Lazarevskoye is the southern end of Greater Sochi, a long ribbon of beach towns that runs along the Black Sea coast beneath the western foothills of the Caucasus. The village was founded in the nineteenth century as a fort and named after Admiral Mikhail Lazarev, a navigator and naval commander who took part in the early exploration of Antarctica. Today it is a resort district of about thirty thousand permanent residents, though the population swells in summer, when holidaymakers fill the guesthouses, sanatoriums and cafes that line the shore.
The setting is subtropical, and that is surprising for Russia. Palms, magnolias, bamboo and tea bushes grow on the slopes, and the mountains behind rise steeply, covered in beech and oak forest, to peaks that carry snow into early summer. The beaches are mostly pebbles and the sea is warm from July to September, but it can be rough in storms, and heavy rain in autumn and winter sometimes floods the small rivers that rush down from the hills. The Caucasus Biosphere Reserve lies inland, protecting some of the wildest mountain forest in Europe, including bison, bears and lynx.
For riders, the coastal highway is the main route, running along the foot of the mountains between Tuapse and Sochi. The surface is good, but traffic is the issue. In summer, the road is crowded with cars, buses and trucks, and traffic jams can last for hours, particularly on weekends and in the evening. Motorcycles can slip through, but the heat and fumes make it tiring. The best seasons are May, June and September, when the sea is warm and the crowds thinner. Early morning is calmer in any month.
The roads leading inland up the river valleys offer a quieter alternative. They climb through forest and past waterfalls, with tight bends and steep gradients, and they give a sense of the mountains that stand behind the coast. Surfaces vary, and some sections are narrow and steep, so check locally.
Services are everywhere, with fuel stations, supermarkets, restaurants and repair shops in the resort zone. Prices are higher in summer, and accommodation fills quickly in July and August, so book ahead. Try grilled fish, shashlik and local tea. Walk onto the pier in the evening and watch the light fade over the water. The mountains turn blue, and the sea is calm.