Quite a few people are doing the trip to Sokhumi from the Georgian side without a hitch, but I was less lucky and therefore thought I should share my experience. I was robbed at the Abkhaz border on my way back by three men with a rifle, which they used to smash my nose in so that they could frisk me. Had to stay in Gali (the border town) for a week as I had no papers and no consular support. I was lucky though in that I still had my phone, and that I got a Georgian signal in the hospital (where I was staying). I could therefore contact friends in Georgia, who contacted the Red Cross, who managed (in time) to bail me out. So my message to all you folks is: DON’T GO! I totally underestimated the risk. The border region has a reputation for being lawless and under gang control, but I paid this no heed, believing only the town to be dangerous and not the border itself. Also, I had my papers checked by the militia in Gali, which took a long time, which is why the border was closed (and deserted) once I arrived – so there’s a real chance that it was a set-up with some of the local police involved. If you still wanna go because you think this is an adventure, trust me, it ain’t, it was the most serious thing happening to me in 27 years of solo travel. If you still wanna go because you’re interested in Abkhazia, please take heed of the following advice for your own good: 1. Do not go alone. 2. Inform people (on the Georgian side) you’re going. 3. Buy a Russian SIM if yours doesn’t work. 4. Take only as much cash as you might use. 5. The robbers were much more violent than in any hold-up situation I've been in before, so in case you're robbed, make no gesture of resistance. I can consider myself lucky since apparently quite a few non-Western people got killed.
It's sad to hear that happened to you. It seems like a very real risk, but on the other hand violent robbery can happen almost anywhere in the world. I mean this sort of incidents happen all the time to travellers to Latin America, yet travel is still booming over there.
Do you know if it is only the border region with Georgia so lawless? I'm wondering because so many Russians go on holiday to Abhazia without any problem. Suhumi, Novy Afon, Rica Lake,etc.
Would you say that Abhazia in general is too dangerous to travel, or just enter from Russia, don't go near the Georgian border and its fine?
Sorry to hear about it. Could you pls provide some more information so we know better how to avoid such situation?
When did you come to the border? How you got there, taxi, bus or some other way? And overall, how you got yourself into that situation involving 3 men and the gun?
Also I think many people would be interested how you made it out of Abkhazia without passport or consular support - as its real risk which must be considered before going there. How much time it took and what had to be done?
I just returned from traveling around Georgia for the past 2 weeks and I was constantly told to avoid Abkhazia even though I had not plans of going anyways. I heard several horrors stories about people who went. Georgia has so much to offer and it is so safe there really seems no reason to take the risk.
Rromani, the friends you contacted on the Georgian side, were they Marie and Henri at the Zugdidi hostel? Marie told me a story when we were staying with them that sounded exactly like yours. She said she had to help a traveler via the Red Cross who had gone to Abkhazia.
Hope you have healed now and things are better.
There is a certain degree of lawlessness in Abkhazia, especially because the state is internationally not recognised, and you can't count on any consular service or assistance if you get into trouble. Having said this, the ongoing Russian tourist boom means that authorities can't really allow too much lawlessness in the major tourist areas, and even the Georgian 'border' crossing seems reasonably safe when the militia is there - and during the day they are there. I wonder if sticking to the opening hours of the 'border' could've helped our fellow traveller to avoid this unfortunate incident.
However, it is undeniable that this tiny land is extremely divided. When I visited the area last year, we only rushed through the Georgian border area, so my impression may not be complete, but I think this is the saddest corner of the world I've ever seen (Sierra Leone, where I had to go later the same year for work, comes close). Gali feels extremely poor, abandoned and dilapidated. Ochamchira has a nice seaside location and a huge tourism potential, but has a feel of Rome after the Visigoth invasion. On the other hand, The North of Abkhazia is like another country: Soukhumi and Gagra are packed with Russian tourists, have good restaurants and reasonable tourism infrastructure with hotels, pubs, travel agents; it's a "poor man's Black sea resort", as some say. The history of the land, the food, the people, the landscape and the culture of Abkhazia will certainly make any trip memorable.
Would I go back? Yes, but maybe I would apply for a double entry Russian visa, and I would go through Russia, which is a good way to reduce the lawlessness and the risk of the trip.
nammarci, be VERY careful about it. Georgian regime makes it a criminal offence to cross Russia / Abkhazia border as they don't recognise Abkhazia independence and consider such crossing to be illegal crossing of Georgia / Russia border. In the past people were jailed for that, and some possibly still do their time. Some time ago the punishment was softened, now it is a fine of several hundred $, at least for first-time offenders, but it is still a crime. And Georgian border police looks through all passport pages very carefully.
I was considering an Abkhazia visit in two weeks time, I'd be really interested if anyone else has any information or knowledgable views on this subject to please post here...
#7
Hi
Where is that "Don not pick up hitchhikers" sign? Is that for real? What's the reason?
In response to the questions to my earlier post:
1) From what I've heard & seen, only the border region with Georgia is dangerous. That's because the war has practically destroyed the entire infrastructure. With no investment, a Mingrelian population the government doesn't care about, and a commercial freeze on the border, it's not a big surprise that crime is high. The border with Russia is open 24/7 and frequently used, but if you come that way, you will need a re-entry visa for Russia, as you cannot continue into Georgia. However: theft is always a possibility, and if you lose your passport, you'll be in serious trouble.
2) As I said, I was held back by a paper check at the Militia in Gali, so when I got to the border it was already closed. It closes at 7 pm (!) and the only notice of that is a small sheet of paper in Russian on the outside wall of the Russian barracks where your passport is stamped - so you'll most likely not see it. Also, I DID ask in Gali when the border closes and was told 8pm - and I was there before that. There were supposed to be soldiers at the post, but it was deserted when I got there - the Russian barracks is actually INSIDE the border compound, so if you were caught up in a similar situation, you would have to walk around the tunnel-like structure through which you enter Abkhazia.
3) As I also said, it was a set-up. The two men (who were the only ones at the border) told me they could organize a place for me to stay as the border would be (sigh) dangerous. About a half-mile down the road, they paused on a clearing (there were houses all around), we took off towards a sidepath and the third man with a gun came out of the shrubs. Then one of the guys pretended to panic and pushed me foreward towards a ruined building at the edge of a quarry. There they let me have it. One reason for this elaborate planning might be that I'm a 6"5' Aikidoka.
Since I was picked up by three militia guys in Gali, who stopped at one point to talk to a menacing old man in a black suit and gold chain who sized me up, I think it's a likely option that they talked it over with this guy and that the two at the border were expecting me. Otherwise, it's been a very unfortunate coincident, with me being lulled into a false sense of security by the otherwise astounding hospitality in the region. In any case, I didn't see it coming, and I've been in similar situations - there's always a moment when you notice something's wrong, but not in this case, indicating to me that these guys had some acting training and weren't doing this for the first time.
4) A cab from Zugdidi to the border takes 10-15 minutes tops and costs 8-10 Lari.
5) The only option for me to get out was the Red Cross (24, Vainahskaya street, Sukhum - not sure if I should hand out the phone number, I think it's confidential - try icrc.org). Without them, I'd probably still be there as the investigation is ongoing. I got my OK to leave from the Foreign Ministry two days into the new week, but there's no firm authority structure in Abkhazia, and the security chief made it very clear to me that I would leave only when he would let me. The whole thing lasted a week. There's also an EU police liaison officer for the European External Action Service (eusr-southcaucasus.org).
6) Yes, Maria from the Zugdidi Hostel was the one who alerted the Red Cross - two days before my embassy did. She and her husband were very helpful and extremely hospitable - I'd recommend anyone to stay at their place just for a taste of their friendliness.
Once again, think twice before you go, as being robbed is bad enough, but being beached with no papers in a country with no consular support is a nightmare.
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