Tourist and recreational complex "Mara"
This is a new all-season alpine tourist complex(2,300 m) is located on the Rocky Ridge and the Biychesyn Plateau. The nature of the complex is unique and diverse; alpine meadows, steep rocky peaks give way to high mountain plains. Climatic conditions areas are moderate, characterized big amount clear sunny days a year, which is especially important for organizing skiing alpine skiing in winter and for entertaining walks in summer.
The tourist complex is located on the Gum-Bashi plateau (2,300 m) 38 km from Elbrus, 48 km from Kislovodsk, in the upper reaches of the Podkumok River. There is an asphalt road leading to the Mara shopping center with convenient access roads to the complex.
Accommodation:
The tourist complex can accommodate 52 people at a time.
- 2-seater wooden frame- 10 log houses. In the room: 2 wooden beds, satellite TV, coffee table, two bedside tables, two chairs, wardrobe, bathroom. unit - washbasin, shower, toilet, 1 extra. seat - Euro folding bed
- 3-seater wooden log house- 2 log houses. In the room: 3 wooden beds, satellite TV, coffee table, two bedside tables, two chairs, wardrobe, bathroom. unit - washbasin, shower, toilet, extra. there are no seats
- 2-storey wooden log house for 10 people- 1 log house In the house: six rooms (three bedrooms, two living rooms, kitchen), three wardrobes, two double beds, one single bed, satellite TV, bathroom. unit, washbasin, shower, extra. seats - 6
Excursions:
Tourist complex in winter:
A universal one has been prepared here ski slope 1,500 meters long, with a height difference of up to 300 m, with a convenient rope tow for beginner skiers and snowboarders. A towbar is installed on the slope cable car length 1300 m., with a throughput capacity of 1,200 people/hour.
There are also two small drag lifts with a length of up to 300 m with a capacity of 200 to 700 people/hour. Infrastructure developed.
A wide, almost flat field where beginners can easily practice their technique on a slope. Nearby there are trails of varying difficulty for experienced skiers with a length of 1,400 m. Snowmobile safaris - the length of the routes is more than 4 km.
In winter, an excellent prepared slope for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, etc. is at your service. Trails with different difficulty levels for beginners and professionals. There are lifts, equipment rental (skis, snowboards, types of sleds, tubing), organization of snowmobile safaris, and helicopter flights over the surrounding area. You will spend unforgettable vacation in the cleanest air, enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, get a lot of positive emotions and entertainment.
Tourist complex in summer:
In the summer you can go on organized hiking tours, jeeping, enjoy horseback riding in picturesque areas, and entertain yourself with paintball. Organized and corporate groups go on picnics, car and horseback tours to the foot of Elbrus, where warm mineral water springs are located. There are also similar tours to the Shailyk Syrty mineral spring and to the high-mountain lake Khurla-Kel. Mountain biking and quad biking. Excursions to Dombay and Arkhyz, to the first Christian churches Russia, ancient Alan settlements. So you can visit an agro-tour farm, where you will get acquainted with the specifics of breeding horses, sheep, dairy cows and small farms (turkeys, geese and ducks) in alpine meadows. Collection of medicinal herbs, berries, mushrooms.
Short and most picturesque road along the valley of the Mara River, which flows into the Kuban, leads through the Gum-Bashi pass from Karachaevsk to the cities of Kavminvod. Back in 1923, the management of the Caucasus Mining Waters raised the question of adapting the Kislovodsk-Teberda pass road through the Marinskoye Gorge for automobile traffic. A little later, the All-Union Tourist Route No. 43 was laid from Kislovodsk to Teberda. The path passed along a country road. Now it is a modern asphalt road. The Marinskaya Valley is beautiful; it is a cozy basin surrounded by spurs of mountains. There is a lot of sun here. Mountains covered with dense forest come close to the river and the road. Among the forest there are sometimes oak groves with spreading crowns. The Mary Valley is reminiscent of the best gorges of the Black Forest in Germany. The main value of the valley, in addition to a number of mineral springs that have high taste qualities, lies in its latitudinal direction, abundance of sunlight and calmness. Clean dry Mountain air, forest mosaic, subalpine and alpine meadows, the presence of a highway connecting the Mineralovodsk group of resorts with Black Sea coast– all this makes the Mary Valley great place for relax.
8 km from the mouth of the Mary, at the foot of a steep cliff, there is a mineral spring of the Kislovodsk Narzan type, which is a natural monument, as well as a steep rocky coast, representing various forms of sandstone weathering. The source is clearly visible from the right bank. The water in the source is carbonic, chloride-carbonate, sodium, its temperature is +19 degrees.
The first settlement outside the city limits of Karachaevsk is the village of Nizhnyaya Mara, founded in 1875. 5 km from the first village at an altitude of 1500 is the village of Verkhnyaya Mara, which is already 210 years old, and people from Old Karachay began to populate it. On the eastern outskirts of the village, Mount Kökle-Kaya rises, attracting attention with its bizarre outlines. Its height is 1846 m, it is also a natural monument. Closer to the pass, from the observation deck at the top of the Karaul-Tebe hill, a magnificent panorama of the Main Caucasus Range, Elbrus, located at the bottom of the Upper Mary, opens. The two-headed giant seems even more grandiose from here, and the surrounding mountains next to it look like low rocky hills. At sunset, the rays of the setting sun pass along both peaks of Elbrus and along the tops of the mountains like a thin scarlet edge. The color of the sky at this hour is simply indescribable.
And here it is the Kum-Bashi pass (Sandy Peak), height 2144 m above sea level. The Biychesyn plateau (translated from Karachay - “Tomb of the Princess”) stretches here like a whole ocean of high-mountain meadows. Biychesyn is a traditional place of summer pastures. The aroma of various herbs is simply intoxicating, and you want to climb even higher, to the steep cliffs, where it seems that you just have to stretch out your hand and you will reach the sky.
You can get from Mineralnye Vody to Karachaevsk in three whole ways, the most understandable and civilized of which is through Cherkessk
But if the weather and time of year permit, take the southernmost route, through the A-157 highway, through the villages of Verkhnyaya and Nizhnyaya Mara.
And through the Gumbashi pass 
This is one of the most picturesque and one of the most majestic roads in the Caucasus 
And even throughout Russia.
The highest point of the pass is 2144 meters 
And you can drive up to this height, as well as from it later, with your car - the road is good.
Occasionally intersected by soil erosion, but these are minor things 
On the side of Kislovodsk in Karachay-Cherkessia there are quite large and crowded villages - Uchkeken, Pervomaiskoe, Tereze.
There are practically no boundaries between them, one locality flows into another 
But after that the road quickly becomes empty 
And slowly begins to climb up along Podkumka.
What is fascinating about the Caucasus is the complete uniqueness of each specific gorge. It’s as if this isn’t happening on just one mountain range. 
Even parallel and not far from each other places can differ like different planets 
This road is the one that comes closest to my heart. Probably due to my love for rough, treeless, visible mountains 
Until the pass, until the Sandy Peak (Gumbashi) there will be no more permanent settlements here 
Only numerous beekeepers with mobile apiaries 
It’s not just worth it, but it’s absolutely necessary to take real mountain honey 
Beekeepers, such as Taulan Urusov, are hereditary here, not in the first generation 
And since they sell in many respects for their own people - there are not so many crazy outsiders hanging around here, and with huge competition, you don’t have to worry about the quality.
This is not the kind of honey that you buy at the fair, under the assurance that I swear to my mother, it’s real mountain honey, but it’s candied later 
Soon the road begins to climb steeply.
There have been many passes in my life, but each time my heart begins to beat in a special way - from awe, fear, concentrated attention and delight 
We go up, loop by loop.
On the slope there are some buildings, a “Chickens on Coals” van, and some kind of mechanism.
In the sultry summer you won’t immediately recognize it as a ski lift. 
In winter they go skiing here, ski resort Mara, named after the river that originates from here, which, unlike Podkumk, which goes east, will go west to then flow into the Kuban 
Look for clear weather - the whole depth of impressions and admiration is tied to it.
When the sky is clear, you thank God for such a magnificent and monumental taste 
To create such a thing - well, it’s clear that he’s an esthete 
The Caucasus ridge with snow-capped peaks looks from the horizon 
And the great, powerful, awe-inspiring two-headed Elbrus 
The highest peak in Europe 
At the highest point of the pass, accessible by car, there is an observation deck. 
Crush the bones, throw the trash in the trash with one of the most awesome backgrounds 
Buy a household magnet 
The road takes the hill into a loop and runs serpentine down. 
Biychesyn Plateau - "The Princess's Grave".
ABOUT THE COMPLEX Located on the Gum-Bashi pass, 54 kilometers from the city of Kislovodsk, in the upper reaches of the Podkumok River, among alpine meadows and steep rocky peaks at an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level. The location of the tourist complex "Mara" is characterized by a large number of clear and sunny days a year, which is especially important for organizing skiing in winter and for exciting walks in summer. There is a good asphalt road with convenient access roads to “Mara”. On the territory of the Mara tourist complex, an observation tower was built, on which powerful optical instruments were installed to view the majestic peaks of the Main Caucasus Range and highest point Europe - Elbrus.
ACCOMMODATION Guests of the tourist and recreational complex “Mara” are accommodated in wooden cottages and residential heated campervans.
- Five doubles wooden cottages standard comfort. In the cottages: two wooden beds, a coffee table, two bedside tables, two chairs, a wardrobe, a bathroom - washbasin, shower and toilet (if necessary, you can add additional seats for five people).
- One wooden five-bed two-story cottage of standard comfort. In the cottage: - six rooms (three bedrooms, two living rooms and a kitchen), three wardrobes, two double beds, one single bed, five bedside tables, three coffee tables, a bathroom - washbasin, shower and toilet. It is recommended to book this cottage for a family holiday.
- Six residential heated campervans (two-, four- and six-person). Each campervan has a washbasin, a gas stove for cooking, a dining table, a wardrobe and folding sofas.
TREATMENT Project “Hippotherapy” (treatment with horses). The amazing ability of horses to heal patients with musculoskeletal disorders has been known for a long time. Hippotherapy is horse riding and interaction with a horse used for therapeutic purposes. Doctors believe that hippotherapy has several positive effects. When a person rides a horse, his body position constantly changes, the person moves, while muscular activity and the vestibular apparatus develop. When riding a horse, a kind of muscle massage occurs. But the main thing is that the horse has wonderful energy, and communication with a magnificent animal gives a lot of positive emotions. Close, trusting contact with a horse not only improves health, but also develops - intellectually and emotionally.
TOURISM AND RECREATION Tourist complex "Mara" - ideal a starting point, for organizing various tourist routes along the Biychesyn plateau, to the tops of the Rocky Range to the sources of the Kuban River and along the Northern Elbrus region. From here, without wasting effort on climbing from the canyons to the watershed, you can get to any high-mountain tourist site. The tourist and recreational complex "Mara" offers several tourist routes through the alpine meadows of the Elbrus region, to the peaks of the Rocky Range, to high-mountain lakes, waterfalls and mineral springs, archaeological sites that abound in this area. Special routes of varying levels of complexity and duration have been developed for guests through the little-explored part of the North Caucasus.
- Agritourism You will receive a positive emotional charge from communicating with cute pets (foals, calves, lambs, donkeys, etc.) - this is a very good opportunity to take a break from the bustle of the city, feel and feel your involvement in the harmony of nature, see the roots of national cultural traditions, try delicious healthy dishes, milk and honey from alpine meadows, get acquainted with the peculiarities of animal husbandry in the highlands. Agricultural farms are located in close proximity to the complex and along the route tourist routes offered by the Mara complex
- Horse riding tour “Mara - the foot of Elbrus” The route covers several natural areas. This is the highest exotic equestrian route in Russia, to the foot of Elbrus. Tourists are provided with mountain Karachay horses, which are considered the most durable and irreplaceable in the mountains. The route starts from alpine meadows (2100 m), passes along the natural watershed of the Caspian and Black Seas. Along the entire route there are natural monuments, ancient archaeological sites, menhirs, altars, crypts, mineral water springs, alpine lakes, around which relict plants have been preserved. You will plunge into the summer alpine herbs and enjoy beautiful views Caucasus Mountains. At the final point of the route you will swim in mineral springs at the foot of Elbrus.
TOUR PROGRAM “MARA - THE FOOT OF ELBRUS”:
1 day. Arrival at the tourist complex "Mara". Dinner. Safety briefing. Acquaintance with horses and a walk around the camp site.
Day 2. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Stop for lunch after 15 km, the Big and Small Bermamyt mountains and the Bermamyt plateau will appear before your eyes. Then the path continues to the agro-tour farm “Biychesynsky butter and cheese factory”. A bivouac for the night is organized here.
Day 3. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. The path continues along the Bechasyn plateau to the mineral springs of the Tokhana River, not far from the sources of the Khudes River. A bivouac for the night is organized here.
4 day. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. The dirt road ends and the path continues along the mountain path, past mineral spring Chemartkol, going around Mount Zarausa (3368 m.). We go out into the gorge of the Beytyk-Tebe River, where the Djilysu tourist complex is located. Until the evening, take a bath with mineral water, rest, dinner.
5 day. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Hiking to the largest glacier of Mount Elbrus - Kökurtlu. By lunchtime return to camp, swimming, sunbathing, mineral baths, overnight.
Day 6. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Loading into the car, along the Beytyk-Tebe gorge, descent to the village of Khurzuk and along the asphalt road along the Kuban gorge through the Mara tourist complex to the city of Kislovodsk.
The price includes: accommodation, horse rental, work of two instructors-guides accompanying the group, three meals a day, training in horse riding techniques, tent, sleeping bag, raincoat, transfer from the final point of the route to Kislovodsk, insurance. Be sure to have a warm knitted or fleece hat, woolen socks, comfortable sports shoes (without heels), rubber boots, personal hygiene items, and a change of clothes.
- Horse riding tour “Mara – Shailyk-Syrt”: The path passes through high alpine meadows, then descends to the tributaries of the Kuban River. Tourists are provided with mountain Karachay horses, which are considered the most durable and irreplaceable in the mountains. You will be able to enjoy the beautiful views of the Caucasus Mountains, undergo natural aromatherapy, inhaling the pine smells of forests and the honey smells of alpine herbs! At the final point of the route, directly next to the mineral spring, there are several baths for bathing. The analysis of the chemical composition of the mineral water of the Shailyk-Syrty spring was carried out in the laboratory of physical chemistry of mineral waters and medicinal mud of the Pyatigorsk State Research Institute of Resortology. Chemical composition The source water is characterized as medium-mineralized, low-carbon dioxide, boric mineral water chloride-hydrocarbonate sodium composition, slightly acidic-neutral reaction of the environment. In terms of temperature, it belongs to the group of cold springs. The minimum group size is 5 people.
TOUR PROGRAM “MARA - SHAILIK-SYRT”:
1 day
Day 2. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. At 8.00 departure from the tourist complex “Mara” for the route. Stop for lunch after 10 km, in a unique ravine where relict plants have been preserved. A bivouac for the night is organized at the final point of the route - at the Shailyk-Syrt mineral spring, swimming, sunbathing, taking medicinal baths.
Day 3. Breakfast, exploring the surrounding area, swimming, sunbathing, taking therapeutic baths in a mineral spring. Lunch at 13-00, departure at 14-00. Return to the camp site – 20-00.
The price includes: rental of horses, work of two instructors-guides accompanying the group, three meals a day at rest stops, training in horse riding techniques, tent, sleeping bag, raincoat. Be sure to have a warm hat, comfortable sports shoes (without heels), personal hygiene items, and a change of clothes.
- Horse riding tour “Mara – Khurla-Kol” The route covers several natural areas. This is one of the most interesting high-mountain equestrian routes. Tourists are provided with mountain Karachay horses, which are considered the most durable and irreplaceable in the mountains. The route starts from alpine meadows (2100 m) and runs along the natural watershed of the Caspian and Black Seas. Along the entire route there are ancient archaeological sites (menhirs, altars, crypts). The end point of the route is Lake Khurla-Kol. It is unique in its age. There is an assumption that it is at least 10-15 thousand years old. Khurla-Kol is rightly called the patriarch among lakes and a museum of nature, since relict plants from the ancient ice age have been preserved in the water area of the reservoir and around it. The lake is located in an intermountain basin at an altitude of two thousand meters. IN summer time it warms up to 18-22 degrees, maximum depth lakes 10 meters. In cold weather it is under a layer of ice. It is rare where you will find such a picturesque and wild corner of nature as the surroundings of Khurla-Kol. There are many convenient clearings around, one of which is where tourists set up camp for the night. Dawn by the lake comes early, and with the first rays of the sun the snow-white giant Elbrus appears to the amazed gaze.
TOUR PROGRAM “MARA - KHURLA-KEL”:
1 day. Arrival at the tourist complex "Mara". Dinner. Safety briefing. Acquaintance with horses and a walk around the camp site. Dinner.
Day 2. Stop for lunch after 15 km, the Big and Small Bermamyt mountains and the Bermamyt plateau will appear before your eyes. Then the path continues to the agro-tour farm “Biychesynsky butter and cheese factory”. A bivouac for the night is organized here.
Day 3. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Departure is at 8.00. From the plant along the road we go down into the mixed forest zone, through the gorge of the Khudes River to the forestry (1500 m). We climb up along a winding mountain path. Accommodation in a tent camp, rest.
4, 5 days. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Swimming, sunbathing in the lake, exploring the local surroundings, volleyball, football, picking mushrooms and berries.
Day 6. Descent by car along the gorge of the Khudes River to the village of Elbrussky and along the asphalt road through Karachaevsk to the Mara tourist complex.
- Horse riding tour "Mara - Bermamyd" The entire route passes in the alpine zone, travelers will see a vast sea of forests beneath them, and around them are picturesque cliffs and river valleys. Here is the kingdom of countless alpine flowers, birds and insects, you will see the most beautiful forest glades containing traces of the night grazing of deer, and if you maintain silence, you will observe these majestic animals with your own eyes. You can make several stops near the springs to enjoy relaxation in the lap of magnificent nature. The places through which the route passes are practically untouched by civilization. The route allows you to make excursions along the Biychesyn plateau. The end point of the route of the Rocky Ridge Bermamyd which is a wonderful vantage point from where beautiful panorama sunrise and rare view to the gigantic massif of Elbrus, YOU WILL NEVER FORGET the beauty of the sunrise, THE SUN RISES IN FRONT OF YOU “FROM NO WHERE”. To watch the sunrise on Mount Bermamyd, many famous poets and artists came (Lermontov, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Yaroshenko, etc.).
1. "Brocken Ghost" A man standing on the top of a mountain casts his shadow in the rays of the setting sun onto a cloud, and a rainbow glow appears around his head.
2. "St. Elmo's Fire" - when lightning strikes accumulate in stones and the stones begin to glow
- Auto tour “Mara - Lake Khurla-Kol” The route covers several natural areas. This is one of the most interesting high-mountain auto routes. The route starts from alpine meadows (2100 m), passes along the natural watershed of the Caspian and Black Seas. Along the entire route there are ancient archaeological sites (menhirs, altars, crypts). The end point of the route is Lake Khurla-Kol. It is unique in its age. There is an assumption that it is at least 10-15 thousand years old. Khurla-Kol is rightly called the patriarch among lakes and a museum of nature, since relict plants from the ancient ice age have been preserved in the water area of the reservoir and around it. The lake is located in an intermountain basin at an altitude of two thousand meters. In summer, it warms up to 18-22 degrees, the maximum depth of the lake is 10 meters. In cold weather it is under a layer of ice. It is rare where you will find such a picturesque and wild corner of nature as the surroundings of Khurla-Kol. There are many convenient clearings around, one of which is where tourists set up camp for the night. Dawn by the lake comes early, and with the first rays of the sun the snow-white giant Elbrus appears to the amazed gaze.
AUTO TOUR PROGRAM “MARA - LAKE KHURLA-KEL”:
1 day. Arrival at the tourist complex "Mara". Dinner. Safety briefing. Dinner.
Day 2. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Departure at 8.00 for the route. The road runs through the Bechasyn plateau to the Biychesyn butter and cheese factory agrotourist farm. From the plant the road goes down into the mixed forest zone, through the gorge of the Khudes River to the forestry (1500 m), then along the mountain serpentine the road goes up to Lake Khurla-Kel. Swimming, sunbathing in the lake, exploring the local surroundings, volleyball, football, picking mushrooms and berries.
Day 3. Walking excursions in the lake area. Swimming, sunbathing in the lake, exploring the local surroundings, volleyball, football, picking mushrooms and berries.
4 day. Return to base along the same route.
- Auto tour “Mara - the foot of Elbrus” The route covers several natural areas. This is the highest mountain road route in Russia, to the foot of Elbrus. The route starts from alpine meadows (2100 m) and runs along the natural watershed of the Caspian and Black Seas. Along the entire route there are natural monuments, ancient archaeological sites, menhirs, altars, crypts, mineral water springs, alpine lakes, around which relict plants have been preserved. You will plunge into the summer alpine herbs and be able to enjoy beautiful views of the Caucasus Mountains. At the final point of the route you will swim in mineral springs at the foot of Elbrus.
AUTO TOUR PROGRAM “MARA - THE FOOT OF ELBRUS”:
1 day. Arrival at the tourist complex "Mara". Dinner. Safety briefing. Walking trips around the base. Dinner.
Day 2. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Departure by car for the route. Stop for lunch near the mineral springs of the Tokhana River, not far from the sources of the Khudes River. Further, the path follows the Chemartkol mineral spring, skirting Mount Zarausa (3368 m.). We go out into the gorge of the Beytyk-Tebe River, where the Djilysu tourist complex is located. Until the evening, take a bath with mineral water, rest, dinner.
Day 3. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Walking tour to the largest glacier of Mount Elbrus, Kökurtlu. By lunchtime return to camp, swimming, sunbathing, mineral baths, overnight.
4 day. Getting ready and breakfast at 7.00. Departure, the path passes through the Beytyk-Tebe gorge, descent to the village of Khurzuk and along an asphalt road along the Kuban gorge through the Mara tourist complex to Kislovodsk.
- Auto tour “Mara – Shailyk-Syrt”: The path passes through high alpine meadows, then descends to the tributaries of the Kuban River. You will be able to enjoy the beautiful views of the Caucasus Mountains, undergo natural aromatherapy, inhaling the pine smells of forests and the honey smells of alpine herbs! At the final point of the route, directly next to the mineral spring, there are several baths for bathing. The analysis of the chemical composition of the mineral water of the Shailyk-Syrty spring was carried out in the laboratory of physical chemistry of mineral waters and medicinal mud of the Pyatigorsk State Research Institute of Resortology. The chemical composition of the source water is characterized as medium-mineralized, low-carbon dioxide, boron mineral water of chloride-hydrocarbonate sodium composition, weakly acidic-neutral reaction medium. In terms of temperature, it belongs to the group of cold springs. The minimum group size is 5 people.