Travels around Elbrus — The Baltican

August 2019

At 5642 meters, Mount Elbrus is Europe’s highest mountain. The first time I saw it was in December 2018 in Kislovodsk, 70 kilometers away. Elbrus is a dormant volcano, easily recognized by its distinctive two peaks. People told me nature here is more beautiful in summer. So I returned in August 2019 to explore more of the region, and get a closer look at the mountain as well.

The route

Elbrus is located on the border between two autonomous republics: Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. It’s a culturally diverse region. The Karachay are the largest ethnic group in Karachay-Cherkessia and speak a Turkic language. The largest ethnic group in Kabardino-Balkaria are the Kabardy, people who speak an Abkhazo-Circassian language.

Because of the mountainous landscape my travels got a bit complicated, as you can see on the map. I flew from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody and stayed in Pyatigorsk, a pretty spa town and useful transport hub. First I traveled by bus to Dombay via Cherkessk. From Dombay I went to Terskol. The distance between Dombay and Terskol is just 70 kilometers, but they are separated by mountains (including Elbrus). Therefore I had to travel back to Cherkessk and Pyatigorsk, onwards to Nalchik and finally to Terskol, making it 360 kilometers. From Terskol I traveled back to Mineralnye Vody via Nalchik.

Dombay

Dombay is surrounded by high mountains. The town itself is small, touristy and a bit ugly. On a map I saw hiking routes going from Dombay into nature. I wanted to hike, away from the hotel blocks and loud restaurants. But that turned out to be difficult, because as a foreigner I wasn’t allowed to walk there without a permit. I could only take a cable car to the top of Mussa-Achitara, and walk to a number of viewpoints. The views were spectacular, but unfortunately there was not much more to do in Dombay. So I decided to leave after one night.

Nalchik

The capital of Kabardino-Balkaria has a turbulent recent history. An example is the 2005 raid, when over 150 militants attacked the city. Safety here has improved over the years. I visited Nalchik because it's on the way to Elbrus. It’s a pleasant, green city. A well known place in Nalchik is “Sosruko”, a restaurant on a hill overlooking the city. Sosruko is also a warrior in Caucasus mythology. One side of the restaurant is built in the shape of the warrior’s head, a unique sight.

Terskol

From Nalchik it takes two hours by bus to reach Terskol. I could already see the mountain peaks and hear the “Terek river” when I got off the bus. Terskol has one main road, leading to Nalchik in one direction and the foot of Elbrus in the other. There are many tourists here, including alpinists preparing for the multi-day climb of Elbrus and Russians on a regular holiday. In my hostel I met other foreign travelers, quite uncommon in the Russian Caucasus.

On my second day here I hiked to the Terskol Observatory. After a 600 meter climb I reached the beautiful Devichi Kosy waterfall. As I walked further I could see the two peaks of Elbrus. I walked to the Observatory, another 300 meters higher up, and went back down the same way to Terskol. It was sunny, and the views during this hike were stunning.

I was less lucky on my third day when I went to the nearby village of Azau. Here is a cable car that goes halfway up Elbrus. But due to fog I decided it wasn’t worth it. I walked to the Azau waterfall instead. Close to the waterfall was a sign: I entered a border zone and wasn’t allowed to go any further.

Back to Mineralnye Vody

The bus back to Nalchik had a TV showing Dagestani music videos. From Nalchik I took a train to Mineralnye Vody. The train was similar to trains anywhere in Russia, apart from the tight security. Nalchik station was guarded by heavily armed police and soldiers. A police officer checked my passport, asked why I was here and what was on my face (it was sunscreen, I didn’t rub it in well enough). There was armed security on the train as well, and a lot of police on the stops along the way. Once I arrived in Mineralny Vody things were back to normal: no police, army or security checks. When I walked from the station to my hotel there was barely anyone on the streets, apart from the usual Lenin.

Practical info on traveling here

Getting to Terskol: I took a direct minibus from Nalchik. I heard that there is no direct minibus to Terskol after 13.00. A taxi driver in Nalchik told me that I could also take a bus to Tarnauz, and travel onwards to Terskol from there.

Terskol hike: The hiking route I followed to the Devichi Kosy waterfall and Terskol Observatory is on the app maps.me. It’s a 7.4 kilometer walk to reach the observatory, going up 900 meters. From there I walked the same way down. When entering the national park you have to pay a small fee, but you don’t need a permit for this hike.

Traveling around: I wrote a short travel-guide about the Russian Caucasus, as well as how to arrange transport in Russia.