Ritsa Nature Reserve, Protected mountain area in Gudauta District, Abkhazia

Ritsa Nature Reserve covers 16,229 hectares on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, from the Gega river valley up to Mount Agepsta at 3,256 m. Lake Ritsa is the largest of its lakes, with Male Ritsa and the Blue Lake nearby. The best-known waterfall is the 70 m Gegsky Falls.

The area was established as a protected reserve in 1930 and its boundaries and status changed under different administrations over the following decades. Today it remains an important conservation area in the region.

The reserve holds the Bzip Cathedral and fortress, a cross-domed church from the second half of the 9th century with three projecting apses, built on a rocky slope above the Bzip River. Its walls are faced with cut stone and its doors and windows have carved lintels. The fortress once closed the Bzip valley and the river crossing, and seven rectangular and semicircular towers survive.

Access is mainly on foot or through organized tours, as most areas are only reachable this way. Visitors should prepare for changing mountain weather and bring appropriate gear for outdoor conditions.

The Gegsky waterfall, about 70 m high, appears as the "Reichenbach Falls" in the 1980 Soviet film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The reserve covers 16,229 hectares, from the Gega valley up to Mount Agepsta at 3,256 m. Near the Bzyb fortress stand two large piers of an unfinished railway bridge begun before World War I.