The trip to Abkhazia's most famous lake, the mountain lake of Ritsa begins from Bzyb settlement, which lies in the flatlands in front of Bzyb Gorge. Our route follows a paved highway along Abkhazia's longest river, Bzyb, past ancient fortresses and marvelous waterfalls and mountainsides.

Bzyb Fortress

The ruins of Bzyb Fortress and a church built in the 9th-10th centuries are located on the left side of the road, on a rocky hill where Bzyb River bursts forth from the gorge. On the left side at the top plateau of the hill you can see the remains of the fortress church. On the lower platform are the traces of the palace structure owned by the Abkhaz feudal family Inal-Ipa. The fortress protected the entrance to the gorge and defended the road that led through the mountain pass to the Northwest Caucasus. To this day you can see the remnants of seven mighty square and round towers and the fortress wall with the western and eastern gates.

When the railroad was constructed in 1914-1916, some of the fortress walls were destroyed. Today stone pillars rise up on either side of the Bzyb, the supports for the unfinished high-rise railroad bridge.

Bzyb Church

The 10th century Bzyb fortress church, which is located at the top of the hill, has three naves and three apses. The church is 13.5 meters long and its altar niche is 3.5 meters wide. The church is constructed from large, well-hewn rectangular limestone slabs, positioned in even rows. The windows of the church are elegantly long, with Byzantine arches and decorated outside with stone carvings. The altar has three windows with narrow piers; the diaconicon and the prothesis have one window each. There are also windows on each side and above the wide doors in the southern, northern and western walls.

Solovyev Grotto and Maiden tears

One kilometer down the road, high above the river on the left side of the gorge, you can see the small Azhyugra-Akhp Grotto. This hard-to-reach cave, about 18 meters deep, was discovered by a local archaeologist, L. Solovyev (hence its other name, Solovyev Grotto). Archaeologists exploring the site at various times have found a camp of the Middle Paleolithic homo sapiens, stone tools, as well as the remains of a human skull and clay vessels from the Maikop Culture (second half of the third millennium BC).

Just a little further, at the second kilometer, ground water seeps through the limestone and runs down the side of the cliffs. These clear rivulets are known as the Maiden tears waterfall. Local residents also call them Apkyzra (Ones that do not dry). Don't be surprised by the many colorful ribbons tied to the branches of nearby trees - these are believed to help wishes come true.

Khasan-Abaa Sentry Fortress

At the 8th kilometer of Ritsa Road, among the trees on the high ledge of the left side of Bzyb River, you can see the remains of the Khasan-Abaa sentry fortress, built in the 9th-10th centuries. The 8-meter tower is surrounded by well preserved walls a meter and a half thick. Some believe that signals were used to communicate between Bzyb Fortress and Khasan-Abaa Tower.

On the same side of the river, just a little further down, is the building of the hydroelectric power plant that used to supply water to the local settlements.

Blue Lake

By the side of the road at the 13th kilometer is a small blue lake surrounded by mountain rock. The lake is an amazing shade of vivid light blue, which does not change even in bad weather. The Blue Lake formed by the foot of the Tskhyn Mountain at 100 meters above sea level. It is a karst well with exceptionally clear water that is a bright light blue in color. The water level in the lake is stable; excess water runs down the stones into Bzyb River. The temperature of the Blue Lake is always under 14 degrees Celsius at the surface and about 6 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the lake.

Yupshara Canyon

The gorge branches out at the 18th kilometer and the Gega River feeds into the Bzyb River through a narrow pass in the steep cliffs. Gega is the largest tributary of the Bzyb River. A side road leads to the gorgeous Gega Waterfall, the streams of which descend, roaring, from a height of 20 meters. Right after the fork is the strikingly beautiful Yupshara Canyon, overgrown with century-old boxwood and covered in moss and ivy.

Further down, at the 29th kilometer, are the grandiose walls of the Yupshara Gates, a large natural fortress. They are located at a height of about 400 meters above sea level.

The road starts to rise steeply following the 32nd kilometer mark, going up to 750-800 meters above sea level. This is the Chabgara Ledge (chabgara is the Abkhaz word for precipice). From this vantage point you get a great view of the Yupshara gates.

Ritsa Lake

After all the gorges and wooded mountainsides with waterfalls, a blue-green expanse of lake shines through the trees. Ritsa Lake is probably the most famous recreation site in Abkhazia, one of its natural wonders. The lake sits about 950 meters above sea level and is surrounded on all sides by mountains covered with thick forest.

Ritsa Lake was formed as a result of a tectonic subsidence of the § River valley at the intersection of two geologic structures: limestone and porphyry. The lake is about 2000 meters long and its deepest point is 150 meters. The clarity of the water ranges from 1 to 10 meters, depending on the season. The lake never freezes and in August the water temperature rises to 17-20 degrees Celsius. The lake is populated with brook trout.

Local hunters and herdsmen have known for quite a while about the existence of the lake, but it was mapped only in 1865. Ritsa Lake was first explored in 1919 and described in the Abkhaz Alps guidebook in 1930. Since that time Ritsa Lake has become a popular tourist attraction.

Small Ritsa

Five kilometers northwest of Ritsa Lake is another lake, Small Ritsa. The 200-meter expanse of water lies in a giant karst sinkhole at a height of 1,248 meters above sea level. The lake is about 100 meters deep and you can see up to 18 meters through its clean transparent water. No rivers flow into the lake: it is maintained by underground springs. The surface temperature is much higher than that of Ritsa Lake and reaches 18 degrees Celsius by July. The water is blue-green and occasionally bright turquoise.

Majestic mountains surround Small Ritsa on all sides. The only creature that lives in the lake is the crested newt, which is on the international protected species list.

Auadkhara

From Ritsa Lake the road continues into the Ritsa’s relic national park. After 16 kilometers along the Lashpsy River (a tributary of the Auadkhara River) is the Auadkhara resort (1650 meters above sea level). Its spacious meadows are great for setting up camp, or just spending the night before conquering the nearby peaks. The area around the Auadkhara River is known for the numerous (over 20) springs of the medicinal Auadkhara mineral water.

Trails and tourist routes spread out in different directions from the Auadkhara and pass through the Anchkho, Damkhurts and Pyv mountain passes. The well known and popular trails to Mzym Lake, the Valley of Seven Lakes and a waterfall in the valley of the Lashpsy River begin here.

The road leads through the Anchkho Pass to the high-altitude Pskhu settlement.