PROUD HIGHLANDERS
ANCIENT TRADITIONS
SPLENDID LANDSCAPES


July 01 July 12

September 20 October 01


In addition to our regular group departures to the North Caucasus, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to the North Caucasus


DAY 1 - CAUCASIAN Spa Towns

  • Morning meet-and-greet at Mineralnye Vody International Airport and short tour of the the historical Russian spa towns of Zheleznovodsk and Essentuki.

  • These elegant cities used to be the romantic setting for rocambolesque intrigues, flings, duels and adventures during the second half of 19th century: such reputation still lives on thanks to the work of great Russian poets and novelists like Lermontov and Pushkin, who set many of their masterpieces in these stylish frontier towns.

  • Besides admiring the graceful lines and the fine decorative elements adorning the luxurious baths from the late Tsarist epoch, we will, of course, also explore the vast plethora of Soviet-era cyclopic modernist resorts rising high over the historic cityscapes.

  • Overnight in Essentuki.

DAY 2 - Elbrus

  • We'll start the day early heading for Terskol, a Soviet resort town lying under the shadow of Europe's highest peak: the mighty Elbrus.

  • Once in Terskol, we’ll have a walk around the village and then take a ride on the aerial tramway leading up to the Gara-Bashi viewpoint.

  • In the afternoon we'll descend to the Kabardian lowlands touring the Soviet mining town of Tyrnyauz and the traditional village of Bylym as well as paying our respects to the Grieving Highlander, a 20-metre high stone monument commemorating the heroic Caucasian people who gave their life to defeat the German invaders.

  • We’ll then transfer to Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, an autonomous republic named after the two main ethnicities inhabiting it: the Kabards, current descendents of the ancient Circassians, and the Balkars, Turkic-speaking people with Central Asian roots.

  • Nalchik Soviet Stroll: Central Mosque, Friendship Square, Lenin Square, Park of Culture and Recreation, Parliament, Lenin Avenue, Deportation Memorial, Komsomol Sculpture and plenty of Soviet Monuments and Socialist architectonic shapes.

  • Overnight in Nalchik.

DAY 3 - Vladikavkaz

  • Early in the morning we’ll enter the cultural heartland of the Balkar people, driving south across the breathtaking sceneries along the Chegem river.

  • Near the traditional Balkar village of Eltyubyu, we’ll also visit an impressive monumental necropolis of mysterious pre-Islamic origins.

  • We'll then head back to the plains and move on to Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania, a peculiar autonomous republic, where ethnolinguistic Persian roots blend together with Christian Orthodox traditions.

  • We'll break the 2-hour journey in Elkhotovo (for the unmissable Memorial to the Unbending Defenders of the Elkhotov Heights) and in Beslan, a small Ossetian city that sadly became well-known around the world media during the dramatic 2004 school siege.

  • Vladikavkaz City Walk: Soviet monuments, Tsarist architecture, Soviet concrete giants, traditional Ossetian churches and ancient mosques.

  • Overnight in Vladikavkaz.

DAY 4 - OSSETIA

  • We’ll leave Vladikavkaz after breakfast and head for the Ossetian mountains, stopping en route in Gizel, home to the impressive memorial complex erected to Petr Barbashev (hero of the Soviet Union), in Mizur, a rough-and-ready quintessential Soviet mining town, and, of course, in Tamisk, for a mandatory visit to the larger-than-life monument to Saint George the Slayer.

  • We'll then devote the rest of the day to Tsey, an idyllic Soviet mountain resort village renowned for the ancient Ossetian temples dotting the surrounding woods.

  • Overnight in Tsey.

DAY 5 - DARGAVS

  • We'll move eastwards through a breathtaking mountain scenery and head to the tiny and isolated Republic of Ingushetia to reach the remote mountain district of Dzheyrakh, famous for its picturesque villages and medieval watchtowers overlooking the Great Caucasus Range.

  • On the way to Dzheyrakh, before leaving Ossetian territory, we'll drive through the mighty gorges of the Alagir mountain district and visit the many wonders speckling the dazzlingly beautiful Kurtat and Fiagdon valleys: medieval fortresses, hermit churches and semi-abandoned auls, such as the one of Tsimiti.

  • The real highlight of the day will be, however, the almost mythical settlement of Dargavs, the Ossetian City of the Dead: a monumental necropolis that could represent the trump card for the still largely underdeveloped tourism industry of the region.

  • Overnight in Dzheyrakh.

DAY 6 - Ingushetia

  • We’ll spend the first half of the day admiring the striking watchtowers of the area as well as the remote Georgian church of Tkhaba-Yerdy and then head for the plains to visit both Nazran, the largest town in Ingushetia, and the surreal brand-new capital Magas, where we'll pay a visit to the Memorial of the Ingush Genocide.

  • In the late afternoon we’ll transfer to Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, a resilient Caucasian metropolis that, like a mythical Phoenix, astonishingly resurged from the ruins and desperation of the post-Soviet 90s.

  • Overnight in Grozny.

Day 7 - GROZNY

  • Today we'll move again up to the mountains, this time to the gorgeous Sharoysky and Itum-Kalinsky districts in southern Chechnya.

  • We’ll spend the morning visiting medieval watchtowers, obscure necropolises and traditional Chechen hamlets (auls).

  • Back in Grozny, we'll enjoy an in-depth tour around the completely transformed and now peaceful city that back in the wild 90s used to be the most feared place of the entire former Soviet Union.

  • Overnight in Grozny.

DAY 8 - CHECHNYA 

  • Today we’ll visit the large towns of the Chechen flatlands, namely Urus Martan, Argun and Shali.

  • Once grim theatres of bloody battles and heavy bombings, these Soviet-built urban centres are now experiencing an oil-fuelled renaissance: UAE-style skylines, futuristic mosques and thriving city life.

  • In the afternoon we’ll then return to Grozny, where you’ll enjoy some free time on your own to either stroll around the lively city centre or relax at your hotel spa.

  • Overnight in Grozny.

DAY 9 - Dagestan

  • Early in the morning we'll leave Grozny and head to Kezenoyam, a magnificent mountain lake surrounded by high peaks and green pastures.

  • On our way to the lake we'll stop for some food at the central bazaar of Vedeno, a small town notoriously known for having headquartered frightful Chechen rebels and Arab mujahideen during the atrocious years of the two Chechen Wars.

  • After having spent some relaxing time on the lake, we'll pay a quick visit to the nearby ghost village of Khoy and move further east to the highlands of Dagestan, arguably the most ethnically diverse republic in the whole former Soviet Union.

  • We'll travel scenic mountain roads visiting several traditional Dagestani villages along the way before eventually arriving in the mountain hamlet of Gunib, the very place where the legendary Imam Shamil made his last stand against the Tsarist forces during the XIX century Caucasian Wars.

  • From Gunib we’ll head south to Chokh, a lively traditional Avar village famous for its ancient mansions and vertigo-inducing escarpments.

  • Dinner and overnight in Chokh.

DAY 10 - Derbent

  • We'll continue our journey across the Dagestani mountains enjoying the eternal atmospheres of ancient settlements, abandoned ghost towns and stunning natural sceneries before finally reaching Kubachi, a pretty little mountain town renowned for the production of traditional silver jewellery.

  • From Kubachi we'll move on to Derbent, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and Dagestan’s only UNESCO world heritage site and the final resting place of the Soviet ekranoplan (a larger-than-life ground-effect vehicle used to travel across the Caspian Sea).

  • Overnight in Derbent.

DAY 11 - Makhachkala 

  • In the morning we'll move north along the Caspian Highway and head to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.

  • On our way to Makhachkala we'll stop for a seafood lunch in Kaspiysk, a gritty post-Soviet port town from where to admire the abandoned Dagdizel Plant №8 (a torpedo factory emerging from the Caspian waters like a dystopian manmade island coming straight out of Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld).

  • Makhachkala Soviet Tour: Lenin's Square, Central Bazaar, City Beach, Grand Mosque, Drama Theater, National Museum, WWII Memorial and a vast array of architectonically striking Soviet-era buildings, monuments and mosaics.

  • Overnight in Makhachkala.

DAY 12 - FAREWELL TO THE NORTH CAUCASUS 

  • After enjoying a last lavish Dagestani meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Makhachkala International Airport.

  • For those wishing to take the train/bus to reach further destinations: transfer to the local train/bus station in Makhachkala.

  • End of the tour.


2900 €


INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in the North Caucasus (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.

EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.