Trekking in Arkhyz. Comfort tour with hotel

There is one amazing mountainous region in the Western Caucasus called Arkhyz. It has a mild climate and the highest number of sunny days.
Arkhyz is the edge of mountain lakes, it is dense coniferous forests, bright alpine meadows! These are noisy rivers and waterfalls. Arkhyz is snow on the slopes of the mountains in the middle of summer. It is delicious blueberries, raspberries and real ice floes floating in sky-blue lakes!
That is why Arkhyz is called the pearl of the Caucasus!
We will be staying in a hotel for a week. Arkhyz and daily walk on lakes, waterfalls and ancient temples of this region.

Travel area: Western Caucasus, Karachay-Cherkessia, Arkhyz.
Type of rest: hotel accommodation, daily excursions light
Cost: 25,700 rubles.

Travel dates for 2020 (7 days):

June
07-13 June
June 14-20
June 21-27
28 June - 4 July

July
July 5-11
12-18 July
26 July - 1 August

August
02-08 August
09-15 August
August 23-29
August 30 - September 5

SEPTEMBER
06-12 September
13-19 September
20-26 September
27 September - 3 October

October
04-10 October
October 11-17
October 18-24
October 25-31

November
01-07 November

The route thread: the city of Mineralnye Vody - Alanskoe settlement, the face of Christ • Sofia waterfalls • lakes of the Malaya Dukka River • Chigardala Waterfall • Sofia Lakes, Lake Aimatly-Jagaly Kel • rafting along the Big Zelenchuk River, horseback riding • Alanskaya Tower, observation deck of Karcha-Tebe - Mineralnye Waters.

Day 1

11:00-11:30 (Moscow time) - group gathering at the railway station of Mineralnye Vody (near the main entrance from the city) and at the airport of Mineralnye Vody (near the main entrance).
Transfer by minibus to pos. Arkhyz (about 3-3.5 hours).

Excursion to the Alan settlement, the face of Christ.
Excursion to the Alan settlement is one of the easiest in the vicinity of Arkhyz. Here you can plunge into the ancient history - see the ancient menhirs, Byzantine temples and taste the water from the Holy Spring!
Scientists suggest that here, in Arkhyz, was the capital and center of ancient Alanya. The area of the ancient settlement stretches for four and a half kilometers!
On the territory of the archaeological complex, many historical sights have been preserved: three monumental temples of Byzantine architecture of the X century, the Solar Calendar, the harsh warrior-menhir, the ruins of residential and industrial buildings of the Alans.
In 1999, in the same area, on the slope of the Matsešta ridge, an amazing rock image was discovered - the Face of Christ. It is located in a small grotto of sandstone, the size of the rock pattern is 140 by 80 cm.
From the rock, Jesus Christ looks wisely at people, who looks exactly to the east. If you draw a conditional line, it will pass just through the Northern temple of the Lower Arkhyz settlement. To reach the face of Christ, we have to climb 527 steps.
Duration of the tour: 3 hours.

Settlement at the hotel at about 17:00, sightseeing tour of the village of Arkhyz.

Day 2

Sofia Falls.
Having left the borders of Arkhyz, part of the further route we have to overcome by mountain transport - UAZik! Our way lies towards the confluence of the Psysh and Sofia rivers, then up the Sofia valley. The entire journey by mountain car off-road takes about an hour.
The further route from the Glacier Farm to the waterfalls themselves will be done on foot!
First, the trail goes through a coniferous forest, through small rivers and dense birch groves. The higher you go, the more the landscape changes: fir forests remain behind, rocky areas appear, in places, snowballs that have not yet melted can occur.
The path to the waterfalls is easy, it will be possible for every person. There is a constant but small climb here. With each step, you quietly rise higher and higher. And if you turn back - and immediately Sofia Valley will give you extraordinary views!
One of the symbols of Arkhyz is the beautiful mountain Sofia. Its height is 3637 m. And here nature created the mighty Sofia glacier. Its sharp, icy peaks rest on the sky and from afar they look like huge fairy-tale creatures in snow caps and with a thick beard.
In the warm season, the glacier melts, and magnificent Sofia waterfalls are formed. The height of the waterfalls is 70 meters!! With incredible noise, a huge mass of water falls down on the dark cliffs and gives rise to the white, foaming river Sofia.
The active part of the route: 5.5 km, the height difference of 2050-2300 m, the duration of the route is 5-6 hours.

Day 3

Small Dukkin Lakes.
Today we are going to admire three colorful alpine lakes! Our path lies along the Malaya Dukka River, which makes many ornate turns and winds through the valley, showing tourists its playful temper. Nearby, bright, pink mountaineers, purple bells, geraniums and gentle blue forget-me-nots bloom.
After a few hours, we will see the first lake of dark green color. The water in the lake is very clear and so beckons to swim!
Climbing a little up the stone moraine, another huge rock circus opens with a beautiful, emerald blue lake. At this time, snow will still lie on the slopes of the circus, which sparkles in the sun and is reflected by snow-white icebergs in the calm surface of the lake.
Climbing the Angelochek Pass (2600 m, n/k), we will open another chain of small alpine lakes.
There will be no more climbs on the route, only the descent ahead. On the way down, on the mountainside, you will definitely see an Olympic bear with a ball, created by nature itself. And then there is another large, dark emerald lake, from above similar to a giant green lizard. We go down to the lake, rest and come back.
The active part of the route: 11.3 km, the height difference of 1890-2550 m, the duration of the route is 8-9 hours.

Day 4

Chigardala Falls
The gorge of the Kyzgych River is rich in attractions: here is the Sleeping Lake, Mount Ostanets and Chigardala Falls.
The path to the waterfall goes along a flat forest road, without climbs =) On both sides rise the mountain ranges, covered with slender fir. And far on the horizon you can see white snow caps on the tops of the Main Caucasian Ridge.
Part of the way we will go along the emerald river Kyzgych, sometimes going very close to it.
Only before the waterfall itself begins to climb the coniferous forest. Chigardala Falls has several cascades arranged steps above each other. Along the river are scattered huge stones and fallen trees covered with moss.
The main waterfall is even higher! It falls in a light, snow-white stream from a stone ledge. At noon, the sun almost completely illuminates it, causing the waterfall to sparkle! Here you can easily practice taking photos with silk water.
The active part of the route: 17.9 km, the height difference of 1465-1730 m, the duration of the route is 7-7.5 hours.

Day 5

Sofia lakes, lake Aimatly-Jagali kel.
It is this tour that our tourists are always looking forward to! After all, the Sofia lakes are the calling card of Arkhyz. To see these lakes, tourists come here for hundreds of kilometers!

Our walk today is the highest and longest. Early in the morning we will drive on UAZ to the foot of the Sofia Range, from where we will go to the valley of the Ak-Aira River. Today we will rise higher, higher and higher!
The fir forests will gradually be replaced by alpine meadows, after which whole glades of rhododendrons and juniper will appear. Small waterfalls roll down from the walls of the gorge, and the cleanest river Ak-Aira runs nearby.
Ahead of the climb to the Irkiz pass (2880 m, 1A). The ascent is not easy, but immediately after the pass opens a real country of lakes. It is breathtaking to see the beauty!
Sofia lakes are bright, colorful, in early summer decorated with small snowballs and emerald ice caps. In one lake, the water has an unusual blue color, in another - turquoise, and the third - a lake with water of steel color.
Having chosen the most beautiful lake, we will stop near it for rest. We swim, have lunch and move on. Ahead we have another lake - Aimatly-Jagal-Kel. Such an unusual name of the lake together we will train to speak! :
Aimatly-Jagali Kel is translated as “lake with rugged shores”. The shores here are really quaint, wavy and even in the height of summer on one side of the lake you can always see small snowballs.
The active part of the passage along the route: 13.2 km, the height difference of 2000-2880-1890 m, the duration of the route is 8-9 hours.

! Excursion to the Sophia lakes start from July 5-7 due to the fact that until this time the lakes are still under the ice and have not thawed. In this case, tourists visit the lake Aimatly-Jagali-Kel.

Day 6

Rafting along the Big Zelenchuk River
Today we are planning a rafting trip on the river!
Accompanied by an instructor, we will walk seven kilometers along the light emerald river Big Zelenchuk. This is the main, largest river Arkhyza, its length is 158 kilometers.
An experienced instructor will conduct training and safety briefing before rafting, then put on life jackets, helmets - and go! Bright sun, wind, splashes of water - all this is RAFTING!
Special training and experience are not required for rafting. The instructor will teach you how to row, control the raft, turn. To learn how to skillfully and harmoniously manage the raft, you have to become one team!
A sea of pleasure and adrenaline will be provided to everyone.
Clothing for rafting: swimsuit or shorts + T-shirt. On rafting, they issue a wetsuit, special socks, shoes, a life jacket and a helmet. Wetsuit is put on top of a swimsuit or shorts with a T-shirt.
Active part of the route: route length 7 km, duration 1.5 hours (instruction + alloy).
! Rafting on the river Big Zelenchuk is held from June and as long as it allows to make the water level in the river.

Horse ride.
Nature, forest, mountains, fresh Argyz air! Horseback riding always gives unforgettable emotions to both children and adults.
The instructor will teach us how to steer and hold on to the saddle. Everyone will choose a horse and go for a walk along the forest trails! On the way, we will definitely stop and arrange a photo shoot.

Day 7

Alan Tower, the observation deck of Karcha Tebe.
On this day we will take a walk around the village of Arkhyz. Climb one of the rocky ledges to see the ruins of the ancient Alan Tower. It is believed that in the XIII-XIV centuries there was a tower of Karchi – the legendary ancestor of the Karachai people. In our time, part of the tower and the foundation remained.
After visiting the tower, we will go to an excellent observation deck: we will open from the height of the village of Arkhyz, the mountain ranges Cheget-Chat, Morkh-Syrty and the valley of the Big Zelenchuk River.
After a walk - welcome to the souvenir market in the village of Arkhyz, which is especially good on weekends!
The active part of the passage along the route: 8.4 km, the height difference of 1470-1640 m, the duration of the route is 3-4 hours.

16:00 – transfer by minibus to Mineralnye Vody.
19:00-19:30 – Arrival at the railway station and the airport of Mineralnye Vody, departure home.

Depending on the weather conditions, the physical condition of the participants and other factors, the route of the hike may be changed.

• Travel by minibus along the route
• Accommodation in pos. Arkhyz at the "Nezazaforgetka" hotel.
• Food:
• Breakfast in a cafe (day 2-7), lunch - dry rations in the mountains during radial routes (day 2-7).
• Rental of group equipment: boilers, gas burners (for making tea for lunch in the mountains), group first aid kit.
• Environmental fees in the Teberda State Natural Biosphere Reserve.
• Travel along the route on mountain transport (UAZ).
• rafting
• Horse ride
• Excursion to the Alan settlement
• Conductor-instructor services

The price does not include:

• Transportation costs to the beginning of the route and back (Mineralnye Vody).
• Meals: dinner. The cost of dinner in a cafe: 200-300 rubles.
• Insurance (optional)
• The surcharge for single accommodation in the hotel room is 4500 rubles. for the entire rest period.