Sochi is the unofficial summer capital of Russia. Located at the base of the Caucasus Mountains, it is also popular for winter sports. When not lounging on the beach or swimming in the ocean, you can find healing in mineral springs, which give Sochi a vibrant spa scene. The Matsesta Sulfur Springs are most popular, known as "the path of lucky springs" which gave way to effective spa treatments for health and healing. Walking is considered an important part of health and treatment, so spa doctors recommend their patients take daily walks along the long, beautiful walking paths, such as the coastal public path and the Sochi Eagle Rocks path.

The reason for Sochi’s popular natural sites is due to its status as a national park, known as the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve. This park supports many beautiful waterfalls, such as the Agura waterfalls and Orehovskiy waterfalls, as well as mysterious caves that hold traces of Europe's first ancestors, the Cro-Magnon men. All of Sochi's parks, botanical gardens, and arboretums hold the most rare and exotic species of tropical flora in Russia. Sochi also has the only tea plantation in Russia and the northernmost tea plantation in the world. Here you can try Russia's home-grown teas while overlooking the picturesque Black Sea. And if you want to visit some interesting fauna, don't forget to take a tour of Sochi's large trout farm and the spectacular dolphinarium and aquatheater.

Sochi is proud to have been chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. This will draw thousands of visitors as well as numerous changes to the city, with plans to spend billions on preparing it for the games. It has also created controversy in a region that has been a part of three major wars, including the Caucasian War, a horrific conflict that caused the genocide of the Circassian people. The Olympics will occur during the 150th commemorative year of the Circassian Genocide, and as the Russian government has yet to take responsibility for the genocide, the Circassians believe that the planned Olympic Village will be covering this ugly memory.