GeorgiaOfficial tourism
Ureki Beach

Black sand healing where mountains meet sea

Ureki Beach

Why go

Ureki is Georgia's only magnetic sand beach, a 5-kilometer stretch of fine black grains containing titanomagnetite — iron-rich minerals that locals and Soviet-era sanatoriums alike have long prized for treating cardiovascular and nervous system ailments. Unlike Georgia's pebbly western coastline, Ureki's sand is uniquely soft underfoot, a geological anomaly formed by volcanic material washed down from the Lesser Caucasus over millennia. The beach became a sought-after health destination during Soviet times, and its therapeutic reputation endures: visitors still bury themselves in warm black sand, letting the magnetic properties and sun-heated minerals do their work. It remains a working-class retreat, unpretentious and deeply local, where Gurian families summer alongside pilgrims seeking the sand's curative touch.

On the ground See

  • The central beach zone where wooden beach chairs line the shore and locals practice traditional sand burial therapy — lying half-submerged for hours in sun-warmed black sand
  • The surviving Soviet-era sanatorium buildings, particularly the former Ureki Spa complex, whose faded modernist architecture speaks to the beach's medical tourism heyday
  • The confluence of the Supsa River just north of the beach, where freshwater meets the Black Sea and creates a rich birdwatching habitat along the marshy delta

Practical Know before you go

Best visited June through September; the beach is public and free, with the main access point through Ureki village off the E70 highway, though the nearest train station at Ureki provides direct service from Tbilisi and Batumi.

Last reviewed 25 August 2026 · reviewed quarterly