Tsandripsh is an old name. Tsandripsh, Abkhazia

Basic moments

Tsandripsh attracts tourists with its spacious pebble beaches, warm climate, abundance of sun, the possibility of sea bathing, clean air and luxurious Abkhazian vegetation. The village is very green, eucalyptus trees, Pitsunda pines and cypresses grow on the streets. This place is popular with parents with children and those who like to spend their holidays in the bosom of nature, away from the noisy amusements of big resort towns.

Accommodation and meals in Tsandripsh have always been inexpensive, and the road to the resort village from the railway station in Adler or Sochi airport is not difficult. During the summer season, shops, canteens and Abkhazian national cafes - apatskhis, work in the village, and discos open in the evenings.

For lovers of outdoor activities from the resort village, rafting on mountain rivers, jeep trips and paragliding flights are organized. In addition, bus tours around Abkhazia are carried out from Tsandripsh to the Sukhum Botanical Garden and monkey nursery, to New Athos, to Lake Ritsa, to the Anakopia fortress and the Gegsky waterfall.

History of the village

The territory on which Tsandripsh now stands has been inhabited since ancient times. In ancient times, Tsandripsh had the status of the capital of several principalities. Here was an important trading port, which flourished until the rule of the Ottoman Turks. The settlement was of great importance for Abkhazia. This is evidenced by the ruins of ancient fortresses and temples, which archaeologists discovered in Tsandripsh itself and its immediate environs.

In 1867, the Russians founded a settlement on the coast, which received its name from the name of the famous Abkhazian family Tsanba. In the Soviet years it was called Gantiadi. Many residents continue to use this name today.

Beaches of Tsandripsh

The pebbly beaches of Tsandripsha are considered to be among the best in Abkhazia. They stretch for almost 6 km, so from any part of the residential development you can go to one or another section of the beach. The coastline is wide, up to 200 m, and covered with medium and small pebbles. Sea water is very clean. The descent into the sea is gentle, but there is no vast area of ​​shallow water.

In the summer, the beaches of the resort village have everything you need for a comfortable stay. Tourists can rent sun loungers and parasols, use the toilets and changing rooms. Vacationers go on boat trips, ride jet skis, "bananas" and parasail behind a boat.

basilica

The temple revered by the Abkhaz stands in the center of Tsandripsh, not far from the seashore (155 Oktyabrskaya St.). The Christian basilica was built in the 6th century. The building was built of roughly hewn stone blocks, has three naves and three protruding altar apses. Today, the ruins of the basilica have the status of a cultural monument and are under state protection.

When archaeological excavations were carried out near the ancient temple, experts found a piece of white marble slab with inscriptions. It was a text about an unknown historical person with an indication of his title - "Abagsky". In addition, archaeologists have found around the basilica and other marble fragments. All this suggests that in ancient times the temple was very revered among the locals. New converts were baptized in it, the dead were buried and the relics of Christian saints were venerated.

It is known that in the 10th century the people who lived here thoroughly restored the basilica. They replaced the dilapidated wooden floors with new stone beams, which is why the ancient temple managed to survive many centuries, and it has been perfectly preserved to this day.

White rocks

3.2 km southeast of the basilica is a unique natural monument - the White Rocks. A section of the coastline of cliffs and stones of white and light gray color stretches at the exit from Tsandripsh towards the village of Kholodnaya Rechka. You can get here on foot along the seashore or by road.

White rocks are the only outlet of marble layers to the sea on the territory of the republic. This is a very picturesque place where all vacationers in Tsanripshe and those who spend their holidays in other resort areas of Abkhazia try to get. Swimming is good on the beach near the White Rocks. It is not crowded here, and you can meet only fishermen and a few vacationers. Photographers like to visit picturesque rocks. The snow-white cliffs turned by the sea surf are perfectly combined with the azure sea and serve as an excellent backdrop for portrait photographs.

Stalin's dacha

It is less than a kilometer from the White Rocks to Stalin's dacha. The historical building is located in the neighboring village of Bagripsh or Kholodnaya Rechka. The house stands on a high cliff, rising 350 meters above sea level, and offers excellent views of the Black Sea and the coast. They go up to the dacha along the serpentines of the highway. Around the green two-story building there is a picturesque pine forest.

Nowadays, you can visit the inside of the house with a tour and see the premises, the total area of ​​​​which is 850 m². This is a bedroom, living room (meeting room), bathroom, spacious dining room and basement. On the second floor there is a billiard room with a fireplace and a cinema.

All rooms inside the historical building are finished with wood, and in some rooms valuable Karelian birch is used to decorate the walls. It is noteworthy that the length of the bed in the bedroom is only 180 cm, and all the furniture has been preserved from Stalin's times. Window panes in the country house are made of thick crystal.

Khashup fortress

5 km from Tsandripsh are the ruins of the Khashup fortress, which got its name from the Khashupse river. The ancient citadel rises on a rocky, densely forested cliff. They get to it from the village of Khashupsa, which is 3 km from Tsandripsh. A thorny path leads to the cliff along the river valley. Now the ruins are overgrown with yew and thorny brambles, and they offer an excellent view of the picturesque coast.

According to historians, the fortifications in the mountain river valley appeared in the 1st-2nd centuries and were built by the Romans. The fortress protected the gorge from enemy raids from the sea. The citadel was surrounded by a powerful stone wall up to 2 m thick.

Separate fragments of this wall have survived to this day, the height of which reaches 8 m. In addition, in the fortress you can see the ruins of towers, loopholes and outbuildings, containers carved in stone in which water was stored, and worn steps of an ancient stone staircase. On the territory of the settlement there are ancient burial grounds and dolmens.

Where to stay

Most tourists choose the economical private sector of Tsandripsh for recreation. Several guest houses have been built in the village, the owners rent out rooms and turnkey houses to holidaymakers. In addition, there is an opportunity to stay in a more comfortable park-hotel "Abkhazia". Tsandripsh is small in size, and all the housing of the resort village is stretched along the coastline and is located close to the beaches.

Some tourists prefer to stay 3 km from Tsandripsh, in the village of Khashupsa. Here, in a picturesque place near a large trout pond, there is a campsite where travelers can stay in tents or small houses.

How to get there

Tsandripsh is located in the western part of Abkhazia, 5 km from the border with Russia. It is connected by roads with Gagra and Sukhum. By car, the resort village is reached along the M4, M27 highways. The border crossing procedure is simple and takes 10 minutes.

The nearest airport "Sochi" to the village is located in Adler. If you plan to travel by train, tickets must also be taken to Adler. Although a railway line passes through Tsandripsh, trains rarely run here, not all year round, but only during the holiday season - from May to October.

From Adler to Tsandripsh is only 13 km, and by bus or fixed-route taxi to the resort village is reached in 20 minutes. Those who want to come to Tsandripsh by taxi should opt for cars with Abkhaz license plates. This makes the trip cheaper.

We rested in July 2019 in the guest house "By the Sea" with Irina and Andrey Makurov.
The house is large, clean, with all amenities, there is a kitchen where you can always cook your own meal.
But there is one BUT, the owners of this house, to our great regret, turned out to be not very hospitable. It was not at all comfortable for us to live in this house:
-On the top floor in the room in which we lived, there was an unpleasant sewer smell, especially in the evening.
- In addition, the owner of the house, Andrey, despite the specially designated smoking area, which we were warned about upon arrival, could afford to smoke on the territory of the whole house, even in the presence of children.
-if you want to go to the sea for hours at 7-8 in the morning, it’s not a fact that you will go out, you will have to wake up the owners so that they open the gate for you.
-Irina and Andrey will be kind and smiling with you only if you order excursions from them, buy their homemade wine, compotes (at not cheap prices)
The hostess of the house, Irina, this person is simply obsessed with cleanliness. I understand everything, to keep order in someone else's house, these are elementary things, eat and clean, but not as fanatically, you live in a house and are afraid to take an extra step. Well, at home, try not to walk, so as not to apply sand ....
At the end of the holiday, our child fell ill. We did not see any help and sympathy from the owners.
So, dear vacationers, think ten times before going to this guest house.
We didn't like it and we don't recommend it to anyone.
Keep in mind that in the main Vkontakte group, all negative reviews are deleted, which is very strange.

remember the address, Oktyabrskaya, 45, guest rooms Sangria
Never come to this house for vacation. Everything . what is written is not true. Only rooms and then with broken TVs. So, it’s not 100 steps to the sea (it was written 50 meters before our presence) but 600 meters, and even
bypassing the muddy puddle. called a river, with crystal clear water. IN FANTASY!!! Moreover, the owner, KAREN, calls her a warm river with a jacuzzi!!! Where you can swim. HORROR. No fishing, no blooming garden, and even mother Anaida, who always gives instructions, where you can go, where you can’t. use gas for a short time, it is expensive, do not take anything, everything is sold, and so on. Do not make any prepayments!!! As the most honest person, KAREN does not return her, but only then calls you names and tries to kick you out as soon as possible. and lives on fraudulent money. The dining room is dirty with an earthen floor and dirty dishes, with leaking slate, therefore it is always dirty.

The owner of the Abkhaz Dzhambul, the owner of the Georgian Marina, stayed with a private owner in Tsandripsha. Very nice, clean and responsive people. I am satisfied with the rest. Negative impressions were more than offset by pleasant hosts, clear water (in calm or moderate waves) and a free, spacious beach. As for negative emotions, these are mountains of garbage along the shore (that is, on the beach). I didn’t see anyone cleaning up the shore. Only the owners of recreation facilities are engaged in landscaping. And they are good at it. Wish: to make the recreation area clean of debris.

Advantages:

• incomparable nature
• beautiful clear sea
• very tasty compote of their feijoa
• good not expensive cafes

Flaws:

• theft
• robberies
• wild beach
• get by train 2 days
• expensive tickets,
• expensive products
• little transport
• little fruit :(, locals don't sell fruit

After reading reviews and inspired by my husband and three-year-old child, we decided to go to Abkhazia. The closest to the border (only 5-7 minutes by car), but a little-known resort place is Tsandripsh VILLAGE. I didn’t just specify that this is a village, keep this in mind and don’t expect to see paved embankments and ennobled beaches with sunbeds and umbrellas in front of you. Moreover, cows walk in the village, and the locals drive like crazy in cars and motorcycles. However, the nature there is wonderful! The sea is clean, blue, large pebbles and a strip of coarse sand. Dolphins almost near the shore were seen several times. There are some entertainments on the beach, in the form of a banana and a bun, as well as a boat trip. A sun lounger can be bought for a day for 100 rubles. Excursions are offered and quite a lot.

We booked a guest house in advance, "Zhanna" I will write about it later, I do not want to go deep. And if not for such good living conditions, the impressions of the rest could be very bad.

I wanted to note that we lived at the very beginning of the village, st. Sholokhov. There are a couple of cafes along the main road, but we chose one that we liked and ate there all the time. It is called "Glacier" if you choose Tsandripsh and stay nearby, I recommend it. They offer home cooking. Borsch, noodle soup, okroshka, meatballs, goulash, buckwheat, pilaf, salads, french fries and much more. Barbecue, of course, is available at a ridiculous price of 70 rubles. 100g. Drinks 20 rubles. Beer 55 rubles. Everything is always prepared fresh, so you will have to wait a bit. The food is always delicious and fresh. The average check for a family of 2 adults and a child is 400 rubles.

You can, of course, cook on your own, all owners who rent housing have such an opportunity, but be prepared for the fact that the products are more expensive than ours, some are very significant. The saddest thing is that fruits and vegetables turned out to be expensive and imported. And at the end of August, you can only buy figs from the locals (and even then we had to wander around the village for a long time in search of those who sell). All grapes are mostly wine grapes and are not for sale.

You can go to the center of Tsandripsh and buy everything you need in the market. Prices are not much higher, but there is a choice. Shuttle taxis run for about 30-50 rubles per person and a pazik bus for 10 rubles. It is a pity that the owners did not tell us how and where to get there, out of ignorance they constantly deceived us and took much more for the fare.

Please note that public transport stops running at sunset, no later than 7 pm, you can only get back by taxi. Which there is not very cheap, despite the fact that you eat a few minutes.

I want to pay special attention to intestinal infections! Everyone who rested with us and we ourselves were ill, children are especially seriously ill. With a temperature under 40, diarrhea and vomiting. Believe me, it's very scary! And this happened on the 5th day of stay. Be sure to bring a full first aid kit with you. Antipyretic, coal, enterol, smectu necessarily. Of course, you can buy everything there, but if you are overtaken by an illness, there will be no time for running around.

Well, the most unpleasant thing that the guests of our yard encountered was robbery. They steal terribly and brazenly. In broad daylight, they break the windows of cars and steal both personal belongings and steal cars. And there are very, very many victims from all over Abkhazia in the embassy. So be careful and on the alert, especially if you go by car. Do not take credit cards, they will definitely not be useful to you there.

If you stay in Tsandripsh, there is a chance that you will still have a Russian connection, at least we had it. But when approaching the sea, it changed to a local one. These are the miracles.

In any case, enjoy your holiday and most importantly, a positive attitude. Then you won't notice any trouble. .

Advantages:

• Climatic conditions
• near the sea

Flaws:

• Passing the border
• inflated food prices.

Hello everyone, I want to leave my review about the village of Tsandripsh. I read a lot on the Internet before going there to rest. To begin with, in order to get to Abkhazia, you will need to pass 2 borders, Russian and Abkhaz, if you arrive early in the morning, you will pass quickly, but at lunch you will get tired of waiting, especially with children. The nature is really beautiful with numerous species of plants, trees, the sea is clean, sometimes of course there was an influx of dead jellyfish and no, but they were not dangerous. There are few shops and prices are an order of magnitude higher, you don’t eat cheaply in a cafe, we didn’t like the U BORI cafe, you can find a better cafe for such prices! But on the other hand, homemade wine, chacha, cognac can be bought in every home. As for fruits, the prices are the same as in our homeland, even here, in Tatarstan, it is cheaper. They make money for us on tourists, they know that we can’t buy anywhere, so they tear us up. The only thing that pleased us was the warm sea, and the owners' pool, we rested in a mini hotel near Aida on Lenin 79. And in general, you can go to relax once for a change!

General impression: Peaceful quiet rest.

Positive reviews

The first time we rested in Tsandripsh in 2017. had a great rest. the hosts are wonderful. The attitude of locals towards tourists is good. no attacks on both us. so there were no tourists. market prices are reasonable. You can easily negotiate a price drop. in shops. also ok for the price. near where they rested in a private house. there is a private cafe. the prices are excellent. service is excellent. everything as we were offered to rest in the house. so it was. purely. culturally. calmly. The sea is clean. good. We are going to them this year in August.

Good afternoon, forum users.

It was the first time in Abkhazia. We stopped in the village. Tsandripsh, on the street. Gorky 30 (private house). The hostess's name is Susanna, they agreed with her in advance, the wife's colleague advised, from personal experience. We mainly prefer "seals" (beach, sea, without much movement around the surroundings), but this time we went on an excursion to the mountains, waterfalls, Lake Ritsa, and once again went to the water park in Gagra. But first things first...

Let's start with the pros:

• Sea. We were there for 12 days, during which time the sea was dirty for 2 days - it brought garbage, driftwood, sticks, the water was yellow. The rest of the time - the sea was gorgeous! This made both us and our daughter (4.5 years) very happy. There were few people on the beach, no hustle. Although the beach itself was not very clean, heaps of rubbish, driftwood and fire marks...
• Weather. There was no rain, only the first night after arrival. The rest of the time it's hot! I endure normally, my wife suffered a little. Of course, during the day, from 13 to 17, they left the beach ... But it's much better than rain or cloudy skies.
• Excursion. We were taken by the husband of the hostess, he is engaged in excursions. We drove to Gagra, then to the mountains, through waterfalls (with jeeping, tasting drinks and honey), then to Ritsa, back to Gagra and home. We left at 8:00 in the morning and returned at about 17:00. I liked everything very much, the mountains, Lake Ritsa, waterfalls, a trip along the rocky "path" to the Gegsky waterfall ... in general, a lot of new impressions. In the end, everyone was tired, but they were very pleased. I liked the trip to the water park less - ticket 1000r / adult. and 700r / children. And there is not as much entertainment as we would like. We had lunch at the local cafe - not cheap. And the weather was not very favorable - so we left at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. But the children liked it, of course, more than us (we went with two families).
• The attitude of the owners of the house. The house is not new, the conditions are not the most comfortable (there was no air conditioning, a shower-toilet on the floor, it took 10-15 minutes to go to the sea), but in general I liked everything. The hosts are ordinary people, the attitude was human. We were met at the border and taken back on the last day. In general, thanks to these kind people for shelter.
• Food. We did not cook ourselves (there was a summer kitchen in the house), we ate at a local cafe. Cafe near the beach, called "Zakutok". The atmosphere there, of course, is unpretentious, a simple summer cafe. But the attitude of the staff and the quality of the food were excellent. Hello Vika, Masha and Tati. We went to another cafe, a little further from us, and there was also an example of a cafe in a water park - according to our impressions, Zakutka had the most delicious food. And this is at reasonable prices (breakfast - 300 rubles, lunch and dinner - 500-600 rubles for three, with a child). And, by the way, there was no hint of not freshness of food either ...

Now for the cons:

• I did not like the attitude of some local people towards us as tourists. They already wrote about this before me, I repeat - it seems that many local merchants think that tourists have money pouring out of all the natural openings of the body, and an extra couple of hundred rubles will not burden anyone. It wasn't pleasant.
• Prices in stores were the same as in the Moscow region. This was an unpleasant surprise. We thought that milk, bread and some other basic things would be cheaper. But this did not spoil the rest, of course, just not a very pleasant fact.
• Previous authors noted - I repeat: everywhere is rather dirty, unkempt ... I wrote above about the beach, in the village itself the situation is the same. I think that this has been going on since 92-93, when everything collapsed, and there was no one to deal with roads and other infrastructure. But, again, we came to enjoy the sea, mountains and clean air, and not to celebrate the facts of the communal disorder of the village. Therefore, this is so, "notes along the way", which had little effect on the impressions of the rest))

To sum up, we were satisfied with the rest, once again I want to thank our hosts from Gorky 30, Susanna and Artur - thank you very much for everything! We will definitely return to Abkhazia next year - we understand that of all the beauties we did not see even 1/10 of the part ...

Advantages:

• Attitude
• Nature

Flaws

• They didn't exist in 2009!

Details:

Abkhazia- These are my best memories of the vacation... It was in 2009 after the aggression of Georgia pushed by the USA... As a result, the attitude of the Abkhaz people, as it used to be, was warm towards visiting vacationers from Russia!!! We were alone with my girlfriend, and now my wife ... Tsandrypsh, the former Gantiadi (in Georgian), the inhabitants of Abkhazia were very unhappy when they heard the name of their city with a Georgian motif. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were always in the same cafe. We were very pleased with the prices for a hearty meal, we spent only 150 r for two (hodgepodge, mashed potatoes with a cutlet, a 1-liter bottle of beer (it seems marmara) a glass of wine (homemade) for my girlfriend and cheese slices). I will never forget the owner of the cafe, a cheerful old man treated everyone every evening at his own expense and at the same time said: “If it were not for you Russians, we Abkhazians would not be on these lands! Thank you!!!" maybe in a different way, but the meaning is clear, and dances began to dance. The beaches were struck by the cleanliness of the natural beauty, three hundred meters from the beach close to the Donskoy Tabak sanatorium and the old train station, there are white stones, when we approached them, we could not believe our eyes, the bright white stones located on the seashore are simply amazing. Near the building of the old station, there are plenty of posters with excursions for different wallets. We were on one excursion, independently chose the route and went slowly, the nature is impressive, there are a lot of abandoned buildings beautiful in their architecture. The only excursion, according to the locals, which in no case should be agreed to is riding an UAZ in the mountains, there are many cases of injuries up to a fatal outcome ... I don’t know how it is now, but in 2009 it was very bad with medicine there !!! Guys disappointed if they see that a car with Russian numbers is driving, they will stop for any reason, but they will find something to complain about ... If you don’t agree, they seize your rights and go to the main office and prove your case (therefore, be kind enough to give from 100 to 500 for each stop) ... Yes, one more minus the customs there are no brothers if they smile at you in Abkhazia, then the same people at the customs are ready to stick a knife in the back ... They have the audacity not to take a rod bypassing the line with trunks. Passage through customs during the holiday season can reach up to 5.6 hours. Who is in a hurry, there is a stall nearby in which you, like through a portal, go through this many hours of queue. Of course, not for beautiful eyes. For that, the Abkhazian customs pleases with a smile, they really greet even the documents, they don’t look through, they trust the Russian customs))) ...

Advantages:

• the beauty

Flaws:

• In principle - we can say that there are no cons

We live in St. Petersburg, and this is what we learned this summer: the most convenient way to get to Tsandripsh is not by car, but by train.

By car, you can get stuck in front of the border for a very long time. Friends last year stood for 5 hours, we - more than 3 hours. But on the train - a sweet deal! It goes on schedule, customs officers check it very quickly. Such is the nuance.

Tsandripsh is a quiet and cozy place. Everyone who has ever been there comes back again and again. Nature is so beautiful. that is breathtaking! From the window of our guest house we saw the mountains. In the evenings, we went out to the balcony and admired the view.

The sea is clean. True, this year (in June) we were not too lucky with the weather. The sea was restless, and there was no particular heat. But, despite the fact that the sea constantly threw small debris and algae onto the beach, the beaches are the cleanest, they are constantly cleaned.

There were a lot of drunken tourists this year compared to previous years. But what to do, I had to put up with it. But in the village there are shops (although the prices in them are the same as in St. Petersburg), a pharmacy, cafes and restaurants.

You can stay in the private sector, in a boarding house or in guest houses. The latter - the price is acceptable and quite comfortable (we paid 300 per person).

General impression: How to get to Tsandripsh

Good day everyone!!! We just returned from a vacation in Abkhazia, in the village of Tsandripsh (formerly Gandiadi), my son and I are simply delighted!!! Words cannot express how much we liked it and how we did not want to leave. In the guest house at Irina and Andrey just an idyll for relaxation, everything is thought out to the smallest detail for a perfect holiday, friendly and attentive attitude to all vacationers. The sea is not far and very clean, everything you need is within walking distance. I want to go back there!!!

We rested from August 19 to 27 with Andrey and Irina, our first trip to Abkhazia. Great house, hospitable hosts. Many people frightened us with unsanitary conditions in Tsandripsh, and in general in Abkhazia, nonsense. In this house, excellent conditions, clean rooms with new furniture, linens and towels. Shared kitchen - all conditions for cooking: dishes. stoves, kettles, there was never a queue in the kitchen in order to cook or heat food. The sea is nearby, 5 minutes walk, there are not as many people on the beach as in other villages, the beach is clean. The hosts offer guided tours with reliable guides. And special thanks to Andrey and Irina for the treat with figs and pears. The most important point is that having crossed the border, we arrogantly decided to find a house ourselves, but the Yandex map could not find it, and we had no connection. And knowing that we crossed the border, Irina sent Andrey in search and he found us straying in a car :) IRINA and ANDREY, thank you for your hospitality and company.

Among the most diverse resorts of Abkhazia, many compatriots have been choosing holidays in Tsandripsha for several decades. This village has a developed tourist infrastructure, many attractions and attractions, beautiful pebble beaches. The local nature has created ideal conditions for year-round recreation and treatment in the village of Tsandripsh. Holidays at sea are spent here by people of different ages and incomes, but without exception, everyone speaks of the resort as one of the best on the coast.

What to see in Tsandripshe?

Want to learn more about the culture and history of the country? Choose a holiday by the sea in Tsandripsh. Abkhazia is a country with an amazing history, which is confirmed by various archaeological and historical monuments. Here you can see:

• Tsandripshskaya basilica;
• Khashup fortress;
• Tsandripsha temple.

Among those who come to rest in Tsandripsh in Abkhazia, there are many connoisseurs of pristine nature. It will be interesting for them to go rafting on mountain rivers or visit the Khashupse canyon.

Where to stay?

The housing stock of the village is able to satisfy any requirements of tourists who come to Tsandripsh to rest by the sea. A variety of boarding houses and hotels, sanatoriums and recreation centers provide the maximum number of services. For those who are looking for housing "easier" and, accordingly, cheaper, rooms in private households can be rented in the private sector.

Tsandripsh - description

The resort village is located on the banks of the Khaupshe River. At the entrance to the village of Tsandripsh, you can admire the beautiful white rocks - one of the sights of Abkhazia. You can come to the resort both by road and by rail. The village of Tsandripsh (Abkhazia) has its own railway station.

A bit of history

On the territory of the village and in its vicinity, scientists regularly find evidence of the existence and development of ancient civilizations. The fact that the settlement was significant even in antiquity is confirmed by the finds of marble, which decorated churches and basilicas. It is also known that the village of Tsandripsh was a center of pilgrimage, to which many believers aspired.

Geography

From the west and east of the outskirts, the urban-type settlement of Tsandripsh is limited by the Khashupse and Bagrepsta rivers. Geographically, the settlement is part of Bolshaya Gagra. It is only 5 km from the Russian border.

The climate in the village is mild, Mediterranean. Precipitation is frequent, but short-lived. The sea warms up already in early May and pleases vacationers with its warm waves until October.

The population of the village is not numerous - just over 5 thousand people. Exactly half are Armenians. Russians, Abkhazians and Ukrainians also live in Tsandripsh.

The urban-type settlement of Tsandrypsh (Tsandripsh) in the very west of the Gagra region of Abkhazia is better known under the old name of Gantiadi.

It lies on the Black Sea coast in a small bay into which several mountain rivers flow at once - Lapsta (Lapsy), Mekhadyr, Khashupsa (Khashupse) and Bagrepsta (Cold River), just 5 kilometers east of the border with Russia.

Despite its modest modern size, this is a very ancient place - various Bronze Age items were found on the territory of the village, and until the 6th century, Sauchi, as the settlement was then called, was the capital first of the principality of Sanigia, and then of the historical province of Sadzen (the so-called Malaya Abkhazia) . In the XVIII-XIX centuries, the region was actively populated by Russians and Armenians, residents of the Baltic republics also moved here (the Estonian villages of Salme and Sulevo in the Psou valley still have a fairly significant population), which formed an amazing multicultural community here, which has retained many of its features in our days.

Attractions Tsandripsh

Tsandrypsh temple

The main historical monument of the region is Tsandrypsh temple, or Tsandripsh Basilica- a unique complex of the Justinian era. It was supposedly built in the 6th century on the site of an older complex and is richly decorated with marble, the deposits of which are still being mined up the valley of the Mekhadyr River. Built, like many temples of that era, from large hewn blocks of white limestone, it was carefully plastered from the inside - traces of finishing in some places have survived to this day - and decorated with carved marble elements - they are still found in abundance around. By all indications, the complex had excellent acoustics, which was only enhanced by the "sound jugs" characteristic of that period, built into the walls, as well as expanding rooms in the pre-altar part. It is characteristic that initially the complex was built according to a technology that was quite characteristic of an earlier period - wooden vaults and ceilings rested on powerful stone walls. However, during the alteration of the XV-XVI centuries, the walls were reinforced with pilasters, and the stone ceiling and vaults began to rely on a number of additional pillars.

At the same time, a small fortress- powerful foundations of three towers and fragments of walls are still visible 150 meters to the east. In the eastern part of the southern nave there are several tombs VI-XI centuries, plus about a dozen more burials of different eras found in the surrounding area. In 1576, the temple was partially destroyed by the Turks and was no longer restored, and in Soviet times it was conserved by restorers in the hope of a more detailed study. Quite well preserved for its age, the Tsandripsh temple is now one of the most significant architectural monuments of the early Middle Ages.

Around Tsandripsh

Khashup fortress

7 km upstream of the Khashupsa (Khashupse) River, on its left bank rises Mount Deransort(407 m), crowned with ruins Khashup fortress, often referred to simply by the name of the river and the nearby village of the same name. By all indications, it was one of the most powerful fortifications of the early Middle Ages (the building dates back approximately to the 10th century), which grew up on the site of a fort of an obviously ancient bookmark (presumably the 1st-2nd centuries AD).

Two rows of hewn limestone walls up to 8-10 meters high in places with a base thickness of about two meters are very skillfully inscribed in the landscape and crowned with powerful quadrangular towers. A powerful stone staircase with wide steps leads to the massive gates, the rest of the perimeter is impregnable due to cliffs and a carefully planned system of firing sectors. Several more foundations of buildings of unknown purpose were found in the dense forest near the fortress complex, and inside the double ring of walls a large three-apse basilica and a whole system for collecting rainwater with a cistern and peculiar filters made of sand and gravel were found.

As a result, it is easy to imagine what a formidable force this structure once represented, which today is abundantly overgrown with blackberries and wild grapes. And if you climb the ruins of the watchtower, you can see a majestic panorama from the azure coast in the south to the snowy peaks of the Bzybsky Range in the north. You can get to the fortress by the road from Tsandrypsh, leading north along the picturesque river valley to the village of Khashupsa, after which the road turns to Bagnari, and to the left there is a path leading past the cliffs to the ruins.

White rocks

Interestingly, since antiquity, the surroundings of Tsandrypsh were also famous for their marble. This is the only place along the entire length of the Black Sea coast of Russia and Abkhazia where the precious stone has not only been mined since antiquity (it is believed that all the early Christian temples of the region got off with local stone), but in many places it simply comes to the surface openly - and not only in the mountains but also at sea. So called White rocks of Tsandrypsha represent an exit of a marble layer directly to the beach in the southeastern part of the town. And in the upper reaches of the Khashupse and Makhadyr, marble of different colors is developed in an open way.

Cold River

Approximately 7 km southeast of the center of Tsandrypsh, on the seashore, lies the resort village of Kholodnaya Rechka.

Where is Tsandripsh

Tsandrypsh is located on the coast of a small bay about 5 kilometers east of the Russian border.

How to get to Tsandripsh

The easiest way to get to Tsandrypsh is by flight to Adler, followed by crossing the border (to the checkpoint from the airport about 20 minutes by bus or minibus) on foot and transferring to Abkhazian taxis, buses or fixed-route taxis, following through the entire territory of the republic. By bus on the highway to Tsandrypsh can be reached in about 15 minutes. There are also direct flights of buses and minibuses from Adler airport, you can also hire a taxi directly to the place, however, due to the fact that huge queues often accumulate at the checkpoint, it is sometimes inconvenient to use them. However, due to the proximity of Tsandrypsh to the border, in some cases this way is even faster.

By train, you can take a direct flight No. 075C Moscow - Sukhum - in Adler, several cars are unhooked and continue on to Sukhum through Tsandrypsh and Gagra. Customs and passport control is carried out directly in the cars at Veseloye station (on the Russian side) and at Tsandrypsh station (on the Abkhaz side), however, due to its duration (often up to one and a half hours at the border, to which it is worth adding two days on the way to and up to 2 hours after) this method of moving is not convenient for everyone.

A comfortable electric train follows from the Russian station Adler to Sukhum via Tsandrypsh and Gagra, the schedule of which changes every year. Taking into account the border parking lot in Veseloe and numerous stops at intermediate stations, the whole journey to Tsandrypsh will take about an hour.