We will tell you how to get to Lake Ritsa in Abkhazia on your own from Adler, Sochi, Gagra and New Athos.
Lake Ritsa is located in the northwest of Abkhazia, in the Gudauta region. It is located in the mountains covered with forest, at an altitude of 950 meters above sea level. The lake is truly picturesque and is a pearl and a visiting card of Abkhazia, not only vacationers in the republic, but also tourists from the Krasnodar Territory flock to it, so we will tell you how to get to Lake Ritsa from Adler, Sochi and the cities of Abkhazia.
Ritsa and its surroundings are part of the Ritsa relict national park, so a fee is charged at the entrance (adults - 350 rubles, children - 100 rubles). Enterprising Abkhazians also charge for a car.
On the lake you can go fishing (there are trout and whitefish, the cost of fishing is 400 rubles per day), ride a catamaran or boat (200 rubles for half an hour), put up your own double tent in the reserve costs 200 rubles per day, and a room in the Ritsa hotel can be withdrawn for 700 rubles per day or more. Eating in a cafe costs about 500 rubles per person. Here you can see the prices for the services provided by the reserve.
How to get from New Athos to Lake Ritsa
You can get from New Athos to Lake Ritsa by sightseeing buses or by taxi, public transport does not go. In the first case, they will tell and show you everything, the excursion often includes tastings of honey, wine and national dishes, as well as visits to sights adjacent to the lake, for example, Gega waterfall, Blue Lake, and so on. The price of the excursion varies from 500 to 1500 rubles per person, including the resort fee. Disadvantages of this way to get to Ritsa: time limit (for all approximately 6 hours); you will be taken for tasting in shops with which there is an agreement; sightseeing strictly according to the program. In the case of a taxi, the disadvantage is the price that taxi drivers like to break, but you can manage your time on your own.
In addition, you can get to Lake Ritsa by car or negotiate with someone from the local (for a fee, of course).
The road to Lake Ritsa in Abkhazia will be like this. By car, you need to go along the E60 highway, turning at the village of Blaburkhva. Then the road passes through beautiful gorges. Be careful, the serpentine is narrow, the road is bad in some places. The distance to the lake is about 85 km, the travel time is about an hour or a little more. Follow the same road from Sukhum.
How to get to Lake Ritsa from Gagra
By minibuses and tourist buses you can get to Lake Ritsa from Gagra. Alternatively, you can arrange with the locals (for example, with the hosts you are staying with) to pick you up and pick you up from the lake. Well, the taxi drivers are also not averse to taking you there. Getting to Lake Ritsa by car from Gagra is also easy: first, go along the E60 highway, and then turn left before reaching the Bzyb river bridge. The road to Lake Ritsa goes along the gorge of a mountain river, so it is no less picturesque than the lake itself.
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Excursions to Lake Ritsa
From Adler and Sochi to Lake Ritsa
You can get to Lake Ritsa on your own from Adler and Sochi only with transfers, of course, there are no direct buses. First you need to get to the border with Abkhazia (by bus, minibus, train or taxi), then cross the border, and from there get to Gagra or another resort. Read more about how to get from Adler and Sochi to Abkhazia: all methods, prices, schedules, stops. Well, further from Gagra, Novy Afon, Pitsunda and so on, you can get to Lake Ritsa by sightseeing buses, taxi, your own car or with the help of "private traders".
Also, from Adler and Sochi, excursions to Abkhazia are usually organized - to Lake Ritsa, to the New Athos cave and other famous sights. Finding travel agencies is easy - look for them in crowded places.
