ancient traditions and epic beauty

September 05 ⇾ September 13

In addition to our regular group departures to Circassia, 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 Circassia! 

DAY 1 - Krasnodar

  • Meet-and-greet at Krasnodar International Airport and entire day devoted to Krasnodar, a bustling southern town of Soviet glories and Cossack pride.

  • Highlights of your stay in town will include a gastronomic walk around the chaotic central bazaar, a meeting with the Kuban Cossacks, a nostalgic pilgrimage to the main Red Army memorials, and an architecture-focussed tour through the many modernist wonders scattered around town such as the UFO-shaped city circus and the futuristic cinema Aurora.

  • Overnight in Krasnodar.

DAY 2 - Adygean Lowlands

  • Early in the morning we'll depart from Krasnodar and head towards Adygea, an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation mainly inhabited by the Adyghe, a sub-ethnos of the Circassians, the legendarily proud and beautiful Caucasian people, many of whom were displaced in the course of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the 19th century, especially after the Russo-Circassian War in 1864.

  • We'll drive across the lowlands of Northern Adygea towards Maykop, stopping en route in Adygeysk, home to an important Adyghe Cultural Centre, and in Giaginskaya, a small town renowned for the production of a super tasty traditional cheese.

  • In the early afternoon we'll eventually reach Maykop, the sunny capital of Adygea.

  • Soviet and post-Soviet sightseeing around Maykop: Grand Mosque, Republican Museum, Central Bazaar, Soviet Train Station, Old Brewery, Lenin Park, and WWII Memorial(s).

  • Dinner and overnight in Maykop.

DAY 3 - Lago-Naki Plateau

  • In the morning we will head south towards the Lago-Naki Plateau, known for its thriving fauna and lush alpine meadows and arguably one of the most beautiful places in Southwestern Russia.

  • Besides the routine pauses for food, toilet and random landscape pictures, we'll break the two-hour-long scenic journey in the traditional Adyge settlements of Abadzekhskaya, Mishoko and Kamennomostsky and visit the ancient dolmens dotting the surrounding woods.

  • After lunch we’ll arrive in Guzeripl, the main village in the area, and devote the rest of the day to the exploration of the Lago-Naki Natural Park.

  • Dinner and overnight in Guzeripl.

DAY 4 - Cherkessia

  • In the morning we'll exit Adygea and head for Cherkessk, the rather unattractive capital of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, homeland of the Circassian and Karachay people.

  • Once in Cherkessk, we’ll spend the minimum amount of time required to visit the mandatory Lenin statue, the smelly central bazaar, and a few other architectural remnants of the good old Soviet days scattered around the city.

  • We’ll also quickly pop in at the satellite town of Psyzh, a large rural settlement mainly inhabited by the Abazins, an ethnic group of the Northwest Caucasus, closely related to the Abkhaz.

  • We’ll then travel south to the Circassian village of Arkhyz, stopping en route in several traditional Circassian towns and hamlets such as Khabez, Ali-Berdukovskiy and Zelenchukskaya.

  • In the vicinity of Arkhyz we'll visit a complex of ancient Alanian churches, the last surviving buildings of a once powerful early Christian state wiped out by the Mongol hordes in the 13th century.

  • Arkhyz is also the site of a Soviet astrophysical observatory which formerly boasted the world's largest solid-mirror reflecting telescope: a not-to-be-missed massive display of Soviet technology and engineering.

  • Dinner and overnight in Arkhyz.

DAY 5 - Karachay and Dombay

  • We'll leave Arkhyz in the early morning hours and set off for a comprehensive tour of Karachay-Cherkessia.

  • Taking a shortcut through remote Circassian valleys and passing isolated tiny hamlets such as Khasaut-Grecheskoye and Krasny-Karachay, we’ll reach the picturesque Karachay town of Teberda and then head towards Dombay, a renowned Soviet mountain resort home to one of the most significant examples of modernist architecture in the area: the mighty Amanauz Hotel.

  • We’ll then spend the rest of the day in and around Dombay, savouring the crispy air of the mountains while sipping a cup of Caucasian tea or a fresh pint of the local brew.

  • Dinner and overnight in Dombay.

DAY 6 - Bermamyt Plateau and Kislovodsk

  • Descending from the high peaks of the Caucasus, we’ll move onto Karachaevsk, the cultural capital of the Karachay people, visit the Karachay Deportation Memorial and the nearby Monument to Defenders of the Mountain Passes (an impressive Soviet-era memorial complex harmoniously embedded on the side of a cliff), and then turn east to the traditional Karachay village of Mara, a highly photogenic settlement surrounded by idyllic green pastures.

  • We'll continue our Karachay-Circassian odyssey driving past oddly located Soviet monuments, shiny new mosques, melancholic provincial towns and rickety country houses.

  • Around lunchtime we’ll make a detour-cum-picnic across the awe-striking sceneries of the Bermamyt Plateau and the lush meadows surrounding the Karachay hamlet of Kichi-Balyk, before eventually reaching the historical Russian spa town of Kislovodsk.

  • Dinner and overnight in Kislovodsk.

DAY 7 - Kabardia

  • 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.

  • Dinner and overnight in Nalchik.

DAY 8 - Balkaria

  • 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.

  • Weather conditions permitting, we will follow the Kardan stream and reach the postcard-like hamlets of Bezengi and Karasau, before eventually entering the enchanting Cherek Gorge.

  • We’ll stop at the alpine Blue Lakes and then drive down the national road P291, arguably one of the most beautiful and at the same time hazardous routes in the former Soviet Union, towards the quaint settlement of Verknaya Balkaria.

  • We’ll conclude the day with a relaxing evening walk around the village and a grandiose dinner of mountain delicacies freshly prepared on the spot by a local Balkar chef.

  • Dinner and overnight in Verknaya Balkaria.

DAY 9 - FAREWELL TO CIRCASSIA  

  • After sharing a last Balkar meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Beslan Airport, in the nearby Republic of North Ossetia.

  • Before reaching the airport, we'll break the three-hour journey from the Balkar mountains to the Ossetian lowlands in the village of Elkhotovo for its unmissable Memorial to the Unbending Defenders and in Beslan itself, a small Ossetian city that sadly became well-known around the world media during the dramatic 2004 school siege.

  • End of the tour.

1990 €

INCLUSIONS
Double/twin room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Russia (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.