Big Country Travel: Trips to Russia, Adventure Tours & Vacation Packages

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Let's celebrate the year 2026 in the mountains of the North Caucasus!

We will start the trip by visiting the cities of the Stavropol Territory, one of the most famous resort and wellness regions of Russia, and on the third day we will have a choice: explore the ancient stone towers of Upper Balkaria, climb the highest mountain in Europe, Elbrus, or go to Dombay, where sharp peaks of mountains, forests, stormy rivers and alpine glades are adjacent..

Location

Pyatigorsk / Mineralnye Vody

Sightseeing tours

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

Flexible 3-day program

Enjoy the incredible power of nature, visit the thermal spring in Balkaria, or ride the Elbrus or Dombay cable car.

Juicy cuisine

Dishes of the Caucasus, a special and unique flavor, gives new taste sensations and gastronomic pleasure

Literary promenade

Let's take a walk through the favorite resort places of the Russian writer in the resort towns of the Caucasian Mineral Waters

Itinerary

Day 1 - Check-in. Free time
Check-in at the hotel after 14:00.
Day 2 - Cities of the CMS
Guided tour of the CMS City at 9:00.
According to the program of the tour:
In Pyatigorsk, a visit to Lake Failure, the place of the duel of M.Y. Lermontov.
In Zheleznovodsk, a walk through the resort park: the former summer residence of the Emir of Bukhara (sanatorium named after Telman), Pushkin Gallery, monument to Alexander Pushkin, Slavyanovsky spring, Smirnovsky spring, Cascade staircase.
In Kislovodsk, a walk through the Nizhny Kurortny Park: the bridge "Damsky Kapriz", the Mirror pond and the Glass Jet, the monument to Alexander Pushkin, the flower bed Calendar, the Lermontov playground, the bust of Mikhail Lermontov, the Main Narzan Gallery, the Colonnade.
Lunch on the route for an additional fee.
In Yessentuki, there is a stop at the Theater Square, pump rooms of the sources of Yessentuki No. 4 and Yessentuki No. 17, a mud clinic named after Semashko.
Return to Pyatigorsk at 18:00.
Day 3 - An excursion of your choice. Departure
Check-out before the tour.
Option I Excursion "Elbrus" at 6:00.
Excursion to the foot of the highest peak of the Caucasus, Russia and Europe, Elbrus, which is the most mysterious and mystical mountain of the Caucasus.
According to the program of the tour:
Meals on the route are available for an additional fee.
Stop for breakfast at 7:00-8:00 at a roadside cafe for an additional fee.
Stop (2 hours) at Cheget glade — the foot of Cheget Mountain, from the slopes of which the best view of Elbrus opens in clear weather.
Two levels of the chairlift are raised to a height of 3,100 meters above sea level.
Stop (3 hours) at Azau glade, the southern foot of Mount Elbrus.
Ascent of closed cable cars:
The 1st level rises to a height of 3,000 meters above sea level — Stary Krugozor station;
The 2nd level rises to a height of 3,500 meters above sea level — Mir station;
The 3rd level rises to a height of 3,900 meters above sea level — Gara-Bashi station.
Lunch at the Azau after descent from the cable cars for an additional fee at 14:00.
Stop at Narzanov glade (30 min.) on the way back from Elbrus.
Narzan tasting, you can take unlimited bottles with you for free.
Return to Pyatigorsk at 19:30-20:00.
Attention! Additional expenses.
Option II Excursion to Dombay at 06:00.
Dombayskaya Polyana is the heart of the mountains of the northwest Caucasus, a famous tourist and ski center.
Meals on the route are available for an additional fee.
According to the program of the tour:
stop for breakfast for an additional fee;
There is a short stop in the Teberdinsky National Park: the Ullu-Muruju mountain river or Kara Kel Lake.;
Dombayskaya polyana at 11:00 — stop for 4 hours.
Arriving at Dombai Glade, everyone climbs the slopes of Mount Mussa Achitara to an altitude of 3,200 meters above sea level to see a breathtaking panorama of the Main Caucasian Ridge with its famous peaks: Dombai Ulgen, Sulakhat, Sufruja, Belalakaya, Ine Peak, etc.
From there you can enjoy a view of the gorges of the Gonachkhir, Alibek, Teberda rivers and numerous glaciers, as well as Dombayskaya glade surrounded by huge mountains.
Cable car ascent from Dombayskaya Polyana for an additional fee.
Free time.
Lunch at local cafes (extra charge)
Return to Pyatigorsk at 19:30-20:00.
Attention! Additional expenses.
Option III Tour "Upper Balkaria" at 6:50.
Meals on the route are available for an additional fee.
According to the program of the tour:
The Chegem gorge, where the film "Sannikov Land" was shot, a walk along the gorge along the Chegem mountain river to the Chegem waterfalls— the largest karst waterfalls in the Caucasus;
late breakfast with dishes of national Balkarian cuisine for an additional fee;
The village of Verkhnyaya Balkaria in the Cherek Gorge is the ancestral home of the Balkarian people. Ancient towers tour;
Cherek Gorge — stop at the observation deck near a deep cliff overlooking an ancient mountain road;
Blue Lake is the deepest karst lake in the Caucasus (it is cold);
Aushiger village — bathing in a hot spring.
Return to Pyatigorsk at 19:00-19:30.
To take with you: bathing accessories and a towel. You can't take a towel out of the hotel!
Attention! Additional expenses.

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Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Hotel

2 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale

The tour includes hotel accommodation.

Children under 10 years old receive a 5% discount.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, depending on the accommodation, RUB.:

Cost without meals:

Hotel	1-local	2-seater	3-seater	4-seater	additional place
Beshtau	Standard 28,850 Comfort 31 350	Standard 20 050 Comfort 21 350 Luxury	-	-	17 150
Nautilus	Standard 22 600	Standard 18 450 Junior Suite 19 750	Junior Suite 18 250	Junior Suite 18 250
Mashuk	Economy 23,850 Standard 25 100	Economy 18,800 Standard 19 050	-	-	17 700

An additional place (euro pad) can only be provided for 2-bed accommodation in rooms in the following hotels:

Musk — standard, deluxe, Junior suite;
Beshtau – comfort, luxury;
Mashuk is a standard.

Beshtau

It is located in the center of Pyatigorsk. It offers rooms with wonderful views of Mount Beshtau or the Caucasus Mountains, a 24-hour restaurant and a sports club. Guests of the Beshtau Hotel can visit the sports club with a Turkish bath, sauna, modern gym and a swimming pool with massage waterfalls.

The Beshtau Hotel has a classic-style restaurant serving European, Russian and Caucasian cuisine. Live music is played in the restaurant in the evenings. The 24-hour lobby bar serves hot and cold snacks.

Pyatigorsk Train Station is a 10-minute drive from the Beshtau Hotel. Mineralnye Vody International Airport is a 30-minute drive away. An airport shuttle is available upon request.

In the room: air conditioning and a flat-screen TV, equipped with a hydro massage shower or a hot tub. There is also a balcony. Free Wi-Fi is available. A water cooler is available on all floors.

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Another option

"Mashuk"

It is located in the very center of Pyatigorsk, a 7-minute walk from Lenin Square and the cable car, near Tsvetnik Park. The hotel offers treatments according to the program of the Mashuk sanatorium. It offers free Wi-Fi.The Mashuk Hotel offers a 24-hour front desk, a tour desk and luggage storage, as well as a small garden and a cafe.

Pyatigorsk Train Station is 3 km away. Mineralnye Vody Airport is 24 km away.

In the room: The private bathroom comes with a shower and free toiletries. The bright rooms offer mountain views.

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Another option

Nautilus

Rooms here will provide you with a flat-screen TV, air conditioning and a wardrobe. The private bathroom comes with free toiletries.

The on-site restaurant serves European and Caucasian cuisine.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 12 to 50 tourists

Minimum age

5 years old

Duration

3 days 2 nights

Group meets at

Pyatigorsk / Mineralnye Vody

Included in price

accommodation in rooms of the selected category;
tour service.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Mineralnye Vody and back;
nutrition;
transfer airport Mineralnye Vody — Pyatigorsk hotel;
transfer Pyatigorsk hotel — Mineralnye Vody airport;

Elbrus Tour:

Cheget 2 levels (2 levels are paid at once) — 1,100 rubles.;
Elbrus: stations "Stary Krugozor", "Mir", "Mount Bashi" (3 levels are paid at once) — 2,700 rubles.;
The environmental fee in the territory of the Elbrus National Park is 200 rubles.;

Dombay Tour:

cable cars on the slope of Moussa Achitara mountain:
- for a one-time payment of all 3 levels — 2,700 rubles.;

Upper Balkaria Tour:

the ecological fee on the hot lake in the village of Aushiger is 500 rubles.;
museum visits and local guides;
resort fee:
- for adults for 1 day — 100 rubles.;
- There is no resort fee for children under 18 years of age.

It's important to know

passport, birth certificate for children, medical insurance policy (original documents);
very warm and comfortable shoes;
very warm clothes for mountains (multi-layered clothes);
raincoat;
sunglasses;
bathing accessories and a towel (you can not take a towel out of the hotel);
first aid kit (if necessary);
cash (it is difficult to pay with a card on routes).

Dates and Prices

from
$237

31 Dec, 2025 – 2 Jan, 2026 3 days 2 nights

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from
$275

31 Dec, 2025 – 2 Jan, 2026 3 days 2 nights

Tour option - The Caucasus in two days for the New Year

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Reviews

O
Oksana

about provider

5 Jun, 2025

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Everything went perfectly. The organization was excellent, and the guides were knowledgeable and engaging. So many wonderful impressions! We're already planning another trip with you next year :)
O
Olga

about provider

6 Apr, 2025

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Unforgettable memories from the "Captivating Caucasus" sightseeing tour.

New Year's Caucasus in two days