UNDISCOVERED ABKHAZIA Journey Highlights 12 day tour Visit Stalin’s Dacha at Lake Ritsa and hire a paddle- boat or take a dip. Stay at Abkhazia’s renowned mountain spring resort Take a walking tour of the Seven lakes Discover the ghost towns of eastern Abkhazia. Take a relaxing boat journey along Abkhazia’s coast. Wander through Abkhazia’s pristine ancient forests. Journey into one of the world’s largest caves. Enjoy the spectacular Black Sea sunsets. See the mysterious neolithic stone Dolmen. Learn about Abkhazian pagan religion and the seven shrines of Abkhazia. Take an off-road Adventure through Abkhazia’s spectacular mountains to the remote village of Pskhu. Enjoy delicious Abkhazian cuisine and taste Abkhazia’s finest wines. Swim in the purest waters of the Black Sea Visit 10th century churches, rock monasteries and ancient citadels. Meet with veterans and eyewitnesses from the 1992 civil war with Georgia. Explore Abkhazia’s charming capital Sukhumi and it’s blend of Art Nouveau and Soviet architecture. Twenty five years after a bitter civil war saw its Black Sea resorts in ruins, the abandoned relics of Abkhazia’s Soviet past have become a major drawcard for the most adventurous travellers. Join award winning foreign correspondent and filmmaker Nick Lazaredes on an extraordinary journey through one of the least visited places on the planet - the de-facto Republic of Abkhazia. Abkhazia’s status as a separatist state virtually unrecognised by the world, except for Russia and a handful of others means that few non-Russian tourists make the journey to this former Soviet republic. For those who undertake the challenge there are many rewards. Abkhazia is a place of astonishing natural beauty, covered in pristine ancient forests, turquoise lakes, and dotted with neolithic stone dolmens. A favourite summer getaway of soviet dictators, Abkhazia is slowly restoring its abandoned black sea resorts and parks, and breathing new life into the crumbling Stalin era tourist attractions that made it the most popular holiday destination in the USSR. On our adventure, we will travel through mind blowing gorges to Lake Ritsa, and Stalin’s dacha. As we travel deeper into the Caucasus mountains on our Abkhazian adventure, we will walk through the valley of the seven lakes and continue our journey by off-road vehicle to the remote mountain village of Pskhu where a small community enjoys life in almost splendid isolation. Abkhazia is an urban explorers wonderland and the photographic opportunities are endless. We will journey beyond the coastal fringes into the lesser known eastern region of Abkhazia to explore Soviet era ghost towns. Following overgrown paths we will wander through an astonishing treasure trove of deserted hotels and eerie ruins in what was once a thriving mountain health resort. Along the way we’ll visit another of Abkhazia’s most sacred sites and learn about the seven shrines of Abkhazia before completing our expedition with an incredible journey into one of the world’s largest caves. ARRIVE SOCHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Day 1 Sunday, 30 June. Guests will arrive during the day at Sochi international airport where they will be met and transferred to Hotel “Russian Seasons” in Adler (Sochi). In the evening guests will attend a welcome dinner and orientation briefing for our Abkhazian expedition. Overnight Sochi. SOCHI - PITSUNDA - GAGRA Day 2 Monday, July 1st After breakfast we will take a short drive to the Abkhazian border. After completing Passport and Customs formalities, we will cross into Abkhazia! In the morning we will explore some of the abandoned villas of Old Gagra - the jewel of the what was the Russian Riviera during Russian imperial and Soviet times. In ancient times, the town was a Green colony in the kingdom of Colchis. After lunch we will visit nearby Pitsunda - A former luxury Soviet resort town that also boasts ancient and medieval sites. From here we will take a short journey to one of the ‘Seven Shrines of Abkhazia ’ Ldzaa Anykha. It is one of Abkhazian religion’s most sacred sites where Pagan rituals have been held for centuries, even during Soviet times. Overnight Gagra. GAGRA - MYUSSERA - LAKE RITSA - AUADHARA Day 3 Tuesday, July 2nd In the morning enjoy a swim in the Black Sea or join a hike or take a boat to Shlypra wild beach. After lunch in an art-cafe at Shlypra, we’ll visit the abandoned town Myussera and a tenth century church before heading up to through a spectacular river gorge into the mountains. Arriving at Lake Ritsa at 950 metres above sea level in the primordial fir forest, we’ll visit Stalin’s dacha at the lake, where we’ll have the opportunity of a swim or a rent a paddle-boat before travelling by off-road vehicle up into the Alpine meadows. Overnight at Auadhara mountain lodge, Abkhazia’s highest resort. AUADHARA - MZY LAKE Day 4 Wednesday, July 3rd Today is an opportunity to explore the nearby pristine mountain forests and lakes. Guests will have the option of a light hike or horseback ride through green meadows to the stunning Mzy lake nestled at the top of the mountain. We will also visit the local mineral springs after which the lodge is named. Overnight at Auadhara mountain lodge. AUADHARA - ANCHKO PASS - ‘SEVEN LAKES’ - PSKHU Day 5 Thursday, July 4th In the morning we will travel by four wheel drive vehicles to Anchkho pass. From there we will take a short Hike or horseback ride to the “Seven lakes” - a series of pristine alpine lakes. After a picnic lunch on the Anchkho pass we’ll continue our way to the village of Pskhu near the River Bzyb inhabited by ethnic Russians. After checking in to our guesthouse we’ll visit nearby Rikza hamlet for dinner returning to Pskhu after our meal. PSKHU - SUKHUMI Day 6 Friday, July 5th In the morning we’ll enjoy the village and its surrounds including a visit to Abkhazia’s most sacred site - the nearby mountain of Inal-Kuba. After lunch we will take a short flight to Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhumi by AN-2 airplane or MI-8 helicopter. Check in the hotel. Have lunch in Sukhum. Have rest. Walk in the town in the evening. NIght in “Leon” hotel. SUKHUMI Day 7 Saturday, July 6th We’ll dedicate the whole day to seeing Sukhum. First we’ll visit its botanical garden, which is small, but has a really interesting collection. Then we’ll visit the national museum and a few important places in the center of the town. We will have lunch at one of the best restaurants that offer traditional cuisine. After lunch we’ll have coffee with local history and culture experts, and visit souvenir shops. Next, we’ll go to a nursery of aboriginal grape varieties, which belongs to the biggest winery in the country. We’ll enjoy a nice wine tasting then have dinner with local musicians. Night in “Leon” hotel. SUKSUKHUMI - BEDIA - OCHAMCHIRA - GALIHUMI Day 8 Sunday, July 7th Today we’ll come back to East Abkhazia again to meet Mingrelian people living near Georgian border. Also we’ll visit X century church in Bedia and visit Ochamchira and Gal - two towns, which were most destroyed after the war. In the evening we’ll come back to Sukhum. Night in “Leon” hotel. SUKHUMI - TKVUARCHAL AKARMARA Day 9 Monday, July 8th Today guests will travel from Sukhum to Tkvuarchal - once a showpiece of the Soviet Union. Far off the tourist trail, Tkvuarchal lost 90 percent of its population during the civil war and is now largely abandoned. After meeting with some veterans and eyewitnesses from the civil war, we’ll journey further into the mountains to explore the almost abandoned resort town of Akarmara. Afterwards we’ll pass through Arasadzykh village to meet one of high priests of the Abkhazian pagan religion and watch a traditional ceremony and enjoy a feast with his family. Late return to Sukhum. Night in “Leon” hotel. SUKHUMI Day 10 Tuesday, July 9th The entire day will be devoted to exploring the architectural gems of Sukhumi and delve into Abkhazia’s culture and heritage, as well as contemporary current affairs. Our tour will include Old lighthouses, the bomb damaged and abandoned central parliament building, hilltop parks, abandoned soviet resorts, medieval heritage and lots more. In the evening we’ll explore Sukhumi’s beachside promenade and pier, and meet a local dance ensemble to watch Abkhazia’s high energy traditional dancing. SUKHUMI - NOVY AFON - OTKHARA - SOCHI Day 11 Wednesday, July 10th We’ll spend almost whole day in New Athos. We’ll take an incredible journey on an electric railway deep into one of the world’s largest caves. Later we’ll visit the nearby Anakopia fortress, which was the capital of the ancient Abkhazian kingdom and we’ll walk to the gold domed Novy Afon monastery founded by Russian monks. In the afternoon we’ll pass through Otkhara village to see one of the best preserved Neolithic dolmens in Abkhazia, before crossing the Russian border in the early evening to end our Abkhazian adventure. Overnight at the Hotel “Russian Seasons” or late night / early morning departure from Sochi / Adler international Airport (AER) Day 12 Thursday, July 11th DEPART SOCHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT NICK LAZAREDES Nick Lazaredes is an accomplished international correspondent and filmmaker who has reported from around the world for SBS Television, ABC-TV, Al Jazeera and the BBC. A regular visitor to the Caucasus Nick first reported from Abkhazia during the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia and witnessed the celebrations in Sukhumi firsthand on the day Russia formally recognised Abkhazia as an independent state.