Ritsa Lake and Pitsunda Views

On the way to Lake Ritsa, among the rocks, you can see a small sapphire-colored lake - the Blue Lake of Abkhazia. So it was named for the unusual color of the water - blue. It was believed that this unusual colour comes from lazurite deposits at the bottom of the lake, however, it is not true. Since the Blue Lake is located among the rocks, the sun's rays, refracting against the rocks, are reflected on the surface of the water, which gives the lake such a color. There is another feature of this lake: it, like the sea, changes its color depending on the weather. The depth of the lake reaches 76 m. The Blue Lake fills many underground streams, but its surface always remains smooth, despite the fact that a noisy mountain stream immediately flows into it from the cliff. There are several legends regarding the origin of this lake. The water in Blue Lake is very cold, even in summer. However, the lake does not freeze all year round. Still you will not find any living creatures there.

Gagra is a town in Abkhazia sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular health resort in Imperial Russian and Soviet times. Gagra occupies a narrow coastal belt and the slopes of the Gagra Range, which are covered with thick forests. The summers are very warm (average August temperature of 23° C), and the winters are mild (average January temperature of 6° C). The season lasts the whole year round, and swimming extends from May through October. Along the coast of the Black Sea stretches a beautiful seafront and park (about 14 sq km in area) with ponds and rich subtropical vegetation. Gagra has picturesque environs (the gorges of the Zhvava-Kvara and Tsikherva rivers), and to the south of the city is located the new health resort of Pitsunda. The industry of Gagra is mainly connected with services to the health resort; it includes a meat-packing complex, a dairy, a winery, and a fish-processing plant, among others.

The Gega waterfall, also called Circassian waterfall is the most famous and beautiful waterfall of Abkhazia. Located at an altitude of 530 meters above sea level, and the waterfall itself has a height of 70 meters. Its feature is that it comes out of the rock, not from the top. This is because the Gega river goes deep into the rocks, and passes through a stone channel then breaking out of it. The waterfall is also interesting due to the fact that several times it was shown in different movies.

Lake Ritsa is a lake in the Caucasus Mountains, in the north-western part of Abkhazia, Georgia, surrounded by mixed mountain forests and subalpine meadows. The road from the Black Sea coast was built in 1936. The resort of Avadhara lies to the north of the lake. The lake was an important tourist attraction during the Soviet period. Lake Ritsa is the deepest lake in autonomous republic of Abkhazia (116 m), and is rich in trout. It is fed by six rivers and drained by one, the Iupshara River. Lake Ritsa water is cold and clear. Mountains with heights of 2,200 to 3,500 m surround the lake. In 1930 the Ritsa Nature Reserve (162.89 km2) was established to protect the natural state of the lake and the surrounding land.

Waterfall Men's tears, as well as the Maiden tears waterfall is located on the way to Ritsa lake, only a little further, about 30 kilometers further along the way, and already in the territory of the Ritsa national Park. Only here the water flows in a thin stream, as if recalling that men's tears are stingy. But in addition to the waterfall the surrounding area is a very beautiful forest, which is worth a stroll. The origin of the waterfall is a legend, which is a continuation of the legend of the Maiden tears waterfall. As it states when a young man Akhra was hunting, in his heart he felt that his girlfriend Amra was lost. Thus, he could not restrain silent man's tears, which turned into a waterfall.

Pitsunda is a popular resort on the coast of Abkhazia, 25 km from Gagra. Its main asset is the relict pine forest that borders the Pitsunda Cape. The resort even got its name from the pine trees. When the ancient Greeks came to these places, they were so impressed by the heady aromas of pine needles that the city founded here was called Pitiunt or "pine". Centuries later, this name turned into Pitsunda.

Yupsharsky canyon ("Stone bag") is one of the most beautiful places in Abkhazia and in the entire Caucasus. It is located on the road to Lake Ritsa at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level. The canyon with age-old boxwoods, moss and ivy hanging from rocky cornices looks really impressive. The road passes between two very close standing rocks that were once split by an earthquake. The narrowest point of the canyon is called the Yupsharsky Gate, where two rocks practically converge, the distance between them does not exceed 20 meters. On the bottom of the gorge, the picturesque river Yupshara flows, from the Lake Ritsa, the water in which is crystal clear. Not far from the canyon there is the famous Gega waterfall. Here, near the road, there is a huge stone - popular among tourists “Stone of Kisses”, and even lower there is a waterfall “Men's tears”. At the end of the Jupsharsky canyon there is an observation deck with a magnificent view.