictures of the river.
Of course, I don’t remember how long after we stopped there. I'm just looking at the time of the photos. This one is in 3 more minutes.
A couple of minutes later we saw a bridge. The boards on it have already partially fallen off and there is a good prospect of falling into the river.
When the sky is not visible, the photos turn out normal)
This is the Yupshar Canyon. The gorge is narrower. At its narrowest point its width is only 20 meters. Once these rocks were a single whole, but they were split by an earthquake. To the delight of tourists who can now travel here.
The rocks are high and sometimes falls from them.
And this falls.
To better understand the size of the boulder, I drove my wife onto it. I’m not being cruel, on the other side, someone enterprisingly added steps and hung a sign “50 rubles per photo.” But we don’t know who should send the money.
23.
This is probably the bottleneck.
Another waterfall. Probably someone else's tears too.
The bridge doesn't look very secure. In general, we are already not far from Ritsa.
It looks like there used to be another bridge nearby. But that's all that's left of him.
Well, I'll finish. I’ll tell you about Lake Ritsa itself
This issue presents photos on the road to Lake Ritsa. Along the way we stopped by, one of the most memorable trips from our vacation.
I had the opportunity to go on this excursion on this device:
1. Our excursion , battered by life, and then by the mountain roads of Abkhazia, Mitsubishi Pajero II.
2. At any time of the year, on all the roads of Abkhazia you can meet cows, as our driver-tour guide said, in the morning they go to work like all people, and in the evening they return :) Moreover, no one is watching them, they are on their own walking.
Local legend about cows walking along the roadway:
There is a belief among the people of Abkhazia that a deceased traffic police officer does not go to heaven or hell. His soul moves into the body of a cow, which walks in large numbers along the roads of the country. This is how they regulate the speed limit on the highways. Perhaps cows really do go to work in the morning....
3. A normal excursion car for trips to the mountains, it’s like a tank!
4. Along the way we admire the views from the window.
On the way, naturally, we couldn’t help but stop for a wine and honey tasting, this is Abkhazia :)
5. Tasting room of a private winery.
6. Some kind of device.
7. It was offered to fill any bottle with any product from the plant, as a gift option.
8. Bunches of grapes in the courtyard of the hall, the grapes are not tasty, they grow as a canopy for shade.
9. The views are very beautiful.
10. On the way to Lake Ritsa you can see many very interesting sights. You will see the very first of them in the direction of travel almost immediately if you turn from the Novorossiysk-Batumi highway towards Ritsa. This is the Bzyb temple-fortress during the heyday of the Abkhazian kingdom, built in the 9th-10th centuries. The name comes from the nearby Bzyb River, on the banks of which it is located.
11. Along the edges of the road there are towers made of old stone. At first glance, they were built at the same time as the fortress temple, but this is not so. The fact is that during the reign of Nicholas II, in 1914-16, there was a project to build a railway bridge in this place. For these needs, stone from the fortress's masonry was used, part of the walls were dismantled, but the work was never completed. Perhaps the First World War interfered. By the way, we never got to this fortress.
12. A fat bee meets us at the entrance to the apiary’s tasting yard.
13. There are a lot of people, almost all excursion buses stop here.
14. This is how beet honey is obtained.
15. Bees are everywhere.
16. Improvised hive.
17. There are a lot of cars with Krasnodar license plates, everything is nearby.
18.
19. Waterfall "Men's Tears", we stopped at it on the way back to the trip, the sun was already setting.
20.21.
The legend of the waterfalls “Male Tears” and “Girl Tears”
A long time ago, in the mountains, near the banks of the Bzyb River, there lived a couple in love. The girl's name was Amra, and the boy's name was Akhra. Amra was known as the first beauty, and the evil mermaid who lived in these waters once envied her beauty. One day, when Akhra went hunting in the mountains, the mermaid decided to carry out her evil plan. She came out of the water, taking the form of a girl, and tricked the beautiful Amra into her arms and tried to throw the girl off the cliff. Amra begged for mercy and salty tears flowed from her eyes. One tear fell into the river water and immediately the river god rose from the water. Seeing what the mermaid was up to, the god of water became angry and turned the mermaid into stone. But along with the mermaid, Amra also turned into stone, and she could not escape from her hands. Amra Akhra's lover, while hunting, felt pain in his heart and realized that trouble threatened his beloved. And from the pain that he could not help his beloved, the warrior’s stingy tears fell on the stone. The hunter’s tears still ooze from the stone, and the locals call them “Men’s Tears.” Amra’s tears also continue to flow even after many centuries. Abkhazians call this waterfall “Maiden’s Tears”.
It was impossible to park at the "Maiden's Tears" waterfall, or even approach it, because of the crowds of tourists. The waterfall looks more like a stream.
22. Bows are tied everywhere.
23. Road through the Yupshar Canyon.
On the road to Lake Ritsa, approximately halfway between the turn to the Gegsky waterfall and Lake Ritsa, the Yupsharskaya Gorge is located - one of the attractions of Abkhazia. Or, in other words, the “Stone Bag” gorge (tourist name). The length of the gorge is 8 km. The path becomes steeper and steeper. The mountains close together sharply. It gets noticeably darker. Green and reddish mosses hang from half a kilometer of steep eaves. The most picturesque and majestic section of the route begins - the Yupshar Canyon. Apparently, it began with a giant crack that pushed the rocks apart, which was subsequently washed away by the Yupshara River.
24. A lot of tourists stay in this place; the number of different services offered to vacationers in this place is no less.
25. According to the driver, during the Great Patriotic War, when German-Romanian troops tried to pass through the passes in the fall of 1942, it was decided to blow up the entrance to the Yupshar Canyon. They made niches right in the stone at the narrowest point of the canyon and placed explosives in them. It was only thanks to the success of the heroic defense that the passes did not have to be blown up. The enemy was stopped 30-50 kilometers higher in the mountains. We actually saw niches in the stones.
26. Yupshara River.
Yupshara is a river in the northern part of Abkhazia. It originates from Lake Ritsa and flows into the Gega River. It belongs to the basin of the Bzyb River, which flows into the Black Sea. The total length of the river is 12.6 km. Along the river there is a road to Lake Ritsa. The river has an underground channel, and during the hot season the surface channel remains dry for several kilometers. 11 bridges were built across Yupshara. The river has rapids and flows through a narrow and deep gorge. Used for sports rafting. Before merging with Gega, the rocky bottom of Yupshara forms a complex threshold.
27. The water is simply icy.
28. I practiced a little in long exposure photography.
29.
30.
31.
32. The picture is mesmerizing.
33. Indeed, you can look at flowing water endlessly :)
34. Bzyb River near Blue Lake.
On the way back from the excursion, we stopped at another famous place in Abkhazia - Blue Lake. The sun has set below the horizon.
Blue Lake is a lake in Abkhazia, located on the 13th kilometer of the road to Lake Ritsa, on the right bank of the Bzyb River at the very side of the road. Its surface is completely calm, although it is clear that right next to it a deep mountain stream is noisily pouring into it from under the rock. Blue lake of karst origin. It is small: its area is only 180 square meters, its depth is unknown (some sources have information that its depth reaches 76 m, and its bottom is covered with lapis lazuli, but this is a myth). The lake is blue, surprisingly bright in color, which does not fade or darken even in the most inclement weather. The lake does not freeze all year round, but there are no fish here. There is no fauna, plankton does not grow here. The Blue Lake is fed by the waters of an underground river, starting on the slopes of the high Mount Akhtsykh.
35. There were very few tourists, and all the peacocks flew away.
An ancient legend says: “Where the Blue Lake is now, in ancient times there was a cave in which a hundred-year-old old man lived - a priest. His snow-white beard hung almost to the ground, and his unusually blue eyes radiated wisdom and kindness. This man, wise from life experience, was a famous hunter in the past. As he grew old, he moved away from people to be closer to nature, and settled in a cave. Local hunters often came to him for advice, for his knowledge of mountain trails, the habits of animals and the possibilities of shooting them. For his useful advice, the hunters considered it their duty, when returning home, to leave him one skin of a killed animal and part of the meat. One day, during inclement weather, strangers found themselves in these places and asked to spend the night in a cave with an old man. He received them hospitably. Having treated them, the hermit showed them a place to stay for the night, laying out the skins of killed animals for them. Having seen a large number of skins of bison, bears, deer, roe deer, and martens, the greedy guests decided to take possession of them. Having killed the owner, they hastily began to put the skins into bags. Almost all the skins had already been collected when an unexpectedly powerful stream of water blocked the exit from the cave. The attackers were trapped. This is how the Blue Lake, or the Lake of the Abkhazian Elder, was formed, the waters of which resemble the blue eyes of the old man, whose body remained at the bottom, and his open eyes gave an unusual color to the waters of the lake.”
36. Very beautiful place.
Another legend says: “Beautiful Dzydzlan is the mistress of the waters. She lives in rich palaces deep under water. Her beautiful golden hair flows down to her feet in waves, with her heels in front and her feet behind - no one can throw her on her back. Dzydzlan has a magic mirror in which everything that happens in the world is reflected - the beauty sees everything, knows everything! She falls in love only with the most beautiful men, lures them to her, and then sends them away with rich gifts. Once upon a time there lived a very lazy shepherd, who was also very ugly. He grazed his flock on the slopes of Mount Mamdzyshkha. And the lazy man heard that somewhere in these places the beautiful Dzydzlan lived. He really wanted to see her and for her to love him. And since the lazy man believed that he was unusually handsome, he often began to retire to one green lawn on the bank of a transparent stream flowing from a cave not far from the Bzyb River. Here, in the shade of a boxwood tree, he fell asleep, hoping that in his sleep Dzydzlan would come to him sooner. The beauty actually found out that there was a man in the clearing. Curiosity got the better of her, she decided to go see who it was that was seeking her attention. But when Dzydzlan approached the sleeping man and saw his ugliness, she became furious, grabbed the sleepy lazy man and threw him to the ground. The blow was so strong that the ceiling of the cave under the lawn could not stand it and collapsed. And over time, a large lake formed here, which was named Blue for its special color.”
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