Lake Rica - the high-mountain beauty

Abkhazia is an amazing place to which God has presented a fabulously beautiful nature, medicinal waters, crystal clear air. It is not surprising that from different parts of the world, tourists come here to admire the local sights, and at the same time to improve their health. A really look at what to see. The sea, lakes, fast rivers, dense forests, high mountains - this is Abkhazia. Lake Ritsa - one of the attractions of this country, remembered absolutely for all tourists.

Lake Ritsa is rightly called the miracle of Abkhazia, because this is the most amazing creation of nature. It was located in the basin of the Bzyb River inside a huge stone bowl. The lake is located in the gorge of the rivers Yupshara and Lashpsy at an altitude of 950 m above sea level, so to get to it, it is necessary to overcome a difficult path. In some places Ritsa reaches a depth of 131 meters, its area is 132 hectares. The lake feeds at the expense of glaciers, which even in hot weather do not descend from the peaks of inaccessible mountains surrounding Ritsu.

Geologists agree with the idea that Lake Ritsa is quite young and formed about 250-300 thousand years ago. This could be facilitated by a strong earthquake, because of which mountain slope fell from the mountain Pshegishkh and fell into the river Lashpsu, as a result of damming it.

Depending on the season, the lake changes its color: in the autumn and winter it is azure, and in the spring and summer the emerald. This contributes to lapis lazuli - an amazingly beautiful mineral, lying on the bottom of Ritsa. It is he who makes the water surface look like sapphire. In summer, the lake looks like an emerald, because it appears microscopic plant phytoplankton. It is also an indicator of the purity of local waters, because it does not tolerate pollution and lives only in pure spring water.

Although there is a scientific version of how Lake Ritsa was created, but local people like to tell legends about its origin. So, according to one of them earlier in this place was a robber settlement. One evening a stranger came to him, but no one wished to let him into the house, only one old woman took pity on the man and let her stay overnight. In the morning he thanked her and warned of the danger looming over this locality. Soon the storm really started, and on the place of the village a beautiful lake appeared.

There is another, more romantic legend. There lived in the mountains a very beautiful girl named Ritsa and she had three brothers - Atsetuk, Agepsta and Pshegisha. The brothers went hunting, and their sister cooked for them. Once, while waiting for the brothers, Ritsa went for a walk in the forest so that the girl would not be bored. Her beautiful voice attracted the attention of the brigands Yupshara and Geg, when they saw the beauty, they immediately decided to kidnap her. Yupshara outraged Ritsa, and she threw herself desperately into the lake. The brothers learned about everything, found a robber and turned it into a river Yupshara, and they themselves were petrified and remained forever in the mountains, guarding the peace of their sister.

Today Rizza Lake gathers around itself millions of tourists who want to see the beauty of these places. On the water surface sweep boats, slowly swim boats. Completely relax, renounce everyday problems, gain strength will help Lake Ritsa. Abkhazia is an amazing place where you want to admire the lake's surface forever and the scenery of the majestic mountains.