Everything you need to know about a trip to Abkhazia by car in 2021! Peculiarities of border crossing, Abkhazian roads, sights and convenient places to stay. Advice and reviews of experienced tourists.
Can I get to Abkhazia by car? Of course yes. Many Russians like traveling to the Land of the Soul in a private car. The road to the sea does not take long, and the trip turns out to be quite budgetary. It is especially convenient to get to the republic for residents of the Central, South, North Caucasian and Volga districts. During an independent trip to Abkhazia by car, you can relax on the beaches, swim in the sea, see beautiful waterfalls, mountain lakes and caves, get acquainted with local traditions and visit ancient fortresses and monasteries.
How long to go to Abkhazia
The main route to Abkhazia passes on the highway M4 "Don"... It is a two-lane highway with small sections of 4 lanes. Congestion occurs on it in the summer and during repair and construction work. There are many gas stations along the way, so there are no problems with gasoline.
Through Krasnodar. From whatever city in Russia you go to the Abkhaz resorts, the path will pass through the Adler district of Sochi. At the exit to the sea, most tourists use the road through Krasnodar, Goryachy Klyuch, Dzhubga and Tuapse. However, in the summer before and after Dzhubga, many kilometers of traffic jams are often lined up.
Through Armavir and Maykop. To avoid tedious standing, some drivers take a different route. From Armavir they turn to Maykop and get to Tuapse through the Shaumyan pass. The advantages of the road through the pass are that you can get to the sea faster. Cons: the route turns out to be 100 km longer, about 30 km of roads are not paved, and there is a lot of dust. Driving through Shahumyan requires accuracy, so the bypass route can be recommended to experienced drivers.
Advice. If you are planning to spend the night on the way to Abkhazia, book your accommodation in advance on the Hotellook website. Rooms may not be available during high season.
How long to go to Abkhazia (Sukhumi) by car:
| Point of departure | Distance (km) | Travel time |
| Moscow | 1670 | 1-1.5 days |
| Krasnodar | 440 | 8-9 h |
| Sochi | 154 | 3.5 h |
| St. Petersburg | 2430 | 2 days |
| Rostov-on-Don | 700 | 11 h |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 2000 | 1.5-2 days |
| Samara | 2030 | 1.5-2 days |
| Kazan | 2250 | 2 days |
| Yekaterinburg | 3000 | 3 days |
Roads to Abkhazia by car from Russian cities
Passing the border of Abkhazia by car
The border runs along the valley of the Psou River. The border checkpoint is called "Psou" and is located 10 km from the Adler ring at Urozhainaya street, 101. Please note that for Russians this is the only checkpoint - from Georgia through the Inguri checkpoint, entry is prohibited. Checkpoint "Psou" works around the clock. There are breaks from 01:00 to 03:00, from 7:45 to 8:15, and from 19:45 to 20:15.
Previously, a resort tax of 30 rubles had to be paid at the border. Now it is paid at the place of residence - it is included in the price of a hotel room or in the price of a voucher. At the border, they pay 150 rubles for a passenger car, and 300 rubles for a truck.
If there are no queues, it will take 15-20 minutes to cross the border. When planning a trip to Abkhazia by car in 2021, keep in mind that queues can form at the checkpoint in the summer. In this case, the procedure lasts from half an hour to 4 hours.
Advice. Try to cross the border when there are fewer people on it. When entering Abkhazia, many cars accumulate from 8:00 to 12:00, and on the way back - from 8:00 to 10:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00.
Documentation. Russians do not need a visa to enter the republic. What documents are needed to enter Abkhazia by car? The driver presents a passport - Russian or foreign, a driver's license and a vehicle registration certificate. Until 2017, they also asked for insurance for the car, but now the requirement has been canceled.
Passengers show their passports. Children require passports or birth certificates. If the car is the property of another person, then the driver must have a power of attorney certified by a notary, which says "with the right to travel abroad."
Advice. It is better to show a Russian passport, because if you are stamped with a border crossing stamp in your passport, you will not be able to enter Georgia with it later. See how to get to Georgia by car.
Inspection. When passing through passport control, the driver and all passengers get out of the car. At the request of the border checkpoint, the driver is obliged to open the trunk of the car for inspection. An Abkhaz border checkpoint is located a few meters away. Only the driver needs to get out of the car on it. Passports of passengers are checked through glass. Control takes only a few minutes.
Customs control. According to the rules, it is allowed to transport up to 20 liters of gasoline in cans to Abkhazia, as well as 2 liters of alcohol and 200 pieces of cigarettes per person. On the way back from Abkhazia, it is allowed to export duty-free up to 3 liters of alcohol and up to 3 liters of honey in its original packaging for each tourist. Prohibited for export are propolis, eucalyptus and boxwood.
Passage of the border between Russia and Abkhazia. Personal experience
Traveling to Abkhazia by car - what you need to know
An independent trip by car in Abkhazia is an interesting experience! The main roads are not bad here, and there are few cars and traffic lights. However, be careful: sometimes herds of cows cross the tracks, and in large settlements there are many speed bumps.
In case of an accident. Abkhazian traffic rules are similar to Russian ones, but the fines are higher here, and at the slightest violation, the traffic police seize the rights. The rights are returned only after the fine has been paid. This is where the difficulties begin! You cannot pay via the Internet. There are no terminals for payment of fines. Few places accept Russian bank cards. Where to give money? Only in the traffic police of the area where the accident happened or a protocol of violation was drawn up. The rights are returned there. In fact, the license is rarely taken away, since drivers prefer to resolve issues with the traffic police on the spot.
Ride features. When traveling in Abkhazia by car in 2021, keep in mind that Abkhaz drivers often break the rules. They run at 120 km / h and confuse the main and secondary roads. For Abkhaz drivers, it is in the order of things to go to the oncoming lane and overtake on closed turns. However, road service employees turn a blind eye to this - in the summer they are only interested in paying tourists.
Advice:
- Do not overspeed. There may be inconspicuous cars near the road, from which local traffic police officers measure the speed of moving cars.
- To avoid unnecessary conflicts, shoot the ride on a dash cam.
- MTPL policies do not work on the territory of Abkhazia. There is no personal insurance here, so you need to drive very carefully.
Travel route in Abkhazia
The tourist infrastructure in this part of the Black Sea coast is poorly developed. Thanks to the car, you can get to many sights where tourists are not taken, as well as see beautiful places that only local residents know about. Let's find out what to see during an independent trip around Abkhazia by car.
Vacationers spend most of their time on the coast, sunbathing and swimming in the sea. The M27 highway is laid along the coast, and it is convenient to travel along it between coastal cities and resort villages. Several mosaic bus stops, designed by Zurab Tsereteli, have remained on the Sukhum highway since Soviet times.
Tsandripsh is located just a few kilometers from the border. The ruins of a 6th century basilica have survived in the village, and a picturesque exit of marble layers, which is called the White Rocks, is located 3 km on the seashore. In the neighboring Bagripshe lead excursions to Stalin's dacha.
22 km from the border, in the beautiful city of Gagra, it is worth visiting the Zhoekvarsky waterfall, the medieval fortress of Abaata and the ancient temple of St. Hypatius of Gagra. The resort town has the picturesque castle of the Prince of Oldenburg and the Seaside Park with a colonnade.
IN Pitsundu stop by to stroll through the relict pine and boxwood groves. There are many seaside monuments in the city, the remains of the ancient Pitiunt, a lighthouse, the Patriarchal Cathedral of the 10th century and a dolmen have been preserved.
Where to go in Abkhazia by car? From Pitsunda it is convenient to go to the most beautiful monument of the region - mountain lake Ritsa. A good asphalt road is laid north of the main road along the river valley. Bzyb. It takes 40 minutes to get from the turn to the lake.
On the way to Lake Ritsa, many make a stop to inspect the walls and towers of the ancient Bzyb fortress, to admire the Blue Lake and the Maiden's Tears waterfall. A beautiful view of the gorge and Ritsu opens from the observation deck "Farewell to Motherland", which is located 0.8 km from the lake. Ritsu is surrounded by a national park, so all tourists pay an environmental fee: 350 rubles for adults and 150 rubles for children 8-12 years old. There is a cafe and a restaurant near the lake. Here you can rent a catamaran and go to the Bird Key and Molochny waterfalls.
8 km south of Pitsunda and 15 km from the main road on the seashore is a beautiful resort village Musser... It is famous for the Pitsundo-Mussera reserve, the ruins of an ancient temple, the ruins of the former estate of Lianozov and the dachas of Stalin and Gorbachev.
85 km from the border, on the main road is New Athos - a well-known center of pilgrimage for Orthodox Christians in the Caucasus. People come here to visit the monastery, Primorsky Park and Novo-Athos cave. Many climb the Iverskaya mountain and inspect the ruins of the Anakopia fortress.
During a trip to Abkhazia by car, almost all tourists call in Sukhum... The capital city by the sea is known for its beautiful architecture, monuments and temples. It is interesting to walk along the Makhadzhirov embankment, visit the Sukhum Botanical Garden and the monkey nursery.
Where to go during an independent trip by car in Abkhazia:
| Description | Where is it located and how to get there | |
| Kyndygsky thermal spring | A hot spring with hydrogen sulphide and healing mud. | In the village of Kyndyg, 20 km from Ochamchira. Along the Abzhuyskoe highway. |
| Bedia Cathedral | Medieval Orthodox church built in 999. | The village of Agubedia, 17 km from Ochamchira. |
| Kaman monastery | A functioning male monastery, rebuilt on the site of a medieval monastery. | Kaman village, left bank of the river. Gumista, 12 km from Sukhum. |
| Gega waterfall | A picturesque waterfall with a height of about 70 m in the valley of the river. Gega, at an altitude of 530 m above sea level. | 4.5 km from the road that leads to Lake Ritsa. You can only get there by off-road vehicle or on foot. |
Route on the map of Abkhazia
How to get to the sights of Abkhazia by car? Waterfalls, lakes, caves, reserves, temples and castles on the map.
Where to live during a trip to Abkhazia by car
Where to book accommodation:
- Hotellook - hotels and guest houses in Abkhazia with discounts up to 60%.
- Sutochno.Ru - rent of apartments, houses and rooms in Abkhazia directly from the owners.
When traveling in Abkhazia by car, it is important to choose accommodation with parking. Do not leave your car unattended on the street, as there is a high probability that the interior will be robbed.
Hotels. There is no 5 * in Abkhazia. 4 * hotels accept vacationers in Sukhum, Gagra, Gudauta and Tsandripsha. A little more places with 3 * hotels. All other housing in Abkhazia is small hotels, guest houses and tourist centers. Abkhazian boarding houses and sanatoriums are not very suitable for those who came here by car, since during the autotrip tourists are constantly traveling.
Guest houses and mini-hotels with parking are available almost everywhere: in the seaside villages of Tsandripsh, Gechripsh, Alakhadze, Ldzaa and Primorskoye, and in the cities of Gagra, Pitsunda and Sukhum. Prices in them range from 600 to 1200 rubles for a double room. Budget housing can be rented from private owners. At the peak of the summer season, rooms in the private sector are rented from 500 rubles, and apartments from 1200 rubles.
Cottages and houses. While on vacation in Abkhazia by car, it is convenient to stay in cottages. According to tourists, good cottages by the sea with free parking, air conditioning and wi-fi are rented in Pitsunda. Prices for them range from 2300 to 5400 rubles per day. For about the same money, turnkey houses are offered in all resort villages by the sea. This option is usually chosen by large companies or parents with children.
Also find out how hoteliers in the south cheat tourists.
Is it worth going to Abkhazia by car
Advantages of traveling by car to Abkhazia:
- Autotrip turns out to be more budgetary than traveling by plane or by rail.
- Thanks to the car, in one trip around Abkhazia, you can see many more historical and natural sights, and get to places where regular buses and minibuses do not go.
- Tourists do not need to buy excursions and bus tickets.
- Abkhazia has a lot of inexpensive housing with parking.
Costs and inconveniences:
- Large fines for violation of traffic rules, especially for speeding - from 600 to 3000 rubles.
- Corruption of Abkhaz traffic police officers, their prejudice towards cars with non-local numbers and a constant desire to make money on autotourists.
- Tourists complain about cases of theft from the car salon and bad attitude from the locals.
Decide for yourself whether it is worth going to Abkhazia by car. There are tangible advantages of autotrip, but also significant disadvantages. Tell us about your experience of independent travel to the Land of the Soul by car in the comments!
