Adjara - Adscharien

Adjara, Georgian აჭარა (Achara), official name აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა (Acharis Awtonomiuri Respublika / Autonomous Republic of Adjara) is located in the southwest Georgia on the coast of Black Sea. Neighboring regions are in the south Turkey (Region Artvin), in the North Guria and in the east Samtskhe Javakheti. Capital is Batumi.

Regions

Adjara is roughly divided into two parts: The coast with the port city Batumi and numerous beach resorts as well as the beautiful mountains.

places

• Batumi is the capital of the region, one of the most important seaports in the country and, with 180,000 inhabitants, the third largest city in Georgia. A suburb is Chelvachauri

Largest towns and administrative district centers are:

• Kobuleti - Seaside town and popular beach vacation destination
• Keda lies on the Adjarian Wine Route
• Shuachewi
• Chulo

Other goals

• Mtirala National Park
• Bathing places on the coast apart from Kobuleti and Batumi: Zichisdsiri, Tschakwi, Gonio, Kwariati and Sarpi.
• Beach and Botanical Garden of Mzwane Konzchi (Green Cape)
• Upper Adjara

Adjarian Wine Route

The Adjarian Wine Route begins in the village 41.54413641.729251 Acharistskali(აჭარისწყალი), about eighteen kilometers from Batumi and leads over 42 kilometers of road to the ancient 41.64691942.1077621 Dandalo Bridge(დანდალოს ხიდი). It's about halfway there 41.60058541.9400292 Keda(ქედა); from here a branch line goes up the valley of the Akraveta to Gundauri and to the 41.56861742.0261292 Namonastrevi waterfall. In this area there are hiking trails in the mountains.

The designated route along the შ 1 is passable on the main route. If you hike it, you should plan two full days. Along the way, in addition to natural beauties, there are numerous wineries with tasting opportunities. The cellars, accommodation and restaurants along the route are not all open during the off-season, which goes from June to September.

At Makhuntseti მახუნცეთის is one on one side of the valley 41.57101641.8600883 ancient arch bridge, above on the other side of the valley 41.57491541.8583364 waterfall(მახუნცეთის ჩანჩქერი). The local folklore museum is Tues-Sun. 10.00-19.00 open.

Near Keda are the castle ruins of 41.60251541.9278023 Zendidi and 41.60708641.9487874 Gulebi. It is in the place 41.60046641.9396275 Local history museum, the Tue-Sun Opens 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The St. George's Church in 41.62621141.975835 Zvare(ზვარე) is from more recent times, but is worth seeing on a rock by the river.

language

• In Adjara there is a significant Muslim minority of 30% due to the forced Islamizations under the Ottoman occupation in Georgia, whose specialty, however, is that these are ethnic Georgians who, however, extremely atypical for Georgia, adhere to Islam. Since 2002 the number of Muslims has decreased from 38% to around 30%. The people in Adjara speak Georgian in a light dialect. The most common foreign language is Russian, and English and Turkish are increasingly understood in the tourist centers.

getting there

• In Batumi is there a Airport e.g. with scheduled flights several times a week Istanbul (Pegasus and Turkish Airlines) and Tbilisi (Airzena). For those arriving from Central Europe, the one from Batumi is approx. 100 km away Kutaisi airport practical: There are flights of the low-cost airline, among other things Wizz Air out Berlin, Dortmund and Memmingen and there are bus connections to Batumi that are coordinated with the flight schedule. The airport Trabzon, about 300 km from Batumi, is also an option for travelers.

• There is a night train and a day train between Batumi and Tbilisi; both also hold in Kobuleti.
• Minibuses (marshrutkas) run several times a day between Batumi and all major Georgian cities
• There are also buses between Batumi and the Turkey; every half hour Hopa and several times a day Trabzon. It is also possible to take a city bus from Batumi to the border in Sarpi, cross the border on foot and then take a bus or dolmus to Hopa. From there you can get buses to many Turkish cities.
• The border crossing with Turkey is located south of Batumi, in Sarpi. It is open 24 hours and the border clearance is usually quick and uncomplicated.
• By car from Tbilisi the travel time is about 5-6 hours Gori-Kutaisi-Lanchuti.
• The regional road to Gurien (Kobuleti-Osurgeti) is very well developed, the regional road to Akhaltsikhe is off Chulo over the Goderzipass in poor condition and an off-road vehicle is recommended. Furthermore, this route is closed in winter and only reliably open between May and October.

mobility

• With marshrutkas you can go more or less everywhere. They run frequently and don't cost much.

Tourist Attractions

The main destination is Batumi, here are also numerous important sights:

• The beach promenade (Bulvari)
• The old town with its mosque and synagogue attracts mainly Turkish men because of its relaxed manners (serving alcohol, prostitution)
• Numerous new buildings in the typical Saakashvili style, historicizing and kitschy, such as the Alphabet Tower, the ensemble around Europaplatz with Medea statue and the dancing fountain and the piazza.

Around Batumi:

• Roman fort Apsarus in Gonio
• Botanical Garden of Mzwane Konzchi (Green Cape)
• Petra-Ziche fortress ruins near Zichisdziri (Raion Kobuleti)

Upper Adjara:

• Numerous Ottoman arch bridges

activities

• Bathing by the sea: Practically the entire coast from Sarpi to Kobuleti is lined with bathers in summer, and you can also swim in the sea in Batumi. The beaches are mostly gravel. Additional activities such as parasurfing and jet skiing are offered. The bathing season runs from May to the end of September, but the beach resorts are only overcrowded in the high season July-August.
• There is also a dolphinarium and an aquapark in Batumi
• In Batumi there is also an opera and a theater as well as regular concerts - e.g. the Batumi Jazz Festival in July
• At Chulo There is a new ski area in Upper Adjara
• Hiking in Mtriala National Park

kitchen

Adjarian cuisine differs significantly from that Georgian standard cuisine, however, it is difficult to get real Adjarian food, especially in the tourist areas. The only exception is the Ajarian variant of the Khachapuri, Khachapuri Acharuli, a "boat" made of dough filled with cheese, butter and an egg.

nightlife

During the high season July / August, Batumi and Kobuleti, but also the smaller beach towns, are lively with small and large beach bars. In winter, however, the cities are almost dead.

security

• In principle, the security situation does not differ from that in the rest of the country.
• In the dense crowd on the beach promenades, pickpockets find very good working conditions. Furthermore, unattended purses, cameras and mobile phones on the beach are invitations to thieves, which are also gladly accepted.
• Some beach bars demand higher prices from western foreigners, either with their own "tourist cards" or with the excuse of "old prices on the English card".
• On the coast, after thunderstorms and heavy rain (which can occur almost every day in summer) the water supply is shut off every hour. The situation has improved a lot, especially in Batumi, but it can still be a nuisance not being able to shower for several days. It is advisable to always have a strategic reserve of drinking water; the shops also sell large containers.

climate

As a bathing destination, Adjara does not have a favorable climate. The westerly winds carry the moist air from the sea to the mountains, where it rains down. In midsummer there can be thunderstorms every day, mostly in the evening. During the day it is mostly sunny but humid. In winter it can rain for days or even weeks. On the other hand, it is very warm, there is only very rarely frost on the coast, even in winter daytime temperatures of 20 ° C and more are not uncommon, while in summer it rarely gets unbearably hot thanks to the frequent rainfall.