We’ll meet in Mineralnye Vody and set off along the route. The first point of our journey is the Cherek Gorge. The gorge is considered one of the most picturesque in the Caucasus. The magical Blue Lakes are hidden in the valley of the Cherek River. The fantastic color of the water is really striking at any time of the year! We’ll have a small picnic, and then continue our way to the place of our overnight stay — Nalchik (about 2 hours).

Today we have an intensive program in the Republic of North Ossetia — Alania. We’ll plunge into the history of the Caucasus and admire the wonders of nature. Let’s start from the Kurtatinskoe Gorge, which was carved into the rocks by the mountain river Fiagdon. On the majestic expanses of the gorge, among mountain peaks, lush green meadows and refreshing streams, there is a medieval complex of towers and caves — the Dzivgis Fortress. We’ll walk along the mysterious corridors and go up to the observation deck, which offers an impressive view of the deep Kadargavan Canyon.

Further, our path will lie to the famous Dargavs necropolis, which is often called the City of the Dead. Here, on a hillside in a colorful river valley, there are dozens of tower-like structures with unusual multi-tiered roofs. These are medieval burials, and you can still see the preserved remains of the dead through the small windows. This place will give you goosebumps!

In the evening we’ll reach Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia.

We’ll start exploring the Republic of Ingushetia from the Lyazhginsky Waterfall. The cold streams of the Lyazhga river flow down the stones in picturesque cascades from a height of 18 meters. On a clear day, a rainbow can be seen above the stream of water. Nearby we’ll visit the ancient stone temple of Tkhaba-Yerdy. The appearance of the building is quite simple, but Tkhaba-Yerdy is remarkable because it is one of the oldest Christian churches in Russia. It is believed that the first building on this site appeared in the 8th century.

We’ll continue our way to the medieval complex of Vovnushki towers, a monument of Ingush architecture. The towers rise on bare rocks in the Guloikhi Gorge and fascinate the travelers with their beauty and inaccessibility.

In the evening we’ll arrive in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. We’ll walk around the city, admire the modern skyscrapers in Grozny City and the famous Heart of Chechnya mosque in the center of the capital.

Today we’ll get to know more about the Chechen Republic. In the morning we’ll go to the largest lake in the North Caucasus — Kezenoy-Am. This is an azure lake with a depth of 72 meters surrounded by picturesque green hills. It was formed as a result of the collapse and flooding of the valleys of two rivers, and now it is often called “the pearl” of the Caucasus. In the clear waters of Kezenoy-Am there is an endemic species of fish — the Eisenam trout.

Then we’ll have an excursion to the historical and archaeological complex in the village of Khoi. This is an open-air museum, a cultural heritage site, where towers, mosques and other ancient buildings, the oldest of which are about 900 years old, have recently been restored. 

In the evening, hospitable Dagestan will welcome us with open arms.

In the morning we’ll go to the Sulak Canyon, the iconic landmark of Dagestan. This is the deepest canyon in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. The height of its walls reaches almost 2 kilometers! We’ll see the Chirkey Dam built on the Sulak River and the Chirkey reservoir with a fantastic blue color of water.

Then we’ll head to the Sarykum dune — a piece of a real desert in the middle of the mountains, the origin of which is still unknown. Some scenes from the famous Soviet movie “White Sun of the Desert” were filmed here.

We’ll stop for the night in one of the coastal towns of Dagestan — Izberbash.

In the morning we will drive to one of the oldest cities in Russia — Derbent. The first mention of the city dates back to the 6th century BC, and its streets still keep the memory of different historical events. The symbol of Derbent is the Naryn-Kala citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Part of the fortress wall has been preserved in its original form from the 6th century AD, and inside the citadel you can see the khan’s baths, the ruins of the palace and the ancient water supply system.

After visiting the citadel we’ll look into the magals — old residential quarters, where in the labyrinths of streets we’ll find the workshops of local artisans and see the central mosque and the maiden’s baths of the 13th century, which now houses a museum.

We’ll have lunch in a cafe of national cuisine — we’ll taste the chudu flatbreads and khinkals (for an additional fee). In the afternoon we’ll walk along the city embankment.

In the evening we’ll return to Izberbash.

Our journey is coming to an end. After breakfast you’ll need to take a taxi to the airport. If your flight departs later, we recommend stopping by the local market in Izberbash to enjoy the unique oriental atmosphere and buy gifts for your loved ones. You can also visit thermal springs here (free of charge).