North Caucasus: secrets of a successful trip. I don't live my life. I converted to Islam, I want to go live in the Caucasus

Traveling around Russia is currently becoming increasingly popular, and many tourists prefer European resorts vacation at home. One of the most scenic spots Russia, where the landscapes amaze the imagination, is the North Caucasus. The level of service here is gradually increasing, and prices for holidays are often pleasantly different from European prices.

You need to go to the Caucasus in order to enjoy the beauty and diversity of nature, spend time in the clean air, and admire the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Tours from Moscow to the Caucasus with TourClub “Transition”

TourClub "Transition" organizes many tours to the Caucasus, among which you can choose the type of vacation that suits your taste best:

Active pastime, including cycling, swimming in waterfalls, rafting on mountain rivers and exciting adventures in the style of “Fort Boyard”;
Classic hiking with accommodation in tents and cooking over a fire;
Winter hikes for experienced tourists, involving overcoming various obstacles along the route;
Wellness tours with hotel accommodation, including excursions and walks along forest paths.

Also, when choosing a route, read the recommendations regarding the required physical fitness: some of the hikes in the Caucasus can be undertaken by novice tourists and children, while others require experience and good physical shape.

How to get from Moscow to the Caucasus

The meeting with the group and instructors on our hikes takes place already at the starting point of the route, so you need to think in advance about how you will get to the place.

Depending on the chosen tour from Moscow, you will need to independently get to one of the following settlements:

Krasnodar;
Stavropol;
Belorechensk;
Nevinnomyssk;
Vladikavkaz.

You can get to Stavropol, Krasnodar and Vladikavkaz from Moscow by direct flight, the flight will take on average 2 hours.

All of the above cities and towns can be reached by direct train from Moscow. The average travel time is about 30 hours.

When is the best time to go to the Caucasus?

The Caucasus is mountains, and the mountains are beautiful at any time of the year, so the decision about when to go hiking will depend only on your desires and physical capabilities.
In winter, the mountains are white with snow, and the sun shines so brightly that you won’t go home without a tan. We invite experienced tourists who are not afraid of difficulties to take a winter hike around Mount Fisht in snowshoes.
In spring and summer, you will find rivers and waterfalls, lush greenery and flower-covered valleys. In autumn, the mountain slopes are covered with golden foliage, and the first snow appears on the peaks.
The mild climate of the North Caucasus is good for both active rest, and for those who want to improve their health by going on a wellness tour.

Traveling through the North Caucasus is the best thing that can happen to you. If your mind is free of myths and stereotypes, go for it! And we will help you do everything beautifully, clearly and safely. Read our guide.

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#OurCaucasus

As soon as I got my license and bought my first car in 2016, I went on a trip to the North Caucasus. My story is simple: I came, I saw, I fell in love. I fell in love with road trips, I fell in love with the Caucasus. And now every year (or even more than once) I gather a team of friends and go on auto expeditions to the most beautiful places in Russia.

In the fall of 2018, I organized another trip to the mountains under the slogan #OurCaucasus. We went to break stereotypes and open this corner of our country to the general public. In a month we traveled through all the republics of the North Caucasus, visited the most beautiful places and proved that our southern regions- a safe and immensely interesting place to travel.

Want to make sure? Read our tips for traveling in the Caucasus!

Our travel team:

Renata Mukminova and Alexey Sinitsyn.
Azat Agleev

Why go to the North Caucasus

Admire the fantastically beautiful landscapes.
See the highest and majestic mountains Russia - neither the Urals nor Altai were even close.
Enjoy the most beautiful mountain roads.
Breathe clean air, live and walk in nature.
Dispel a million myths and make sure that the kindest, most cultured and nice people in Russia live in the Caucasus.
Good to save! This is not Georgia, not the Alps, and not New Zealand- the same beauties are given away almost for nothing.

Sophia Sedlo, Arkhyz, Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

Watchtower in Chechnya.

Traveling around the Caucasus by car

To travel around the Caucasus you need a car. The ideal option is to drive your own car. This is the only way you can see all the beauties, get to the most remote and secret places, you will be mobile and free to create any routes. Without a car you won't see even half of it.

It is best to drive an SUV - there are many places in the mountains that can only be reached by a four-wheel drive vehicle in low gear. Don't have your own all-terrain vehicle? No problem - go on a trip in a regular car, and on the spot, if you wish, take excursions in jeeps to hard-to-reach places in the mountains. It won't be as interesting, but it's better than nothing.

Mount Toguzkelbashi, Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

Roads in the Caucasus mostly good, all main roads have perfect asphalt. There are many bad, broken dirt roads in Dagestan between small villages in the mountains, but there is always an alternative good road.

Petrol. The problem with low-quality gasoline exists only in Dagestan - there are no real gas stations of famous brands, but only endless “Likoils”, “Lukkoils”, “Rusneft” and other “mutants” that mimic them. Alas, there is a real danger of pouring burnt fuel into the tank of your car, which will instantly damage your engine. I will tell you how to avoid problems and find quality gasoline in a separate report about Dagestan.

DPS. There are a lot of police and other security forces in the Caucasus. Get ready that at almost every checkpoint (and there are many of them here) they will check your documents and ask about your route. As for the rest: if you don’t violate it, they won’t stop you.

Our experience. We made both trips to the North Caucasus in a UAZ Patriot - I use it to travel throughout Russia. This is an ideal car for driving in the mountains: super cross-country ability and huge capacity. There was only one place where I could not drive this car due to low hanging wires.

One day we finally got stuck - we sat down on our bottom, sliding through the mud into a rut on the Bermamyt plateau, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

When to go

The mountains are beautiful and good at any time of the year, but still the best period for traveling in the Caucasus is mid-spring or autumn.

At the time of golden autumn I led both of our expeditions: the trees are glowing with golden and crimson colors, the sun is warming, bless you, and there are few tourists even in the most popular places like the Elbrus region or Dombay. In general, traveling in September-October has some advantages.

in spring nature will be completely different. If you want to see the green Caucasus, come in May.

In summer there will be a lot of tourists and it will be too hot, but you can safely spend the night in a tent.

Winter It’s warm in the mountains, but at this time all roads to hard-to-reach places will be covered with snow, trekking is impossible and there is a danger of avalanches.

Golden autumn in the North Caucasus, Djily-Su tract, Kabardino-Balkaria.

Even in autumn you can freeze! I’m standing on the Sofia Col, the wind is strong and very cold.

Safety

The republics of the North Caucasus are, in my opinion, the safest regions of Russia. Unexpected, right? But my experience, the opinion of local residents and the ratings that I found on the Internet prove this fact.

Good news:

The crime rate in the Caucasus is low; you can safely leave your car in the mountains and go hiking. It has been tested several times, and local residents confidently say the same.
People in the mountains are responsive, attentive and hospitable. Especially in Dagestan: every highlander’s mutual aid is pumped up to level 80. Do you have a problem? Any passerby will do everything to solve it.
In Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan there are a lot of security forces and checkpoints on the roads. These people are not sitting around, but actually maintaining security, so in these republics you feel very calm. If you have questions, feel free to ask them to the military or police - they will help with advice.

But there is also bad news. Alas, security in the Caucasus is not all that good.

The main problem - Wahhabis. Extremists hide in the forest and pose a threat, first of all, to locals. Of course, the likelihood of a meeting is low, so it is stupid to refuse a trip to the Caucasus because of the Wahhabis.
Fools on the roads. There are reckless drivers in the Caucasus, but rumors about them are greatly exaggerated. Although they violate things here, they do it not for the sake of showing off, but for their own convenience. They violate mostly carefully and do not create danger on the road. Almost. Believe me, in comparison with the Kuban and Crimean people, Caucasians are ideal drivers.
Wild animals. There are a lot of bears and wolves in the Caucasus and you can easily meet them. Locals During their lives they meet bears more than once; the beast sometimes even enters villages, but behaves well and does not get rowdy. We didn’t meet any predators, but we did find the freshest bear tracks in the mountains (we quickly disappeared from there, no need to hide it).

But the result is still positive! I can boldly say: in the Caucasus I feel calmer and safer than in Perm, St. Petersburg or Moscow.

Bear trail in the mountains, Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

What to see in the Caucasus

We looked at dozens of sights in the North Caucasus - there will be a large report-list with photos, coordinates and maps.

The most beautiful places in the Caucasus:

Djily-Su tract (KBR),
Dombay with its ski lifts and four picturesque gorges around it: Alibek, Amanauz, Gonachkhir and Dombay-Ulgen (KCR),
Mount Toguzkelbashi (KCR),
Sofia Sedlo (KCR),
Zelenchuk temples (KCR),
Bermamyt Plateau (KCR),
Lago-Naki plateau (Adygea),
City of the Dead Dargavs (North Ossetia),
Tower complexes Egikhal, Targim and Vovnushki (Ingushetia),
Mountain roads east of the lake Kezenoy-Am (Dagestan),
Karadakh Gorge (Dagestan),
Saltinsky underground waterfall(Dagestan),
High mountain villages of Dagestan,
Abandoned village Gamsutl (Dagestan),
Derbent - ancient city Russia (Dagestan).

As you can see, the undisputed leaders in the beauty of landscapes are Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia.

If you are a fan of Lermontov’s work and a big fan of “A Hero of Our Time,” you will be curious to see a map of Pechorin and Lermontov’s routes in the Caucasus.

Our walk on the slopes of Elbrus at an altitude of 3700-4100 meters above sea level, KBR.

Saltinsky underground waterfall, Dagestan. Can you find the person in the photo?

We climbed by car to Mount Toguzkelbashi to an altitude of more than 3000 meters, KCR.

Where to live

On both of our expeditions we used the tent empty - only a couple of times we had to sleep in the car, all other nights we spent in hotels. There are no problems with housing in the North Caucasus. Almost not. There is more than enough housing in the popular and frequented tourist destinations of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Kabardino-Balkaria and Adygea: any options for any money, everything is available. In Ossetia, Chechnya and Dagestan, housing is already more difficult, but in Ingushetia it’s just a pipe. But you can get out, I’ll give you advice for each republic:

KCR, KBR and Adygea: We reserve all accommodation on . Large selection of camp sites, guest houses, hotels, apartments.

North Ossetia: The easiest way is to stay on the outskirts of Vladikavkaz and make daily trips to the mountains.

Ingushetia: There are only 5-7 housing options for the entire republic and not a single decent one. We saw the entire republic in one day, and spent the night in Nazran (a so-so place).

Chechnya: I recommend staying at a motel on the highway rather than in Grozny - it’s cheaper and you don’t have to waste time moving around the city. From the motel you can drive to the mountains. Accommodation on Lake Kezenoy-Am is expensive: from 2,500 rubles for a double room.

Dagestan: in Derbent, Makhachkala and other cities on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the choice of housing is very large, in the mountains it is extremely scarce. To explore mountainous Dagestan, it is convenient to stay in Gunib and drive around the surrounding area. Didn't find housing or didn't have time to return to civilization in the evening? No problem! Any family in mountain villages will be happy to shelter and feed you. In Dagestan, the level of hospitality is simply off the charts.

I really don’t recommend renting apartments directly from private owners (for example, through Avito). They will either slip you a bug plant or they will rack your brain with all sorts of nonsense - don’t even try! Remember: Booking, motels or registration - this is the only way and no amateur activities.

Hotel on Lake Kezenoy-Am, Chechnya.

Clothing and equipment

Haven’t been to the mountains or auto trips yet? No problem, I’ll teach you how to pack a suitcase in half an hour. Here I will give only the most important tips; for detailed lists, see the links:

Remember the main rule in the mountains: you can never have too much fleece! Decathlon can help you: take fleece pants and sweaters of different densities, windbreakers, a hat and cap, plenty of thermal socks, shorts and T-shirts.

Instead of heavy, uncomfortable and non-breathable trekking boots, it is better to take trail sneakers - these are the best shoes that humanity has invented. Trekking poles will be very useful for you when hiking.

Your own kettle or boiler, a set of mugs, tea, coffee, porridge in bags and all sorts of cookies - this simple set will brighten up your trip, warm, invigorate and satiate you every morning and evening.

In the mountains, hot tea from a thermos is always welcome.

Nutrition

Before traveling to the North Caucasus, according to the old tradition, we bought half the supermarket: canned food, pates, biscuits, cereals, dried fruits, nuts, candy bars and other supplies. During any road trip, my trunk looks like a food cupboard in a nuclear war bunker. If in Altai food quickly jumped into our camp pot - just have time to replenish it, then in the Caucasus we ate mainly in cafes.

the food is delicious,
food is cheap
save time,
the diet will be varied,
Finding a cafe is not a problem.

On average, you can eat for 200-300 rubles per person; in Dombay and Terskol it’s more expensive; these places are spoiled by tourists. In Vladikavkaz you can eat delicious kebab for 600 rubles per kg - just fantastic. In Dagestan, in any village, any housewife will feed you from the heart for free.

We eat khinkal in Dagestan.

But still take a small set of products:

canned food, cereals and water supply in case of emergency;
nuts, muesli, chocolate, dried fruits for a snack on hikes or on a trip;
porridge in bags for a quick breakfast at the hotel.

Our kitchen and table in a trailer at the Djily-Su springs, CBD.

How much money do you need for the trip?

Few! Compared to the expenses required by a trip to Europe or even to resorts Krasnodar region, then traveling to the North Caucasus is inexpensive.

There were three of us on this expedition. We spent exactly a month in the Caucasus, plus the road from Perm (almost 3000 km) took 3-4 days one way.

Expenses per person per month:

Housing - 17,300 rubles.
Meals in a cafe - 9800 rub.
Products - 6500 rub.
Mobile communication - 300 rub.
Missing medications in the first aid kit - 1000 rubles.
Attractions and ski lifts - 2700 rub.

Car expenses (entire amount):

Gasoline in the Caucasus - 15,000 rubles.
Gasoline for the trip there and back - 25,000 rubles.
Repair and maintenance of a car while traveling - 1100 rubles.

Of course there were also travel preparation expenses: car maintenance, buying clothes and equipment - but all these expenses relate not only to this trip, so we don’t count them, but we keep them in mind when planning the budget.

The most expensive thing on this trip is gasoline. But if your car’s consumption is not 13-20 liters per hundred and you don’t need to travel 6,000 kilometers there and back to the Caucasus, then your trip will be much cheaper.

Fogs in the mountains of Dombay, Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

Near Lake Kezenoy-Am, Chechnya.

Cultural program

There is a category of vacationers who come to the Caucasus (and anywhere) only for three things: booze, barbecue and a bathhouse. Mostly they go to Dombay, a little less to Arkhyz and the Elbrus region, and are almost never seen in other places. I hope your interests, like ours, are broader than this list. If so, then take note of useful books, films and articles that will help you better understand the culture of the peoples of the North Caucasus.

"Hero of our time". M. Yu Lermontov.
"Prisoner of the Caucasus" L. N. Tolstoy.
"Hadji Murat" L. N. Tolstoy.
"Caucasus". A. Dumas (travel notes).
"Letters from Dagestan". A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky.

See also the list of books in this post on LiveJournal and in the comments to it.

See the list of books about the Caucasian War on Arzamas.

What to listen to:

Arzamas prepared excellent material about the traditional music of the Caucasian peoples.

What to see:

"Prisoner of the Caucasus" 1996, Sergei Bodrov (senior).
"Ashik-Kerib" 1988, Sergei Parajanov (based on Lermontov's poem and an Azerbaijani fairy tale).

From documentaries I can recommend Anton Lange's film "The Ridge. Kakaz from sea to sea." I won’t say that the film turned out excellent, but you won’t find anything better on YouTube about the Caucasus.

Komsomolskaya Pravda tells how to make the most of your vacation

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Arkhyz, Elbrus region, Dombay: for tourists the North Caucasus is first and foremost skiing and snowboard. But winter is over, friends! And the tourist season in the Caucasus is just beginning. We will prove to you that going to these wonderful places It’s worth it not only in winter. You can get from Moscow to Nalchik, Vladikavkaz, Makhachkala by plane in about 2.5 hours, a one-way ticket costs from 4 - 4.5 thousand rubles. One of the main issues that worries tourists is safety.

For tourists, the North Caucasus today is one of the safest regions of the country, as evidenced by the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (out of 85 subjects they occupy last places by the number of crimes, including serious ones), and our experience in operating resorts,” said Ekaterina Zhigalo, head of the press service of North Caucasus Resorts. - Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are on duty at the resorts, security rescuers are on duty on the slopes, mounted police and dog handlers are working. But it is important to remind vacationers that when going on a trip in the summer mountainous areas, especially if we're talking about about "wild" nature tourism, groups must register routes and report them to the North Caucasus Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia

Scuba diving in the mountains

Blue lakes in the Chereksky district of Kabardino - Balkaria - popular place for divers: the water is so clear that the bottom is visible to a depth of 22 meters. However, none of the extreme sports enthusiasts have yet reached the bottom of the deepest Lower Lake. Even the famous Jacques Cousteau, who was here with an expedition in the 1960s. More suitable for fishing Upper Lakes. Trout, carp, and grass carp live here.

Road and prices

From Nalchik to the lakes it’s an hour’s drive by car; a taxi will take you there for 500 rubles. You can stay at a tourist center, the price of a room per day is from 500 rubles. Diving into the lake - 3 thousand rubles (includes instructor services and equipment rental).

On a note

You can scuba dive from the age of 14. If you want to dive without an instructor, a certificate is required

Admiring the waterfalls

Experienced “walkers” in the Caucasus say that the Midagrabinsky mountain waterfalls near Vladikavkaz cannot be found anywhere more beautiful. The best time here is in July, August, and early September, when they are full of water. In height, these waterfalls are second only to the Venezuelan Angel (979 m) and the Norwegian (860 m).

Road and housing

Almost all local travel agencies organize excursions here - about 3 thousand rubles per person. 2 hours of driving along the steep serpentines of the Kurtatinsky Gorge, another 2 hours of walking and you are there. You can stay in hotels in Vladikavkaz - a room from 1,700 rubles per day.

On a note

Midagrabinsky waterfalls are a border zone with Georgia, you need to take your passport with you. On weekends and holidays The pass can be obtained at the checkpoint. On weekdays, contact the FSB Border Department in Vladikavkaz.

Tour of the City of the Dead

The Dargavsky necropolis in North Ossetia is listed as a UNESCO heritage site and has been compared to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. There are almost a hundred stone crypts here. The more noble and wealthy the family was, the higher the family crypt. The deceased were placed in it in their clothes along with weapons and small household items. The microclimate in the gorge is such that the bodies mummified themselves.

Road and prices

The village of Dargavs is two hours away by bus "Vladikavkaz - Dzhimar". Departs from central market at 16:30. From Dargavs to the necropolis it’s a little over a kilometer on foot. The entrance ticket costs 100 rubles. Opening hours are from 10:00 to 18:00 every day except Monday.

On a note

The crypts are very dark; if you want to look inside and see the burials, take a flashlight. And don’t listen to local stories about the danger of contracting the plague. Researchers established back in 1967 that there were no plague pathogens in the burial.

Walking around the Museum-Reserve

The Dzheirakh Gorge in Ingushetia is an entire architectural and natural museum. To explore all the monuments, you need at least a week. These are medieval tower cities Egikal, Hamkhi and Targim, christian temple Thaba - Erdy (8th century), castle complexes of Vovnushki and Erzi. The latter has almost 60 towers, 30 meters in height. And also mountain rivers, gorges, springs, pine forests and rare animals - aurochs, chamois, bezoar goat, forest cat.

Road and prices

There is a regular bus from Vladikavkaz to Dzheirakh; ticket costs 100 rubles. From here, for 500 rubles, taxi drivers will take you to the villages of Egikal, Targim, Erzi, Vovnushki, where the tower complexes are located, to the Thaba-Erdy temple. You can walk: it's 6-12 km depending on what you want to see. Guide services - 3-5 thousand rubles.

How to get there

From the Makhachkala bus station to the village of Korkmaskaly go Shuttle Buses and minibuses, price 100 rubles. But the most convenient way to get there is by taxi (500-700 rubles) federal highway E50/M29. At the village you need to turn onto a dirt road and after 2 km you will see Sarykum.

On a note

Bring sunglasses, cream, and hats to avoid getting sunburned. The sand of the dune warms up to +60 degrees, the air - up to 40.