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 Ridge live and there are many glaciers, and friendly sheep look at tourists from the emerald hills. The peculiarity of the Chegem gorge is silence and tranquility. There are not a lot of tourists here. Chegem is a tour for those who appreciate a quiet holiday, for those who want to be alone with the mountains.

If that's how you see your vacation, come with us!

Location

Stavropol territory, Mineral Waters

from

US$ 617

Contact the tour coordinator

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

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival. Chegem waterfalls, Adai-Su waterfall
11:00-11:30 (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 warm-up for us.
The rocks hug 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 for 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.
After we stock up on souvenirs, we'll move on.
In the village of Bulungu, we will stay in a cozy guest house with mountain views.
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 look at 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 will see most of our village, and in the distance we will see our neighbors — the village of Eltyubu and the famous mount Zinki.
We will walk along the canyon of the Sylyk-Su River, relax in the forest, and then start a small climb along the local sandstone ridge.
Thanks to the winds, the most bizarre shapes 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, 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 cross–country transport to the very heart of the mountains - in the Gara-Auz gorge.
Our journey by SUV will end near the old campsite of Chegem.
And immediately we will see the main peak of these places — the unsurpassed Tihtingen — a proud four-thousandth peak, whose height is 4617 m.
Today is an easy day, the climb will be only about 200 m.
It leads through a coniferous forest, then transfers over a bridge across 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 lead to a huge, luxurious clearing, which in autumn is decorated with a whole sea of spikelets.
Next, we will go 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 language of the Shaurtu glacier.
The glacier is constantly melting and a glacial river is born from its depths.
After walking near the glacier, we remember that we have another unvisited 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, since a huge number of lingonberries grow 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 trail 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 go out 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 height of the waterfall is 72 meters!
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. Eltyubyu village: mosque, Book in stone, town of the Dead "Fardyk-Keshene"
Today is another eventful, but very simple day in our tour of the Chegem Gorge.
We will take a cross-country car up to the Aktoprak pass.
After passing through the pass, we will go down to Lake Gizhgit.
Spread out at the foot of the mountains, this reservoir always pleases tourists with its beauty.
Then we go to the village of Eltyubyu.
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". This is the business card of the Chegem Gorge!
After completing the tour of the Chegem gorge, we return back.
The 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 busy day in our tour of the Chegem Gorge!
We will take a car up the Zinki Mountain to the magical place — the Chegem parade.
Daredevils will soar on colorful paragliders right above our head!
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 Chegemsky Oko for our trekking.
Let's go up from the parade ground!
We will go back down from Mount Zinki by a new route through the village of Dumala to see even more interesting views.
The 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 to Mineralnye Vody
In the morning, we will have a delicious breakfast again and mountains around.
We move by minibus to the city of Mineralnye Vody.
12:30-13:30 Arrival in Mineralnye Vody (airport, railway station).
Depending on the weather conditions, the physical condition of the participants and other factors, the tour route may be changed.

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Difficulty

Low physical intensity for amateurs and non-experienced travelers

Tour organizer's comments

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

The 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 provides for walking through mountainous (rugged) 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 up 200-600 m is about like climbing 70-200 floors.

Accommodation

Guest House

6 nights

Comfort

Basic+

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

The surcharge for single occupancy in a guest house room is 13,000 rubles/ the entire rest period.

2, 3-bed accommodation, room amenities, Wi-Fi. There is a kitchen for tourists.

The Jasmine Hotel is conveniently located in a high-altitude village among picturesque mountains and natural attractions, from where you can easily make excursions and hiking trips through the nearby unique natural and geographical landscapes with natural, innumerable attractions.

Living conditions:

There is a large shared kitchen on site, which has everything you need: new dishes, kettles, pots, pans, a shared refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave. In the courtyard there is a gazebo, barbecue. Two large halls with tables.

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Tour conditions

Group

up 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;
3 meals a day according to the set menu (the menu is not individual):
- ready-made breakfasts (day 2-7);
- 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, cookies, chocolate, sweets);
group equipment rental: boilers, gas burners (for making tea for lunch in the mountains from June to August), a 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 and from Mineralnye Vody;
Meals: lunch during the move on the 1st day;
the surcharge for a single room in a guest house is 13,000 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;
in the afternoon +7...+13C.

We draw your attention to the rules of choosing clothes for the trip: in the Caucasus, you can wear trousers and T-shirts. Shorts and T-shirts should not be taken 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;
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;
For girls on request: a dress for a photo shoot on the background of mountains;
Waterproof clothing or raincoat from the middle of the thigh and below;
Trekking poles. 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 overweight must have trekking poles;
If necessary, the club provides trekking poles for rent;
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 chopped 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 products for lunch, which are issued by the instructor (the weight of the products is 400-600 grams);
Podpopnik;
Shoe Dryers;
Sunscreen, hygienic lipstick;
Headlamp (for trips in September, October). The daylight hours become shorter in autumn, so sometimes a flashlight can be useful on the route in the evening.
Cash;
Individual first aid kit. Required: elastic bandage, patch.

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 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;
Lightweight long sleeve shirt. The shirt will protect your arms and neck from burning;
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 on request: a dress for a photo shoot on the background of mountains;
Waterproof clothing or raincoat from the middle of the thigh and below;
Trekking poles. 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 overweight must have trekking poles;
If necessary, the club provides trekking poles for rent;
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;
0.5L 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 foods (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 issued by the instructor (the weight of the products is 400-600 grams);
Podpopnik;
Shoe Dryers;
Sunscreen, hygienic lipstick;
Individual first aid kit. Required: elastic bandage, patch;
Gloves (it may be cold on high-altitude routes);
Hat (for trips in September, October);
Thermos flask volume 0.5-0.75 liters (for trips in September, October);
Cash;
Headlamp (for trips in September, October). The daylight hours become shorter in autumn, so sometimes a flashlight can be useful on the route in the evening.

Dates and Prices

US$ 617

28 Jul – 3 Aug 7 days 6 nights

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US$ 617

18 – 24 Aug 7 days 6 nights

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US$ 617

15 – 21 Sep 7 days 6 nights

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US$ 617

13 – 19 Oct 7 days 6 nights

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