The Ghost Town of Anaklia - Camping Near the Abkhazia Border
Night time photo taken by my friend Ilia on his phone Inside my tent in Anaklia Yesterdays friend who stayed with us all night and happy to see us emerge from our tents.
After getting a lift from Dagva to Poti, we took a Bolt to Anaklia, which felt eerily like a complete ghost town. It’s full of closed hotels and resorts that only open in the summer, though apparently China’s planning to invest in rebuilding the town.
Exploring the Abandoned Anaklia Tower
One of the main sights we wanted to see was an abandoned tower on the coastline. By pure surprise, the inside was accessible, so we made it in and climbed to the top. Once there, we watched as police arrived and entered the tower... probably alerted by our camera flashes. All they said was “Hello, how are you?” when we met them in the stairwell and that was that.
Sunset, Stray Dogs and the Black Sea
When we got back out, accompanied by a friendly stray dog, we made the most of the remainder of the sunset and went for a dip in the Black Sea (until we spotted a jellyfish). The police watched us for a while, for some reason, before eventually driving off.
Camping by the Coast
Later, after having food bought for us by a group of Turkish “businessmen”, we headed to a green spot to set up camp for the night. The same dog followed us all the way from the cafe bar to our camping spot and stayed with us the whole night, growling at cows that wandered too close to the tents.
Wild camping in Georgia is actually completely legal and, if anything, encouraged. In the morning, while packing away, a man approached us. We assumed we were about to get a bollocking, but he actually just seemed genuinely happy to see us.
Ilia and a stray dog looking at his phone Dogs on Anaklia Beach
After a morning spent admiring the beach, we eventually caught the marshrutka (mini-bus) to Zugdidi, where we were able to continue onwards to Martvili Canyon.
Photo Gallery
For the full gallery, including both my digital and one film photograph from Anaklia, scroll through the images below.
Our tents at sunrise in black & white Anaklia Beach Black & White film: Stray dog on Anaklia Beach Election posters in front of a derelict building Anaklia Tower sitting on the Black Sea One of the abandoned buildings of the ghost townOne of the abandoned buildings of the ghost town Sunset behind Anaklia Tower and the Black Sea The Morskoy Konik Shipwreck Blurred friend The abandoned bus station building in Anaklia Lift to the top of Anaklia tower The Morskoy Konik Shipwreck Inside Anaklia Abandoned Tower One of the abandoned buildings of the ghost town At the top of the tower Night time exploration of the ghost town Lift to the top of Anaklia Tower Walking to the top Sunset in the tower The Morskoy Konik Shipwreck Walking to the top Walking to the top The Morskoy Konik Shipwreck Entrance to the tower Elevator in the Tower Graffiti inside Anaklia tower Tropical Anaklia Sunset behind Anaklia Tower and the Black Sea in Black & White Anaklia Beach Anaklia Bridge behind the cameras
If you’ve enjoyed my photography from these locations, you can support my work by purchasing a print.
Framed prints, posters, canvas prints, postcards, and even coffee mugs are available. Every purchase helps me keep exploring and sharing more of these forgotten places.
More to Come
Follow along for the next post in the Caucasus Adventures series!
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