Tourist route Arkhyz Krasnaya Polyana. Caucasus

Public equipment: tents, basic ropes, communications equipment, gas cylinders, burners, first aid kit, cooking utensils, etc. provided by the receiving party.

How to get to the beginning of the route

Start of the tour at the EuroHotel (located in the city center) - Stavropol, st. Marshala Zhukova, 1.

By plane – through the airports of Stavropol and Mineralnye Vody.

By railway– to the stations Stavropol or Nevinnomyssk.

By regular bus Moscow – Stavropol, departure is carried out daily at 17:00, 19:00 and 21:00 from the Krasnogvardeyskaya metro station. Travel time is about 22 hours.

Stavropol – translated from Greek means “city of the cross”. One of the legends says that during the construction of the fortress a huge stone cross was found here, which determined the name of the city. The history of the city is associated with the names of prominent people such as Suvorov, Pushkin, Lermontov. A tour of Stavropol will leave you with the most pleasant impressions.

Arkhyz – this is one of the most picturesque corners of the Western Caucasus - a land of untouched nature with its riot of colors and indomitable imagination. The name comes from the Karachay words “ariu kyz” - beautiful girl. Arkhyz is a giant bowl filled with healing mountain air, crystal clean water and warm sun. Mountain slopes covered with ancient forest form its walls, and sparkling glaciers and snow frame its edges. Arkhyz has gained good fame and considerable popularity among those who like to drink this cup of health and longevity. Hidden at the bottom of the bowl is a small pearl - the village of Arkhyz. Snow-capped peaks, the enchanting colors of alpine meadows, the sound of waterfalls, the extraordinary blue of glaciers and the blue of lakes will forever remain in your memories.

Krasnaya Polyana is a settlement of beekeepers, foresters and rangers, actively developing mountain resort, located 50 kilometers from Sochi on the slopes of the main Caucasus ridge at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. The unique combination of mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes descending to the Black Sea with its mild climate gives extraordinary beauty to the local landscape. These places have a lot of interesting historical and modern objects. Hunting lodge of Emperor Nicholas II. A pyramid made of wood without a single nail, which is 29 times smaller famous pyramid Cheops is its exact copy. Here they explore the influence of the pyramid on water, food, humans and animals. Here you can paraglid, raft down a mountain river, take part in jeeping, catch trout with your own hands, which will be immediately fried for you over coals in a restaurant, and taste extraordinary chestnut honey.

Detailed itinerary.
Nevinnomyssk - Cherkessk - village. Arkhyz - per. Phiya (n/k, 2050 m) - Phiya village - village. Phiya - Bolshaya Laba village - village. Damkhurts - Dr. Damkhurts - Dr. Bol. Adjara - lane Kvata (n/k, 2350 m) - lake. Damhors - lane Tsyndyshkho (1A, 2750 m) - lake. Kardyvach - Mzymta village - village. Krasnaya Polyana - Adler.

The peculiarity of the route is that it begins on the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, crosses the Main Caucasian ridge and ends in the Krasnodar region.
You will have to overcome three passes, only one of which is more or less difficult. Coniferous forests, stormy mountain rivers, waterfalls, mountain lakes, subalpine and alpine meadows, rocks and snowfields - this is what awaits you on this route. In addition, there is the opportunity to touch the clouds with your hands, enjoy the view of the night sky and mountain sunrise, and see wild animals. The reward for your hard work will be swimming in the sea.

Well, about unpleasant formalities.
Part of the route passes through the territory of the border zone, the territory of the Caucasian State Biosphere nature reserve, Sochi Nature Reserve and Sochi national park. You will have to deal with all these organizations.
You must contact border guards by phone at least a month in advance to obtain border passes. Negotiations with the reserve and the national park are also highly desirable. Tickets to the reserve can be purchased along the route (at the reserve's border).

A pre-arranged taxi was waiting for us at the railway station. Nevinnomyssk station. The four of us and our backpacks barely fit into the Volga.
On the way to Arkhyz, we stopped at a Circassian company that issued border passes for us.
The village of Arkhyz greeted us with sunny weather. On the first day of a hike there is always a lot of stress on the body: you don’t get enough sleep from the road and there is a sharp climb in altitude (the village of Arkhyz is located at an altitude of about one and a half kilometers above sea level). Therefore, we agreed with the driver that he would take us along the dirt road to the Rechepsta River, and if the quality of the road did not allow, then to the place where he could drive.
But first it was necessary to refresh ourselves before the hard work. We no longer had the opportunity to eat normal food in the next few days. Therefore, we stopped in Arkhyz for lunch. The taxi driver generously waited while we consumed traditional khychin, Karachay lamb kebabs and live Karachay beer. With full bellies, we got into the car and drove towards the mountains.

We are driving along the road along the river. Arkhyz.

View of the Sofia Ridge

In dry weather the road is quite passable for passenger vehicles. We came across a couple of groups with backpacks who were already returning from the route and looked very shabby. It was interesting to watch their reaction when they saw us riding in a taxi with backpacks on the roof. It didn't look sporty, but we still had everything ahead of us.
In the place where the river. Dukka flows into the river. Arkhyz we stopped to look around where to go next. And then, as if from underground, the border guards appeared. After checking our passes, they showed us the way. The senior officer of the squad said that he had a good memory for faces and that he had seen me somewhere. To which I replied that my memory is fine and we met on the Belaya River last year.
After driving a little more, we landed at the river. Rechepsta. We need to go to Phiya pass. Having crossed the bridge, we sharply gain altitude and follow the path along the stream. We enter the forest area. We understand that we don’t know where to go next. Having crossed the stream, we climb the slope and here we see an indistinct path. Having risen to a height, we see the pass we need ahead. A dirt road leads there. As you approach the pass, wonderful views open up.

Serenity

View from Phiya Pass

Leaving our backpacks on the trail, we ran lightly to the Phiya pass (2050 m, n/k), where an obelisk to WWII soldiers was erected and there are many signs.

Soon the trail gradually descends into the forest area. Here, near the stream, we stop for the night. We light a fire and dry things. We cook food on a gas burner. Today the weather was sunny.

It's sunny in the morning. Having gathered, we walk along the right bank of the Phiya River.

Then, having forded it, we climb up into the forest along a logging road, which goes up and down. After lunch it starts to rain. The road turns into a stream. The shoes, naturally, got wet. We pass the parking lot of lumberjacks with a trailer, and every now and then we meet Kamaz timber trucks. Gradually skirting the mountainside, we descend along a serpentine road to the bridge over the B. Laba River. At the equipped parking lot by the river we cook lunch on a stove. And then a heavy downpour began, leaving us with no dry spot. After waiting out the bad weather for about an hour, we move further along the river. Having passed by the locked border guard post and crossed the bridge over the river, we enter the village of Phiya.

We go to a village store with a limited assortment of food and beer. The most important thing we need is bread, but it is not sold here. A good-natured grandfather who happened to meet us gave us a loaf of white bread from his personal supplies, refusing money. Knowing that the further road to the village of Damkhurts is a dull logging road, which is a pity to waste time and effort on, we decide to catch passing transport. Kind people in the village suggested that timber trucks would pass by in the late afternoon. Indeed, not even half an hour had passed before the first Kamaz, loaded with timber, appeared. The driver easily agreed to take us. Having tied their backpacks tightly on top of the thick logs, all four climbed into the cabin. Less than an hour had passed before we unloaded in the center of the village. Damkhurts. The driver, a kind soul, did not want to take money from us. I had to persuade him to take a small amount. After visiting the village store, we left Damkhurts.

This is what Zakan peak from Damkhurts looks like.

For an overnight stay, we found a secluded place behind the village at the confluence of the Damkhurts and B. Laba rivers.

In the morning, after having breakfast and getting ready, we crossed the bridge over the Damkhurts River and approached the Karapyr cordon.

Here we bought tickets to the Caucasus Nature Reserve for 4 days, starting from tomorrow, because today we will not be walking through its territory. Of course, you can do it in 3 days, but we took it with a reserve so that we could relax peacefully in the parking lots.

In front of us, in a hired truck, one group left along our route. Today we had to walk 18 km along the Damkhurts River to the south. The road initially ran along the left bank of the river. We stopped once to swim in the river. Soon we crossed suspension bridge to the other side. The rest of the way the river was on our right hand.

On the slope you can see clearings - traces of avalanches that once occurred.

The road winds through a coniferous forest; there are a lot of ups and downs along the way. As we walked, we ate raspberries that had just ripened. By evening we reached the border post. After checking our documents, the border guards offered us to stay overnight in a specially designated place near the checkpoint. We did not want to rest under the supervision of servicemen and we decided to move on. After two hours of walking, we came to the confluence of the B. Adjara and Damkhurts rivers.
From here to the border is just a stone's throw away.

After a long search for a place to descend to the river, we decided to go down the cliff head-on through the thickets. Having crossed the river along one of the thrown logs, we stopped for the night in a place well equipped for parking: a fireplace, a large table, places for tents and the absence of strangers. Then swimming in a mountain river, a hearty dinner and bedtime in the bright moonlight. The weather was sunny all day. GPS coordinates: parking lot at the confluence of the Great Adjara River and the Damkhurts River N 43⁰ 33.394" E 040⁰46.804"

In the morning we started to rise sharply. Having gained altitude, we found ourselves in the humid subalpine zone.
The marked path leads us higher and higher. We are located on the territory of the reserve. Not a soul around. The silence is broken only by the sound of water from streams and waterfalls. Three border guards from the Circassian border detachment with a shepherd dog overtook us; they are also heading to the Kvata pass. Having crossed the streams several times over thrown logs, we found ourselves already in the alpine zone. Everything is in bloom here; summer comes here late.

Thickets of rhododendron sometimes interfere with walking along the trail.

The main thing here is to find the right path to the Kvata Pass we need and not go head-on to the Kvata False Pass, which is located right in front of us.

Traversing along the slope, the trail leads us to the left, gradually bending around mountain range.

.
We are already beginning to doubt whether we are going the right way: we have deviated too far towards the border.
If you go straight, then beyond this ridge Abkhazia already begins.

The cutting path went to the right and upward. And then our pass appeared, from where familiar border guards were already returning at a brisk pace.

The ascent to the Kvata Pass (2350 m, non-technical) is not technically difficult - you follow a path that ascends in a serpentine path to the pass.

The ascent is still quite steep, so you have to walk carefully. . In front of the pass itself is a dilapidated log structure without a roof. Once upon a time, people could spend the night there or wait out bad weather. At the pass (N 43⁰ 32.531" E 040⁰43.091") a cold wind was blowing and it was raining.

View from the Kvata pass.

I didn't want to stay here for long. After eating the pass chocolate, we quickly walk along an easy descent down into the valley of the Tsakhvoa River.

Half an hour later we were already having lunch under the pass near the stream. Further our path runs through the gorge along the Tsakhvoa River.

A look back

Soon Lake Damhorse (Inspi) appeared in the distance, which was still several hours away.

The trail gradually descends into the forest zone, where you have to wade through dense thickets of bushes and cross streams many times. In the late afternoon we approached the lake (N 43⁰ 34.697" E 040⁰41.629" height 1902 m). There are very few parking places near the lake; the entire coastline is overgrown with bushes.

We settled down in a tent camp, together with a group of Stavropol residents, who had traveled part of the route by car yesterday. The leader of the group said that tomorrow morning they were going to the Tsyndyshkho pass and invited us to go together. But we were ahead of schedule and had a spare day. Therefore, tomorrow we planned to take our time getting out on the route. Then he described to us in detail how to properly overcome the pass and said that they would make a trail for us. Subsequently, his instructions were very useful to us, for which we are truly grateful. Not far from our parking place there is a border guard post, where we went to check in. This is already the area of ​​responsibility of the Sochi border detachment.

Early in the morning our neighbors left for the pass. The sun shines brightly. Having slept, we leisurely had breakfast, washed, shaved and dried our things. But there was no desire to swim in the lake, and no opportunity either. Lake Damhorse, despite impressive size, shallow, and its bottom is muddy. Since the weather whispered to us “Go!”, it was decided to set out after lunch. Thus, the planned day turned into a half-day, and we still had half a day left. We decided to leisurely climb closer to the Tsyndyshkho pass, find a place for a tent there and spend the night there. In order to storm the pass with fresh strength in the morning.

The noise from this waterfall is no less than in the MKAD area.

The trail from our overnight stop went sharply up the edge of the mountain slope. After half an hour of movement, we gained a decent altitude.

Our landmark is the “Shovel” rock, which we will need to go around to the right.

Soon we forded the river and began to climb along the right side of the gorge. Our predecessors left us hiking trails along the trail, which gave us confidence that our path was correct. We passed through the subalpine with vegetation the size of a man, then through the alpine zone, where we ate plenty of ripe blueberries.

A bear came into our field of vision, which was located above us at a distance of about three hundred meters. He was feeding on something near the bushes, not forgetting to carefully watch us. Soon, around the bend, both the bear and the small spot of Damhorse Lake disappeared from sight. We gradually climbed into the nival zone, where nothing grows anymore. Everywhere you look there are only stones. It has become cooler, clouds are floating at the same level as us.

On the left we had a view of the Kardyvach pass, but we need to go further to the right - to the Tsyndyshkho pass, which will lead us through the Main Caucasian ridge into the warm Transcaucasia. Among the piles of rocks, finding tourists became problematic. Therefore, we decided to go on a whim straight to the pass. For a long time we walked on large, sometimes moving stones. Knowing that beyond the pass there would be no drinking water for a long time, we stocked up on water from the last stream.

There was information on the Internet that before the transfer takeoff there is big Stone, under which you can put a tent and where we expected to spend the night. However, we did not find a suitable place to spend the night; there were only rocks all around and, moreover, a large slope.

We had no choice but to storm the pass, although it was already getting dark. But good weather was our ally. The last 50 meters before the pass are especially difficult to overcome. This is an area of ​​small moving stones that every now and then move out from under your feet and roll down. Inattention or haste can result in injury. High up, almost on steep cliffs, mountain goats - aurochs - were walking, dropping pebbles. At about 17 o'clock we climbed the Tsyndyshkho pass (2750 m, 1A) N 43⁰ 34.805" E 040⁰39.618".
We munched on a traditional chocolate bar while admiring the views on both sides of the pass. Indeed, the landscapes were strikingly different on different sides of the GKH.

Looking back

And forward

At the pass saddle we read a pass note from our predecessors who passed here 5 hours ago. They didn’t take down the note - we don’t need reporting.

Remembering the warnings, we slowly began to descend from the pass. First we overcame a section of “live” stones, then we passed through two successive snowfields, along which, if desired, we could slide down at the “fifth” point. Below you could see the valley of the Mzymta River, which wound like a thin ribbon between the mountains. Ahead, as we moved, a mountain deer or chamois stood between the rocks and watched us for a long time. Suddenly, clouds came over us and then our path passed in low visibility conditions.

We were glad that we had time to enjoy the beautiful views at the pass. Our predecessors, as promised, paved the path for us and it was easy for us to walk. Soon, around the bend the beautiful lake Kardyvach appeared.

There are places for overnight stays. We need to get there at any cost, preferably before dark. After all, there are no places to spend the night on the descent. Somewhere in the middle of the descent we stopped to rest near a large waterfall.

Since it was already getting dark, we increased the pace of movement and were almost running through the thickets of bushes towards our cherished goal.

We went down to the parking lot on the shore of Lake Kardyvach (N 43⁰ 34.297" E 040⁰ 37.716" altitude 1835 m) already in the dark by the light of flashlights. There are several clearings for tents here. There are a lot of people everywhere. For the first time in several days we saw so many tourists. The vast majority of them came from Krasnaya Polyana specifically for this beautiful lake, some with small children. We had difficulty finding a place for our tents next to our old friends - Stavropol residents, who treated us to a delicious dinner cooked over a fire. Satisfied with ourselves and the work done today, we went to bed.

The bright sun woke us up in the morning. We slowly got up and laid out our things to dry. It was decided to take a half-day at the lake to relax after yesterday's hard day. Swimmed twice cleanest water lakes, if you can call a ten-second stay in icy water swimming. But at the same time you get an indescribable charge of vivacity.


After lunch we hit the road. Having forded the Mzymta, which flows out of the lake, we followed the path along its right bank.

A look back...

And forward...

As it moves through the meadows, the river is fed by streams and soon becomes a powerful river, which with its roar from afar reminds of itself all the way. We reached the border post, where we were registered. Border guards live in tents. He ran to the hill where he catches Megaphone. For the first time in 5 days it was possible to call on a mobile phone. Go ahead. We enter the forest area. The road is exhausting: there are few beautiful views, but many ups and downs and streams, crossing which you can easily get your shoes wet. Late in the evening we approached the cordon of the Sochi reserve, where we were met and checked for admission to the reserve.

In addition, we were charged a fee for one day of stay on the territory of the reserve at the rate of 150 rubles per person. We were also kindly invited to stay overnight on the territory of the cordon (of course, in this case we would have to fork out for another day of staying on their territory). We inquired about a transfer to Krasnaya Polyana, but it turned out to be some unrealistic sums... We decided to leave the territory of the reserve before dark, since its territory ended beyond the river. Stormy one kilometer from the cordon. After walking a couple of kilometers, we began to look for a place to spend the night. This proved problematic because there was a steep rise above the road on the right, covered in dense forest, and a steep descent to the river below on the left. Already in the dark we set up tents below, not far from the river on a slope among pine trees. By the light of lanterns we set up tents and cooked dinner on the stove. Lights out.

Sunny morning. We quickly get ready and go out onto the road. Today we have to cover the last 15 km to Krasnaya Polyana. We continue moving along the right bank of the Mzymta. The road is exhausting: a lot of ups and downs, holes full of water. Even though the forest hides beautiful views to the mountains, but protects us from the scorching southern sun.

We eat blackberries on the go and drink water from numerous streams. After a couple of kilometers, a tented GAZ-66 catches up with us, the driver of which offers to take us to the village for “we’ll come to an agreement.” We climb into the back, where there is already a group of tourists from Kuban, who ordered the car. We flop around in the back for more than an hour until the car stops at the Narzan springs. After replenishing our water supplies and passing checks with the border guards, we reach bus stop in Krasnaya Polyana. Next - by bus to Adler, where the sun and sea await us.
But that is another story…