A treasure trove of mountains and seas, like a fairy tale world.
When traveling to Russia, most people head to Moscow, St. Petersburg, or the Northern Lights, but I want to recommend a new place—Sochi. Sochi is located on the shores of the Black Sea, with unique black sand beaches, and is close to the Greater Caucasus Mountains, a paradise for alpine skiing. Remember the Sochi Winter Olympics? The skiing competitions were held here.
I never thought that mountains and seas could blend so perfectly in one place, but Sochi is just that magical, half mountain, half sea. Moreover, its latitude is not high, and it is favored by ocean currents, with the lowest temperature not dropping below 5 degrees. No wonder it is a great place for convalescence in Russia, where many Russian generals enjoy their retirement, and it is also a gathering place for the rich.
Sochi offers a wide range of activities, mainly playing in the sea, mountains, and skiing.
Sea activities:
There is a pier where you can take a yacht to chase dolphins. Whether you can see them depends on luck, but it's more about experiencing a round trip in the Black Sea. Choose a good weather day, and the blue sky and sea are stunning.
Price: 800 rubles per person for a shared boat, 8,000–12,000 rubles for a private boat, and a boat can accommodate seven or eight people.
Beach: The beach near the pier has gentler waves and clearer water, with many tents set up by merchants where you can eat and watch the sea. However, the beach here has coarse sand and stones, not fine, and if you want to walk on the sand, it may feel uncomfortable, with stones as big as fists.
Mountain activities:
Apart from the flat beach, you have to climb mountains once you go ashore, so there are many hiking routes. Akhun Mountain is quite famous and not too difficult (I took a taxi for two hours to the hiking starting point, but encountered a mountain closure and couldn't go, so if any friends have been there, please share to make up for my regret).
Skiing:
Sochi's ski season is from December to May. If you are a skiing enthusiast, don't miss the Rose Valley. It has complete facilities, and friends who are not specifically here for skiing don't need to bring their own equipment. You can rent a full set of equipment at the Rose Valley ski resort by taxi. There are also restaurants and hotels in the ski resort, and the prices in the valley are higher. I took a taxi back to the city on the same day and didn't compare the hotel prices in the valley.
Single skiing cost: ticket and cable car 3,550 rubles, full set of equipment 3,500–4,000 rubles.
Sochi's cuisine is also not to be missed. It borders Georgia, with many Georgians living here, and is home to multiple ethnic groups, reflected in the fusion of various ethnic cuisines and abundant seafood. When I ate Georgian hand-grabbed rice in Sochi, I found it somewhat related to Xinjiang cuisine. If you are a meat lover, you can try the big barbecue here.
Benjamin Adams Benjamin|25