Trekking in the Chegem gorge. Elbrus region

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Kabardino-Balkaria is one of the most amazing regions of the Caucasus! It is here that nature has created an infinitely beautiful gorge — Chegem, where the snowy peaks of the Main Caucasian Range live and there are many glaciers, and friendly sheep look at tourists from the emerald hills. The peculiarity of the Chegem Gorge is its silence and tranquility. There are not many tourists here. Chegem is a tour for those who appreciate a quiet holiday, for those who want to be alone with the mountains.

Location

Stavropol territory, Mineral Waters

from

Discount available

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

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Tour highlights

Graceful Chegem waterfalls

We will walk along a narrow, very picturesque gorge and see a cascade of waterfalls

Golden Castles of Bulungu

We will see the most bizarre figures and caves! Some figures are only a meter tall, and some reach 3-4 meters

The City of the Dead in Eltuby

Let's feel the connection of times and realize the transience of life at the business card of the Chegem gorge

A trip on the UAZ

We take off—road vehicles to the very heart of the mountains - the Gara-Auz gorge.

Outdoor activities with comfort

We will walk through gorges and ancient villages, and then relax in a cozy guest house with a view of the mountains.

Gifts of nature

On tours in August and autumn, lovers of mountain berries risk staying here for a long time, as there are a lot of lingonberries growing in the forest.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival. Chegem waterfalls, Adai-Su waterfall
11:30-12:00 (Moscow time) Gathering of the group in Mineralnye Vody at the railway station and at the airport.
We will visit two interesting locations.
The first of them is the Adai-Su waterfall, it is also called the Small Chegem Waterfall.
A walk to it will be a little walking workout for us.
The rocks embrace Adai-Su and he falls quickly, as if jumping down from a height.
And the height of the waterfall is very decent — 30 meters.
The second interesting object of the tour today is the Chegem waterfalls.
We will walk through a narrow, very picturesque gorge and see a cascade of waterfalls!
There will be a souvenir market in the same gorge.
We're moving on.
In the village of Bulungu, we will stay in a cozy guest house with a view of the mountains.
For a comfortable hike to the waterfalls, it is enough to wear sneakers on the first day of the tour.
Active part: 4 km on foot.

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Day 2 - Golden Castles of Bulungu
Bulungu is the highest mountain village in the Chegem gorge.
Some of its residents specially took samples of water and air in different villages, searched for the ideal and found it here in Bulungu!
This place has incredibly clean air, perfect water and magnificent mountains.
To view the village of Bulungu from above, we go trekking to the golden castles.
The road will rise above the village and lead to the first observation deck with a large stone mushroom.
From here we can see most of our village, and in the distance we can see our neighbors — the village of Eltuby and the famous Mount Zinki.
We will walk along the canyon of the Sylyk-Su River, relax in the forest, and then begin a short climb along the local sandstone ridge.
Thanks to the winds, the most bizarre figures and caves have formed on this ridge!
Some figures are only a meter tall, and some reach 3-4 meters.
This place looks very impressive in sunny weather, and during fog, the golden castles become truly mysterious and mystical.
Active part: 14.5 km on foot, altitude difference 1620-2150 m, duration 6-7 hours.

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Day 3 - Shaurtu Glacier, Tihtingen Mountain, narzan spring
Today we are traveling by off—road transport to the very heart of the mountains - the Gara-Auz gorge.
Our off-road trip will end near the old campsite of Chegem.
And then we will see the main peak of these places — the unsurpassed Tihtingen, a proud four—thousand-meter peak with a height of 4617 m.
Today is an easy day, the climb will be only about 200 m.
It leads through a coniferous forest, then leads over a bridge over a river and leads to a fork.
Let's go straight to the glacier!
The path will pass through the shady forest a little more, and then it will lead to a huge, magnificent clearing, which is decorated with a whole sea of spikelets in autumn.
Next, we will walk along the river, and with each step we will approach the snowy mountains that stand at the end of the gorge.
We will soon reach our main goal, the tongue of the Shaurtu glacier.
The glacier is constantly melting and a glacial river is being born from its depths.
After taking a walk near the glacier, we remember that we have another unexplored location — narzan spring.
The path to it will pass through a coniferous forest.
On tours in August and autumn, lovers of mountain berries risk staying here for a long time, as there are a lot of lingonberries growing in the forest.
After leaving the forest, we will walk a little more and taste the mountain narzan.
Active part: 11.7 km on foot, altitude difference 2120-2380 m, duration 6-7 hours.

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Day 4 - Bashil River Gorge, Family Secrets Waterfall, Abai-Su Waterfall
We drive along the already familiar road to the gorge of the Bashil River.
At the end of the gorge, we will see the old Bashil campsite and sincerely envy the people who rest in such secluded places.
Through the coniferous forest we go to our first waterfall Family secrets.
The waterfall has several cascades, and near the lowest cascade, Nature has created a beautiful, emerald pool.
The path will lead along the river, in places we will walk through the forest.
On the way, we will choose a clearing with a picturesque view to have lunch.
After that, we will continue our journey and come to the huge waterfall Abai-Su.
Some tourists say that this place looks like the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. Is it so? Let's check it out!
It is surrounded by spectacular basalt rock, and the waterfall is 72 meters high!
Active part: 10.5 km on foot, altitude difference 2070-2170-1920-2150 m, duration 6-7 hours.

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Day 5 - Aktoprak pass, Lake Gizhgit. The village of Eltuby
Today is another eventful, but very simple day on our tour of the Chegem Gorge.
We will take an all-terrain vehicle up to the Aktoprak pass.
After passing through the pass, we will go down to Lake Gizhgit.
Sprawled at the foot of the mountains, this reservoir always pleases tourists with its beauty.
Next, we will go to the village of Eltuby.
We'll see here:
the snow-white mosque;
the Balkarukov Tower;
A unique Book in Stone project dedicated to a local poet;
The city of the dead "Fardyk-Keshene" is the hallmark of the Chegem Gorge!
After completing the tour of the Chegem gorge, we return back.
Active part of the tour: 5 km on foot, drops within 100 m, trekking duration 6-7 hours.

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Day 6 - Chegem Airfield, Mount Zinki, Chegemsky Oko rock
Today is another eventful day on our tour of the Chegem Gorge!
We will take a car up Mount Zinki to the magical place of the Chegem Parade.
Daredevils will soar on colorful paragliders right above our heads!
And our plans for today include trekking to an unusual rock.
There are many interesting locations on Mount Zinki, but we chose the huge rock arch of the Chegem Eye for our trekking.
Let's go up from the Chegem airfield!
We will go back down from Mount Zinki through the village of Dumala in a new way to see even more interesting views.
Active part of the tour: 8.7 km on foot, 1500-2050-1660 m, trekking duration 6-7 hours.

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Day 7 - Departure
In the morning, we will have a delicious breakfast again and mountains all around.
We take a minibus to Mineralnye Vody.
12:30-13:30 Arrival in Mineralnye Vody (airport, railway station).

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

Difficulty level of the route: moderate (20% of the route), medium (80% of the route). The route is recommended for beginners. The route is trekking and involves walking through mountainous (rough) terrain. This type of outdoor activity involves daily climbing and dropping heights (ascents and descents).

The route passes through forest trails, dirt roads, alpine meadows, large and small stones. The differences along the route are 200-600 m per day. Climbing 200-600 m is about the same as climbing 70-200 floors.

The route runs at an altitude of 1500-2650 m.
Route length: 54.4 km.

Accommodation

Guest House

6 nights

Comfort

Basic+

The tour includes accommodation in the village of Bulungu in the guest house "Jasmine".

The cost of the tour for 1 person is 64,000 rubles.

The surcharge for 1-bed accommodation in a guest house room is 13,400 rubles/the entire rest period.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 6 to 18 tourists

Minimum age

6 years old

Duration

7 days 6 nights

Group meets at

Stavropol territory, Mineral Waters

Included in price

road crossings along the route;
passes along the route by mountain transport (UAZ);
accommodation in the village of Bulungu in the guest house "Jasmine": 2, 3-bed accommodation, room facilities;
3 meals per day according to the set menu (the menu is not individual):
- ready-made breakfasts (day 2-7) are served in the guest house according to a set menu (the menu is not individual);
- dinners (day 1-6) are served at the guest house according to a set menu (the menu is not individual),
- lunch (day 2-6) in the form of dry rations in the mountains (sausage, cheese, tea, biscuits, chocolate, sweets);
group equipment rental: boilers, gas burners (for making tea for lunch in the mountains from June to August), group first aid kit;
environmental fees in the Kabardino-Balkarian Nature Reserve;
the services of an instructor-guide.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Mineralnye Vody and back;
Meals: lunch during the move on day 1;
the surcharge for 1-bed accommodation in a guest house room is 13,400 rubles/the entire rest period;
insurance (optional).

It's important to know

The list of equipment for tours from April 20 to May 20 and from October 25 to November 15:

The air temperature during this period:

early morning and evening +1...+5C;
during the day +7...+13C.

Please note the rules for choosing clothes for a trip: in the Caucasus, you can wear trousers and T-shirts. You should not take shorts and T-shirts for a trip to the Caucasus.

hat, gloves;
Jacket. The air temperature in the gorges in the early morning and evening is +1...+5C, in the afternoon +7...+13C;
fleece. We recommend taking 2 fleeces: one for walking on the route (it gets a hiking smell quickly enough), the second clean and fresh fleece for walking in the hotel.;
T-shirt;
thermal underwear;
The buff. Protects the neck from burning, can be used as a headdress or scarf.;
warm running trousers;
lingerie;
socks;
trekking shoes up to the ankle and above;
flip-flops (for walking in a hotel);
swimsuit;
trekking poles. The sticks significantly reduce the load on the knees. Physically strong and healthy tourists are recommended to have sticks with them. Tourists who have problems with knees, joints and excess weight must have trekking poles.;
for girls optional: dress for a photo shoot on the background of mountains;
waterproof clothing or raincoat from the middle of the thigh and below;
passport / birth certificate of the child. It is mandatory to have the original documents (not a copy);
camera / video camera and charger;
toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, razor);
Hairbrush;
sunglasses;
thermos flask (volume 0.75-1 l);
toilet paper (useful during the day, on the route);
mug, spoon, plate. In the mountains, tourists drink tea from a mug that comes with a thermos or take a separate mug. The plate is useful to put sliced and small products (vegetables, cheese, olives, etc.) into it during lunch. The mug and plate should be non-breakable.;
wet wipes;
thread, needle;
backpack for walking (volume 25-35 liters). The backpack contains the tourist's personal belongings (fleece, raincoat, thermos, etc.), as well as public food for lunch, which is provided by the instructor (the weight of the products is 400-600 grams);
sub-colonel;
shoe dryers;
sunscreen, lipstick;
head lamp (for trips in September, October). The daylight hours get shorter in the fall, so sometimes a flashlight can be useful on the route in the evening.
cash money;
individual first aid kit. Required: elastic bandage, Band-aid.

The list of equipment for tours from May 21 to October 25:

cap / panama hat;
jacket. The air temperature in the early morning and late evening is +8...+12C;
fleece. In autumn, we recommend taking 2 fleece coats: one for walking on the route (it gets a hiking smell quickly enough), the second clean and fresh fleece for walking in the hotel.;
T-shirt;
a light shirt with long sleeves. The shirt will protect your hands and neck from burning.;
The buff. Protects the neck from burning, can be used as a headdress;
running trousers;
lingerie;
socks;
trekking shoes up to the ankle and above;
flip-flops (for walking in a hotel);
swimsuit;
for girls optional: dress for a photo shoot on the background of mountains;
waterproof clothing or raincoat from the middle of the thigh and below;
passport / birth certificate of the child. It is mandatory to have the original documents (not a copy);
camera / video camera and charger;
toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, razor);
hairbrush;
trekking poles. The sticks significantly reduce the load on the knees. Physically strong and healthy tourists are recommended to have sticks with them. Tourists who have problems with knees, joints and excess weight must have trekking poles.;
sunglasses;
0.5 L plastic bottle (for drinking water on the route);
toilet paper (useful during the day, on the route);
mug, spoon, plate. In the mountains, tourists drink tea from a mug that comes with a thermos or take a separate mug. The plate is useful to put sliced and small products (vegetables, cheese, olives, etc.) into it during lunch. The mug and plate should be non-breakable.;
wet wipes;
thread, needle;
backpack for walking (volume 20-25 liters). The backpack contains the tourist's personal belongings (fleece, raincoat, water bottle, etc.), as well as public food for lunch, which is provided by the instructor (the weight of the products is 400-600 grams);
sub-colonel;
shoe dryers;
sunscreen, lipstick;
individual first aid kit. Required: elastic bandage, Band-aid;
gloves (it may be cold on high-altitude routes);
the cap (for trips in September, October);
thermos bottle volume 0.5-0.75 liters (for trips in September, October);
cash money;
head lamp (for trips in September, October). The daylight hours get shorter in the fall, so sometimes a flashlight can be useful on the route in the evening.

Dates and Prices

$883

19 – 25 Jul 7 days 6 nights

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$883

9 – 15 Aug 7 days 6 nights

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$883

$794
-10%

30 Aug – 5 Sep 7 days 6 nights

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$883

$794
-10%

4 – 10 Oct 7 days 6 nights

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No need to pay now

Reviews Leave a review

A
Alexei

about provider

13 Mar, 2026

The tour organization was excellent!
N
Nikolai

about provider

28 Jan, 2026

I liked everything. The providers were always in touch and ready to help whenever any issues came up.
V
Vera

about provider

21 Jan, 2026

Excellent organization and a strong customer-focused approach! All the information was communicated clearly and on time. I’m already looking forward to the next trekking tour :)