GENERAL
I planned to spend 2 days in Abkhazia with the option of a third if I had a lead I thought would yield a flag.
Coming through Georgia was a nightmare, it took us 4 hours to get out of the Georgian side as they were “checking our passports”. An old Chilean guy who arrived before us was let in an hour after us but he claimed this was his 190th country visited!
We took a cab from the border to Sukhumi to try to get our visas paid for, on arrival we were told it was shut for the next 4 days! We only had visas for 3 days so we considered going to the border but were told we would be arrested if we did that. We ended up grabbing beers a couple of nights later and met a guy who works in the Russian embassy and said we would be fine overstaying our visa, and we were.
The drive to Gagra was fascinating. We passed through Ochamire to pick up local sim cards and it’s quite the ghost town, the whole country was run down and even the capital has so many abandoned buildings. Russian is essential, mine is very weak and it was challenging lots of the time to get around.
PRICE
€1 = 69 rubles.
Taxi from the border to Sochumi was 2000 pesos. When we decided to go straight to Gagra it cost 4500 in total, and our cab back to Sochumi from Gagra was 2500 also. A room in a guesthouse central in Pitsunda was 2000 per night, in Sochumi was 900 (although a hotel was 3500). In Gagra a hotel next to the main bar was 5000, a guesthouse 3 minutes walk away was 500 for a private room.
Beers were max 100, a meal was 150 for a kebab, 300-400 for a good sit down meal.
GIRLS AND MY EXPERIENCE
Very very refined. We were men on a mission and approached everything but once we asked them if they wanted to join for a drink they would scoot away from us. Most bars had lots of girls dancing alone but we were warned multiple times that the guys sit down and let their girls dance, and if he hit on the wrong girl we would get a beatdown. After being told this a third time we decided to tone it down a bit.
I met one local girl from Couchsurfing who didn’t drink alcohol. Still a virgin, waiting for marriage which is commonplace here so I didn’t risk a bad reference by trying. She had to meet me during the day because being out with a guy that’s not your boyfriend at night you’re branded a slut. A Russian guy we met who was living there for 3 years has yet to capture the flag.
The only inroads we made were with Russians, almost got 2 sisters back in Pitsunda but couldn’t ditch their mates. I had a tinder date with a very strange Russian, tried to whip her back after one beer and she changed her mind on the walk back. I smashed one Russian I found on Instagram, not what I came to Abkhazia for but better than blanking for 4 days.
WHERE TO GO:
Gagra should be your base. We did a trip from Gagra to see almost everything you can see (minus a holy town) and the only thing worth seeing is Lake Ritza, which is beautiful but nowhere to sunbathe and nobody swimming. Gagra beach is chilled but a bit stoney, apparently Pitsunda is nicer.
For nightlife, Mojito in Gagra is the epicentre. There are a few other bars within a 5 minute walking radius.
We went for a stroll at night in Sukhumi. Lots of pitch black streets and abandoned buildings, not logistical at all.
I planned to spend 2 days in Abkhazia with the option of a third if I had a lead I thought would yield a flag.
Coming through Georgia was a nightmare, it took us 4 hours to get out of the Georgian side as they were “checking our passports”. An old Chilean guy who arrived before us was let in an hour after us but he claimed this was his 190th country visited!
We took a cab from the border to Sukhumi to try to get our visas paid for, on arrival we were told it was shut for the next 4 days! We only had visas for 3 days so we considered going to the border but were told we would be arrested if we did that. We ended up grabbing beers a couple of nights later and met a guy who works in the Russian embassy and said we would be fine overstaying our visa, and we were.
The drive to Gagra was fascinating. We passed through Ochamire to pick up local sim cards and it’s quite the ghost town, the whole country was run down and even the capital has so many abandoned buildings. Russian is essential, mine is very weak and it was challenging lots of the time to get around.
PRICE
€1 = 69 rubles.
Taxi from the border to Sochumi was 2000 pesos. When we decided to go straight to Gagra it cost 4500 in total, and our cab back to Sochumi from Gagra was 2500 also. A room in a guesthouse central in Pitsunda was 2000 per night, in Sochumi was 900 (although a hotel was 3500). In Gagra a hotel next to the main bar was 5000, a guesthouse 3 minutes walk away was 500 for a private room.
Beers were max 100, a meal was 150 for a kebab, 300-400 for a good sit down meal.
GIRLS AND MY EXPERIENCE
Very very refined. We were men on a mission and approached everything but once we asked them if they wanted to join for a drink they would scoot away from us. Most bars had lots of girls dancing alone but we were warned multiple times that the guys sit down and let their girls dance, and if he hit on the wrong girl we would get a beatdown. After being told this a third time we decided to tone it down a bit.
I met one local girl from Couchsurfing who didn’t drink alcohol. Still a virgin, waiting for marriage which is commonplace here so I didn’t risk a bad reference by trying. She had to meet me during the day because being out with a guy that’s not your boyfriend at night you’re branded a slut. A Russian guy we met who was living there for 3 years has yet to capture the flag.
The only inroads we made were with Russians, almost got 2 sisters back in Pitsunda but couldn’t ditch their mates. I had a tinder date with a very strange Russian, tried to whip her back after one beer and she changed her mind on the walk back. I smashed one Russian I found on Instagram, not what I came to Abkhazia for but better than blanking for 4 days.
WHERE TO GO:
Gagra should be your base. We did a trip from Gagra to see almost everything you can see (minus a holy town) and the only thing worth seeing is Lake Ritza, which is beautiful but nowhere to sunbathe and nobody swimming. Gagra beach is chilled but a bit stoney, apparently Pitsunda is nicer.
For nightlife, Mojito in Gagra is the epicentre. There are a few other bars within a 5 minute walking radius.
We went for a stroll at night in Sukhumi. Lots of pitch black streets and abandoned buildings, not logistical at all.