I like mountain scenery and I think you’ll agree the Caucasus mountains can be very lovely indeed. Whether you’d make the trip to Abkhazia just for this is a different question.
So we’ve established it’s a bit of a pain to travel to Abkhazia mainly because no-one wants to acknowledge it’s a real country except Russia. Sadly for most of us that means getting into Russia before getting permission to see Abkhazia.
If you do turn up then don’t spend too much time investing your money in Abkhazian Aspar, as it’s completely worthless outside of Abkhazia. For all intents and purposes the functional currency of the nation is the Russian Rouble. At this time of writing there are approximately 30 Rubles to the Dollar.
Staying is Cheap But Don’t Forget the Language Barrier
You can rent a room from a housing office in any city. Basically they send you to live with some locals and you pay a small fee for the privilege. That’s around 200 – 250 roubles, so $7-$8 a day. There is a single hotel in most cities but the prices are much higher if you want some English speaking assistance. Nearly 10 times the stay in someone’s home rate to be precise.
However, you need to keep in mind that this is Russian territory and there isn’t much support (or any) for the English speaking tourist in the country. So you’d be well advised to grab a Russian phrasebook so you can at least point at it if you want a little help on your travels.
Where should I go?
If you like cathedrals then Pitsunda’s a very nice example of one. It’s a long way to go for a nice church though.
Stay the heck away from the border with Georgia. It’s still disputed and there have been shots fired in anger on regular occasions. You should also be aware that Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe is investigating the Abkhaz government for “ethnic cleansing” in the area too, and they probably won’t welcome the average Western camera toting tourist either.
So head northeast and check out the mountains, the Caucasus Mountains run right along the top of the country and have three other ranges of “spurs” pointing down into the country too. As you’d expect when mountains come into play, it’s pretty cool (average annual temperature is about 15 degrees centigrade) so take a coat.
Or venture into the Tsebelda valley, which is attractively forested and conceals Tibilium a 6th century Byzantine fort. You’ll also find Amtkel lake, a massive mountain lake, that formed after an earthquake in 1891. The water level surges quickly in the Summer and the views are said to be some of the most striking in the caucuses.
Sukhum’s a favourite of Russian tourists and they flock to the striking (and slightly less communist bloc) architecture and the waterfront. It’s a nice place to stop for a few drinks and take some photos.
Or if you’re a keen spelunker you might fancy Novy Afon, which is a huge cave complex. If you’re lucky the Abkhazian National Choir might be popping through to sing in one of the halls (Aphyartsa) as it has extraordinary acoustics.
The best reason to go to Abkhazia is the wine. It upsets the folks in that part of the world that only the Russians recognize how much great plonk comes out of the region as a whole. Abkhazia is no exception and you could take a vineyard tour and get pleasantly sloshed for peanuts (particularly compared to Australia or France).
Is Abkhazia on my list of places to go?
This is Novy Afon where the cave system is. The shot’s clearly been a little photoshopped but it does like a pleasant place to while some time away nonetheless.
There’s something very appealing about visiting a rogue state where the likelihood of getting shot is minimal. Having said that, as much as I like a drink there doesn’t seem to be quite enough to do to keep you interested for more than a couple of days. It’s a long tedious visa process too and I hate dealing with officialdom at the best of times, sending a fax and begging for an entry permit is OK. But then having to go to the capital and beg them to turn it into a visa seems a little over the top.
If I found myself in Russia for a long period of time, I’d probably go just to say I had. I like Eastern Europeans in general and I suspect that the food and drink are pretty good (and ridiculously cheap by Western standards). But… I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to visit either. If you get a chance check out the country’s tourist information site. Mainly for it’s curiously stilted English phrasing, it’s like they learned the language from a Sherlock Holmes novel. It’s really quite uplifting.
A Word of Warning
It might seem obvious but don’t buy property in disputed states. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is, or how often people tell you it will shoot up in value. If they day comes that Georgia gets back control of Abkhazia your “investment” will be worth less than nothing. Property at give away prices still isn’t cheap enough. It’s also a criminal offence in Georgia for you to buy a home in Abkhazia at the moment.
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