Georgia, Tskhaltubo - description, sights, interesting facts and reviews

For a long time, even under the Soviet Union, it was customary to say: "Everything is treated in Tskhaltubo." The name of this city was synonymous with a health resort. Together with Borzhomi and Pitsunda, these three balneological resorts glorified Georgia for the whole Union. But since then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. What is Georgia now? Tskhaltubo - has it remained the same? Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, the city fell into disrepair. But quickly recovered and became even more beautiful. Along with the old health resorts, which were considered a great success 30 years ago, new sanatoriums were built. In this article we will talk about the modern resort of Tskhaltubo, about its tourist infrastructure and, most importantly, about water treatment. We will also give recommendations and advice to recently visited tourists.

Where is Tskhaltubo and how to get there?

The city is located just ten kilometers from Kutaisi. Since Tskhaltubo was famous, then to the resort with a population of only fifteen thousand people, a railway was laid, which ends here. During the USSR, a high-speed train arrived from Moscow. And how now to get to Tskhaltubo in Georgia? The fastest way is by air. And you can fly not only to Tbilisi, from which the resort is more than two hundred kilometers away. The international airport, bearing the name of David the Fourth Builder, also has Kutaisi. And from this city to the resort of Tskhaltubo there is a minibus № 105. It costs 15 lari. If you arrived in Tbilisi, you can get to Tskhaltubo by train or by bus. The resort is the end point of the railway line from Brotseula. Daily routes from Kutaisi and directly to Tskhaltubo are sent from the Didube bus station in Tbilisi. The journey takes three hours. Travel by bus will cost about forty lari.

History of Tskhaltubo

This is a very ancient city. And he was a resort for a long time. The first mention of him refers to the seventh century. And already in the twelfth century, Tskhaltubo was spoken of as a resort. Georgian kings, as well as nobles and nobles came here to be treated for water. The last such ruler was Stalin. Suffering from leg disease, the dictator somehow came to experience the healing power of the Tskhaltub thermal waters. The baths helped him, and the great helmsman took the resort under his personal patronage. In the town on one of the buildings one can still see a bas-relief executed in the best traditions of socialist realism. He is called pathetically - "The meeting of the leader with his people." But Tskhaltubo enjoyed popularity and up to Stalin. As soon as the Russian Empire captured Georgia, the Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility traveled to the resort. And today Tskhaltubo, having survived the hard times of the 90s, again attracts tourists from all over the world.

The climate of the resort

The weather conditions largely depend on the location in the subtropical latitudes within which Georgia is located. Tskhaltubo also has its own microclimate, which is also a healing factor. The resort is located on the south-western spurs of the Samuralsky ridge. These mountains protect the city from cold winds in winter and scorching continental heat in the summer. On the other hand, Tskhaltubo is located in the east of the Colchis lowland, so the Black Sea, which is located seventy kilometers, greatly influences the climate. In the winter it softens the cold. In January, there is +5 degrees and there is almost no snow. And in the summer it is not as hot as in the rest of Georgia. Although the air temperature rarely falls below +25. Based on these climatic indicators, we can say that the high tourist season here is long - from April to the end of October. But if you come to the treatment, the balneological resort works all the year round. But prices for living in winter noticeably fall.

Mineral waters of the resort

But the main thing is why they go to Tskhaltubo in Georgia - treatment. The city became famous as a balneological resort in the twelfth century. What kind of miraculous water comes out here on the surface of the earth? There are several sources. The most notable are the weakboron waters, which are used mainly for baths. But in Tskhaltubo there are also thermal nitrogen, acidic chloride calcium-magnesium and sulfate-hydrocarbonate sources. They are used for bathing, inhalation, irrigation. The temperature in these keys is 33-35 degrees. Their chemical composition is such that the absence of salts and the presence of useful minerals make the water tasty and easily digestible. On the basis of sources there are sanatoriums, balneological clinics and bathhouses. Russian professor of chemistry A. Shchukarev, exploring the water of Tskhaltubo, wrote that she has no analogues in any place of the Earth.

Karst caves

This is another healing "chip" resort. One should not confuse karst caves with an eleven-kilometer sightseeing object that was opened to visitors in 2011. The cave of Prometheus, Kumistavi, is located in the vicinity of the city of Tskhaltubo in Georgia. And what are the useful karst grottoes? In them, as in all caves, there is a special microclimate. In addition, the air in them is saturated with mineral salts. Long stay in karst caves treats asthma, acute and chronic diseases of the lungs and upper respiratory tract. In addition, the presence there normalizes blood pressure, go depressed, restores nervous balance. Karst caves, in contrast to radon baths, have no contraindications. The air there is devoid of any harmful impurities.

Indications

The balneological resort of Tskhaltubo in Georgia is in good standing with doctors. They send their patients here for rehabilitation after severe fractures and surgeries. Even in the Middle Ages, the resort was famous for its ability to raise a man who had been chained to a wheelchair for many years. Influence of radon baths on bone-cartilaginous tissue and spine is truly miraculous. The resort sends patients with cerebral palsy, osteomyelitis, osteochondrosis, arthrosis, arthritis. Baths also have a beneficial effect on allergy sufferers and patients with respiratory problems (bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, chronic pneumonia). Calcium and magnesium ions of tzaltub sources strengthen the tone of blood vessels, increase the speed of nerve impulses. Therefore, the resort is sent to the cores, and people suffering from violations of blood pressure. Treat here also gynecological and urological diseases, skin problems (psoriasis, acne and others). The relaxed atmosphere of the resort, the baths and being in the karst caves help to balance the shattered nerves.

Contraindications

Despite the claim that Tskhaltubo in Georgia is treating everything, one should consult a doctor before climbing into radon baths. Receiving them can exacerbate and make inoperable tumor tumors. Also, such baths are contraindicated to those who have already sufficiently irradiated their body for duty. Do not get carried away by sitting in warm water to people with hypertensive crisis. In any case, you should refrain from visiting the resort in diseases in the stage of their aggravation. Also radon baths will be harmful to people with venereal, mental illnesses. They will exacerbate alcohol and drug addiction. People with blood diseases should also refrain from visiting the resort.

Procedures

The best place to relax in Tskhaltubo in Georgia is a sanatorium. There you will, if necessary, conduct a complete diagnosis of the organism, and the specialized doctor will prescribe the necessary procedures. If your doctor sends you to a sanatorium, take a sanatorium book with a description of your anamnesis. The most common procedures in the resort of Tskhaltubo are radon baths. They are used in combination with massage and stretching (with diseases of the spinal column). In water, this procedure is less painful. But you should be prepared for the fact that stretching and massages can provoke an exacerbation of the disease, but it will be short-lived. For patients with respiratory problems and allergies, mineral water (inhalation) is used in conjunction with speleotherapy sessions. Gynecological and urological problems are treated by spraying. The therapeutic mud in Tskhaltubo is imported, but the procedures with their application also take place.

Sanatoriums of Tskhaltubo in Georgia: prices

In 2010-11, the whole small town turned into a construction site. The old Soviet sanatoriums, such as Metallurg, Tbilisi, Imereti, Megabroba (Friendship), which were launched after the collapse of the USSR, were restored. But new health resorts were built with the European standard of accommodation, food and other services. Among them you can mention the sanatorium "Tskhaltubo Spa Resort". In the former bathroom of building No. 6 (the so-called Stalin source), the Balneoservice medical complex operates, where spa-lovers located in the private sector can undergo procedures under the supervision of qualified doctors. Accommodation in many respects depends on the sanatorium and the category of rooms. Accommodation in a double room of a health resort will cost 110 lari. But this price includes procedures and diet food. Accommodation in the private sector is cheaper - from 50 lari in low season, from 70 to high.

Tskhaltubo (Georgia): Feedback

Those who have visited this city, praise the treatment in local sanatoria. It, if you believe the reviews, has a striking effect. People begin to feel better after a full course of recovery. And this effect persists for a long period. But those tourists who came to the southern resort just for recreation, too, do not get bored. In the vicinity of the city there are many historical and natural attractions. Approximately one third of the territory of Tskhaltubo is occupied by a resort park. There are many restaurants and cafes in the city. Tourists recommend to allocate at least a day to go on the coast to the Black Sea. After all, the city of Tskhaltubo in Georgia is only seventy kilometers away from it. A lot of positive emotions will bring a trip to Kutaisi.