Sochi is unique for its astonishing nature and spa facilities – few places on our planet can boast to have both the seaside and the mountains (the Caucasus – famous mountain system – is as little as sixty km away from the sea).
Humid subtropical zone forms perfect climate – hot and sunny summers for suntan lovers and mild winters for mad-for-mountain-skiing ones. Water in the Black sea is known to have chemical composition almost similar to human blood – you can even drink it if you want to know how blood tastes (just kidding). However, you won’t have to close your eyes while swimming and diving, the water won’t make them sore as Mediterranean seawater surely would.

What to see in Sochi

The famous Russian ski resort Krasnaya Polyana is situated near Sochi – come there for downhill and snowboarding, heli-ski and freeride – this place is paradise for winter vacations.

The town of Sochi is located near one of the largest Russia’s reserve parks. Its suburbs are a treasury of rare plant and animal species. You can find ancient gnarled yews and boxtrees, which are as old as eight hundred years or even more. Of course they are not sequoias, but their long mossy branches look fascinating – it’s like traveling in time to the age of dinosaurs and other strange creatures.

Sochi Arboretum is simply perfect for you to retreat from the city hustle and bustle, have a good rest and relax.

A huge collection of rare subtropical plants from around the world is gathered on the vast area of the Arboretum. Alleys, pergolas, ponds, fountains and gazebos, sculptures, aviaries with ostriches and freely walking peacocks: all these are situated on a one-kilometer-long slope of the mountain and are interspersed with blossoming plants.

Kurortny Avenue built back in 1933-1934 divides the Arboretum into two parts: Upper and Lower. The Upper part is bigger, it is a kind of park descending to the avenue. The main staircase serving as a guide for visitors is built in the middle. The staircase is surrounded by the thickets of tropical plants, winding paths through which you can reach the avenue and then, via the underground passage, come to the flat Lower part of the Arboretum.

If you want to go above from the lower part, you should not necessarily climb by feet: there is a cableway next to the Lower Park. It is old, it was opened in 1977, but it is still working properly. You can use it to get to the top and then safely go down from there.

The name of the new Sochi Adventure Park sounds mysterious for people who are not interested in extreme entertainment: “A.J. Hackett”. We should say that A.J. Hackett is one of the owners of a New Zealand company that is opening commercial sites for bungee jumping around the world. The one located in Sochi is one of the highest sites in the world at the moment.

The Skypark in the picturesque Akhshtyrskoe Gorge on the territory of the Sochi National Park has become the largest project in the history of commercial bungee jumping. The main construction of the Skypark is the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge, Skybridge. It stretches for half a kilometer above the Mzymta River in Adler district, at an altitude of 207 m. Special sites for bungee jumping are set up on the bridge: in the beginning and in the middle.

Matsesta is known as a separate area between Khosta and Sochi, but it is an administrative part of Khosta district. It has unusually beautiful views that mostly relate to the Sochi National Park and a very modest infrastructure.

There is no resort zone as such in Matsesta, although the beach is available. There are no hotels or cafes near it, only a parking lot next to the industrial zone under the Matsestinsky aqueduct bridge built in 1930-s. The residential zone on the territory of Matsesta goes deep into the mountains, and are boarding houses and holiday centres built during the Stalin era as part of “Sochi landscaping” are closer to the sea.

The box offices of the hydropathic establishment are open every day, except Sundays, from 8:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m. The entrance to the territory with sanatorium-resort passes is free and does not depend on the work of the box offices. The springs are open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. without holidays.