From Grozny to Dagestan. "Above the eagles - Sulak Canyon"

Sulak Canyon is the most popular natural attraction in Dagestan. It is interesting for both Dagestanis and guests of the republic. Guests visit Dagestan in most cases having in the list of mandatory places to visit the canyon. And the motives of these people are clear. The canyon is shocking and causes the strongest emotions when watching videos and photos, but if you have the opportunity to see it in reality, then it is breathtaking! It is one of the deepest canyons in the world. 1920 meters! Sulaksky, by the way, even deeper than the famous Grand Canyon on the Colorado Plateau.

Eldar Eldarov, Chairman of the Dagestan branch of the Russian Geographical Society “There are no single criteria for assessing the absolute depth of the canyons – it is not always clear what is the rim of the canyon and whether to include the slopes of nearby mountains in the calculations.” If so, then the deepest is the Himalayan Kali Gandaki Canyon in Nepal - 6.8 thousand meters. If not, then the top three should be placed Yarlung Tsangpo in China (6 km), as well as the canyons of Colca (4.2 km) and Cotahuasi (3.5 km) in Peru. Thus, the Sulak Canyon (1920 m) remains beyond the line of winners, but still surpasses the Grand Canyon (1800 m) in the western United States, although it is considered the most grandiose canyon in the world.

The canyon has a length of about 53 kilometers. The river flows along a winding gorge and looks like a thin turquoise stream from above, but in fact Sulak is one of the most full-flowing rivers of Dagestan. To describe the canyon is very difficult, you just need to see it. On the edge of a cliff hanging at a dizzying height, suddenly you begin to realize that you are above the soaring of eagles. In the usual version, the eagles soar in the sky, and here they soar below you, skirting the winding slopes of the canyon. The combination of the blue sky, the gray sandy slope of the canyon extending to the dazzling turquoise of the river creates a picture that cannot be described. If you want to sit on the edge of the abyss and dissolve in this splendor, you need to arrive early, besides you can go down in advance to the trout farm and before filling the restaurant, you can enjoy the color of the river near.

Sulak Canyon: We finally climbed the last hill. Each of us involuntarily pulled his horse back. It seemed as if there was no ground under my feet. The pointy rock stood seven thousand feet high. I was in a hurry - so that there was no dizziness, it is better to stand on my feet and feel the ground beneath me. But that wasn’t enough – I lay down on the ground and covered my eyes with my hands. One must experience this inexplicable sensation of dizziness in order to understand the suffering it causes. The nervous tremors that seized me seemed to merge with the heartbeat of the earth – the earth seemed to be alive, moving, beating beneath me: in fact, it was so beating my heart. Alexander Dumas, The Caucasus, 1858

Travel by car in the company with a tour guide driver