Hello, Alanya! Express tour of Ossetia

Duration: 8 hours, 120 km.

Beginning at 08:30, collection from hotels.

Program of the day: Karmadon — Dargavs (city of the dead) — Kurta and Tag tower — village of Tsmiti — Holy Dormition Alan Monastery - Kurtatinsky gorge — Kadargavansky canyon — Dzivgis rock fortress.

Karmadon is one of the narrowest and most rugged gorges in Ossetia. The gorge's infamy is associated with the collapse of the Kolka Glacier in 2002. As a result of the collapse, residents of the gorge died.

The Dargava necropolis, popularly called the "City of the Dead", consists of more than 90 crypt structures of original shape. Watchtowers of the 16th and 17th centuries.

An additional fee is a picnic lunch according to the set menu in one of the cafes along the route (pre-order at the beginning of the tour / cash payment) 600 rubles per person. For the menu, see the Important to know section.

The Kurtatinsky gorge is located in the very center of mountainous Ossetia. To this day, ancient Ossetian villages with family, military, residential and signal towers, cave fortifications, and religious buildings have been preserved here.

The Kurta and Tag Tower is one of the symbols of Ossetia, located on top of a cliff at the convergence of three gorges. In the Middle Ages, the tower was of crucial strategic importance in defending against the enemy and in rallying Ossetian clans.

The observation deck offers spectacular views of the Fiagdon Valley, other family tower complexes, and terraces reclaimed from the mountains for planting crops.

The highest mountain monastery in Russia is the Holy Dormition Alan Monastery. Fiagdon monuments: at the monument "The Grieving Horse" let us remember the soldiers of the Kurtatians who gave their lives for their Homeland in the Great Patriotic War. We will also see the world's first monument to Lenin and a bust of Stalin.

Dzivgis rock fortress. The fortress dates back to the time of the invasion of Tamerlane, that is, around the 15th century. An amazing tactical contraption created by the highlanders to protect them from enemy raids.

Kadargavan Canyon. A unique place where you can see how, over hundreds of years, a mountain river has eroded the soft limestones of a rocky ridge, and a huge boulder that fell from the mountain has become a natural bridge over the canyon.

16:30 Arrival in Vladikavkaz.

Duration: 8 hours, 220 km.

Beginning at 08:30, collection from hotels.

Program of the day: check out of the hotel and departure for an excursion with luggage — the sanctuary and rock monument of Uastyrdzhi — Tsey gorge — cable car to the Skazsky glacier — Mamison gorge — Lisri village — obelisk to the Gazdanov brothers.

Moving along the Military Ossetian road in the Alagir gorge, to the right along the way, attention is attracted by a mighty sculptural composition. This is Nykhas Uastyrdzhi, as they call him in Ossetia. This place is a dzuar, a holy place. The sculpture is attached to a rock and weighs 28 tons!

In the Ossetian tradition, Uastyrdzhi is one of the main characters of the Nart epic — a celestial being, the patron saint of men, travelers and warriors. The monument is considered one of the largest equestrian monuments in the world.

On the way we will see the cave and the sanctuary of Sau Baraga (the Black Horseman). The place and the very image of the Black Horseman are shrouded in many legends and beliefs that we have to learn.

We will turn from Transkam to the Tseysky Gorge or Tseyskaya horseshoe. Places of power are Alan historical and religious buildings. The entire Tsey Gorge is a state nature reserve, and the figure of the patron saint Afsati at the entrance symbolizes protection for everyone living in this beautiful corner of the Caucasus.

Monk Mountain is the motionless and stern guardian of Cei.

We will take a chairlift to the Skaz glacier (ticket - extra charge), see the ice grotto from where the Skazdon River is rushing out, enjoy the views of the mountain elements.

The ticket for the chairlift is 900 rubles.

An additional fee is paid for a picnic lunch according to the set menu in one of the cafes along the route (pre-order at the beginning of the tour /cash payment) 500 rubles/person.

Moving further along the Transkam into the depths of mountainous Ossetia, we head to the Mamison gorge, one of the most remote and once inaccessible corners of Ossetia. Military and residential towers and entire fortified complexes of medieval mountain settlements are still preserved here.

In the ancient village of Lisri, we will encounter artifacts from past eras, and see architectural structures of ancient architecture. We will learn about the legends and history of other settlements in the gorge: Tib, Tli, Kalak, Zgil.

On our way back to Vladikavkaz, we will stop at the piercing obelisk of the Gazdanov Brothers in the village of Dzuarikau to pay tribute to the memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War.

Return to Vladikavkaz by 16:30 and group transfer to the airport/train station for evening flights/trains later than 18:00.