RUSSIAN CAUCASUS 451 © Lonely Planet Publications also set here. Elbrus Time,

Dombay Our Stalin's dacha

of

Sochi Abrau-Dyurso Hero

A ( p469 ) ( p463 ) and ( p482 ) to survey Sochi ( p487 ), Europe’s highest

chairlifts chairlifts ( p462 ) Green Grove dacha Grove Green Mt Elbrus mountain Sleep in Stalin’s bedroom in his Black Sea Sleep in Stalin’s bedroom his Black Sea hideaway, the your friends that cable cars and text Catch up you’re Lounge about in sunny your photo taken with Lenin have Sample superb Russian champagne at Abrau-Dyurso Ride Dombay’s waterfalls, glaciers and sharks-teeth waterfalls, glaciers and sharks-teeth mountain summits

This region, one of the last to be added to the tsarist Russian Empire, was won and was won and one of the last to be added tsarist Russian Empire, region, This into the mountains by visiting no skier, if you’re hiker or climber, do venture Even HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS „ „ „ „ „ This beautiful and many-faceted part of receives few travellers, despite being only despite travellers, few part beautiful and many-faceted This of Russia receives mountains, Caucasus colossal a plane or train journey from , and that’s pity. The Between to the Black Sea. 1100km of soaring peaks and deep valleys, stride from the Caspian the mountain range and Black Sea is a coastal strip that endows Russia with its most pearl is Sochi, with glorious summer sun, warm sea, plenty of The southerly seaside resorts. and performancesclassy bars and restaurants, In the mountains by Russia’s top entertainers. ski near Sochi lies Krasnaya Polyana, on the way to being another big European resort. Here, by the sea’, you can easily skiin this ‘Switzerland and swim in the sea on same day. homeland lies in the Kuban Steppe, Their controlled with the help of Cossack warriors. undiminished; their old capital, remains Cossack culture where around Rostov-on-Don, mountains rise Starocherkassk, to find it. Wander east and the central Caucasus is where Their in a land of dead volcanoes and gushing mineral springs. from the vast steppe mid-19th-century society, which transformed and powers attracted curative to the sanatoriums can roam parks and take Visitors into elegant spa towns. into this landscape is the drama of writer Threaded day trips to Dombay and Mt Elbrus. death echoing the plot of his novel ’s Dombay or Mt Elbrus and ride cable cars chairlifts part of the way up to view and end lies unsafe-to-visit the eastern At savage beauty of this lofty range. extend- atmosphere, and fractious ethnic jigsaw with an Asiatic Dagestan, a complicated Sea. ing from the mountains to Caspian Russian Caucasus Russian Caucasus Кавказ RUSSIAN CAUCASUS the coastal foothillsfromNovorossiyskthe coastal to the 3000-plusdolmensscattered across an earlycradleof civilisation. Asia thisregion andChina,establishing as timeasagriculturesame inWest developed inDagestan’sevolved valleysaroundthe ing andgathering.Thefirst communities times whenfarmingwasreplacing hunt- humantracesdate from Neolithic Earliest Little isknownof thearea’s prehistory. LIFE BEFORETHERUSSIANS and Russianempires. Roman, Byzantine,Persian, Arab,Ottoman rival between tions, having squeezed been has suffered manyinvasionsandoccupa- dox ChristiansorMuslims.TheCaucasus and Turkic.Mostpeopleare eitherOrtho- Indo-European guistic groups:Caucasian, dinary mixof raceswiththree mainlin- the BronzeAge. Theresult isanextraor- Asian Europeancultures andEastern since of Mediterranean, Asian, Central West The has Caucasus History 452 (Turkey) To Istanbul CAUCASUS S EAOF To Trabzon Significant post-Neolithicremains are A ZOV (Turkey) RUSSIANCAUCASUS ••History Gelendzhik Zhdanov B LACK S EA Taganrog Krasnodar Tuapse Dagomys Novocherkassk Tanais Azov Sochi stood atthecrossroads Adler Rostov-on-Don ADYGEYA Mt Fisht Maykop (2867m) Starocherkassk Don

STAVROPOL CHERKESSIA River Kuban TERRITORY KARACHAY

Batumi Yegorlyk River Cherkessk ABKHAZIA Dombay

River Volgodonsk Zhelezhnovodsk TURKEY ADZHARIA Poti Mt Elbrus (5642m) Kislovodsk KABARDINO- BALKARIA M27 fluence grew of attheexpense theOttoman here inthelate 1550s.Russianimperialin- region powerarrived whenRussianmilitary had already inthelowerTerek settled River andadventurersEscaping Russianserfs THE RUSSIANSARRIVE (Tamerlane) armyin1395. and anyremnants destroyedbyTimur’s gol Tatar invasionsof theearly13thcentury wasconqueredcasus. Thestate bytheMon- its peakruledmostof thenorthernCau- somed duringthe10thcenturyADandat Alans, ancestors of modernOssetians, blos- tling andmixingwithexistinginhabitants. and Khazars alllefttheir mark,someset- Huns,Pechenegsthe present-day Balkar), groups includingKipchaks (ancestors of centuries later. Inthe1stmillenniumAD, followedbySarmatiansfive 8th centuryBC ferent peoples,includingScythiansinthe century BC. flat stonesdate fromthe4thto2nd funeralmemorialsofSochi. These huge Pyatigorsk M29 GEORGIA The first created dominantstate bythe Mass inmanydif- migrationsbrought OSSETIA OSSETIA SOUTH NORTH Elista ARMENIA INGUSHETIA Ὀ Vladikavkaz

Tbilisi Terek River Terek CHECHNYA 0 0 DAGESTAN www.lonelyplanet.com

DAGESTAN Volga Bujnaksk

C ASPIN AZERBAIJAN River Makhachkala S EA Derbent Astrakhan M29 120 miles 200 km

Caucasus after thefailed 1991coupinMoscow. tial conflictbutthis changed very quickly of theSoviet regime smothered anypoten- erty. Theoppressive nature anddictatorial orrepossession ofpensation theirprop- groups toreturn in1957 butwithoutcom- allowed theexileddeported. Khrushchev took over thepropertyandlandof the leftbehind forces.Those with German on thepretext of potential collaboration Asiarachay peoplestoCentral andSiberia, of Chechen,tation IngushandKa- Balkar, differenttwo totally nationalities. small autonomousregions, often combining policy wastodivideandruleby creating andKarachay-Cherkessia.Balkaria Soviet regions: Adygeya, Chechnya, Kabardino- after itdividedintofournewautonomous in1924 Republicceased omous Mountain Dagestan Autonomous Republic.Theauton- nationalities were combinedintoa new whilevarious Dagestani autonomous status Empire. Republicwasgiven TheMountain conquered theremainder of theTsarist Soviet forces,having consolidated power, lic. Independencelasted until1921when tribes unitedRepub- toformtheMountain thatwasShamil’sstate intention. Russians andwanted nopartintheIslamic the fought who asChristianshadnever West Asia. AnexceptionwastheOssetians, zerainty, fledtoTurkey anditsempire in felt theyhadnofuture underRussiansu- Many withstrongMuslimbeliefs,who hegemony untilthecurrent Chechen wars. This wasthelastmajor threat toRussian with Shamil’s surrender in1859(see p124 ). againsttheRussiansthatended year fight Chechen tribesandtheCherkess fora30- Shamil together brought Dagestani and have united. Inthe19thcentury,Imam type warfare decades. lasted several Russiansand Christian andbitter guerrilla- populace resented beingruledbyEuropean Thepredominantly Muslim to theBlackSea. fromlocaltribestheCaspian sistance sian imperialconquestsmetwithfiercere- Turks whowere graduallyedged out.Rus- www.lonelyplanet.com formed the region into the semiautono- The political restructuring of Russia trans- POST-SOVIET ERA In 1944 Stalin orderedIn 1944Stalin themassdepor- many During theOctoberRevolution, At timesof tribes threat theCaucasian Russia’s warmestplace–it’srarely freezing. In coastrelishes being winter, theBlackSea Climate intoChechnyaseparated andIngushetia. tia, Adygeya andChecheno-Ingushetia, later Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, NorthOsse- mous republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, son-in-law had been implicated. son-in-law hadbeen prominentcitizens.Thepresident’sseveral after theunexplainedmurderofdent toflee vember forcedthepresi- 2004thousands surfaced inKarachay-Cherkessia. InNo- returned home. fled NorthOssetia in1992stillhave not mains unresolved, sincemostIngushwho that preceded theChechen conflictandre- theNorthOssetians andtheIngushtween There wasalso amajorBeslan. conflict be- dren, teachers andparents ataschool in slaughteredmilitants hundreds of chil- 2004whenNorth Ossetia inSeptember see p492 . Thebattlegroundspiltover into of theChechnya which conflict; hasbeen a hostof ethnic-based rivalries,paramount not bodewellforpeaceinthisregion. retaliation foranyfuture actionswhich does personnel. President severe Putinpromises figures) guerrillasandanumberof security figures) and91(Russian 41(Basayev between posts.Adozen civiliansweretary killedplus onNalchikmultiple attacks policeandmili- Chechen guerrillaslaunched2005, separatist gests thispolicyhasbackfired. InOctober Nalchik, onthestate’s capital, sug- an attack tolaunch chose warlord, , religious grounds.ThefactthatChechen action withpeoplepersecuted onethnicand Islam isbeingmetbyheavy-handed police The slippingof theSoviet leashletloose In Kabardino-Balkaria thegrowthin also referred toasa White Russian. aCaucasian isamixedbartending, drink of hisfive In great divisionsofmankind. white heusedthe term Caucasian asone tain people. Despite themnotbeingquite by thehealthand physique of themoun- visited theCaucasus andwasimpressed Ger man ethnologist JohannBlumenbach ferred to asCaucasian? Well,in1795the Ever wondered why white people are re- ‘CAUCASIAN MALE, HEIGHT…’ RUSSIAN CAUCASUS ••Climate Political unrest has also

453 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS of EuropeanRussia. isassafe asthe restThe western Caucasus will check onthelatest advicebefore going. by recent troublesbut aprudenttraveller hasremainedcentral Caucasus, untouched avoiding of thecapital Kabardino-Balkaria. in Nalchik meanyoushouldalsoconsider andpoliceposts onmilitary and theattacks has madeNorthOssetia aplacetoavoid, school massacre theBeslan states; to justthose nately terrorist activityisnolonger confined go areas; they’re justtoodangerous. Unfortu- Chechnya, Dagestan andIngushetia are no- Dangers &Annoyances who canspeakalittleEnglish. the MineralWaters area there willbesome areas. Intouristcentres onthecoastandin languages, especiallyineastern mountain all, there are asignificantnumberof local While Russian is spoken andunderstood by Language backdrop of majestic mountains. boar andreintroduced bisonagainsta ate ecosystem withchamois, bear,lynx, ( p481 anear-pristine) maintains temper- national park,Teberdinsky Nature Reserve enormous range of plantlife. Whilenota home tobear,chamois, wildgoatandan magnificent the Mt Elbrus,glaciers andwaterfalls and containing (p487), Park NationalThe mostsignificantisPrielbruse National Parks around 1200mmto1800mmannually. stripgettingcoastal significantrainfallof to April/May withthe isthewettest season, you’ll stillbesweatingat3000m.November snow-covered –butonasunnysummerday peaksaremany Caucasus permanently about 30°CfromJunetoAugust. February, thentemperatures shoot upto freezing winter months fromNovember to climate providescontinental three orfour and humid,around25°C.Tothenorth, it’swarm toSeptember) In summer(June 454 Don, Sochi andMineralnye Vody. These key, and Belarus Germany to Rostov-on- International gofrom Armenia,Tur- flights AIR &Away There Getting Elbrus, themost popularplaceinthe yougo,thecooleritgetsThe higher – RUSSIANCAUCASUS ••NationalParks marshrutka majorelling between centres; bus, use Train iseasiestand mostcomfyfortrav- Around Getting allowed onthefew butforeignersUkraine andBelarus are not sometrainstravelUkraine. Otherwise, to any northbound Moscowtrainsthatgovia and amultiple-entryRussian one,avoid Sochi. Unless youhave aUkrainianvisa and Anapa,theothertocoast and dar dividingintoalinetoNovorossiysk North Ossetia. runstoKrasno- Thesecond Kislovodsk, andanothertoVladikavkaz in to MineralnyeVodywithaline down to Rostov-on-Don andthendiverge. Oneruns Main linesfromthenorth funnelthrough TRAIN Turkey. ( p468 forferries) section toGeorgia and theNovorossiysk ( See p461 ) andtheSochi BOAT schedules astheychange regularly. from MoscowandStPetersburg. Check chik also receive mostly domesticflights, plusAnapa,KrasnodarandNal- Given terrain, themost ob- the mountain is very limited for Dombay andElbrus. move. Publictransport tothemountains beforebus and train stations makingyour As schedules andprices fluctuate, check at that crosstheAbkhazia border. Elbrus ( p488 ) formore details. early November; seeDombay( p481 ) and and lowseasonisgenerallySeptember to seasonsseason pricesduringtheirskiing haveprice changes. high- Placeswithskiing to visit.Inlandcitiesdon’thave seasonal for June,whichwereckon isthebesttime accommodation pricesquoted here are September andagaininOctober. Seaside monthly toAugust, thenpricesreduce in hike price ers. Seaside accommodationgetsahuge cluded inthischapter doregister foreign- in registering foreigners. The placesin- places can’tordon’twanttobeinvolved While accommodation is plentiful,many ACCOMMODATION and starting inMayandincreasingstarting elektrichka elektrichki www.lonelyplanet.com forlocaltravel. fromSochi Don or maybe cruise uptoMoscow. Don ormaybecruise possible, take atriponferry alongthe stopoverpleasant foracoupleof days.If make capitals on-Don andtheCossack a the ArctictoMediterranean. acrossRussiafrom going shipscannowsail network of canals,lakes andrivers. Ocean- Don nearVolgograd,creating animmense linked Ship theVolgaand Canal Lenin in aday–byroadit’sjustunder500km. northern fringe of canbemade theCaucasus on-Don toPyatigorsk orKislovodsk onthe of Azov.into theSea ThetripfromRostov- named after itsriver flowingfrom Elbrus the intensively cultivated Kuban Steppe, coastcross andtheBlackSea to theCaucasus From Rostov-on-Don, theoverland routes СТЕПЬ КУБАНСКАЯ KUBAN STEPPE the mountains. townsandforgetting between intoused ticable. Taxis are be plentifulandcaneven vious route onthemapmaynotbeprac- www.lonelyplanet.com ated three major uprisings inthe17th and sian government was turbulent: they initi- and gained adegree of autonomy. (leader), formedarmies their own ataman communitieselected these as DonCossacks, Known atStarocherkassk. and theircapital lished communities intheDonRiver basin the southin 15thcenturytheyestab- paupers anddropoutsfledto When serfs, History War – Sholokhov’sMikhail novels of theCivil the cityisDonRiver, celebrated in any notionof crowding.Passing through leafy streets andscattered parkstake away the bustleof aregional butthewide capital, Rostov-on-Don isanexpansive townwith % РОСТОВ ROSTOV-ON-DON Don For those travellingFor those here, through Rostov- The Donisnolonger quiet.In1952 the Their relationship withthecentral Rus- 863 /pop1.1million

Flows Home And -

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Lermontovskaya 116; Lermontovskaya per MBR3,hrR25; 113; ( The Sights &Activities Sberbank cruises. Sat) Agent for DonRiver Temernitskaya ul83; Russian office Post &telegraph Comfort Agentstvo Information areand trainstations atitswestern end. the city’shotels andrestaurants; thebus axis, Bolshaya Sadovaya manyof ul,passes of Azov.cow totheSea Themain east–west bank of theDon, which flowssouthof Mos- Rostov-on-Don ismostlyonthenorthern Orientation ing Russia’s southernborders. they formedthebackbone of armiessecur- Atothertimes to theOctoberRevolution. 18th centuriesandputupfuriousresistance September. toVolgograd (from sail These Mayboard) forDon and Volga cruises, to ticketsRussian Voyage sells (singles, full Tours stalls, karaokestalls, jointsandplenty of bars. trees for revelling, withfunfairrides,street Park Orthodox religious artanddecoration. air market. Withinisagloriousdisplay of its goldendomes above thelively open- h ul 79;admissionR60,withgoldexhibitionR190, cameraR50; 1.5m wide 1956 hi-fi and TV system. 1.5m wide1956hi-fi andTV our favourite item wasamassive 2mlong, torevolutionarymainly devoted Russia but exhibits are atNovocherkassk. Upstairs is well-presented displays,thebetter Cossack who predated Whilethere theCossacks. are history, includingnearbyTanais andtribes exhibits effectively cover theregion’s pre- jewelleryandweaponry.Other spectacular featuring early-AD goldartefacts withsome h travellers cheques;ATM. % Central onBolshaya SadovayaCentral ul, The lavish 8am-1pm & 2-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pmSat)Changes 8am-1pm &2-7pmMon-Fri, 10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) h 240 2947;ulStanislavskogo58;7am-7pm) is the summer meeting place among the placeamongthe isthesummermeeting Regional KUBAN STEPPE••Rostov-on-Don

8am-7pm) Planeandtrainticketing. Voyage

Internet (

% URDV

Museum Museum 240 4715;BolshayaSadovayaul39; Cathedral Nativity oftheVirgin (Russkii Voyazh; (Russkii ( ( % h % h h 263 1222;BolshayaSadovayaul 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 295 0589; Pushkinskaya ul141; 295 0589;Pushkinskaya 8am-6pm) ( 9am-11pm)

% has a special section hasaspecialsection ( % 240 5213; Bolshaya Sadovaya 240 5213;BolshayaSadovaya 240 7776;ul % /fax 2441066; pokes Gorky 455

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS expensive restaurant isthebardownstairs. the topfloors frontside. Analternative tothe are perfectly goodbutforriver viewsgofor iar andDanish pastries!Thecheaper rooms breakfast issuperb:champagne, cav- salmon Thebuffet facilities andqualityof service. turned thisintoamodernhotel, both in translation services andafitnesscentre. translation services air andtrainticketing, currency exchange, include butsimple. Services comfortable with fancycrockery. Thecheap singlesare own bar,diningroomplusglasscupboard price andasuite provides youwithyour ness person’s hotel. Luxuryclimbswith 4000, steR2700-7000; Budyonovsky pr59;sR1200-1400,dinclbreakfast R2000- Café Salvador Café Eating &Drinking ticketing counter fortrain andplane. Facilities includeanexchange anda office two-storey roomsthatshouldbeavoided. the bestvaluecompared tothecrummy pet designsinthecheap rooms.Stillthey’re warning!Loudwallpaperand car-glasses sobook ahead. quickly duringtheweek aregional placesfillup capital, Being Sleeping inseason). R1430, 11to12days,twocruises andMoscow(from in JulyandSeptember) (from R13,650;11days,onecruise trakhan inJune),As-R13,650, 11days,onecruise May andJune,onein July), Samara(from R7150, five in tosixdays,three cruises 456 R3000, aptfromR3000; Sadovaya ul115;s/dinclbreakfast fromR800/R1400,lyux beers – the staff wouldn’t mind. beers –thestaff to sitwith abookandsink almosttoomany cheapdoes snacksand isthesortof place An intimate littleside-street café,Mango late drinkorsnackat anytime. Rostov’s street cred, it’saplaceforcoffee, addingto and shadow. Certainly by light blues, oranges and languidshapes formed there. Itrevels inultramoderndesignwith to findbutonceinsideyou’llknow you’re Scribbly signage makes thisalittledifficult R6-16, pizzaR60-100; M. Nagibina19;rinclbreakfast R800-3500; Hotel Rostov Hotel Tourist Intourist Hotel Intourist Zolotoy Kolos Mango Café KUBANSTEPPE••Rostov-on-Don

Hotel

(ul Universitetskaya 44;mealsR150-360) (ul Universitetskaya

(Bolshaya Sadovaya ul 43; coffee R30, cakes (Bolshaya Sadovaya ul43;coffee R30,cakes (ul Serafimovicha 49;meals R130-240) (ul Serafimovicha

( h ( ( % % % pa 10am-11pm) ai 290 7666;www.rostovhotel.ru; 238 4746; fax 232 5427; Bolshaya 238 4746;fax2325427;Bolshaya 238 4746;[email protected];per ) Very much abusi- ) Renovation has The chocolate- na ) Sun-

Give atry. theshrimpblackpasta food isgood,andthere’s amenuinEnglish. butthere’snight cheaper localbeer. The tobecashedupdrinkGuinnessall need the arrayof items on sale. while checking outthejostlingcrowdsand 8pm Oct-Apr) ul Stanislavskogo; Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), Dusseldorf Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), Dusseldorf Monday and Friday), Vienna (€230, Monday, Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday). to R4900, daily)andStPetersburg (R6400, goto Moscow DomodedovoFlights (R2520 AIR &Away There Getting Club Lila Entertainment cakes and coffee there are bigpizzas. ‘lick me’.Ifyoudon’twanttodroolover experience. Every cake shouts anddessert and-cream thesceneforabigcake décorsets let and opera between September andJune. September let andoperabetween shape of awhite concertpiano,presents bal- theatre,This modernand notable inthe 0707; BolshayaSadovayaul134; 400; area justoff thebar. withseating an earthquake of sound.There isaquieter underground cavern that reverberates with features live musicbylocalgroupsinan R150; Central -Don (US$170, flies toIstanbul Guinness Bar Rostov Musical Theatre Musical Rostov R150-350) berry juiceor (cold soup)andwashitdownwithcran- the ing andchoosing. Samplethebliny,brave up toscratchthenthere’s abuffet forpick- The menuisdiverse. IfyourRussian’snot hanging vinesandwoven woodenfencing. in forest gladesunderspreading oak trees, tional costumewhilecustomersare seated Sprightly waiters weartweeUkrainianna- restaurant. Disneylandrustic! We’re talking this amazingmixofindoorthemeparkand Yolki PalkiYolki AUTHOR’S CHOICE h h zalivnoe 10am-1am)

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Eardrum alert!Thisclub Eardrum ( 6am-10pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, 7am- 6am-10pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, % . 299 9576;cnrBudyonovskypr&

h www.lonelyplanet.com (Musykalny Teatr;(Musykalny ticket office10am-7pm) ticket okroshka % 264

returns at5pmThursday toSunday. hydrofoil (R27)thatdepartsat10amand (returning 9.20am).There isalsoanAzov 9.20am and4.20pm)10amon Sunday day, 7amand2pmonSaturday(returning returns at4.20pmfromMondayto Fri- hydrofoil (R25)which departsat2pmand departure time. There’s aStarocherkassk cheap andefficient. onovsky pr) www.lonelyplanet.com kassk) wasthe Don fortwo capital Cossack Founded in1593, (OldCher- Starocherkassk % Starocherkassk AROUND ROSTOV-ON-DON reasonable fares. ing outsidehotels; they have noconceptof Avoidtrain andbusstations. loiter- taxis 15 plyBolshaya Sadovaya uldowntothe 1,9and 7,12and13 andtrolleybuses Buses Around Getting the river station Hydrofoils operate May toOctober from BOAT day) andFrankfurt(€235,Saturday). (€235, Monday,Wednesday,FridayandSun- ds Urie 44p 1h R415 R171 18hr 5¼hr R355 10hr Some majortrainsfromRostov’s 6.16am,3.45pm,5.35pm R370 11hr 4.40pm Volgograd 6am-10.30pm Pyatigorsk 9.30am 10hr Odesa (Ukraine) R270 Krasnodar Anapa 10.40am Destination Daily Rostov’s modern Fare Duration USEFUL BUS&TRAINROUTESFROMROSTOV-ON-DON departures tPtrbr 4 04a diy 5r R2400 35hr R236 daily 6½h 0.48am daily 43 * 2.07pm daily 7½hr Sochi 76 R570 St Petersburg 2am 830* Novorossiysk† 44 8.03pm Moscow 27 daily 37 Minsk 6.38am Vody Mineralnye daily 28 Kislovodsk 6.50am 14hr 9.28pm daily Kyiv 17/25 24hr odds 10½hr Destination Train R2100 R750 R705 35hr Departures 9.16pm Frequency R1600 Duration odds/evens Fare 19½hr R800 863 elektrichka , withboardingonehourbefore †passesthroughKrasnodar ticket Старочеркасск Romaks Taxi bus station

office

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( ( % % 262 0280;Budy- train station 244 1010;prSiversa1) 277 9691) is

( % KUBAN STEPPE••AroundRostov-on-Don is the Near themainstreet’s northwestern end SIGHTS restored tonear19th-centuryappearance. it’s nowafarmingvillage withamainstreet centuries. Onceafortifiedtownof 20,000, scene as the Don Cossack army seal. scene astheDonCossack thathecommissionedpressed the thetsar hisclothesthangunsoim- sooner lose only arifle. Thisimage of asoldierwho’d hereCossack sittingonabarrel, wearing German-speaking guideR150; German-speaking tion Cathedral, belltower,palace compound,English-or admission R40,camera/video R15/50foreachofResurrec- building has a display of Cossack weapons building has a display of weapons Cossack eral sights. nowadays it’saUnescooffice. with1m-thickwallsandirondoors;house lavin lived anddiedinthis solidstone leader of the Peasant War(1707–09).Bu- compound, there’s a palaceon, withinabrick-walled ataman toavoid regularbasement flooding. Further Cossack fort-houses Paul Church 267 0210;plPrivokzalnaya) Allegedly, Peter theGreat metadrunken Within the Walk southeast, past theplain isnearthetrainstation. fortified (1751) on the left, and see sturdy (1751) ontheleft, andsee

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457 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS dancing, craftsandhorse riding. fair’,which featuresholds a‘Cossack music, the same spot.The the same 1670 andwaslater clappedinchains on end, ralliedhisfollowers in Stepan Razin poses. withrowsof inpiousiconostasis saints Withinisamagnificentgolden the ataman. Don Novocherkassk Novocherkassk it’sthefrequentOtherwise, for aweekend visit fromRostov-on-Don. The hydrofoil waytotravel is adelightful THERE&AWAYGETTING bell tower brickwork. The adjacent helped laythealtar 100 roubles;whenhevisited in1709he well asbells,ironwork,church utensils and church, builders fromMoscowas and sent Peter theGreat provided thedesignof the delier andanunusualfloorof tiles. metal abaroquechan-ing goldeniconostasis, (Voskresensky sobor)here asoar- contains holiday costumesforcoalminers. including forms forvariouspublicservants movement (Komosol) uniforms anduni- Russia. Includedare school uniforms,youth a displayof uniformsof nonmilitary Soviet kassk showingitsdefensive advantage and interest isthebronzerelief mapof Starocher- museum of Russia. Cossack Ofparticular while three floors of thepalaceare acultural 458 novel, ting forNobel laureate Sholokhov’s Mikhail northeast of Rostov; tobetheset- this is said to Novocherkassk movedIn 1805theDonCossacks theircap ital % DonCossacks Museum squares inRussia thatbearhis name. The commemorates himasdomany streets and Paris, isanational hero;amonumenthere Napoleon backto brigadechased whose h 38; admission R100,camera/video R20/100; Atamanskaya Starocherkassk andNovocherkassk.Starocherkassk (about R250)istheonlyoption between is5.45pm. Ataxi Rostov; return Last service (R20, 45minutes) fromplKarla Marksa, Most summerweekends, Starocherkassk In thesquare atthemainstreet’s eastern Adjacent isthe MatveyAtaman Platov, general a Cossack 86352 /pop185,000 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) (1761),which wastheprivate church of KUBANSTEPPE••AroundRostov-on-Don And Quiet Flows the Don provides abird’s-eyepanorama. Новочеркасск has an admirable collec- (New Cherkassk), 40km (New Cherkassk), 40km

Church ofOurLadythe (Donskoy muzey; Resurrection Cathedral Resurrection marshrutka . % 41366; ul 131

R20/5, camera/videoR50/100; ( worth visitingfor the comprehensive they were successful. For200 yearsRussians outof theBlackSea. who builtamassive fortress tokeep the in 1471theywere turfed outbytheTurks, here atradingsettlement established but In the13thcentury merchants Genoese % Azov ( you totheTanais excavations anda rog andaturningnearNedvigovka takes and Asia ontheright’. who comeshere there isEuropeontheleft the River Tanais isa city andforeveryone Roman writer Plinywrote, ‘Atthemouthof flourished atthemouthof theDon.The tury AD,theGreek tradingcolonyof Tanais untilthe4thcen- From the3rdcenturyBC % Tanais in England. toaswordpresentedplace goes toPlatov historyandculture.ing Cossack Prideof tion of memorabiliaandpaintingsdepict- the Great inJuly1696 and, uptheintriguing a model of Azov Fort defended against Peter are prehistory exhibits,some Turkish items, room it’s crowdedinto. That apart, there skeleton inthe else that dwarfseverything Prime attraction is acomplete mammoth the turningandwalklast2km. to get there istheTagangrog bus;get at off created of togive place. asense Thebestway uncovered re- hasbeen andatypicalhouse Moresettlement. partsare continuallybeing dation wallsof whatwasonceanextensive hectares reveal apatchworkSeveral of foun- senskaya sobor; senskaya (R5, 20minutes) intothecentre. utes); atNovocherkassk catch a bus 101(R18,45minutes, 20min- every to Rostov’s andtransfer oldbusstation to whispered prayer. around ahuge narthexthatamplifies every and greens echo solemnityandspirituality covered withfrescoes. Darkgreys, browns % % Today it’s a sleepy country town but well countrytownbutwell Today it’sasleepy Travel 30kmfromRostov towardsTagan- The interior of Catch bus3alongBolshayaCatch Sadovaya ul 242 86349 20249; admissionR25; 40771; ul Moskovskaya 38/40;admission adult/child 40771; ulMoskovskaya Азов Танаис % 27025; pl Ermaka; 27025; plErmaka; Ascension Cathedral Ascension h 9am-5pm Wed-SunApr-Nov) www.lonelyplanet.com h 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) h 7.30am-7pm) marshrutka museum museum

(Vozne- is . .

travellers cheques Wednesday toSaturday. h customers. open theirdoors toenticeastream of young with cafésandbars whileclothes shops and vendors compete forpavement space Street musicians,karaoke artists stands, friends orslipintopartymode at dusk. outtopromenade,meet populated bythose ul becomesapedestrianzoneand is quickly ofthe vista old houses. ety tramdownulKommunarov andenjoy the backstreets orbetter stillhoponarick- line themainstreet. Wandereast through elsewhere andsingle-storey buildingsstill stored. hashappened Moderndevelopment century buildingshave externally re- been as manyof theelegant,turn-of-the-20th- gift’). odar (‘Catherine’s founded citybearinghername,Yekaterin- splattered hovels thatmadeupthenewly erected alongherroute. hidthemud- These her lover Potemkin hadcheerful façades to tourthelandsconquered fromtheTurks, When theGreat Catherine travelled south % KRASNODAR some embankmentremains of Patriotic Wars. Onlyarenovated stretch and ontheCivilandGreat stairs, asection metal www.lonelyplanet.com Hotel Moskva Hotel Alfa Aerobusiness Information and theairportis 15kmtotheeast. areTrain andbusstations tothesoutheast 2km-long leafycolonnade of a mainstreet. northern endof Krasnayaul,Krasnodar’s The roadfromRostov-on-Don feeds intothe Orientation Mon-Sat, 9am-3pm Sun)Cashestravellers cheques,ATM. 8pm) Airandrailticketing. at 7.30amand6.30pmdaily. other ferries ontheirwaytoRostov callin departs at5pmThursday toSundayand Thereturnstation. hydrofoil fromRostov minutes) forAzov leave fromRostov’s bus sit andwatch thebusyriver port. (Azovskaya Krepost). Fromthetopyoucan On summerweekends partof Krasnaya façades, Krasnodar nolonger those needs Marshrutky 9.30am-5pm Wed-Sun) Changes moneyand cashes 861 /pop650,000

Bank ( % ( ( % 259 6464;Krasnaya ul124; % (R28,45minutes, 15 every КРАСНОДАР 251 6246;Krasnayaul75; 253 1807;Krasnaya ul66; h Moscow h Azov h 9am-5pm 9am-

Fort

bathroom R1300/1700) Krasnaya 25;s/dwithout bathroomfromR650/740,s/dwith 4.30pm Fri) 60, camera/videoR50/100; % until 24hours later. arrive late checkout intheevening isn’t has lotsof rooms,isvery centralandifyou and indifferent butthehotel reception staff 2600; will determine which roomyouget. ones. Yourwallet andpowers of persuasion erence tothecheap, ordinaryandtimeworn Reception pushes thedecentdoublesinpref- ul 60;rinclbreakfast fromR1300) h flights only. Hotel Intourist Hotel Sleeping ures at the You’ll findScythianandancientGreek fig- Sights Telecommunications Main Hotel Khrustalny Restaurant Khrustalny Eating airline ticketing andexcursions. English andcanarrange airporttransfers, people. speak Thefriendlyreception staff furniture –somehave foreight seating % for R30perhr. camera R50; ul 118; ist, Krasnaya ul109; dishesR150-600; make avisitworthwhile. occupation–to history andtheGerman prehistoric andrevolution items, Cossack ofenough visualinterest –naturalhistory, thecaptionsarethough inRussian, there’s balloon underherhuge dress. great, tobeconcealing ahot-air whoseems lection includingaportraitof the Catherine under painted ceilingsisthepermanentcol- and Dalidrawingsduringourvisit.Upstairs travelling Chagall exhibitions–Picasso,Klee, building, the h Hotel TsentralnayaHotel Hotel Moskva Hotel Housed inastately,newlyrenovatedHoused 1905 268 0977;Krasnayaul13;admissionperexhibitionR50- 9am-6pm Mon-Sat,9am-2pmSun)Domestic 267 9034;ulVoroshilova67;admissionperexhibitR30, 8am-9pm Mon-Sat,9am-8pmSun)

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office h Regional Museum Regional KUBAN STEPPE••Krasnodar

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RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS ean food. source of fresh fruitandspicypickled Kor- unarov &Gogolya; R50-90; exceptionally goodcoffee. there are divans are andforsmokers comfortable calligraphic motifs.Thefood’sgood,the cucumber-cool colours andadornedwith prettily decorated restaurant painted in of Uzbek, Korean andJapanese foodinthis upaneclecticmix dancing costumesserve meals R150-750; appear onthemenu. the gourmet,snails,frogs’legsandcaviar For prices, goodfoodandfriendlyservice. There’staurant. avariedmenu,reasonable forathree-starQuite hotel asurprise res- 460 furt (€398, Saturday) andHanover (€398, (R950, Wednesday). (R5600, daily) andKuban alsofliestoSochi and Kuban Airlinesfly to StPetersburg daily (R2080to R4000). Pulkovo Airlines have to themainMoscowairports flights Siberia Airlines,Aeroflot andKubanAir &Away There Getting onplPrivokzalnaya.bus andtrainstations night. tastes fineonahotsummer’s and thebeer butthe food’sgood menu’s fairlystandard watching Krasnodaratworkorplay.The ment caféistheidealviewing place for ist. There’s alsoanother is oneblocktothewestof Hotel Intour- Bar Eastern Internationally, Kuban Air fliestoFrank- The There’s ahostof aroundthe foodstalls tPtrbr† 6 a od 3½r R2900 36½hr R500 odds 6hr 1am odds 7.28am 36 * Sochi 801* 834* St Petersburg† Moscow† 104 38 Minsk 7am 10.29pm Vody Mineralnye Kyiv 18 daily 1.30am daily Destination Train Departures 4.06pm 23hr odds Some majortrainsfromthe 5hr KRASNODAR Frequency FROM TRAIN S R2700 odds 40hr Duration R400 Fare 24hr R1500 R1000 BLACK SEA COAST BLACKSEA elektrichka

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to April. Polyana and MtFisht fromabout January Skiing is popularatnearby Krasnaya lakethrough andwaterfall-filled terrain. valleys, provides some terrific walking the coast.Theinterior, slashedbydeep dolphins canoften frolicking off beseen atdepth,pite pollutionof theBlackSea beachsandy – itissafe swimming. Des- all thewaytoAnapa, which hastheonly pearl. sometimes-rugged coastand Sochi isthe resort towns dot the Several warm sea. to hotweather,plentyof sunshineanda from JunetoOctober gives towarm rise playground.Alongsummer sia’s seaside low uplandsinthenorthwest.This isRus- inthesoutheastandidly intomountains from where rollinghillsascendfairly rap- stripedgesA narrowcoastal the Black Sea ЧЁРНОГО ПОБЕРЕЖЬЕ COAST BLACK SEA R200 forthistrip. outside thecentralmarket; charge taxis Moscow (US$165return). fliesdailytoMinskvia Sunday). Belavia tov (R184,five daily). hours, seven Anapa (R112,3½hours, frequent) andRos- Novorossiysk (R87,three hours, frequent), bus timesandfares. Useful are services has ahandytouch-screen displaywith

While the sea isunexciting–pebblesWhile thesea e h T Marshrutka ( % 262 0887;plPrivokzalnaya) bus station 15 goes totheairportfrom 15goes ( %

262 5144;plPrivokzalnaya) МОРЯ www.lonelyplanet.com :

9pm) shows every hour.shows every 10.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun Oct-May) video R15/50; tov 53;adult/childR30/20; through depicted inchunky bronze. disgorging apartyof soldiers andsailors construction represents alandingship celebrates theirfeats. This huge concrete memorialat The immense offensive againsttheoccupying Germans. days, formingabridgehead forthecounter- ing partyheroicallyheldouthere for225 memorials. In1943,asmallSoviet land- Novorossiysk ispeppered with WWII Sights &Activities ul Sovietov asitarrives intheCBD. shandthen the porttobecomeAnapskoe Turkey. andSochi, ormaybeaboat to Gelendzhik townsof Anapa, hub forthenicerseaside rounding hills.Fortravellers it’satransport duction comesfromdismantlingthesur- and much of thecountry’scementpro- Novorossiysk ishometotheRussiannavy % NOVOROSSIYSK www.lonelyplanet.com Hotel Sleeping &Eating sion R50,camera/videoR30/50; goroda; istorii (Muzey wartime defence. involvementBrezhnev’s inNovorossiysk’s dealswithSovietA smallsection leader the partylanded,andfurthereast at voiced choir singingpatrioticsongs. and arecordingheroes of asolemn, deep- in the restaurant. As for laundry, read the don’t buybreakfastever, vouchers butpay with abalcony overlooking How- the sea. therooms attheback thatcomechoose s/d fromR1715/2014) unrenovated s/d from R600/826,renovated.ru; ulIsayeva; tory iscelebrated inthe came underthefiercestbombardment. Smerti Inside the‘ship’isanamazingwalk- The The Krasnodarroadskirtsthesouthof The More where memorials lieonprLenina Novorossiysk’s maritimeand warhis- 8617 /pop242,000 hasanATM outside.

Novorossiysk ( Death Valley), where theRussians post Planetarium gallery

office h

( 9.30am-1pm &2-5.30pmJun-Sep,

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Moscow , withplaquesof ( % 10am-6pm Sat-Wed)

History Malaya 644 812;ulSovie- hasheavenly

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wood carved withmaritimemotifs. wood carved There’s anATM inthelobbydecorated with fridge andphone. urious roomswithTV, from unrenovated basicboxes tomore lux- ness toputoutthefire. Shanghai chicken thatGuin- curryneeds arethe globaldivide;salads goodandthe place. Decentmealsherestarting cross ness. Thisunderground Irish pubisagood theblarneyanddownpintsoftalk Guin- bit of theIrishinallof us,justdesperate to owners theworldover must thinkthere’s a restaurant isnamed. fishafterthe poisonouspuffer which the is goodforfish dishes butdefinitely not asonweekends itheaves.week Theplace so nolarkingaround.Comehere duringthe climb upstairs. Thisplaceisabitposhnow terminalzone signattheendof and thesea 2200; Anapskoe 18;s/dfromR550/700,deluxe/lyux fromR1800/ in English. yogurt forbreakfast. Themenuispartly R270; trytheblinywithstrawberriesand andmealsfromR125to has smilingstaff boxed text, above . The3rd-floor restaurant from helpful Tickets2pm fora6pm sailing. are bought more amonth insummer. Boardingis at inwinterfortnightly increasing tothree or onaTuesday, 36 hours) toIstanbul sails in four-berth cabinfromR2000, voyage An infrequent ship (fullboard passenger BOAT &Away There Getting R155-460; Dublin Morskoy Hotel Brigantine Brigantine Hotel and resolve alwaystolookatpricesfirst. in caseIdidarunner. Whatelsebutpayup me andsecuritystaffwere loitering around what Ihadtopay.The director wouldn’tsee mand, andallwere apologeticbutthat’s prices. Itooktheissueupladderofcom- floor staffandwastoldthatpriceswere US$50 for14items. Icomplainedtothe Imagine myconsternation whencharged hand itover withoutregard totheprice. Laundry issomatter thatyouoften offact OE LUDRN LAUNDERING MONEY pa BLACK SEA COAST ••Novorossiysk BLACK SEA h

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( % ( % Ignore theprohibited 604 940; Sea Terminal;604 940;Sea meals

216 373;fax446;sh ( % Patrick Horton 607 066; fax254 756; h 24hr) Bar 461

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS Novorossiysk andjoina busstation plus (R22,onehour,six daily),and Gelendzhik (R171, ninehours, 7.50amand8.30pm) dailyfrom6amto7pm),Sochiseven toKrasnodar(R87,3½hours, bus services utes, six daily). English-speaking receptionist. 5pm) tour dip their toes ormoredip theirtoes intheBlackSea. to make itattractive whowantto forthose the beach, aquaparks,hotels andrestaurants it’s brasherandmore commercial,butit has Moscow. Compared toquieter Gelendzhik resortite asfaraway seaside forthose direct trainlinenorthmake Anapaafavour- The shelteredpleasant beach and bay,sandy % Anapa afrequentyards. Catch ander IIgranted landfor champagne vine- famoussince1886whenTsarbeen Alex- This area, 20kmfromNovorossiysk, has Abrau-Dyurso AROUND NOVOROSSIYSK From the TRAIN The BUS customsarea; seaport 462 bay sea cruises (R200, daily in summer) and (R200,daily insummer) and cruises bay sea Pavement sellers hawk one-hour around-the- SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Sputnik Sberbank Internet INFORMATION Kalanina 27; Kalanina R40; some rathernicechampagnes. lions of bottlesare stored, before sampling dark,mustytunnelswhereled through mil- cheques’; Visa and MasterCard ATM.cheques’; VisaandMasterCard Cashes travellerscheques–or‘road 2-5pm Mon-Fri) nye Vodychange atKrasnodar. and Rostov-on-Don. ForSochi or Mineral- 26 to34hours) Krasnodar passingthrough three dailytrainsgotoMoscow (R2500, 8617 /pop57,000 h

BLACK SEA COAST ••AroundNovorossiysk BLACKSEA . You’ll get to see theprocessandbe . You’llget tosee bus ( % marshrutky ( 9am-noon &1-10pm).

Анапа

Café % station ( /fax 8617-285405;admissionR250; % h train 50522; [email protected]; ul 50522; [email protected]; ( 56222; ulLenina 14; % 8am-8pm) Sells plane andtraintickets. 8am-8pm) Sells

station ( Абрау % 50025; ul Krasnodaskaya 8;perhr 50025; ulKrasnodaskaya h toAnapa(R50,45min- 252 245;ulChekhovskogo) 9am-5.30pm)

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from R3200; fromR1700,May-Sep R1200-1600, lyuxrOct-Apr May-Sep R750-850, 19;perpersonfullboard&treatment Oct-Apr kina Oct) Naberezhnaya; adult/childR400/200; R30/20, camera/videoR25/50; a placelike foundations. arehind themuseum someof theexcavated items. Be- jewellery, coinsandhousehold items fromthatperiod–pottery, weapons, and mer specialitiessuch as blinywithshrimps bankment edge of sum- theparkhastasty h and yogurt. vegetables insourcream), andeggs The THERE&AWAYGETTING &AROUND rent; check thattheycan register you. R300) andapartments(R500toR1500)for bypeoplewithrooms(R150tostations tobegreetedExpect atthebusand train SLEEPING &EATING al significant regional centre. The wasawalledcityand the 4thcenturyBC, coast andAnapa,foundedasGorgipaya in ontheBlackSea dozen tradingsettlements the dolphinariumdowncoastatUtrish. weekend four-hour (R500)including cruises (R117, fourhours, 12.35pm and 7.30pm). daily) and Krasnodar airport16 buses toKrasnodar (R109,3½ hours, has services and snacks. spot tounwindwithabeer manding viewof thebay.Theidealsunset at theShip, where therestaurant hasacom- The embankmentcomestoapromontory include acinemaandfitnessclub. restaurant withoutsidepatio. Otherfacilities view andare neartheswankytop-floor bar- Roomsatthetopfrontenjoyasea sheets. small sittingroom,balconyandpretty floral notches above basicwhile overlooks roomsare Standard thesea. afew adorned withgoldencorrugated panels, a blessingforfamilies. pools, water slidesandsunbakingareas, are

Most Russian seaside resortsMost Russianseaside comewith Anapa Roaming Greeks several established Laskovy Ship Museum . These funparks,filledwithswimming . These 24hr) okroshka bus (ul Naberezhnaya; mealsR100-360; Thisoutdoorrestaurant ontheem-

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Park 51078; [email protected];ulPush- ) This sanatorium, a tower atower Thissanatorium, (Victory Park; meals R125-300; (Victory 56861; ulKrasnoyazmeyskaya)

h ( www.lonelyplanet.com % 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) lyux 12262; ulTsentralnaya h come with a comewitha 10am-6pm May- Archaeologic- h 9am-late) kvas has

pas naya 3;s/dfullboardfromR2100/2400,lyux from R2640; ul Ostovskogo1;adult/childR30/15; daily June to September). daily JunetoSeptember). ber) andStPetersburg (R5925toR6175, Sochi (R1602,SaturdaysJunetoSeptem- and tempt youwithdolphinsightings. for 15minutes swimmingoutinthe bay Theyallow obvious jettyjuttingouttosea. 100) are terminal, available an fromthesea countries. Adygeans wholeftinadiasporatoother vasion inthe1830sthiswaslandof the a rare admissionthatuntiltheRussianin- bly but the calm sea is cleanandinviting. bly butthecalmsea resort.laid-back seaside Thebeach ispeb- baythatprovides shelter forthis curving The townof arounda sweeps Gelendzhik % Gelendzhik ( www.lonelyplanet.com Hotel SLEEPING &EATING the With displaysof Adygean life andculture, SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Rostov-on-Don. hours), Krasnodarand passingthrough 11.28am, 12.15pmand5.27pm,31to36 has three dailytrainstoMoscow(R1600, tached bathroomsand air-con. arenear the sea, 12 cottage unitswithat- bathrooms andair-con. Inthe grounds, bathroom while the more expensive have big range of rooms,cheaper withshared cheapie inwinter. butit’sclosed There’s a .kuban.ru; r perpersonR490-1200; .kuban.ru; and sittingrooms. chairs appearand ings. As space increases, pricesrise arm- are furnish- surprisingly goodwithpleasant and organised excursions. rooms Standard resort withsportsfacilities,private beach Card and Visa ATM. andVisa Card R1400-1800) % A taxi totheairportcostsR200. A taxi The One-hour sea cruises (adult/child R200/ cruises One-hour sea Vneshtorbank Daily Aeroflot leave flights Anapa Golden Pansionat 86141 /pop50,000 Historical 33218)

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( (Istorichesky muzey; (Istorichesky % ( % h roomsgainair-con 33186; ulKrestayanskaya) 26100; gelhotelsea@gl h a Moscow 9am-5pm) ) hasaMaster- Gelendzhik’s Gelendzhik’s % makes 35287;

liked andcopiedit in Sochi. who’ve goneoverseas, whatthey’ve seen by government andsomebydevelopers vestment moneyisbeingpumpedin,some ness butthecityisinmakeover mode. In- beaches andthere’s stillanelementof tacki- Sochi may nothave thebestEuropean % SOCHI about R50. should be fronttothebusstand the sea town ontheNovorossiysk from road. Ataxi northofsix daily)fromthebusstand the plytoNovorossiyskBuses (R22,onehour, THERE&AWAYGETTING guesthouses. Theownersdisabilities. have twoother floor roomsare forpeoplewith suitable facilities andlarge bathrooms; theground- green,rooms, someinluridsatin withfull Western popandalittledancemusic. Russian ballads,rousingArmenian tunes, resoundsand atnight to apumpingmixof attention. Theplaceoozesboozeandfood bars, shopsandsouvenir jostlingfor stalls byablurofand you’llcruise restaurants, embankment (naberezhnaya)Follow thesea breezes. ofwith thetang carriedonsea salt where thescentof magnoliatrees mingles terminal andyou’regant sea inagardencity ing and swim in the sea intheafternoon. ing andswimin the sea late spring,allowingyou toskiinthemorn- Valley) istheplace; thesnowlingers into a snowbunnythenKrasnayaPolyana (Red Ifyou’recape intothehillsandmountains. city isat itsfreshest. that Juneisthebest timetocome,whenthe pricesaretally, Wereckon attheir highest. in duringJulyand Augustwhen,coinciden- the endof withcrowdspouring September, world’s second-largest conurbation after Greater Sochi, some 150km long, isthe Orientation recommended. withRussianblackbreadsalad ishighly by atree canopy.Thecrabandmushroom yard shroudedinvineleaves and shaded smallcaféwithastreet-frontpleasant court- Wander thedowntownarea bythe ele- Bistro If crowdsare notyoursceneyoucanes- Summer season isfromtheendof MaySummer season to 8622 /pop329,000 СОЧИ

Katalpa BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACK SEA

(ul Mira 16;mealsR140-320) (ul Mira h Moscow

463

A RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS Sochi 464 4 6 1 3 2 5 SOCHI BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACKSEA Summer Theatre AviaService Circus ENTERTAINMENT Museum Art Bookshop Park Rivera Rivera Park ...... 17) ...... (see Malibu Theatre Green Tinkoff DRINKING Hotel Moskva Hotel Magnolia Mayak Park Luna Lenin Mosaic Church Michael the Of Archangel Book World INFORMATION Ticket Office...... (see 47) Office...... (see Ticket Sea Terminal 47) ...... (see Office Information Cable Car Station Bus TRANSPORT Salon Art SHOPPING Winter Theatre Stereo Saint Tropez Mama Yapona 17 No Stolovaya La Pizzeria Home Kitchen 23) Cinzano...... (see Cafe EATING Bureau 20) Resort ...... (see Hotel Park Hotel Zhemchuzhina Sochi Hotel Hotel Primorskaya Chermnomorje Sanatorium SLEEPING Museum History Town Stadium Aquarium &SIGHTS ACTIVITIES Vneshtorgbank Agency Communications Aero Territorial Telecom Sochi Reinfo Main Telephone Centre Comstar Market Moscow Capital Ticket Office Festival Hall Hall Festival Paterson Supermarket Natasha’s Main Post Office 23) ...... (see Kodak Супермаркет Гостиница Гостиница Черноморье Музей Храм Территориальное Переговорный Воздушного AC Цирк Реинфо Маяк Стерео Рынок Тинькофф

Михаила Стадион Комстар

Ҳудожественный Истории Наташа Канатно Луна Аквариум Книжный Парк Ла Автовокзал Гостиница Книгомир ...... Зал Сервис Ҳудожественный Ст ...... Билетные Морской Мозаика

Гостиница Домашняя ...... Япона Жемчужина Приморская Пиццерия Зелёный ...... Сочи ...... Зимний

Внешторгбанк Гостиница

Санаторий Московский

Столовая Тропез Парк

Главпочтамт Летний Сообщения Фестивальный Отель Патерсон ......

......

...... Пункт

- Архангела Города Кресельная

Авиа Телеком

...... Агентство Мама Магазин

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Порт ...... Ленина

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Сочи Кассы Театр ...... Театр

......

...... Театр

Москва 17 ...... Куҳня

......

...... Магноля ......

......

Салон ...... Капитал ......

...... Музей

...... Дорога ...... B ...... 40 20 45 30 39 44 10 28 34 43 29 23 25 24 22 46 12 35 27 33 47 37 36 26 11 42 21 38 18 16 32 31 41 13 14 17 19 15 1 9 2 3 7 8 6 4 5 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D2 D1 D1 D1 D1 D1 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C5 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C2 C4 C4 C4 C4 C4 C4 C1 C1 ὈὈὈ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Harbour B LACK Frunze 17 Park 26 42 S EA 35 B LACK Naberezhnaya 29 S EA 47 43 ul Chernomorskaya 37

pr Pushkina

27 ul Neserbs 24 kaya 21 34 Arboretum 33 Council (500m) 14 7 46 Vorontsovskaya Cave(37km);KrasnayaPolyana (66km) Akhun (17km); Adler &Airport(24km); Matsesta (5km); AguraValley(6km);MtBolshoy Zelenaya Roscha (3km);PatskhaRestaurant(4km); Mettalurg Sanitorium (1km);AvangardSanitorium (1km); To HotelLazurnaya (1km);AktyorSanitorium (1km); ὈὈ ὈὈ

ul Ordzhonikidze To British 28 13 1km 0.5miles 0 0 36 44 16 15

Kurortny pr 41 ul Dmitrievoy ul 6 19 25

ul Sokolova

32 ul Per ul 22 8 23 Arboretum 38

ul Navaginskaya 4 Kurortny 18

5 vom

31 ul Yegorova 9 pr ayskaya ul Vorovskogo ul Konstitutsii Rivera 12 www.lonelyplanet.com Park 20

2 ul Sochi 10 39

Voykova 11 ul Karla Libknekhta

River D 1 To DagomysTea Houses (20km)

ul Gorkogo 40

Station Train 3

ul Mosk ovskaya 30 45 with extensive range of programs: skiing, hiking, sailing, hiking, range ofprograms: skiing, with extensive h -sochi.ru; Park HotelBusiness Centre, room 316; h h May-Sep) Free Internetandlibrary. May-Sep) 10a; ul Gagarina h INTERNET ACCESSINTERNET British CULTURAL CENTRES Book World Bookshop BOOKSHOPS Information and thearboretum inthesoutheast. bour andshoppingcentre, thehotel district ern cluster of har- trainandbusstations, linksthenortheast- few blocksfromthesea, the Sochi River toMatsesta. Kurortnypr,a Los Angeles. stretches Sochi itself 7kmfrom www.lonelyplanet.com Reinfo Reinfo TRAVEL AGENCIES Main TELEPHONE Vorovskogo; postoffice Main POST Kodak PHOTOGRAPHY Vneshtorgbank Moscow travellers cheques. Lazurnaya Hotel MONEY www.sochiclub.ru RESOURCESINTERNET Sochi Comstar h Films Burningdigital photostoCDcostsR35. andprinting. R36; travellers cheques; MasterCard andVisaadvances. travellers cheques;MasterCard h the area. mapsandsomeRussian-languageguidesto 8pm) Sells 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) Well-established tour operator 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) Well-established 8am-noon &1-7.45pm) 8.30am-11pm) 11am-10.30pm) Currency exchange kiosk andATM.11am-10.30pm) Currency exchangekiosk 9am-6pm) Maps, CDs and a few English fiction titles. CDsandafew Englishfiction 9am-6pm) Maps, 9am-5.30pm) Barely competentbankcashesAmex h

telephone Telecom ( (

Council % % 9am-8pm)

( Capital % ( h % 608 080; Hotel Moskva foyer; 608 080;HotelMoskva /fax 622 042; www.heliski.ru, www.reinfo /fax 622042; www.heliski.ru, (Knigo Mir; (KnigoMir; 622 695; ul Moskovskaya 5;perhrR30; 622 695;ulMoskovskaya ( h 8am-6pm) ( 923 352; ul Navaginskaya 12; 923 352;ulNavaginskaya % ( ( %

( (Kurortny pr103)ATM (Kurortny andcashes centre % % % noon-6pm Tue-Sat Oct-Apr, Mon-Fri Mon-Fri noon-6pm Tue-Sat Oct-Apr, A perkily written siteonSochi. written Aperkily 624 430;ulVorovskogo6;perhr 605 240; www.britishcouncil.ru; 605 240;www.britishcouncil.ru; 923 319; ul Karl Libknekhta 10; Libknekhta 923 319;ulKarl 622 729;ulSokolova25/14; 922 810; cnr Kurortny pr&ul 922 810;cnrKurortny % ( % 609 159;ulGorkogo54; 920 564;ulVorovskogo 6; h 9am-7pm) h 9am- h child R30/15,camera/videoR40/150; muzey; torichesky excursionbooking. ticketing, with the lection. Whatshinesisthespacedisplay a superblypresented andimpressive col- plement thecapsule. photographs, equipmentandfoodcom- yanov, andhispilotNikoliev. Spacesuits, On boardwere Sevast- locallad,engineer inJune1970after 18 daysinorbit.Earth 117; Kurortny pr;admissionR30; 117; Kurortny presents Russian andinternational performances. R150-300; boxoffice Jun-Sep ticket andthentake office the and relaxing Pay towanderthrough. atthe from theworldover, isattractively laidout more than1500speciesof trees andshrubs 603; ul Navaginskaya 16; 603; ulNavaginskaya walk backdown. 947; Kurortny pr51;adult/childR30/15; 947; Kurortny child onewayR80/40; and anexpansive permanentcollection. Therework initself. are visiting exhibitions resides inaclassical buildingthat’sanart- a behind Sochi canonlybeappreciated from Russians love it. ambience. Andthe imitate aSouthSeas ings andprivate changing pavilions to artificial trees, sunbathingloungers, awn- Sochi’s with beach isdressed upinseason No matter thatit’snarrowandstony, Sights &Activities Communications Agency Aero Territorial Service andKrasnayaaccommodation. Can booksanatoriums Caveandlesser-knownplaces.Mt Fisht, Vorontsovskaya excursionstoKrasnayaPolyana, rafting; white-water Circus fun places forchildren. Being afamily holidayresort there’s alotof Sochi forChildren ing dolphins. 7.30pm) your holidayphotos. Rivera, forabackdropwithdifference for sea Sochi’s lovely Try thelarge The snow-capped mountains which lie The snow-cappedmountains The The 9am-5pm Oct-Apr, 9am-8pm May-Sep). Airandrail 9am-8pmMay-Sep). 9am-5pm Oct-Apr,

( cruise % , andthere maybethebonusof see-

Avia Art Town History Museum Town History 920 375; cnr Pushkina & Kurortny prs; tickets prs; tickets &Kurortny 920 375;cnr Pushkina Soyuz 9

Museum ( ( % % BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACK SEA % 609 603; Sea Terminal;609 603;Sea R250; 924 050; Kurortny pr50; 924 050;Kurortny Lenin h 929 349;ulVorovskogo54;adult/

arboretum (Khudozhestvenny muzey; (Khudozhestvenny capsule thatreturned to h 8am-dusk) h

8am-7pm) Airticketing. Mosaic 9am-6pm) Sochi’s circus h

tothetopand , opposite Park h (Dendrariy; (Dendrariy; 8am-dusk)

cable car 9am-6pm) h (Gorodskoy Is- 10am-6pm) h ( % , with % %

(adult/ 11am- 923 has 465 975 622

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS names inthefashion industry. extravaganzaother weeklong attractingtop including oneplanted byanAfghani. magnolias withtrees planted bycosmonauts, and craftshops,ponyridesanavenue of a Ferris There’s wheel. an with the Velvet Season Winter Theatre youhave topay. era have free inthe screenings butforthose foreign actor. Outdoorscreens in Park Riv- the filmstars of Russiaandtheoccasional foodmarketto awholesale (ulGorkogo). over thelastfew years shifted andit’sbeen end The inlate May starts season withaweek- Festivals &Events hours). Krasnaya Polyana(R250,seven Agura Waterfall (R180,three hours) and Bolshoy(R180,three hours),Mt Akhun Typical tours are Sochi (R150,twohours), easiest wayof visiting placesaroundSochi. travel excursion agents tours sell thatare the Pavement sellers, mosthotels andmany Tours Inside Stereo Mayak Luna 466 An option is torent a BUDGET May andAugust. increase byabout25% monthlybetween with a room orapartment torent. can Rates Sochi hasmanyhotels and willing citizens Sleeping energy top-ups after allthathardenjoyment. energy top-upsafter couchesandcafésbarsfor water slides,sunbaking hasmostthingsyoucouldwant–pools, aqua park,Mayak R600/300; May-Sep R1000-1500) May-Sep h are several R100; and jumpingcastles. placeforyoungchildren withrides Another summertime R30-60; movies, someofwhichcanbeseenhere. shows 3pm&5pm)Inthe1970sRussiaproduced3-D The season closes inlate closes September The season A weeklong 10am-midnight) BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACKSEA

beer festival h Park ( ( h Park Rivera % % 10am-10pm) h ( 10am-5pm winter,10am-midnightsummer) % 620 070; Kurortny pr37;adult/childR70/50; 620 070;Kurortny 623 648;Naberezhnaya; adult/childperday 10am-5pm summer)Foraself-contained fun 623 847; ul Ordzhonikidze 6; rides 6;rides 623 847;ulOrdzhonikidze

includingarollercoaster and . Thefizzhasgoneoutof it film festival fairs from those offering from those them

plus a tacky range plusatacky of art ( %

(rides R20-150, day pass R550; R20-150,daypassR550; (rides 693 434; Kurortny pr; 693 434;Kurortny room fashion show inJuneattracts aquarium

(Oct-Apr R250-400, (Oct-Apr

(admission (admission h , an- 24hr)

-hotel.ru; Kurortny pr18;s/d865/1310,lyuxR1505/2140; -hotel.ru; Kurortny Magnolia tocheck inandhave breakfast. block) are outfitsogotothe runbythesame hotel andtheHotel Magnolia (inthesame singles. Otherroomsare quite adequate. This phantom resident of oneof theirbare-bones can’t organise registration thenyoucan bea History Museum. attheTown andhasanoffice train station .ru; sea views,withbalconies andair-con.sea better furnishings. ovated isavastimprovement section with views,aresea onthe1stfloor whiletheren- cheapest rooms,unrenovated andwithout The byhelpfulandsmilingstaff. is serviced hasitsownbeach andtennissea courts, and R3218/3705, Jul-Sep R3705/4193; R3218/3705, Jul-Sep & Nov-DecR2113/2600, Apr-Jun skoy 2;s/d Jan-Mar &Oct favourite anditquicklybooksupinseason. asgeography allowsmakes to thesea ita asnear available tosuitthinwallets.Being Many categories andoptionsof roomsare covers alarge blockaroundacentralpatio. of charm remaining fromits1936origins, sprawling, pale-yellowhotel, withelements Bureau Bureau Park TOP END Primorskaya Hotel MIDRANGE R596/1092) pr50;swithshared bathroomR370,s/dinclbreakfast ortny register foreigners. butcheckat thetrainstation iftheycan Within are very rooms, many with pleasant now shinesas abeacon of blue-tinted glass. The resurrection of thisold Soviet-era hotel bles have viewsandbalconies, sea rooms arethe standard quite adequate, dou- ofthroes restoration. Forthebudget-minded large, noisyandrun-downplace that’sinthe Smack inthetowncentre theMoskvaisa pais 3;rfromR900,lyuxR3500; ul Chernomorskaya R545/900, budgetR550/715,renovated R590/990) .ru; ulSokolova1;s/deconomyR295/395,unrenovated costs R120toR160 extra. rooms boastalounge andair-con. Breakfast Hotel Hotel Moskva Hotel Hotel Zhemchuzhina Hotel Alternatively, thebookingagency h

Hotel 24hr)

(Kurortnoe byuro; (Kurortnoe

Sochi Thecity’sbest-value option.Ifyou

parksamobile outsidethe office ( %

) ( % This965-roomplacebythe 693 000; [email protected]; perMor- 693 000;[email protected];

( 621 987;www.sochi-magnolia.ru; Kur- ( % % Lyux 925 743;management@heliopark % 608 010;reservation@moskva

( % www.lonelyplanet.com /fax 922976;propan@sochi roomshave thebest 661 188;fax888; pnais Resort Resort This lyux a ) )

leaving you withaholein yourwallet. you’re ordering asthebillrapidly mounts, from apool outside. Keep aneyeonwhat trout orsturgeon which youcatch yourself cuisine isGeorgian andtheprimedishis lubricated withlocal wine. Thedelicious acter here. Linger forlong,drawn-out meals Khosta; mealsR350-1000; Khosta; picture. of andafitnesscentre sauna complete the rooms. AnATM, bar, restaurant, twotypes basin goodies.Onefloorhasnonsmoking bathtubs plusanarrayof beside-the-wash- fridges, viewsandair-con, sea cableTV, www.lonelyplanet.com Patskha RESTAURANTS thesummer.throughout could eatinadifferent day placeevery intoaworldoftapping cuisinesthatyou There are somanyrestaurants andcafés Eating pr 103;s/dinclbreakfast fromUS$149/169; and pool(nonresidents US$25perday). ant, atravel agency, healthcentre saunas, facilities includebars, atop-notch restaur- bidets, Jacuzzis andprivate balconies.Guest up inpricegainssafes, bigger bathrooms, Internet connectionsandcableTV. Moving private beach. All300roomshave views, sea four-star incopious groundswitha isset Oozes luxury.Ontheedge of Sochi this tivnaya 4;mealsR80-250; Home Hotel Lazurnaya Hotel Metallurg Matsesta Avangard to capacityandyou’llneedeitheramedicalreference ortopayforasanatoriumdiagnosis. profession, suchasthestately Metallurg formetalworkers. Bookwellinadvanceastheyrunnear and treatment. andsomewithcablecarstotheirprivateming pools,tennis beaches. courts Alloffer fullboard Built inthe1930smany sanatoriums are mini-Romanov palaceswithbeautifulgrounds,swim- SANATORIUMS pas Aktyor centre andmedicaltreatment –allfunandgameswhiletrying torecover yourhealth. tomers iftheyhave vacancies. Full boardmeansallmealsplusaccesstoaprivate beach,fitness Chernomorje Sanatorium A typicalRussianholidaywouldoncehave beenamonthatthesanatoriumrelated toone’s The Resort BureauThe ( Resort opposite ) andReinfo ( p465 ) canbook,includingthefollowingsanatoriums:

Restaurant Kitchen ( % ( ( ( % ) This sanatorium, belonging to the former Ministry of Railways, will take walk-in This willtake sanatorium,belonging ofRailways, cus- totheformerMinistry % % 976 022; Kurortny pr105a; perpersonR950-1160) 976 022;Kurortny

677 166;[email protected];perLechebny 2;treatment only8-12daysR1999-4000) 921 271; Kurortny pr83;per personfromR1430) 921 271;Kurortny 972 398; Kurortny pr92;per personR1050-1210) 972 398;Kurortny (Domashnyaya Kukhnya; ulKoopera- (Domashnyaya Kukhnya;

(

% ( h h % 663 333; fax 663 292; Kurortny 663 333;fax292;Kurortny 9am-late) 9am-10pm) 308 3388; Cheltenham Alley, 308 3388;Cheltenham Alley, Heaps of char-

( % pais Near the sea the sea Near 609 060; fax 623 898; ul Ordzhonikidze 27;rfullboardperweekfromR5400; 609 060;fax623898;ulOrdzhonikidze )

400) meals R110-700; sented at a pick-and-choose counter. atapick-and-choose sented Plastic arange of options pre- tasty kas serving meal. Now there’s akitchen fullof babush- 30m queues waited patiently foracheap isarelicful canteen of Soviet dayswhen Café Cinzano Café CAFÉS the bestwe’ve tasted. ever a quicker meal.TheGreek wasoneof salad for meal incompanyorthemodernsection for theoldermore homelypartfora cosy byacentralkitchen. Opt two partsserved terminal thisunpretentious eatery comesin h range of salads. caviar,salmon thepeach pieorthewide withmushrooms or Try theblinystuffed this caféhassome of thebestfood inSochi. Hanging ontotheendof theHotel Moskva, or mixandmatch tomake abigfeast. tempura. You canorderacoupleof pieces if youdon’tknowtheRussianfor sushi or illustrated menugreatly helpsinordering restaurant isoneof inSochi. The several covered Japanese cuisineandthissmallish ‘small’ unlessyouhave ahuge appetite. pizzaisprobably thebestbutorder salmon veals alarge range of The pizzasandpasta. interior.rustic Italian AmenuinEnglishre- has alarge canopiedbaratthefront anda Yapona Stolovaya La 8am-7pm) Down on the seafront this restaurant Downontheseafront

Pizzeria

Mama Apieceof history.Thiswonder-

BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACK SEA No h ( % (meals R160-570;

17 10am-midnight) 926 064;Naberezhnaya; mealsR180- ( %

(per Morskoy3;meals R40-100; 334 111; ul Ordzhonikidze 25; 334 111;ulOrdzhonikidze Russiahasdis- h 9am-midnight) 467

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS h need. youmight everything melted init. cheese andthenfloatanegg handled bowlof pastry,fillitwithapoolof ment caféisthespecialist.Theycreate atwo- are addicted tothesnackthenthispave- top-floor openterrace. here.beer Insummerlive bandsplayon the ment tothenewSochi. Theybrew decent embankmentasathree-storeysea monu- new brewery-restaurant upfromthe rises Saint NIGHTCLUBS keep aneye on thebillboards. There’s nocentral just listingforevents; Entertainment Tinkoff Drinking oy; riev Sochi’s market SELF-CATERING aluminium cutlery. with plasticflowers andyouget toeatwith tablecloths cover decorated tables metal 468 Winter THEATRE with fruitjelly. churchkhela, and fornibblesegranate juiceinseason fresh fruitandvegetables. Tryfresh pom- Green formances andconcertsin thesummer: Opera, ballet anddramaare presented here. ing wouldaddgrace toanyworldcapital. perial stylethismassive, colonnadedbuild- casts asilvery pathover theocean. sound of DJ-spunmusicwhilethemoon spots resounding techno. topulsating andtheotherlitwithhyper-activeup tables coolmusicandsnuggle- lighting, low-level two dancefloors tosuitthemood. Onewith h h 4.30am) h 11pm) Natasha Paterson The following placesput on dramaper- Malibu 10am-7pm booking office) 10am-7pm booking noon-1am) box office 11am-8pm) 8pm-5am) BLACK SEA COAST ••Sochi BLACKSEA

Ifyou’ve tasted never

h Tropez Theatre

Anopen-airspotthatthrobsto the

Theatre Theatre ( % 9am-11pm)

(Naberezhnaya; cover Mon-Fri R200; (Naberezhnaya; coverMon-Fri ’ s

951 111;ul 19;mealsR200-600; Primorskaya

Sochi’spremier has nightspot Supermarket (ul Vorovskogo3-1;mealsR110-200;

Below theWinter Theatre this Below ( (Zelyony Teatr; very sticksof tasty nuts coated %

(Zimny Teatr; (ul Moskovskaya; (ul Moskovskaya; 646 350; ul Moskaya 19; cover R200; 19;coverR200; 646 350;ulMoskaya Alarge supermarket with Builtinamajestic, im-

% (cnr Kurortny pr&ulDm (cnr Kurortny it- % 629 616;plTeatralnaya; 641 014; Park Rivera; h khachapuri khachapuri 6am-6pm) h h Has Has 10pm- 8am- or or Frunze; cow (US$130). day, May toOctober),anddailyviaMos- Monday, Wednesday,Thursday andFri- more frequent duringsummer. to StPetersburg are (R6200,daily).Flights alnye Vody(R928,Sunday).Pulkovo flies summer there’s toMiner- flight aweekly flot fliesdailytoMoscow(R2923)andin Services fromthe Services BUS Tuesday. ing atPoti(R1750), andreturns at1pmon (R1750, six hours,Batumi 1pm),alsocall- returns at6pmonFriday. 12 hours, 6pm),callingatPoti(R1580),and (R1730, onTuesdaytoBatumi A boatsails Poti &Batumi,Georgia Return journeysare FridayandMonday. that boardsat6pmforan11pmdeparture. man R1650,shared cabinR2300,11hours) There’s aThursday (Pull- andSundaysailing Trabzon, Turkey ( ( terminal hasan The sea BOAT Sochi’s AIR &Away There Getting iconsandpottery items. woodcarvings, the ArtSalonischoc-a-block withpaintings, Sochi hasathrivingartisticcommunityand Art Shopping R300-1000) Festival LIVE MUSIC Summer 12.25pm) and Kislovodsk (R445, 17hours, rossiysk (R172, nine hours, 8.30am and hours,eight 10.10am and1.30pm),Novo- ment below,playshosttomostof them. embank- hall, withitsopenfronttothesea play inSochi insummerandthismassive Gorkogo 56a) % % Belavia flies to Minsk, Belarus (US$130, fliestoMinsk,Belarus Belavia A quicker hydrofoil leaves onFridayfor

Salon 609 617; 609 603; h

Theatre Theatre airport Hall

Many of Russia’s topmusicacts box office10am-8pm) ( include those toKrasnodar (R180, includethose % h

h ( 921 482; Kurortny pr29; 921 482;Kurortny % 10am-6pm Wed,Sat&Sun)

( 8am-8pm) (Letny Teatr; % 928 670; ul Ordzhonikidze 5; tickets 5;tickets 928 670;ulOrdzhonikidze 440 888) bus station anda www.lonelyplanet.com % isatAdler. Aero- information 920 795;Park

( % h ticket . 646 435,ul 10am-6pm)

office office

service admission R100; % To get tothe airport take bus124 Around Getting The TRAIN minutes, 12daily). toAdler(R15,40 4.30pm). Bus125goes www.lonelyplanet.com Stalin’s dacha, Stalin’s Roscha Zelenaya is onanexcursion. the easiestwaytovisitfollowingplaces Roscha forMtFisht andZelenaya Except % AROUND SOCHI (R1000, 14hours, 6.31pmdaily). toRostovand train642goes viaKrasnodar igorsk (R800,17hours, 5.11pm,odddates) Kislovodsk viaMineralnyeVody andPyat- hours), more insummer. to Train644goes trains gotoMoscow(R2200,2737 for inquiriesandticket Fourdaily sales. enough to lose. enough he could beator wereonly those wily wasalousyplayer, andheplayedStalin before public release andhisbilliards room. movie theatre where hechecked film every (some original furniture remains), the green tocamouflage themwithintheforest. andthepaintingof thebuildings the sea, the dacha, asecret liftandtunneldownto extremely 15maround a guardevery tight: was date hissmallstature (165cm). Security were billiardtable even fixed toaccommo- treads,stair sofas, chairs, bedand tables, of ming pool(just1.5m)andtheheight the sians. Youcanalsoarrange here. tosleep tomillionsof deathandmisery Rus- caused small, private manwhowithoutremorse an amazingplacebuilttoaccommodate a with atravel agency (see p465 ), butthisis 1936. Visitingrequires priorarrangement rutky no transportalongtheembankment. costs aboutR200. 7.15pm) fromSochi Ataxi busstation. one hour,10.10am,12.50pm,4.50pmand Visitors can see Stalin’s private Stalin’s roomsVisitors cansee The depthof the water swim- inStalin’s Much of Sochi isquite walkable;there’s 8622 695 600; [email protected]; Kurortny pr120; 695 600;[email protected];Kurortny train charge R7.

centre

station h

( % 9am-4pm Mon-Sat)

Zelenaya Roscha Zelenaya ( 924 459; % Зелёная 609 009;ulGorkogo) h

Роща 9am-1pm &2-8pm) , dates from (Green Grove; С Marsh- hasa (R15,

park by the Salkhino restaurant.park bytheSalkhino swimming). Thepathendsina small car sold bylocalsnearthewater hole(goodfor longer enjoyinghomemadewine ifyoustart descent alongtheriver and waterfalls, theAgurathrough Valley. It’satwo-hour try the goodshashlyk but often live music.It serves roaring fire inwinter andinsummerthere’s and aninsiderestaurant. Insideboastsa season, 10am-9pmhighseason) (dishes R30-60; a leadsuptoturning, signposted ‘Akhun’ An 11km-road, just southof theAgura 662m elevation Mt BolshoyAkhun ble fromMtBolshoy Akhun. Adler road. Sputnik skyscraperonthemainSochi– hike upbesidetheAgura River fromthe broken theboxed chains; see text, below . ofa goldenstatue Prometheuswaving his peaks inAbkhazia. Alsosharingtheviewis andthesnow-capped Mt BolshoyAkhun This reveals fineviewsover thewaterfalls, to thetopof the OrlinyeSkalyescarpment. sideofthe right-hand theMatsesta clinic falls. Thefirst roadleadingupby isarough ing downintowater holes. cleft are three waterfalls, oneat30m,crash- Skaly its eastern flankandtheprecipitous oning foothillswithMtBolshoy Akhun The Agura Valley cutsacleftintotheroll- Valley Agura Fisht. commanding viewsof Sochi, AdlerandMt lookout tower A pathbythetowerwanders down The remaining optionisadownhillram- A more strenuous optionisathree-hour There are three routes toviewthewater- Below thetowerisrustic Below PROMETHEUS UNCHAINEDPROMETHEUS freed by Hercules after 30. meant to run for30,000years buthewas devour his liver every sentence day.His was mountain intheCaucasus andhada vulture a punishment,Zeus hadhimchainedtoa from thegodsto give As tohumankind. In Greek mythology Prometheus stolefire ( onthewest.Within Cliffs) Eagle BLACK SEA COAST ••AroundSochi BLACK SEA lobiyo h (spicybeanstew). Агурское

10am-late) (admission R35; Гора with outside tables withoutsidetables

. Thetowergives Ущелье

Большой h Prokhlada Café Prokhlada 10am-6pm low

Ахун Orlinye 469

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS the mainroad,a1.5kmwalkaway. h Alpika in thePeak Hotel. There isanATM atthePyramid restaurant INFORMATION around thechairlift station. A few shops,bars andcafésare clustered the placeamajor Europeanskiingcentre. plosion of hotel buildingaimedatmaking experienced. and snowboarding,heliskiing forthe resort withchairlifts forintermediate skiing 2375m high. uptotlement surroundedbymountains about 70kmfromSochi, isasmall set- Krasnaya Polyana( Red Valley). Attheend, narrow canyonleadsupfromAdlerto adeep, roadpassingthrough A spectacular 550m elevation Polyana Krasnaya heliskiing andguidedhiking. range.mountain Reinfo( Contact p465 ) for trek, of Mt Fishtisthestart theCaucasus only byhelicopter orafour-day return About 100kmfromSochi, butreachable 2867m elevation Fisht Mt Cave Usually done onanexcursion Воронцовская Cave Vorontsovskaya 470 on a dayexcursion, a few daysis needed ers. While Krasnaya Polyana can be‘done’ blanketing the slopeswitha massof flow- May. Springtakes over asthe snow retreats, The main isNovemberskiing season to ACTIVITIES Weather Paraguide Emergency station. equipment hire nearthechairlift 10am-6pm summer)Ski nated andthelike. passage withstalactites 41km fromSochi, hasabout500mof illumi- station. and4WD tourslocatednearthechairlift heliskiing rafting, Catch a Catch In thelastfew years there’s anex- been ski Krasnaya Polyanaisawell-developed 11am-6pm Tue &Satwinter,11am-6pmsummer) BLACK SEA COAST ••AroundSochi BLACKSEA

( Service %

reports ( 643 267;adult/childR110/55,guideR100;

Гора % services marshrutka ( 697 917; % (

Фишт

% Пещера 697 930; ( % 697 916) h Красная 430 422) backtoSochi from 10am-6pm) Paragliding, h 8.30am-6pm winter,

Vorontsovskaya Поляна ,

fers tothechairlift. and bowling.Winter pricesincludetrans- rooms. Thehotel hasarestaurant, billiards of thewrappers andglistening white bath- midrange hotel withfurnishingsjust out naya Polyanaroad,Tatyania isabrand-new .ru; rwinter/summerfromR3000/2000) US$50) 5.30pm Wed-SunJun-Oct) adult/child R600/300; (R38, 1½hours, nine daily). daily)and changebuses at Adlerto bus135 From Sochi take bus125(R15, onehour,12 THERE&AWAYGETTING and honeytothe swarmsof day visitors. souvenirs,tacky homemadewine,pickles hats, bighairyCaucasian Plenty of sell stalls SHOPPING Lazurnaya Peak Hotel SLEEPING &EATING jeep rides 15-minute stages to1500m. the four environment. to gainareal appreciation of thisbracing riding info ( p465 drivers.) orlocaljeep menu choice bygoing outwithafishingrod. kept your inapooloutside,andyoustart specialityistrout, cuisine. House Caucasian thePyramidoffersstation, Europeanand clusteredseveral aroundthelowestchairlift board foranextraR200perperson. six peopleatasqueeze. Acaféprovides full tion of five cosywoodencottages taking or fire around. inthefoyertocollapse ergy leftafter skiingandthere’s abigopen transfers. upanyen- willuse Thenightclub skiinstructors,sauna, equipmenthire and bars, restaurant, fitnesscentre, baths and hotel provides There’s everything. anATM, accommodationthis Apart fromhigh-class mineral springs or mountain biking. mineral springsormountain €130/170 lowseason,€170/210highseason; 77;s/dinclbreakfast &dinnerfrom ul ZaschitnikovKavkaza winter/summer R3300/2000) Restaurant Apart fromplentyof hiking there are isby accesstothemountains Easiest Alternatively there’s year-round Hotel Ibis insummer. Paraguide, Contact Re-

(R500) (

% Tatyania

(per hrR600,2-day/1-nightcampingperperson chairlifts 622 042; ul Zaschitnikov Kavkaza; chalets 622 042;ulZaschitnikovKavkaza; fora14kmreturn triptothe

Pyramid

h ( %

(sightseeing R500, all-day skiing (sightseeing R500,all-dayskiing

( 8.30am-4.30pm Nov-May, 10am- 8.30am-4.30pm Nov-May, which take youupin % 918 4059662;malekon@sochi

Ibisisarusticcollec- (meals R80-300) 663 600;[email protected]; www.lonelyplanet.com OntheKras- Oneof pa horse ) . 7a; s/dfromR1010/1390) able in season. some English. Booking would beadvis- canspeakcourteous and friendlystaff nargilas beers, Scottishsingle maltwhiskiesand Trappistan eclecticplace withBelgian from Sochi.worth avisiteven It’srather ant withexcellent Europeanfoodiswell day tour from Sochi (see day tourfromSochi (see p466 ). for R100perpassenger. Alternatively, take a willofferstation aridetoKrasnaya Polyana kitchenette. suite withbedroom, sittingroomand and akitchenette toaspaceytwo-level motel-style roomsrange fromtwobeds jacent toandrunbytheOlympic. The where else. vices, theunadventurous gono- need concert hall-cum-cinema. Given such ser- sports centre withtennis courtsand a door pools(nonguestsR250per day), resort features of beach, indoorandout- are extensive facilitiesand sanatorium car rental, planeandtraintickets. There bureau forexcursions, cade andaservice exchangea postoffice, kiosk, shoppingar- bars (includingarooftop one),restaurants, double bathrooms.Thehotel hasseveral doubles totwo-floor apartmentswith bed hotel offers frombasic everything theskyline,thisfour-star,hogging 1800- R2050/2400; 7;s/dincl2mealsfromR940/1250,lyux gradskaya Hotel Sleeping &Eating inoneplace.with everything Sochi. Theattractionisforaquietholiday Soviet times,theresort is not aslively as Built forthepeakof foreign tourisminlate and theSochi–Dagomys road,1kmaway. thesea in itsownhillygrounds,between Dagomys resort, 12kmfromSochi, stands % DAGOMYS www.lonelyplanet.com rooms face either sea ormountains. rooms faceeithersea similar toDagomys’cheaper options.All this three-star haswell-equipped rooms 7; mealsR260-800) Taxi drivers lurking aroundAdlerbus Restoran Dubrava Restoran Olympic Motel Meridian Motel 8622 /

Dagomys (water pipes) onthemenu. The

h ( pais % ДАГОМЫС Moscow 521 194; fax 524 625; ul Leningradskaya 521 194;fax524625;ulLeningradskaya

( This roundhouse restaur- Thisroundhouse %

(r perpersonfromR670) 524 053;fax522100;ulLenin- ( % Below Hotel Dagomys, Below 521 490; ul Leningradskaya 521 490;ulLeningradskaya ) Awhite pyramid Ad- forts that evolved intogracefulspatowns. forts thatevolved werefrom localtribes.Thefirst settlements hands in1774butstillcameunder attack fromTurkishhad already toRussian passed heal quicker after bathing inthem.Thearea tury, whenwoundedsoldiers appeared to minded Russianssincethelate 18thcen- unhealthy, hypochondriac orjustholiday- curative powers of thespringshave attracted and spoutingmineralsprings.The canoes landscapestudded withdeadvol- in aneerie The central fromthe steppe rises Caucasus ВОДЫ МИНЕРАЛЬНЫЕ MINERAL WATER SPAS ( Performancestea plantations. at Dagomys boaststheworld’smostnortherly AROUND DAGOMYS the beach. youquickly downto for nonguests)speeds A free liftfromtheDagomyscomplex (R30 &Around There Getting for aspouse. and StPetersburg andlook beseen tosee, fashionable society trekked fromMoscow spa buildingsrecall the 19thcentury,when and thewalkslovely. Theparksandelegant ing. Theatmosphere isrelaxed, theairfresh resort where the healthy outnumbertheail- MineralWaters)(Caucasian isa holiday shouldn’t costmore thanR300. utes) andstoponthemainroad.Ataxi Dagomys (R14,20minutes, 15min- every provide treatment theelixir forsanatoria indrinking galleries and ing feed fountains out forlack of maintenance. remain- Those churches of Kizhitoadmire. are modelsof themultidomedwooden of decorated samovars; downstairs there and chimney centrepiece andacollection room hasamagnificenttiledfireplace sian culture insonganddance. Theupper a traditionalwoodenlodge, cele brate Rus- about R200. % Today Kavkazskie MineralnyeVody Marshrutky Many of the130-plus springshave fizzled A taxi fromDagomysshouldcostA taxi 521 955;admissionR150; leave Sochifor busstation MINERAL WATER SPAS h 11am-5pm summer) Tea Houses

471

, RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS one of theworst runinRussia, the report, and, accordingtoaBBC bus stand tion. Despite beingas flash asacountry with theregional airportandtrainsta- The regional centre isMineralnyeVody AIR &Away There Getting the minorresorts. resorts, andZheleznovodsk andEssentuki mud orbeingblasted byashockshower. plastered curative withsupposedly black youcanexperience being at somesanatoria, system, jointsandskinproblems. Forafee, of muscle,bone, heart,circulation,nervous 472 ( fly to StPetersburg. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday andFriday) Thursday andSunday) Pulkovo (R6400, and Siberia Air. KMV (R5390to R6500, remetyevo 1withKMV Airlines,Aeroflot Moscow Vnukovo, Domodedovo andShe- port hub. % Pyatigorsk andKislovodsk are themain Daily flights (R3590toR4160)go Daily flights tPtrbr 4 70p diy 4r R2570 44hr R690 12hr (summer) odds/evens daily R690 (‡)viaKrasnodar 11hr 8.29pm (†)viaKyiv,Ukraine (*) viaRostov 7.03pm 389/643 evens 9.27pm Nalchik 6810 5hr Novorossiysk‡ 387 3.08am 26hr Adler (Sochi) R74 R2950 49 daily 9.17pm Moscow† 3 daily Moscow* 27/33/41 St Petersburg 3 145 Minsk Kyiv 25 5.38pm 37hr 2.02pm 32-34hr Destination Train Duration odds Departures Frequency Fare R1410 trains 26hr R1940-2800 daily evens The lovodsk (passingthroughPyatigorsk),NalchikandVladikavkaz. The 5hr R1240 1 Teberda 2.45pm 1 Sochi 6.20pm 16hr ½hr R182 14 Rostov 9.55am-8.55pm Pyatigorsk 8am-6pm R20 4 10hr Nalchik 6.40am-6.30pm R550 Krasnodar 7.10am-9.10pm 8hr 2hr 9 1hr 12 9.40am-8.30pm Kislovodsk 7 R400 R336 R43 Destination Departures Buses R90 WaterThe Spas mainMineral USEFUL BUS&TRAINROUTESFROMMINERALWATER SPAS daily Duration Fare h MINERALWATER SPAS ••Pyatigorsk 86531-58221) 8am-noon &1-7pm) train station is an important airtrans- isanimportant

( % canassistwithticketing. 86531-46120; ul Pushkina 33) at Mineral Spas 33)atMineral 86531-46120; ulPushkina bus station airport airport

( % 86531-56111) Salonika (€166,Friday)inGreece. Thursday andSaturday)inTurkey andto (US$270,(US$220, Sunday)andAntalya Friday), andMunich (US$300,Tuesday). Armenia (R4000,Monday,Tuesday and (R4500, Thursday andSaturday),Yerevan, stately buildings. Manystately of buildings these attracted Russian society to itsspas and intoa fashionableresortdeveloped asit Fort Konstantinovskaya in1780. Itquickly of (Five Peaks),Mt Beshtau began life as Pyatigorsk , thenamebeing aRussification h % PYATIGORSK rather thanarank taxi. to negotiate abetter pricefrom anarriving Elbrus (R2000toR2500).Youmay beable (R300), Kislovodsk (R500)and Dombayor Taxi pricesfromtheairportare Pyatigorsk TAXI KMV Avia charter gotoIstanbul flights AzerbaijanKMV alsofliestoBaku, Moscow 510m/ 8793 /pop141,000 /elevation isattheairport. picksuptrainsoriginating inKis- Servis CentreServis ПЯТИГОРСК www.lonelyplanet.com

( % 86531-56239;

Mineral Water Spas & 2-6pm) Offers Internetaccess. & 2-6pm)Offers German advertisements. German still carry trams, imported fromGermany, waytodiscovera pleasant thetown.Some around town. points fromseveral Elbrus canbeseen day, thetwinsnow-covered peaksof Mt (1400m).Tothesouth,onaclear Beshtau stretch towardsthejagged crags of Mt to thetrainstation. thetowncentreAcademic Gallerythrough main street, runningwestfrombelow the Mashuk (993m). Tree-lined prKirova isthe Pyatigorsk sprawlsaroundthefoot of Mt Orientation bars andrestaurants onprKirova. town toramblearoundandappreciate the remain today,makingthisanattractive www.lonelyplanet.com Hotel Book World Information h (5km) Waterfalls To Honey Karachaevsk (75km) To GumbashiPass(47km); MINERAL WATERSPAS Cruising theantiquated tramnetworkis To thenorthwesttown’ssuburbs 8am-6pm) SomeEnglishbooksandmaps.

Intourist Kislovodsk Mt MaloeSedlo (Knigo Mir; (KnigoMir; Mt MalyDzhinal (1376m) ( (1484m) A157 % Mt Kaban (1281m) Mt BolshoeSedlo (1409m) 363 410;perhrR50; % To Cherkessk (40km) 352 766; Upper Market; 352 766;UpperMarket; h Suvorovskaya 9am-1pm Essentuki A156 To Krasnodar(495km);

Sochi (582km) Podkumok sanatorium bookings, foreigner registration. bookings, sanatorium guides,hotelsand English-, French- andSpanish-speaking staff,ElbrusandDombayhikes/climbs, English-speaking Lenina 13; 6pm Mon-Sat,8-11amSun)Cashestravellerscheques;ATM. ing staff,foreigner registration. English-speak- bookings, sanatorium excursions, ticketing, Kirova 70; Kirova dier, societybeauandduellist,Mikhail than-life painter, writer, cavalry poet, sol- Many attractions revolve aroundlarger- LERMONTOV SIGHTS Sights Tourism Tourist Sberbank Pyatigorsk Main postoffice Main foreigner registration. staff,accommodationbooking, sions, English-speaking 41; Dzerzhinskogo to 8pm. per hrR44; Kraynego; Yutsa Vinsandy MINERAL WATER SPAS ••Pyatigorsk

telephone

Mt Verblyud

Mt Dzhutsa1 (974m) River Bureau (885m)

Lermontov Light h h h Pyatigorsk h ( %

Intour 8am-6.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-5pmSun &Mon) 10am-6pm) Private companywith 10am-6pm) Private 10am-6pm) Located inside Hotel Intourist. 10am-6pm) LocatedinsideHotelIntourist. 6am-11pm) Internetavailablefrom9am ( M29 323 606; pr Kirova 59; 323 606;prKirova Mt Beshtau ( % (1401m) h

( M29 % centre Mt Byk % (817m) ( % 355 025;[email protected]; ul

10am-6pm) Airline ticketing, excur- 10am-6pm) Airlineticketing, Vladikavkaz (180km) To Nalchik (60km); 6miles 10km 0 0 350 110;[email protected]; pr Kuma 335 136; cnr pr Kirova &ul 335 136;cnrprKirova 363 411;[email protected];pl ( (852m) Mt Zheleznaya (993m) Mt Mashuk % (928m) Mt Razvalka 337 838;ulKraynego; Beshtau Mt Zmeyka Inozemtsevo (994m) Rostov-on-Don (500km) To Stavropol(150km); Kangly h

8am-1pm &2- River Mt Lysaya To Georgievsk To Georgievsk (739m) Mineralnye Vody

(40km)

(25km) 473 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS weather vane. in 1831toreplace areal harpplucked bya magnificent viewof MtElbrus.Itwasbuilt morning should reveal a out point.Early lery houses a lery houses eyesonPrincess Mary.first set Asmallgal- here thatLermontov’s antihero, Pechorin, springs –No16 (currently Itwas closed). oneofto house Pyatigorsk’s best-known built in1851by English architect Upton Formerly theElizabethGallery, itwas site the monumentmarking gether asanenjoyableouting. attractionscanbestrung to- walking, these the aidof (aboutR150)andsome ataxi boxedLermontov (see text, above ). With 474 (adult/child R30/20; Grotto ion, the woodstoalittledomedpavil-leads through Gagarina toanobvious pathontheleftthat Proval duetoflooddamage. wasclosed sulphurous water. Atthetimeof research over thepondof light-blue (andsmelly) century coupleswoulddanceon abridge This isacave opentothe sky where 19th- with flowers. to Continuebytaxi todayisbedeckedpoint obeliskthateven tobenear theneedle- known butisthought of spoutsin walls.Look for theplaque an- andvarious springs squirting out houses rova leadsyoupastsome glorioushistorical andscorpions. tarantulas From here walkdownvia Take totheforest thetaxi clearingthathas Walk fromProval southwest downbul Below thegallery, the tree-shaded prKi- Below Laurence whichprovides tothemanandhissociety. Kelly, anintriguing background agreatstandards –makes travelling companion,asdoes Lermontov inaduelat waskilled Pyatigorsk in1841.The byRussianliterary book–very short by theauthorities. Pushkin’s, Manysawhisdeath,like asorchestratedbut wasinreturn shotthroughtheheart. for jestingabouttheclothesofoneMajorMartynov. Lermontov, firingfirst, aimed intotheair Pushkin; andsecond,forhimselfduelling. Lermontov waschallengedonceagaininPyatigorsk first, after blamingthetsaristauthoritiesfordeathinaduelofanother ‘troublesome’writer, cess WatersThe Mineral area ishaunted bytheRomanticwriter Lermontov,Mikhail whosetale A HEROOFOURTIME the superbLermontov museuminPyatigorskisessential.

MINERALWATER SPAS ••Pyatigorsk (bul Gagarina). Lermontov hadbeenbanishedtwicefromStPetersburg inthearmyPyatigorsk: toserve Many placesinKislovodsk andPyatigorskare andavisitto tothemanandhisfiction, linked tothe

Mary, Aeolian Harp Aeolian fromhisnovel Academic Gallery Theactualduelsite isun- butterfly and insect exhibition andinsect butterfly h 11am-8pm) , longafavourite look- A Hero ofOurTime,

includinglive (pr Kirova) Lermontov Lermontov’s Lermontov’s below. Proval

duel issethere. Inanuncannyechoof the novel’s plot, .

centre. h ul Buachidze9;admissionR100,camera/videoR30/50; a collectionof watercolours of localscenes. copies of sketches Lermontov’s poems, and buildings stillhave someoriginalfurniture, related buildingsinabeautifulgarden.The 16 different underground springs. drinking gallery offers twomore fromthe another anything inyour stomach. Behind, ach itkillsoff complaints,probably because goodforstom- content that’ssupposedly come tomind.Thisisthesulphur bad eggs faucets. Thetaste isflatandyucky–diluted take thewaters from endlessly gushing cave, up to Goryachaya (Hot) Hill,with a leads past on itsupper façade. some expressive gargoyles and bas-reliefs (Pitevaya gallereya; hall cert dows. Onceadrinkinggalleryit’snow a win- 1901 incastironwithstained-glass lery and beautifullyproportioned Prime attraction isthestrikinglight-blue PARK TSVETNIK Museum Lermontov spent hislasttwomonths in1841isthe here. service hismilitary nouncing thatTolstoyserved the 1880 Opposite isamodern Behind are the1831 Behind Adjacent isthe From the Lermontov Gallery, apath Lermontov’s thatched cottage where he 10am-5pm Wed-Sun) (Lermontovskaya gallereya), builtin Lermontov, Tragedy intheCaucasus

( % Yermolov Baths Diana’s Grotto 58350; tickets R90-200; 58350; tickets h

7am-6pm) university , agroupof Lermontov- (Domik Lermontova; www.lonelyplanet.com Lermontov , nowatreatment , asmall artificial , where youcan

(pr Kirova 36) (pr Kirova Drinking Gallery Drinking h Lermontov Gal- Lermontov 9am-7pm)

Baths % Prin- by with 52710; and con- .

Pyatigorsk weather permitting.Thebestviewsof Mt for fresh breezes andagreat panorama, R50; A MT MASHUK &AROUND pavilionand aChinese much-photographed bronze www.lonelyplanet.com

Station 4 1 3

2 5

PYATIGORSK

Train ul Panagyurishte ul ὈὈ ὈὈ ul Moskovskaya cable car h

Oktyabrskaya ul Aeolian Harp Harp Aeolian Academic Gallery SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Bureau Tourist Light Tourism Sberbank 23) Intour ...... (see Pyatigorsk Main Telephone Centre Main Post Office Book World INFORMATION Lookout Pavilion Chinese & Exhibition Insect Butterfly Drinking Gallery Diana’s Grotto Vladikavkaz (140km);Mt Elbrus(160km) To Hotel Sport(500m); Nalchik(80km); Туристическое Переговорный Питьевая Китайская Академическая бабочек 10am-5pm)

AC

pr 40 let Oktyabrya let 40 pr Сбербанк (

% и Книгомир

Галерея Эолова насекомых

Туризм

Беседка Грот ul Malygina ul whisksyouup Mt Mashuk 974 008; bul Gagarina; perjourney 974 008;bulGagarina; Главпочтамт

To LermotovDuelSite(1km);

ul Пункт

pr Kalinina pr Бюро

Галерея

Mineralnye Vody(19km); Dun Дианы ...... ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ

...... Арфа

Лайт Mt Beshtau(14km) ......

aevs

...... (see 7) (see ...... ul Kalinina ul

kogo ...... Выставка 6 ...... lookout ul Universitetskaya ...... ul Khetagurova

ul Mira

ul Kozlova 1 10 11 7 8 9 25 1 5 4 2 6 3 D4 D4 D5 C5 C4 B4 B5 B5 B5 B5 B5 eagle sculpture To BusStation 31

.

pr Kirova ul Kraynego ul B

Regional Museum Tolstoy plaque plaque Tolstoy University University Lermontov Museum-reserve Lermontov Gallery Baths &Yermolov Lermontov Institute Spa Research Proval Lower Market Eagle Sculpture Lermontov’s Grotto

(500m) 3 4 Грот Лермонтова Музей Лермонтовская Ермоловские Лермонтовские Скульптура Институт Краеведческий доска ὈὈ 24 Lenina

17 Pl ul Kraynego ul Провал

Лермонтова

с 28 -

заповедник 2 Университет именем 30 26 23

Курортологии Нижний 5

...... Мемориальная

...... ul Pastukhova ul Dzerzhinsk ul Орла

Бани

Lermontov

ogo

Музей Галерея Толстого и Statue ul Akademika Pavlova

...... camera/video R20/40; muzey; Pyatigorsk’s OTHER ATTRACTIONS easy 45-minute climb. Elbrus are earlyinthemorning;it’safairly velopment of Pyatigorsk fromfortress to ul Lermontova ......

......

ul Andzhievskogo ul Рынок ......

ul Buachidze ...... MINERAL WATER SPAS ••Pyatigorsk Ὀ Ὀ ὈὈ ὈὈ ...... 15 ...... Bernardacci ......

% ......

ul Karla Marxa Karla ul ul 20 21 16 12 18 20 22 19 13 14 15 17 19 54525; ulBernardacci2;adult/childR60/20, D4 D4 D4 D3 C5 C5 C5 C5 C5 C4 B5 22 Cable Car 29 11 Regional Tsvetnik Hotel Intourist SLEEPING Hotel Pyatigorsk Tet-a-Tet Kafe Upper Market Market Upper CaféArt Nostalgia EATING 13) Bureau (see Resort ...... Block Post SHOPPING Kafe Terek Kafé Panorama Goldfish 28) ...... (see Foxhole 14 Park pr Kirova Кафе Кафе Арт Гостиница Гостиница h (993m) Mt Mashuk 10

Кафе 13

Тет Панорама 10am-5pm) 0.3miles 500m 0 0 Золотая 12 Блок Krasno Кафе

16 -

а 9 Ностальгия Museum

8 Верҳний - Пятигорск Интурист

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ul ...... Dadasheva ArtGallery

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Рынок Duel Site(5km)

...... To Lermontov ...... bul D Gag (Kraevedchesky River ari na

ul ......

Shoss 27 27 29 23 24 28 30 26 25 31 eynaya 18 D4 C5 B4 B4 B4 B5 B5 B5 B5

ul 475 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS floor roomlookingtowardsMtElbrus. All roomshave balconiesbutask foratop- 3rd and8thfloors provide decentbreakfasts. is large andgloomybutsmallcafésonthe dling andgiven thepriceOK.Therestaurant therooms.Quality ismid- their waythrough remodelled andtherenovators are working (from R350). (per person R100toR150)andapartments agency offers roomswithshared bathroom bathrooms withbidetsandbigtubs. wood furniture, mirrors room-height and rooms are superblyfurnishedwithblond- anymatches forfree.so youdon’tsee The butthenonviewingside, football grandstand breakfast R1500,lyuxR3000; atmosphere eitherinside or onitscovered an elegantly designed caféwith arelaxed pean) Russia thanah Resort Sleeping around prKirova. to HoneyWaterfalls are soldfromstands or Elbrusandaworthwhileafternoon trip Inexpensive daytrips(R300)toDombay Tours brief periodof occupation. German townwithaWWII historyasahospital major 19th-centuryhealthresort, andits 476 Art Eating air ticketing offices. a lounge forR130. There are exchange and onasofafinancially desperate can sleep in havebathrooms while evens theirown.The place butitischeap; oddnumbers share R260-840, s/dlyuxfromR780/1560; balls describedin tsiya, thetown’sfirst hotel andsceneof in 1828(rebuilt 1955)itwasonceRestora- was Pyatigorsk’s first stonebuilding. Built which mineralwater develops treatments, pai .ru; plLenina 13;s/dfromR1400/1500,lyuxUS$2100; R110-580) Mon-Sat summer) 21; Baths, prKirova Research Institute Research Hotel Pyatigorsk Hotel Hotel Hotel Intourist Hotel The strikingclassicalbuilding,the

MINERALWATER SPAS ••Pyatigorsk Café

Bureau

More astatement of thenew (Euro-

Sport Nostalgia ) The foyer has been refreshingly Thefoyerhasbeen

Thisprivate accommodation (Kurortnoe byuro; (Kurortnoe h ( %

( % (Institut Kurortologii; pr Kirova 34) prKirova (Institut Kurortologii;

9am-3pm Mon-Fri winter,8am-3pm 9am-3pm Mon-Fri

390 639; ul Dunaevskogo 5;rincl 390 639;ulDunaevskogo ( A Heroof OurTime % ( % 363 410;www.pyatigorskintour 36703; ulKraynego43/1;s/d pa 57051; pr Kirova 56;meals 57051; prKirova ark tothe past.It’s % p ) Ahotel ina 350 827;Yermolov ) Notapretty . Spa , meals R60-150) of insideorterrace dining. andyouhavefeed goforthebuffet achoice la carte restaurant. Ifyou’re infor aquick withacounter(canteen) andasanà buffet floor placeoperates asbotha Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat&Sun) Mon-Fri, lovaya 8am-5pm,restaurant 8am-midnight) spooned ratherthan drunk. The exquisite chocolate tobe drinkneeds yummy cakes provide therefreshments. sorts of coffee and34varietiesof tea plus vides acircleviewonlife belowwhileall worn by anyone withauniform inRussia. peaked hats withtopsasbig as dinnerplates, about R300youcan buyoneof black- those lice gear plussomecampingequipment.For midnight) Block Post Shopping rova 23) cherries caviar. orsalmon almost anything–cabbage, bacon,apricots, lighted area fordining.Blinycomewith conversations orshady deals,oramore Foxhole hasdarkhideaways forintimate butampleandsubtleintaste.light English-speaking waiter, andthefood is isattentive, withmaybean terrace. Service good placeto lookfor footwear. 200) large lumpsof Turkishdelight. with gnac dressing; afternoon tea isserved caviar, vegetablessalmon salad andaco- –shrimps, speciality istheGoldfishsalad ters House wonkyplastictables. containing this sunken garden leaving hidy-holeshel- in the mouth. It’s best to take a taxi (R50). in themouth.It’sbesttotake ataxi ground muttonorchicken kebab thatmelts in shashlyks andkebabs; trythe rhythms. TheArmeniancuisinespecialises added modernpoptotheirwildArmenian they’ve justcranked upthevolumeand and dancing.Thebandhasn’tchanged; of outforanight dining,winingthose intoalargephosed swankyrestaurant for beginnings, Kafé Panorama hasmetamor- Sun) Foxhole Upper Kafe Tet-a-Tet Kafe Goldfish Kafé Panorama Kafé Kafe Ajungleof rampant vinesalmostcovers . This sells nearly everything and isa nearly everything . This sells Theupper-level outsidegallery pro-

Terek In the basement of Inthebasement Kafe Terek,

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%

(Zolotaya Ribka; ulKraynego59;mealsR70- (Zolotaya Ribka; (ul Kraynego49;mealsR22-50; Fromhumblerailwaycarriage

974 090; ul Dzerzhinskogo 37; 974 090;ulDzerzhinskogo (ul Kraynego49;mealsR50-140;

(2nd fl,Tsvetnik ExhibitionHall;prKi- (ul Levanevskogo; (ul Levanevskogo;

( % 352 926;offTeplosernaya ul; Sells military and po- military Sells www.lonelyplanet.com h 7am-4pm Tue- Thistop- h stolovaya h lulya, 9am-7pm 9am-7pm h 10am- sto- a Mineralnye Vodyairportshould costR260. town centre prKirova. through to Ataxi withthe Tram 4connectsthetrainstation Around Getting ( moviche 34) the from Services &Away There Getting www.lonelyplanet.com APB Bank MONEY Network Narzan ACCESSINTERNET Bukinist BOOKSHOPS Information extensive walkingtrails. from anykioskorbookshop)shows the northern edge of town. roadonthe isontheEssentuki bus station Kurortny Park spreading tothesouth. The Marksa, respectively, linkthecentre with the eastern andwestern endsof ulKarla andNarzanGalleryatThe trainstation Orientation for adaytrip. you’re inKislovodsk notstaying thencome happy endingshere’, Lermontov wrote. If fairs thatbeginatthefootof Mashuk reach more expensive thanPyatigorsk. ‘Love af- of theresorts, ishillier,greener, prettier but Kislovodsk (SourWaters), themostpopular 822m/ pop 133,000/elevation % KISLOVODSK parture times (see parture times(see p472 ). The Add about45minutes toKislovodsk de- MasterCard andVisaATM.MasterCard advance ticket while yousitincomfort. and Teberda (R162,3½hours, 3.35pm). utes, five andfive buses daily),MineralnyeVody(R20,40min- buses R44; igorsk frequent). ket forZheleznovodsk (R14,20minutes, Maps and art albums. andart Maps % The Kartinform Kislovodsk map(R40 Marshrutka All trainsfromKislovodsk stopatPyat- 87937 5-digitnumbers,87936-digitnumbers/ h 351 334; 8am-8pm) Upstairs inthepostoffice. ( train % (bul Kurortny) Opposite Narzan Gallery. Gallery. Opposite Narzan (bulKurortny) gotoNalchik (R66,twohours, 11 h 50214; ul Karla Marksa 3; Marksa 50214; ulKarla

station 8am-1pm &2-8pm) ( 113leaves fromUpperMar- % КИСЛОВОДСК bus 61000; pl Oktyabrskaya; perhr 61000; plOktyabrskaya;

( %

station 50291; ulOktyabrskaya) marshrutky

willbookyour h ( % service h Moscow 53432; ulPuni- 9am-6pm)

daily) bureau .

famous poem, famous poem, way along the riverbank and uphill towards Lermontov’s troubled alter ego. 11am-2pm &4-6pm) lereya; Airline ticketing. executed warm yellowstone. inthesame immediately recognise thearchitectural style another mineralspringswatering place, will S Upton.Visitors England, whoknowBath, downloading toCD. 8pm) Film, digitalphotosand processing,printing centre 7am-11pm) pl; Oktyabrskaya grotto below isthe some steps, isa is asemicircle an open-airartgallery. Thecentralfeature artandcraftmake selling this merous stalls water bottlestoandfrom thesprings.Nu- chess players andholidaymakers toting park isfilledwith street artists,musicians, From JunetoAugust,thisflower-covered KURORTNY PARK The main NARZAN BATHS &GALLERY Sights KMV TRAVEL AGENCIES office Circus ticket TOURIST INFORMATION office postandtelephone Main POST Kavkaz PHOTOGRAPHY Sberbank preserved 1850s preserved inthegraceful,well- drinking fountains bles upinsideaglassdomeand feeds 12 duetododgyceilings. is closed pain butyou’llhave towaitasthebuilding toprolonglifein Turkish) issaid andease ing inNarzan(‘Drinkof Brave Warriors’ 1903 Indiantemple–style building.Bath- 2-5pm) Cashestravellerschequesandcurrency. performances SaturdayandSundayatnoon4pm. performances R150-200; tickets Various forested paths then thread their The rich, carbonicNarzanSpringbub- MINERAL WATER SPAS ••Kislovodsk (KMB; %

Photo ( 50352; Kurortny Park; admissionfree50352; Kurortny % % Narzan ( 976 047; bul Kurortny 2; 976 047;bulKurortny 61515; ul Kujbisheva 51; 61515; ulKujbisheva h % h colonnade designedbyEnglish architect The post office8am-8pm,telephone Lermontov ( azn Gallery Narzan 20803; bul Kurortny 6; 20803; bulKurortny 9am-6pm) Next to Bukinist; toBukinist; 9am-6pm) Next

% Baths demon

Demon, 59658; ul Karla Marksa 1; Marksa 59658; ulKarla

(bul Kurortny 4) (bul Kurortny , opposite which, up fromLermontov’s

statue ( believed tobe believed %

h h (Narzannaya gal- (Narzannaya 61000; . Caged ina . Caged h 8am-7pm) 9am-1pm & are ina h 10am-

7-9am, 7-9am,

477 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS 1pm &2-6pmsummer) one wayR50/30; the dzhonikidze Sanatoriumandwalk500mto The lazieroptionistoget toOr- ataxi andcatch thecablecardown. Maloe Sedlo Kislovodsk walks. mapshowsthese gime prescribed The bythesanatoriums. signed asthey’re partof theexercise re- Mt Maloe Sedlo. Mostare numbered and 478 den tothe cable carleaves 30minutes before closing. panorama of valleysandplateaus. Thelast (LittleSaddle),withitsgreatMaloe Sedlo tree tothetopof Mt height 1376m-high To Restoran Zamok (5km) 4 1 3 2 KISLOVODSK The energetic optionistoclimbMt If walkingup,paths gar- leadvia arose To Regional Museum(500m); Yaroshenko Museum(600m); MINERALWATER SPAS ••Kislovodsk cable Lermontov Cliff(3.5km)

car ὈὈ AC 14 Krasnye Kamni Krasnye Kamni

(kanatnaya doroga; (kanatnaya h

ul Chkalova 10am-1pm &2-5pmwinter10am-

that will sweep youabove thatwillsweep Yanovskogo per To Sberbank River Beryozovaya (300m)

Pervomaysky pr pr Mira pl Oktyabrskaya

13 ul Kujbisheva

1 Olkhovka River (Red Rocks),col-

ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈ

5 ul Vokzalnaya ul 11 9 7 % 12

4 pr Pobedy

10 bul Kurortny 65691; adult/child Beryozovaya Station To Bus (6km)

15 River 3 ul Karla Marksa Karla ul 8 B

2 ul Kominterna ul ul Kirova Underpass Pedestrian 19 ὈὈ ὈὈ Kurortny Park Station Train Museum lovodsk wasoneof them,andthe range. mountain Kis- along theCaucasus theGreatCatherine builtalineof forts To secure Russia’snewsouthernfrontier OTHER ATTRACTIONS northeast. (1409m)is1km Sedlo (1484m). MtBolshoe southeast alongthetoptoMtMaly Dzhinal possible viewsof MtElbrus. KrasnoeSolnyshkoHill views. Justpasthere youcanslogupto Kamni Serye an eaglesculpture. Furtheruphillare the oured bytheirironcontent andtoppedby

From thetoptrailsyoucanwalk5km ul Zhelyabova ul

ul 16

ul Uritskogo Stopani

(Kraevedchesky muzey; (Kraevedchesky 17 Horse rides ὈὈ ὈὈ 0.2miles 300m 0 0 (Grey Rocks),featuring good Narzan Gallery Gallery Narzan Kolos Sanatorium Sanatorium Kolos Lermontov Statue Kavkaz Photo Museum House Chaliapin &SIGHTS ACTIVITIES 5) Network ...... (see Narzan APB Bank INFORMATION

Philharmoniya ENTERTAINMENT ul Restoran Vesna KhmelnitskogoGolden Dragon EATING Hotel Narzan Tselebny BureauResort Hotel Korona Hotel Grand SLEEPING BathsNarzan Drinking Gallery 10) ...... (see Demon Colonnade Office &Telegraph Telephone Post, Main KMV Circus Office Ticket Bukinist ul Shalyapina ul Отель Статуя Музей Главпочтамт Билетные Книжный

6 ul Semashko КМВ

- Целебный

АПБ Дача (2.5km); RedSun Hill(4km); Лермонтова ...... Колоннада (RedSunHill),with Гранд

Mt Maloe Sedlo(5km) To RedRocks(1.6km);

Cable Carbywalking Отель Нарзанные Кассы (from R200) Магазин Кавказ Курортное Grey Rocks(2km); Филармония Нарзанная

Реторан Золотой Банк Шаляпина

......

Питьевая 18 www.lonelyplanet.com pr Lenina pr Санаторий Cable carbyroad&

Отель

To HotelDruzhba

Корона ...... Цирка

Нарзан walking (750m) Фото Rostov (150m); ...... %

ὈὈ ὈὈ ...... Букинист

Весна Дракон

ванны ......

Бюро

are possible. Галерея ...... Галерея ...... 37049; per Mira 37049; perMira ...... D ......

Колос ...... se 13) ...... (see ...... Regional Regional

pr Dzerzhinskogo ...... 18 14 16 17 10 19 13 12 15 11 6 7 1 9 8 3 2 5 4 D4 A4 C3 C2 C4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B3 B3 B3 B3 B3 B2 B2 B2

Kislovodsk 11; adult/childperexhibitionR30/10; www.lonelyplanet.com his downstairs room is devoted tophoto- his downstairs room isdevoted sian opera singer, lived here in 1917and Chaliapin, thelegendarytrain station. Rus- villanearthe is awood andstained-glass in (Lermontov Cliff One of cragsis these Lermontovskaya Skala ing valleyswith sides of crags andcliffs. is –abaize-green plateau wind- cutbydeep thesurroundingcountryside how beautiful ley of theOlkhovka River andyou’llrealise ies. AnEnglish-speakingguideisavailable. building displaysworksof hiscontemporar- proponent of Russian realism. Asecond an incomparableportraitistand a leading late-19th-centurystanding Russian artist, garden-orchard. Yaroshenko wasanout- surroundedbyamost pleasant this house painter NikolaiYaroshenko, wholived in h muzey; month German occupationin1942. month German Kislovodsk city andthesix- asahospital exhibit chronicles theGreat Patriotic War, tohim.Thesecond one displaydevoted was bornhere. there’s Disappointingly only visitors anddissidentwriter Solzhenitsyn tory. Pushkin,TolstoyandLermontov were fort. Thefirst exhibittracesthecity’shis- within theremaining wallsof that1803 % Caipn os Museum House Chaliapin Travel about4kmsoutheastintotheval- The small and endedupmarryingtheoldman. tered body, thegirl decidednottojoinhim downathissplat- did –anddied.Looking should jumpfirst,shesuggested, sohe agreed butsaidshewasafraid.Herlover lives inlove ratherthanmisery.The girl jumping offtogetherandendingtheir Faced withadilemma,theboysuggested edge ofacliffjustoutsideKislovodsk. the boy,herfamilypursuingthemto She refused thematchandranawaywith her toanold,uglybutrichmerchant. let hermarrylove ashe’dpromised from apoorfamily.Herfatherwouldn’t a richfamilywhofell inlove withaboy Local legendtells thestoryofagirl from BOY FALLS FORWRONGGIRL A Heroof OurTime 67560; adult/child R30/10; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon) % 31111; ulYaroshenko 1;adult/childR40/15; Yaroshenko ) , where theclimacticduel houses theworksof houses wasset. h

Museum 11am-6pm Wed-Mon)

h (Dom Shalyapina; 10am-6pm)

(Yaroshenko (Yaroshenko is

rortny 5;rinclbreakfast R3100; rortny 22; s/dfromR430/680; six roomsit’sbesttobook. bathrobes; somehave balconies.Withonly with sofa bedsforextraguests,safes and rooms come usual phone/fridge/cable TV, with attention todesign.Apartfromthe is anewboutiquehotel, tastefully decorated zan.kurortinfo.ru; ul Zhelyabova 5; full board/plus treatment ulZhelyabova5;fullboard/plustreatment zan.kurortinfo.ru; Korona MIDRANGE &TOPEND Resort BUDGET Sleeping Honey Waterfalls (R150,2.30pmdaily). day, Thursday, SaturdayandSunday) and Sunday),Dombay(R300,6.30amTues- Elbrus (R300,6.30amWednesday,Saturday Pavement excursions sellersandhotels sell to Tours glaze-tiled chimney. with cherubs andfruitdesigns,alovely plaster ceilingsburstingadmire marvellous graphs of hisvariousroles.Onecanalso often full.There’s abarand restaurant. astheplaceis vance bookingisessential renovatedbeen sothey’re thecheapies. Ad- your visa withtheTselebnyyour visa NarzanHotel. member canspeaksomeEnglish.Register apartments (fromR100toR500).Astaff ment R705toR8025)andrenters of rooms/ (accommodationandtreat-eral sanatoriums h Tselebny Narzan Hotel Tselebny Narzan Hotel Kurortny 14;s/dinclbreakfast fromR980/1400) Kurortny Grand Hotel AUTHOR’S CHOICE ing when you come out ofyourroom. youfeelroof makes thesunisalways shin- floor’s the best;alightlytinted blueglass come with bathrobesandhairdryer. The 3rd are well-furnishedand spaciousbathrooms a timeupthree flightsofstairs. The rooms tohefttwosuitcases atof theburlyporter grand entrancestaircase andthereadiness place –thesmileof thereceptionist, the thatmarkoutaclassythose littleextras definitely thenicestplacein townwithall 7am-7pm) MINERAL WATER SPAS ••Kislovodsk

Bureau

Hotel Druzhba Thebureau isanagency forsev-

(Kurortnoe byuro; (Kurortnoe ( %

( %

Rostov 50396; [email protected];bulKu- p 33119; [email protected]; bul 33119; [email protected]; ) Someroomshave not

(

% ( pa % 66600; pr Dzerzhinskogo 66600; prDzerzhinskogo % 66197; www.intournar 33165; train station; 33165; trainstation; ) TheKorona

is

479 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS 7; fullboardsfromR895-2500,dR1320-4160) dishes R210-400; R80-250) 12; mealsR140-400) Golden Eating s R1950/2300,dR2300/3000,deluxe R5000; 480 (like withafire beingdoused hose). baths, hotNarzanbaths andshockshowers mud through circulation, jointsandnerves foreigners. Medically theydealwithheart, is oneof thefew toaccept sanatoriums Live musicand dancingbeginafter 7pm. for different dishes make youfeel wanted. less tea, hottowels,littleplates andwarmers end- temptmight you.Attention toservice, Dragon’s menuof Korean andJapanese food man ata pianoentertains thediners. restaurant spreads outside anda itstables gate further. the Onwarmsummer nights chief’ wedidn’tinvesti- forR85,although English offers fromthe a‘fragrant salting Themenuin first-class foodand service. a sauna (nonguestsperhourR50). a sauna change andplaneticketing counters. There’s registrationis avisa agency (R350)withex- add-on sittingroomsandJacuzzis. Thehotel are more thanadequate; deluxe roomshave you canforgive thehotel’s choice. Allrooms hotel. Unlessyouhave aWildetemperament dying words–andisnowonthewallsof this –they wereWilde. Thewallpaperstayed his orIdo’:Oscar ‘Either thiswallpapergoes Vesna Restoran Restoran Zamok Restoran Kolos Major distancetrains: onlyhave Vody(R38.50,1¾hours);weekends threeMineralnye trains(11am,4pmand 9.05pm). elektrichka tPtrbr 4 45p diy 6r R2660 46hr daily 4.50pm 49 * viaUkraine St Petersburg Sochi 642 Moscow* 27 7.42pm Moscow 3 35hr 5.52pm 7.10pm daily 145 Minsk R2840 27½hr Kyiv 25 daily daily 3.11pm Departures Destination Train Frequency Duration R1990 11.38am Fare odds 40hr evens R1430 28½hr summer From Kislovodsk’sattractive FROMKISLOVODSKTRAIN SERVICES 14½hr R1250 R760 MINERALWATER SPAS ••Zheleznovodsk

Dragon TheGrandHotel’s restaurant has

Sanatorium service through Essentuki (R11,30minutes) toPyatigorsk(R16.50,50minutes) throughEssentuki and service h (Zolotoy Drakon; Tired of shashlyk?Golden

noon-late;

( % (

% ( % 33119; bul Kurortny 14;meals 33119; bulKurortny 34609; Alikonovskoe uschelje; /fax 31112;perYanovskogo a % ) 67002; ul Shalyapina 67002; ulShalyapina This modern train station pas This

( % )

52270; ulVokzalnaya) down onKislovodsk. onthebalcony andlook made wine. Eat lavash provides and goodshashlyk,salad Sedlo and neoclassicalauditorium. inabeautifulbaroque and comedyevents moniya presents concerts,opera,musical (852m) onthe northern sideof Mt Beshtau. Waters) liesat the foot of Mt Zheleznaya The smallest spatown, Zheleznovodsk (Iron % ZHELEZNOVODSK the from Services &Away There Getting R90-1000) Philharmoniya Entertainment expensive. shouldcostabout R70. Ataxi dishes are Georgian andthewineishellishly the restaurant ispseudomedieval, setting for locals,visitors andweddingparties.The the boxed text, p479 ). It’safavoured place the locallegend of treachery andlove (see Alikonovka gorge, was builttotradeon castle, 7kmwestof Kislovodsk inthe service). Pyatigorsk (R60, 7.30am to1pm,frequent Marshrutky hours, 12.40pm) viaMineralnyeairport. dates)2pm even andKrasnodar (R381,10 (R539,15½hours,hours, 6pm),Gelendzhik Promyshlennaya 4) The toDombaycostsR1600 R2500. A taxi 86532 /pop 29,000/ (flatbread) of plusbigglasses home- café Foundedin1895,thePhilhar- ( h leave for fromthe trainstation

( headtoAnapa(R510,13 10am-6pm) % there’s afrequent weekday 20422; ul Karla Marksa 1; tickets 1;tickets Marksa 20422; ulKarla bus ЖЕЛЕЗНОВОДСК h www.lonelyplanet.com ontopof MtMaloe

station Moscow

( % 41161; ul the howtheplacelooked initsheyday,visit see have rundryorfallenintodisrepair. To main, three water. withthesame Others wife andsister received treatment here. torium 19th-century palace,nowpartof the Emirof blue-and-yellowlate- Bukhara’s ineleganceandcomposition. ercise gorsk’s Lermontov Gallery,it’sasimilar ex- erected in 1901.AcompaniontoPyati- prefabricated buildingfromWarsaw and (Pushkinskaya gallereya), imported asa and-white, iron-and-glass calligraphy. minareta pseudo anddecorative Arabic is theIslamicinfluence–pointed arches, forawhilebutofclosed particularinterest Baths the red-and-white-striped 1893 problems. metabolic waters are fordigestive, used kidneyand towardsnaturalforest.tain Zheleznovodsk parkspreadsthe pleasant upthemoun- Solovyev. Caucasus by www.lonelyplanet.com forested valley, visitors to Dombay are awinding narrow and Zooming through % DOMBAY in thisarea should read Nalchik. accessible fromPyatigorsk, Kislovodsk and ing andclimbing are DombayandElbrus, ed byforeigners forwonderfulskiing,hik- destinations mostvisit- The twomountain КАВКАЗ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНЫЙ CAUCASUS CENTRAL Lermantova 3;adult/childR10/5; good photographcollection. across fromTelmana Sanatorium. Ithasa Of theresort’s 54springs,onlyfourre- Another Islamic-influencedgem nearbyis Another beautifulbuildingistheblue- walkingup,have around Before anose It’s an ideal half-day tripfromPyatigorsk It’s anidealhalf-day Anyone considering hikingorclimbing marshrutka 87872 / elevation 1600m/ 87872 /elevation local museum (Ostrovoskiye Vanny). They’ve been (SanatoryTelmana) complex.Lenin’s byYuryKolomiets andAlexey ДОМБАЙ . Get off on ul Lenina, where onulLenina, off . Get

(Kraevedchesky muzey; (Kraevedchesky h Trekking h 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) Pushkin Gallery Pushkin Moscow Telman Sana- % Ostrovsky Ostrovsky

42602; ul in

the

the bottom cable car station sell maps. sell the bottom cablecarstation ridge totheeast.Kiosks by Thief) (Horse four chairlifts ascendtheMussa-Achitara of Dombay.Fromhere acablecar and sides of theAmanauzRiver isthevillage ally astheTeberda River. Straddlingboth herethe east–meet toflownorth,eventu- from thesouthand Dombay-Yolgen from torrents –Alibekfromthewest,Amanauz Three valleyswatered deep byglacier-fed Orientation stupendous vista. fail tobeknocked theirperches off bythis would blaséaboutmountains Only those summits. Thisistheheartof theCaucasus. crownedwithwhite shark-teeth mountains suddenly confronted withasheer wallof snow peaks,glaciers views. anddistant but alsoeasilyat3000m,where youcanscan ture hotels canbefullandpricestriple. peak skiseason , late DecembertoApril, increasing numberof visitors; duringthe New hotels andcafésare beingbuiltforan are whatattract visitors.plain sightseeing means thatforeigners require permits for ofThe closeness the Abkhazia border Information flora and fauna, see theboxedflora andfauna,see text, p483 . Not onlycanyougawkfromthebottom Skiing, walking,hiking,climbing and Dombay isattheheartof ceeded by15Caucasus peaks. highest inWestern Europe at4807m,is ex- mountain –MtElbrus(5642m);MontBlanc, Russia isproudofitshighestEuropean 30 over 4500mandseven over 5000m. highest. There are 200peaksover 4000m, where theyare narrowestandthepeaks especially inthemiddlethirdofranges ern side,andsomeare 13kmor14kmlong, 2000 ofthem,mostedging downthenorth- and Azerbaijan. Georgiasouthern frontierwithAbkhazia, boundary, itswatershed forming Russia’s and isageographical,politicalethnic mountain rangeis25millionyearsold The 1100km-long remarkable Caucasus THE CAUCASUS RANGE

Reserve The rangeislittered withglaciers,about CENTRAL CAUCACUS •• Dombay

(admission R20) which isrich in Teberdinsky

481

Na- RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS climbing, ski hire andborderpermitarrangement. climbing, ski excursions,guides, & 2-6pm)Accommodationbooking, nonperishable informationandphotographs. nonperishable peaks, valleysandglaciers. cent skiingandviewsaroundtheDombay Mussa-Achitara ridge provides magnifi- Dombay-Yolgen Valley, the3012m-high Thrusting upthenorthsideof the MUSSA-ACHITARA Sights &Activities www.dombai.info Tourist July–August. exceptmid- andclimbs. Summerguideservice hikes h Rescue BARS an ATM andexchanges foreign currency. roubles.Hotel GornyeVershinyenough has and Mussa-Achitara ridge. Comewith anywhere otherthanthevillage environs 482 per hrR100 rafting andkayaking. rafting paragliding, hire andlessons,heliskiing, ski booking, registration, borderpermitarrangement,excursions,hotel (360km) on-Don To Rostov- Arkhyz CENTRAL CAUCASUS Nevinnomyssk 24hr) Emergencyhelp,plusadviceonmore technical CENTRALCAUCACUS ••Dombay (BARC; (BARC;

Post Service h KARACHAY-CHERKESSIA % (SpasatelnayaSluzhba; Karachaevsk Dombay 8am-11pm) Internetaccess,foreigner Teberda ( 58223; [email protected]; % REPUBLIC A155 Infrequently updatedbutwithsome Mt Dombay- Cherkessk 58238; [email protected];

(4046m) River Yolgen Teberda M29 Gumbashi Pass (2313m) Ku

(2781m) Klukhor

b Pass an

% River (100km) To Sukhumi A157 58138; h 9am-1pm Kislovodsk Essentuki Mt Elbrus (5642m) Terskol (85km) To Zugdidi Mt Ushba (4700m) low season) 9am-5pmSat&Sun season, 9am-11am&3-5pmMon-Fri, car (2500–3000m) complete theascent. Dolina. Chairlifts3(2260–2500m)and4 the cablecarfromnearHotel Solnechnaya Alternatively,upper cablecarstation. take (1600–1700m) and2(1700–2260m)tothe be completed for2006.Take chairlift 1 h permit (free), obtainable fromone ofpermit (free), obtainable the The following routes require aborder WALKS &HIKES at hotels ortravel agencies. equipment andsnowboardscanberented local guide,butbeware of avalanches. Ski terrain existsforskitouringifyouhave a Achitara ridge downto1620m.Plentyof for experiencedskiers fromthe Mussa- late May. There are runs goodlong,steep Alps, ispossiblefromNovember until Excellent skiing, similartotheEuropean SKIING Elbrus Pyatigorsk Access isbyfour

Vody Mineralnye 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pmSat&Sun) 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, ( % Mestia Georgievsk GEORGIA 58238; adult/childR200/100; KABARDINO-BALKARIA . Anadditionalcablecarshould M29 Lygyt REPUBLIC Mt Shkhara (5068m) Mt Dykhtau (5204m) Canyon Chegem Baxan Bezengi chairlifts chairlifts www.lonelyplanet.com Verkhnyaya Babugent Balkariya Nalchik Chegem-2

River (130km) To Kutaisi h

Prokhladny (per stageR100; Lakes Blue anda 9am-5pm high M29 To Kutaisi (140km) cable

Central Caucasus rescuing youifget lost. peoplearemember, these responsible for the terrain wellandcangive advice. Re- speaking) guidesattherescue postknow The hardy,friendly(somewhatEnglish- tial rivers. Plusthere’s abearpopulation. tocrossglaciersto; youneed andtorren- are sights most spectacular trickytoget journeys neartheborderassomeof the travel for agencies. Aguideisessential www.lonelyplanet.com Verkhny with predators, including inhabit thelarge, wild,unpopulated oftheCaucasus. tracts Birdlife isequallyrich,especially Teberda Reserve. The toseeanyoftheseexceptgoatandbison,asthey casualvisitorisunlikely populate theCaucasus. have European been reintroduced bison,locallyonceextinct, intothe perennials.alpine grasslandshave manyendemiclow-growing subalpine meadowsare hometomanyfloweringspeciesandrhododendronbushes. still, Higher higher thanahuman.Conifer forests dominate withincreasing altitudeandabove thetree line the Teberdinsky Nature alongwithgigantic Reserve, 600-year-old beechesandaspeciesofgrass rainforest dominates withoak,beechandchestnut.Ancientgroves ofyewremain inplaceslike fauna. Three progressions ofvegetation exist.Bythecoast andatloweraltitudestemperate Altitude, climate rangesandinaccessibilityhave made theCaucasus extremely richinfloraand FLORA ANDFAUNA Tsey Pass (2820m) Mamisonsky Bear, wolf, wild boar, lynx, jackal, ibex,deer,tur(wildCaucasian goat),chamoisandwildsheepBear, wolf,wildboar,lynx,jackal, Mizur Ardon Alagir OSSETIA NORTH Mozdok

Tsmity Ter Buron ek M29 0 0 OSSETIA SOUTH Fiagdon Verkhny Riv Dzuarikau Dargavs er Beslan Krestovy Pass A301 Karmadon Mt Kazbek (2379m) (5033m) eagles, hawksandblackgriffonvultures.

Vladikavkaz

Terek River Mt Tebulosmta(45km); Bazardyuzyu (290km) M3 Gudauri M29 Pasanauri Highway Military Georgian Kazbegi INGUSHETIA CHECHNYA GEORGIA To Tbilisi To Grozny (80km) 30 miles 50 km (65km) To the scree on its right side to Lake Turie.the scree sidetoLake onitsright left sideyoucanwalk ontheglacierandup foot of thefallsandthenscramble upthe Falls. Ifyoucrossthedodgy bridge atthe woodstothedramaticAlibek head through fork leftfromthe pathafter thehostel, and from Dombay.Astrenuous variation isto to little TurienearAlibekGlacier, 9km Lake after 2km.Fromthehostel apathascends eers’ hostel, passingaclimbers’ cemetery leads 6kmupAlibekValley toamountain- The track behind Hotel Solnechnaya Dolina Alibek Glacier Mill) viewpoint. a waterfall and Chyortova Melnitsa (Devil’s of twosets woodsto about 4km,upthrough from theDombayhousingarea for andgoes A marked trail, inparts,leads south steep Amanauz Valley another waterfall, thisoneover 70mhigh. (North)Ptysh Valleywalk upSeverny and falls, apathforkssouthforsteady 2km Pass. Twentyminutes downstream fromthe falls, asteep pathleadstowardsChuchkhur to thefirst of set waterfalls. Past thewater- yana clearing;it’sanothertwohours (5km) track andthenbranch acrossRusskayaPol- River.Chuchkhur First, followthevehicle of chairlift 1totwofinewaterfalls onthe It’s aneasyscenic6km walkfromthe start Waterfalls &PtyshValleyChuchkhur onovbashi (3602m) above AlibekValley. (4046m), (3409m) and Sulakhat clude Semy- Sofrudzhu (3780m), Dombay-Yolgen Peaks thatcanbe from Dombayin- tackled CLIMBS CENTRAL CAUCACUS •• Dombay

483 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄ

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS from oneof thelocaltravel agencies. come inorganised groupsortohire aguide information, it’smore usualforclimbers to While therescue postcouldprovide some Dombay 484 Hotel Snezhinka Hotel Sleeping &Eating lakes, castleruins. waterfalls andmedieval hours)R400, three tomore toseven distant and lakes, excursions andjeep (R200to four toninehours) tovariouswaterfalls tours. Includedare walks (R150toR375, The travel agencies andhotels organise Tours Just behind Hotel Solnechnaya Dolina, this .ru; d/lyux R1000/3500, 4-person cottageR12,000; 4 1 3 2 Glacier DOMBAY Alibek Mt Sulakhat Mt Ertsog CENTRALCAUCACUS ••Dombay (3409m) (3863m) Police Police BARS INFORMATION Tourist Service Service Tourist Rescue Post Спасательная

Alibek Alibek Pass (3168m)

Falls 6   БАРС Милиция 2 AC 7 Turie Lake 0 0 5 ...... 9

Турист (Snowflake; (Snowflake; 4 3 ......

Служба

Mt Semyonovbashi Сервис 0.2 miles ...... 400 m (3602m) Mt Belalakaya

%

10   Alibek 8 1 .....(see 9) .....(see (3861m) 54321; dombay@ok Mt Sofrudzhu 3 2 1

A3 A3 B3 River (3780m) Mountaineers' To SeverneyPriyut(16km); Sofrudzhu Pass Klukhor Pass(20km) Hostel B

Dolina Solnechnaya Hotel Hotel Gornye Vershiny Hotel Crystal SLEEPING Hotel Snezhinka Teberda (19km); Солнечная Гостиница Гостиница Вершины Гостиница Гостиница See Enlargement as (Devil's Mill) Mt Amanauzbashi Chyortova (3757m) Melnitsa ...... ὄὄὄ ὄὄ 

)

Снежинка Горные Кристалл Amanauz

Долина River River Khuty Amanauz R800/1000, cottages R500/700; R1000/2000/3000/3600; [email protected]; s/d/tr/q inclbreakfast &dinnerfrom billiards complete thepicture. with openfire. restaurant, and Bar, sauna mantic three-storey wood-panelledcottage Rooms are doublesonlyandthere isaro- is oneof the nicestof Dombay’shotels. ment can behired here. lyux the air. Roomsare all well kitted outand sian buildings.A hint of pineresin pervades without nailsinthe mannerof northRus- friendly placeismade entirely of wood and first hotel inDombay, this picturesque and Cable

...... Car Hotel SolnechnayaDolina Hotel Hotel ...... GEORGIA

...... River

comewith sittingrooms. Skiequip- Mt Dzhuguturluchat River Dombay-Yolgen

(1-4)

Chair Lifts (3896m) Crystal

7 6 4 5 Russkaya Polyana Russkaya A3 A3 A3 A3 ὄ ὄὄὄ  Mt Mussa-Achitara (3012m)

Cable Car, Lower Station Station Lower Car, Cable Café Crystal EATING Bus Station TRANSPORT Chairlift #1Chairlift

Дороги Дорога Станция Автобусная ( %

Ptysh Pass p 58555; rlow/high seasonfrom River Ptysh Severny (2995m)

...... Gonachkhir River Gonachkhir Канатно

) Chuchkhur Канатной Кафе Builtin1936as the Chuchkhur River Waterfalls www.lonelyplanet.com 2km 1mile 0 0

Остановка pn Mt Dombay-Yolgen (Sunny Valley;

Кристалл - ὄ ὄ Кресельная (4046m)

Нижняя ) D The Crys- ...... se 4) (see ...... Chuchkhur Pass (2712m) %

10 9 8 A3 B3 B3 58269; deluxe fromR1300,lyuxR2400; 58230; dsummer/winterR400/450,fullboardplusR200, with shared bathrooms. views.Cottages aremountain simplerooms wood-panelled roomswithbalconiesand rooms sharingbathroomsandgoodluxury isafriendlynewhoteltal withstandard www.lonelyplanet.com ( to the Teberda , 20km northof Dombay, ishome % TEBERDA crossing borders therepublics. between tours aren’t daily.Take yourpassportfor return anotherdaybut remember thatthe Arrange withthe tourleaderordriver to chain.tain Thecoach stopsforphotographs. Mt Elbruslording itabove thewholemoun- Gumbashi Pass, withgobsmacking viewsof sion fromKislovodsk orPyatigorsk. expensive (uptoR2500)oradayexcur- taxi and returns at1.30pm.Alternatives are an for Cherkessk (R150, three hours, 8.30am) marshrutka Public transportisvery limited; adaily &Away There Getting Georgian-style hats(R50toR400). to R2000),socks(R30R100) andfelt theiroutputoftions selling shawls(R150 all aroundthevillage andchairlift sta- The localbabushkaknitting-circle hasstalls Shopping sing; expecttobeinvited in. come toeat,tellstories,sinkvodkaand tall refectory where tables, groupsof Russians theporchthrough intoacosyroomwith The smellof good cookingwillleadyou chairlift stops. around thevillage, and cablecarstations with amultitudeof cafésandfoodstalls guides. with English-andGerman-speaking walks, skiingandsnowboardinginstruction bowling alley,discoinwinter, free guided score – moneyexchange andATM, sauna, basic andtimeworn,butit’sthefacilitiesthat groups asit’scheap. Roomsare somewhat monstrosities, thishotel ispopularwith relic of theSoviet love withconcrete affair % Hotel GornyeVershiny Hotel These excursions takeThese youover the2313m Café Dombayisblessed During peakseasons 87872 / 51261; admissionR15;

Teberdinsky Nature Reserve Headquarters Headquarters Teberdinsky Reserve Nature Crystal h ТЕБЕРДА departs Dombay’s bus station departsDombay’sbusstation

Moscow (meals R110-200; h

8.30am-5.30pm) s (Mountain Peaks; ) Despite being a Despite beinga h 9am-midnight) . The re- % /fax

those to those hours here, fortheroundtrip–start asdo west up Dzhamagat Valley andaroundseven skaya ul192; skaya p487 detailsonpermits. , forfurther groups (five minimum)forR300aday. canprovidequarters. Thereserve guidesfor head- a permit(R5)fromtheNature Reserve border permitformostof thewalksandalso to the rooms thatcomewithasittingroom.Walks shared bathroom R200-250) after 1MBperMBR2.80; after 1st fl, per hrR35. Shogentsukova 14; Sberbank MONEY café Internet ACCESSINTERNET Border police BORDER PERMITS Information Elbrusmaps. gional anddetailed Kartinform Nalchik mapthatincludesre- theexcellent sell ul. KiosksonprLenina tre onOsetinskaya fromthetrainstation gentsukova, thecen- runsouthwestthrough andprSho-Two parallelstreets, prLenina Orientation visitors cometoNalchik toreach MtElbrus. villages, andsomemedieval Chegem Canyon andasidetripsto a worthwhilemuseum Apartfrom sian advancesintotheCaucasus. was foundedasafortin1822toprotect Rus- steppes tothefoothillsof It theCaucasus. of Republic,stridestherise the Balkaria Nalchik of capital the , pleasant Kabardino- % NALCHIK decent that are covered bytheentrancefee. There’s hasanature andasmallzoo museum serve CD/print digitalper photoR3/10. CD/print Main post & telephone office post& telephone Main POST &TELEPHONE Smart PHOTOGRAPHY & 2-3.30pm)Cashestravellers checks,changescurrency. 86622 /pop283,000 ( % Dzhamagatskie Narzany mineralsprings Narzany Dzhamagatskie accommodation CENTRAL CAUCACUS •• Teberda ( Mukhinsky Pass Mukhinsky % 423 010;prLenina 20; h НАЛЬЧИК ( (Pogranzastava; 426 836; ul Khuranova 9; 426 836;ulKhuranova % 9am-6pm Mon-Fri) See the boxed text, theboxed text, See 9am-6pm Mon-Fri) h 426 345;prLenina 41;perhrR40, 8am-9pm) HasInternet access on h in pleasant wood-lined wood-lined inpleasant

10am-8pm). ( (east). You’ll need a a (east).You’llneed % h % ( 51433; perpersonwith h % Moscow 916 510;Kabardin- 9am-8pm) Burnto 425 989;pr h 9.15am-1pm 485

– RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS 2100) have littlebalconiesfromwhere guests can water 11pmand5am.Front rooms between being renovated butguestsstilldon’tget any h iskusstv; nykh and the industrial development ofand theindustrialdevelopment thestate. peoples,theRussianconquest and Balkarian history, prehistory, originsof theKabardian of Displayscover themountains. natural ticketing. Grand Caucasus Hotel Hotel Grand Caucasus Sleeping &Eating R40; seum The interesting Sights KMV Soobsheny; Air CommunicationsAgency TRAVEL AGENCIES 486 Tue-Sat) admission R10,camera/videoR30/100; the park. front roomshave bigbalconiesfor viewing to amixture of fine rooms.Third-floor you upstairs sweeps peted grandstaircase this isthestateliest hotel inNalchik. Acar- Sosruko. a lake towoodedhillsandtheRestaurant for its rotating exhibitionsoffor itsrotating localart. over 2kmsouthof town.A p mail.ru; ulTarchokova 2;s/dinclbreakfast fromR1500/2000; ticketing; inthefoyerofHotelRossiya. ticketing; ground A large, fineparkwithapermanent Hotel Rossiya Hotel If you’re passing,the for his people. Victorious, ofcourse, hereturned withfire to meethis destiny–afight with Nezakve. up. Hewas named Sosruko and grew up until ahero,bornout ofalarge stone,rose fire. suffered The formany years called cameandstoletheirInizh Nezakve anddefence.cooking Onedayan evilgiant enjoyed theirfires forwarmth,Kabardians manyother peoplesinprehistory,Like LOCAL HERO 10am-6pm Sat-Thu) ) CENTRALCAUCACUS ••AroundNalchik Inawoodedsuburbsouthwestof town, (KMB; h ThecentralRossiyahasimproved since

(Natsionalny muzey; has a good 3-D topographical map hasagood3-Dtopographicalmap

11am-7pm Mon,9am-7pmTue-Sun) (pr Shogentsukova; % % % 423 326;ulLenina 43; 440 470;prLenina 32; 423 778;prLenina 35;admissionR10;

( Kabardino-Balkar NationalMu- Kabardino-Balkar % is worththeentrancefee 775 378;prLenina 32;rR600- ( % % h 477 266;grand_kavkas@ (Agentstvo Vozdushnykh Vozdushnykh (Agentstvo Art Gallery Art 776 880;ulGorkogo62; 9am-dusk) h chairlift h h 8am-6pm) Air 9am-7pm) Air 10am-5.30pm stretches

(Izobrazitel- crosses

(one way fair- etinskaya) Gagarina 124) Gagarina 9pm) 43; salads andhamburgerssalads are alsoonoffer. a full-blown bar. cakes, Delectable snacks, things withicecream andfruitisalso Rossiya, thisdepartmentstore nice does a children’s hang-out.Located byHotel outline of apirate ship,asthisisnotstrictly hook-handed pirate thatgreets youbythe The spectacular part ofThe spectacular the canyon is44km west of Nalchik, to reach the Turn southwest atChegem-2, 17kmnorth- AROUND NALCHIK totheairport isR70. (R4030). Ataxi There are toMoscowVnukovo dailyflights &Away There Getting Cherkess Shopping drivers.dogs orloungingtaxi ofaddress assembly stray theearly-morning mushrooms andherbsinapastrypear. the Sosrukospecial,aconcoctionof mince, race leadstothetopchairlift Order station. canvas of moodyweather. Anoutdoorter- anever-changing range and see Caucasus head, fromwhere diners cangazeover the holding aflame. Therestaurant isinthe text, left ), an outstretched armandhand boxed theheadofcomprises Sosruko(see ally unusualrestaurant, perched uponahill, alnye Vody(R75, 2½hours, five daily). 1.10am, 10.40amand5.05pm) Miner- daily),Kislovodsk11 buses (R75,2½hours, hats (R500toR4000)anddrinking vessels. breast pockets forgun cartridges (R7000), items coatscomplete such with asCossack allmannerofThis shopsells Cherkessian ul; mealsR100-345; 6.30pm) tion splitsoff to Sochi (R950,16½hours). Rostovthrough (R900,13hours) andasec- Moscow (R2100, 38hours, 3.25pm)passes Vody (R42,3¾hours, 7.16am).Train41to near theRossiyaandisgoodforbreakfast. Café Darida Café ue fo the from Buses Restaurant Children rm the From Supermarket h Never mindthefigure Never of abearded, 9am-9pm) This

an House ’ serve Pyatigorsk (R70,2½hours, serve s

World stolovaya elektrichka

Sosruko (ul Pushkina 66a; meals R25-85; (ul Pushkina

( StockupforvisitstoElbrus.

train % Bosfor h

(pr Lenina; mealsR60-220; 426 171;prLenina 49; 10am-late)

station

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( Elbrus % -café withcheap eatsis runstoMineralnye www.lonelyplanet.com 720 070;offProfsoyuznaya

Thisarchitectur- ( % ( % Chegem Canyon 420 265;prLenina ( 774 110;ulOs- % h 915 923;ul 9am-7pm) h h 8am- 9am- .

fensive tower. village isan18th-centurythree-storey de- to the10thand11thcenturies.Within village archaeological sites,several including after the snowmeltsinmid-June. road squeeze. Thewaterfall isspectacular which20m wide,through bothriver and Waterfall up thevalley,justpast30m www.lonelyplanet.com group. foreign tourists come ona prearranged tour tion and borderpermitcomplexities, most across the valley.Given registra- thevisa Mt Elbrus, ortheycan viewitspeaksfrom chairlifts orcablecars toreach theslopesof than Dombay,but day-trippers canuse –pullsina morebruse adventurous crowd climbing. there’s energetic skiing, excitinghikes and come forthemajestic where mountains yard of rustingsteel work.Butvisitors or demolishedconstructionsand ascrap grace, withitsdecrepit buildings,half-built Switzerland lessattractive. Terskol is adis- along thevalleyfloormake thispotential butequallyawe-inspiring. height the valleyare thatare in mountains lesser Valley.Baksan Surroundingitandflanking spur of ridge atthe endof theCaucasus the Mt Elbrus imperiouslyonanorthern rises h % AREA ELBRUS Verkhny Chegem, another20kmon,has The area –knownin Russian as Priel- The touristfacilitiesthatare littered to easematters along. surprised ifasmallpaymentissuggested terpreter; twodaysanddon’tbe ittakes details. Allofthisisbestdonewithanin- citizenshipdates andpassport ofbirth, routes, dates, who’sgoing–fullnames, form completed inRussian.Detailyour you’ll needthr tour where allthisis could beeasier,like lice (Pogranzastava)inNalchik( p485 ). Life Free permitsare issuedbythe BorderPo- WITH BUREAUCRACY BORDER PERMITS –ANENCOUNTER Moscow 2085m/ (Terskol) 86638 /elevation withstonemausoleumsdatingback . The canyon is 250m high butonly . Thecanyonis250mhigh ee copiesofanapplication ПРИЕЛЬБРУСЬЕ being onanorganised done foryou,butsolo Chegem Lygyt the doctor comestoyou. the doctor (per hrR60).Mosthotelshaveinternationalpayphones. isopen24hoursandInternetavailableuntil8pm section h climbed on31 July1868 and thewestern on his own.The lower peakwas officially as aguide, apparently reaching thepeak with Killar, aloneCircassian hunter hired brus was in1829byaRussian expedition ievery‘thousands’, bigmountain). it’s ‘Mingi-Tau’while inBalkar (meaning meaning TwoHeads, comesfromPersian riversseveral here. start The name‘Elbrus’, merous glaciers grind downitsflanksand reputedly coated iniceupto 200m thick;nu- and Asia. Thisvolcanicconehas upperslopes is thegeographical Europe dividebetween ridge that lyingontheCaucasus mountain, inthevicinity.It’sEurope’shighest thing else at 5621m–bulges nearly1000mabove any- peaks –thewestern at5642mandeastern Mt Elbrus,enigmaticallyunusualwithtwo MT ELBRUS Sights &Activities post Rescue office Post andtelephone Police ( Terskol orAzau.The There are inCheget, nopolicestations Information inChegetfrom stalls Polyana. good Elbrusmap;othermapsare available proposition thanTerskol. thislittlevillagestalls, isamore attractive With newprivate hotels, cafésandmarket ofPolyana atthebase Cheget mountain. office. Another1.5kmdownhillis Cheget with afew hotels, basicshops andapost open allyearandthere’s onehotel. barbecues churn outshashlyks.Afew cafés mittens, socksandsweaters –andsmoky ting outputof thelocalbabushkas–mohair theknit- sell the ground.Inbusytimesstalls from upMtElbruswhichstarts can’tbe seen endsat The road Azau where thecablecar Orientation Doctor ATM.Visa h % The first, unconfirmed climbof MtEl- The Kartinform Nalchik mapincludesa About 3kmdownhillis Terskol village post 9am-4pm Tue-Fri, 9am-3pmSat)Thetelephone post 9am-4pmTue-Fri, 24hr) Handlesmountainrescue. 71140; Terskol) CENTRAL CAUCACUS ••ElbrusArea (

on %

call 71102) (SpasatelnayaSluzhba; ( % does have does aMasterCard and 71103) There is no doctor’s surgery, 71103) There isnodoctor’s ( Turbaza % 71222; Terskol; %

71489; Terskol; Terskol

Hotel 487

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS h chairlift alsohasagoodcafé.A twin peaks.MirBar at 3500m,fromwhere the youcanfirst see during October orNovember. run year-round exceptformaintenance ues to3700m.Bothcablecars andchairlift cable car station isgoodforbeginners.cable carstation skiing. Theskitowjustupfrom the lower (free ride) are alsoopportunitiesforoff-piste andchallengingsteep runs.Fromhere there haslong, from theuppercablecarstation which provide gentle skiing.Winter skiing sible onthelowerslopesabove thechairlift cember toMay, whileall-yearskiingispos- charge fromR400an hour. for English-speakinginstructors who’ll Polyana fromabout R300aday;askaround hotels andskishopsatAzauCheget canbehired andages.levels Gear at many There’s skiing andsnowboarding tosuitall Skiing Azau Cable Cars &Chairlift state. above 3700m;it’svalidforthe wholeof the Apparently it’sstillthere, somewhere. hauled tothetopforadvertising purposes. Rover inaLand cycle withskis,andeven craft, hanggliders, paragliders, amotor- have air- doneinmanyways:bylight been could share thenews.Ascent anddescent takeneven tothetopsoComradeStalin hundreds of climbers; atelephone cablewas times, there were massascentsinvolving inSovietitions. Forpropagandapurposes, peak on28July1874,bothbyBritish exped- 488 a snow cat(group of 10€200) from theBar- takes aboutanhour. poles. The walkbackdown tothechairlift 20m to30m totheleft-hand sideof marker open andothers keep concealed. Generally at theBarrels asthere are some crevasses, TakePriyut 11(Priyut odinnadtsat). advice ofcause –upto thealtitudeandcrevasses about 1½hours – fairlyeasybutslowbe- chairlift uptotheBarrels, thenwalkfor Hiking groups cantake thecablecars and Hiking The Azauslopesare afavourite fromDe- A permit(US$20)isrequired forascent Climbers and sightseers cangetClimbers aride on and sightseers 9am-3.30pm) CENTRALCAUCACUS ••ElbrusArea cable cars

(R140, daypassR500; rise from 2350m to Mir Bar from2350mtoMirBar rise

(per stagereturn R140;firststage h 9am-3pm) contin- Either of thelower opportunities. the northsidehasoff-piste piste withmogulswhilefor itsdifficult Orunbashi (3769m). Cheget isfamous ValleyBaksan isaspurof Mt Donguz- This onthesouthsideofmountain the MT CHEGET are stronglyrecommended. guided climbingonMtElbrusandguides hours upandthree tofourhours down. to10 inaday–abouteight the finalassault atPriyut11,usuallydo having acclimatised headingforthetop, Those acclimatisation. gainingaltitude spend sometimeatheight snow andicewithcrampons.Climbers will of fitness;mostof theworkiswalking on asisagooddegreeience oniceisadvisable, which itisoften compared. Climbingexper- MtKilimanjaro withis harderthan,say, Mt Elbrus is nottechnically but difficult Climbing five hours. toeight Rocks, 4500m,fromwhere anascenttakes ofrels uptothestart Pastukhov orMirBar h several cafés.Aneasy7kmpathroundthe several sides,into thedistance. craggy between length of thedeep ValleyBaksan as itfades, a smallpeak.Descending,you’ll view the From thetop,anhour’swalktakes you to Donguzorun-Chegetkarabashi (4454m). jagged peaksandnear-vertical sidesof Mt twin peaksof MtElbrus,totheeast To thewestare thesmoothmilky-white isquickly revealed.rounding mountains chairlift up,therawmajesty of thesur- another takes youupto3040m.Ridingthe from Cheget Polyanaat2100mto 2700m; There accidentrate fromnon- isahigh Between thelower and upperliftsare Between cable carsmay beunder repair. and NovemberOctober when chairlifts and is Juneto mid-September. Lowseason is seasonThe summerclimbing andhiking backdownhill. and thenskiing fied skies climbing MtElbrusonmodi- has skiers ski-climbing. Alpine activity This imported withamid-ApriltoMayseasonfor skiing Peak seasonis January to mid-Mayforpiste SEASONS lower 9am-4pm,upper9am-3.30pm) chairlifts www.lonelyplanet.com

(per stageR140; take you ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ ὄὄὄὄ Terskol view of MtElbrus behind the‘hanging’ obelisk inTerskol village to adramatic the Terskol Valley frombehindthewhite two-tothree-hourAn easy, walkleadsup Nonpermit Walks glaciers unlessyouhave aguide. better asnopermitsare required. Keep off routes tothenorthandnorthwestare far have thisarranged forthem.Thehiking require aborderpermit.Tourgroupswill Any walkstowards theGeorgian border OTHER WALKS Lake. Goingfurtherwillrequire apermit. side of MtCheget toDonguzorunkyol leads www.lonelyplanet.com 4 1 3 2 ELBRUS AREA Bolshoy Azau Glacier (5642m) (Nakra) Pass(3203m) Donguz-Orunbashi

Rescue Post Go-Elbrus Navigator Elbrus INFORMATION Office Telephone and Post 9) (see Tours...... Pilgrim 2) ...... (see Office Internet Glacier Спасательная Штурман Главный Mt Elbrus GEORGIA (5621m) AC Го , drippingover edge. acliff Mt Donguz-Orunbashi

почтамт - Эльбруса Эльбрус 13 8

Служба ὄὄὄ ὄὄὄ Mt Askerkolbashi-Tersak ...... (e 3) ...... (see 4 ...... (3769m) Glacier Terskol ...... 9 (2350m) Chegetkarabashi Mt Donguzorun- Mt Cheget 14 Camp North Donguzorun (3040m) Irik Glacier 3 2 1 (3928m)

B2 B2 B2

Mt Chatkara 3

e rskol

(4454m) T River (3898m) 2 B Mt Terskolak Barrels SLEEPING Hotel Shakherezada Turbaza Terskol Terskol Turbaza Nakra Hotel Hotel Cheget Priyut 11Priyut Hotel Ozon-Cheget Terskol 10 (3790m) Турбаза Гостиница Гостиница Irikchat Glacier 5 1 Lake Donguzorunkyol 12 (2085m) Бочки 11 Приют

Mt Irikchat Терскол Mt Kogitanbashi Гостиница Polyana Cheget

6 Irik (4045m) Гостиница

...... 7

Озон

Шахерезада Irikchat Valley

(3819m)

Azau

11 ...... River

tinitsa of thepaved roadandwalkto continue up(bycarifyouwish) totheend sive hanging up agood,gently risingpathtotheimpres- on yourleftandit’saboutatwo-hourwalk bridge. Thenstrike southeastwiththeriver south of Elbrusvillage, tojustbefore the Take thepaved roadup Adylsu Valley, Permit Walks of Baksan. five-hour walkupto northwest of Elbrusvillage. Alsothere’s a include bothbranches of theIrikRiver, Day-walk valleyswithglaciers atthetop ...... Чегет

Alternatively, fromthebridge youcan Baksan Накра

Mineral Springs Чегет

...... ὄὄ ὄὄ River CENTRAL CAUCACUS ••ElbrusArea ...... (Green Hotel), aformershelter near Baydaevo ......

...... River

10 8 Irik 4

9 5 7 6

A2 A2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2

River Shkhelda Yusengi Ming Tai Restaurant Mir Bar Bar Mir Cable Car Car Cable ...... TRANSPORT Cafe Goraynka EATING

Ресторан Кафе River Мир

Горянка 4km 2miles 0 0 ὄὄ ὄὄ

Elbrus Syltrankol Glacier Syltrankyol

Shkhelda

Мьн Glacier Lake Бар Mt Bzhedukh

...... Baksan ......

(4163m) Тай ...... River Shkhelda To Tyrnyauz(15km); Zelyonaya Gos- Zelyonaya

River Pyatigorsk (145km)

D Adylsu Mt Kurmutau Nalchik (95km);

Lake Kashkatau Mt Ullukara 13 (4045m) 14 12 11

Baksan Glacier

Zelyonaya Gostinitsa (4300m) River Adyrsu A2 B2 B2 B2

west River Alpine Base 489

Elbrus Area CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS Fontanka nab59,StPetersburg) MtElbrusascents. Fontanka the prices. seasonal early May holidaysandisthetimeforhigh The busytimeforElbrusiswinter upto the Sleeping &Eating Wild Russia Viktor Pilgrim Lenalptours Go-Elbrus for dealingwithallthepermits. andprogramfortheelderly.Good local excursions/hiking instruction, permits, MtElbrusascents,equipmenthire, ski h Elbrus Alternative Adventure hikers. forclimbers, skiers and specialist services tour arrangers andleaders orproviders of tickets, theagencies beloware eitheractive than Rather selling being justfolkinoffices Tours Adylsu Valley; it’s aday-walkdestination. little attheheadof Lake Bashkarinskoe 490 Shakherezada AZAU nished; standards have no phone or TV and havenished; standards no phone orTV out for MtElbrus. All rooms are wellfur- vourite forclimbers andhikers starting lyux rR800/1200) person incl breakfast &dinnerlow/high season R500/600, and ski tours. and ski .com; ulVosstaniya9-4,StPetersburg) MtElbrusascents Elbrus climbs. .adventurealternative.com) UKcompany:organisesMt the Shakherezada Hotel in Azau. MtElbrusclimbingtours. Hotelin Azau. the Shakherezada 41,Moscow)LocatedatMtElbrusbase .com; Ostozhenka so book through atouroperator.so bookthrough Hut)at4065m. Spacesare(Diesel limited the chairlift, andatthenew ies of cylindricalhutsabout200m beyond speaking staff. recommended. Highly speaking English- andheliskiing; Mt Elbrusascents,trekking rambler.ru) English-speaking climbing and skiing guide. rambler.ru) climbingandskiing English-speaking River Adyrsu River upthelonger walkssouthfromBaksan there attheAlpinebase) areUS$20 tostay venture andaspotof camping(orpaying Valley Accommodation on Mt Elbrus itself isin Accommodation onMtElbrusitself Another daywalkisalong Barrels 9am-9pm) Arrangesforeigner visaregistration, border CENTRALCAUCACUS ••ElbrusArea

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n low/high seasondeluxe rR600/1200, lyuxrR1000/1800; served withsourcream. served khichin speckledwithassorted vegetableseggs, and vourites here are aheftyplate of scrambled only twocablecars fromahotshower. Fa- fire. Onceinhere forget theweather,you’re cold withalarge bum-warming opencentral forthesnow-wetand the cablecarstation season R430/600,lyuxR580/750; R3410/4340) with fullboardlow/highseasonfromR2790/3720, deluxe Hotel CHEGET midnight) Turbaza Terskol TERSKOL you’re encouraged tograffiti. bar, bark-cladandstonewalledwithtables have Internet soon.There’s adownstairs lyux unusual sauce. ing of parsley egg, andmushrooms inan hedgehog stuff- buthidingwithinisatasty let MingTau thatarrives onaplate like a TrytheCut- ofat theheight theseason. kol placeopenallyearandcanget hectic bowels of alarge buildingistheonlyTers- the skiseason. minibus shuttletotheAzauchairlift during bar andcafeteria, skiequipmenthire and Facilitieswith fullboard. includeasauna, four-bed roomsinreasonable condition Ministry hotel hascosytwo-,three- and R800). Allrooms have views. mountain liards andan expensive (per hour sauna blankets. bil- Facilities includesatellite TV, beds, some revelling sheepskin influffy has decently equippedrooms andgood after 9pm. excellent restaurant thatnonguestscanuse phones inallrooms, abar,billiardsandan The hotel and offers fridges, satellite TV roomsareStandard alittlelessluxurious. loomoutsidethewindow. cold mountains plus openfires forwinter cosinesswhile The more expensive roomshave Jacuzzis inElbrusifyou’veto stay gotthemeans. with adesigner’sflourish. It’s Mir Ming Hotel ) Apossibleall-year option.TheNakra have sittingrooms.Thehotel plansto

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regardless more than300peopledied. orRussianspecial forces –butmilitants sides astowhoprecipitated themassacre – Claim andcounterclaim camefrom both hostage inagymwired withexplosives. than 1000children, teachers andparents Russia in1774. Vladikavkaz. Ossetia wasincorporated into were foundmainlyinthevalleyswest of century theirdescendants,theOssetians, and bythe18th intothemountains deep when theTatars destroyedit.Some escaped state thatlasted untilthe13thcentury similated withlocaltribestoformtheAlan arrived inthe4thcenturyAD.Theyas- matians, anIndo-Europeanpeoplewho tobedescendedfromSar- thought setian, erty occupiedbyOssetians. returned hometofindmostof theirprop- rehabilitated rulebut duringKhrushchev’s etia intoNorthOssetia. The Ingushwere in 1944andincorporated western Ingush- hadmostIngush deportedStalin toSiberia dying. Ingush inOctober 1992,withhundreds Ossetians andbloody clashesbetween up,leadingtomous Ingushetia wasset was anillusion.InJune1992autono- and Ingush peaceably,butthis coexisted to return. years thattheIngush have allowed been or confiscated andit’sonlyinthelast few tions. Mostof were their houses destroyed gushetia tolive inextremely poor condi- Ingush population(50,000plus) intoIn- Ossetians. Together theyforcedtheentire ing tolocalaccountstheysided with the munities. led torenewed tensions bothcom- between volved inthe school massacre haveBeslan settlement. ruins ofanother valley, contains amedieval occupants arewhose stillvisible. Tsmity, in and 14th-century family burialchambers gavs, with itsvillage of the dead,has13th- the impressive scenery. mountain Dar- out inthevalleys tothesouthwest,and arcane relics of oldOssetian settlements the realeral museums, attractionsare the Most of therepublic’s populationisOs- The other inhabitants areThe otherinhabitants the Ingush. Under CommunistrulebothOssetians Russian forceswere inbutaccord- sent Allegations that Ingushfighters were in- While thecapital Vladikavkaz hassev- CENTRAL CAUCACUS •• North Ossetia CENTRAL CAUCACUS ••North

491 RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS nya enjoyed defacto independence twice people want peace. Chechnya in their realm. Above all,both particularly keen to keepRussians seem much infavour of independence, nor do Ordinary Chechens don’t appeartobevery wondering why this warisstillgoingon. look atlocalopinion polls,you’llbeleft for independence fromalarger one. Ifyou being justabout asmallnation’sstruggle than adecadeago, isfarmore complexthan The current conflict,which broke outmore boxedthe 19thcentury(see text, p124 ). back toRussia’s annexationof thearea in The rootsof theChechen conflictstretch WHAT ISTHE CHECHENWARABOUT? workers. eigners kidnappingsof after several aid proven tobewaytoodangerous forfor- not considered warzones,theyhave regions these Ingushetia. are Although borders afew timesinto Dagestan and months of torture. in thisregion have killedafter brutally been kidnapping. Many victimsof kidnappings etia are tothefargreater exposed riskof ellers inChechnya, Dagestan andIngush- trav-killed inashootout orabombattack, daily. Apartfromtheobviousriskof being Chechen guerrillaswere appearingalmost Russian federal forcesandtheseparatist casualties inthecontinuingwarbetween At thetimeof research, reports about WHAT EXACTLY ISTHEDANGER? eign visitors. that theyare almostasdangerous for for- moreseem peaceful,butgrimfactsprove bouring Dagestan andIngushetiamight on themoonwithoutaspacesuit.Neigh- public independentlywouldbelike walking Chechnya. Travelling tothewar-torn re- bytheKremlin,ised are allowedtovisit who comeonheavily guardedtripsorgan- Only official delegationsandjournalists, THERE? WHY DOESLONELY NOT PLANET GO INGUSHETIA & DAGESTAN CHECHNYA, 492 It is thestory of lost chances. Chech- The Chechen warhasspilledover the CHECHNYA, DAGESTAN &INGUSHETIA Leonid Ragozin men andtroops. Putin hasassigned most of reflected dailykillings of by nearly police- atists’ resistance is stillvery strong, which is bility than afew years ago,butthe separ- Chechnya and there more iscertainly sta- Russian forcesnominally controlallof WHAT ISTHECURRENTSITUATION? live inutter poverty. provide of jobs tothousands peoplewho store Chechnya’s shattered economy and depends onwhether Moscowcanhelpre- to thedivide-and-rulepolicy.Even more more democraticmeans,orifitwillstick Moscow iskeen toresolve thisconflict by to endthewar. ating abroadcoalitionof peoplewhowant (known astheKadyrovtsy) instead of cre- for peaceondealingswithjust one clan thechancethe authoritiesforstaking ayearlater.bomb attack blame Experts Chechen president in2003butdieda rebels like Kadyrov,Akhmad whobecame Chechens themselves, including former delegate more powerintherepublic tothe takes inChechnya. Russiaforwhatever actionsit to criticise Iraq theyhave founditincreasingly difficult wholeadstheresistance, andafter Basayev, ments agree thatnodealscanbemadewith leader . Western govern- with thekillingof nominal theseparatists’ The lastpossibilityof vanished peacetalks IS THEREANYCHANCE FORPEACE SOON? canbeachieved. lasting peacesettlement toberouted, beforethe warthatneeds any itisthedirty economyofpings. Theysay frontline, illegaloilextractionandkidnap- by themoneymadeonarmstradeacross but ablack-and-white picture. anything norance andtheinabilitytosee chance tomediate ig- theconflictthrough sters. Theinternational communitylostits as aforceliberatingtherepublic fromgang- the Russiantroopstheirchance tobeseen civilians andindiscriminate bombings cost a murderousterrorist. treatment Brutal of as has striven binLaden tooutdoOsama radical Islamists,like who Shamil Basayev, failed torein ingangsof kidnappers and in 1990s,butbothtimesmoderate leaders Planned localelectionswillshowwhether The Kremlin to understands theneed pointoutthatthewarisfuelled Experts www.lonelyplanet.com ing itRamzan. built amodernsportscentre, modestly call- nearby KadyrovGudermes, Ramzan has the puppettheatre have reopened, whilein often and thangunshot.Theartmuseum of builders’ hammers isnowheardmore Chechen capital theclatter Groznysay life slowlygetting better. Residents of the found quite ironic.Yet, there are signsof on kidnappers, which manyinChechnya style, Kadyrov Jrhasdeclared abloodfeud factor intherepublic. IntrueCaucasus ances of peopleare themaindestabilising authorities have admitted thatdisappear- tives of prominentguerrillaleaders. The for kidnappingcivilians,particularlyrela- dent . power intherepublic thanChechen presi- tohave more leaderseems even deceased 20s (atthetimeof writing),thesonof the rebels, ledby Kadyrov.Ramzan Stillinhis of ethnicChechens, manyof them former operationstounitscomprised the military www.lonelyplanet.com times, when Stalin exiledall Chechens and times, whenStalin sia. Thiskinship wasbroken during Soviet the of religious leader Imam Shamil united most Most of themare SunniMuslims. well entrenched intheirpatriarchal culture. our andrevenge, andclanblood feuds are unruly. Theylive bystrictcodesof hon- are very proud,independent-minded and gortsy known inRussiabythecommon name areother groupsinnorthwestCaucasus endemic. ent originsspeaking30languages, mostly by nofewer than81ethnicgroups of differ- ish, isanethnographicwonder,populated which country’ inTurk- means‘mountain fromtheChechens.and separate Dagestan, the Ingushpreferred withinRussia tostay claimed independencein1991(see p65 ), republic, butafter pro- Dudayev Dzhokhar they lived together intheChecheno-Ingush turally andlinguistically.UnderSoviet rule, indistinguishable fromeach other,bothcul- The Chechen andIngush peoplesare almost THE DAGESTANI? WHO ARETHECHECHENS,INGUSH& Human rights activistsblameKadyrovHuman rights In the19thcentury, theDagestani-born The Chechen, Dagestani, Ingushand (highlanders). Byreputation they gortsy inafailed waragainst Rus- tunes formobilephones! tion onChechenlife, as well asdownloadableChechen sitehastonsofinforma- .php?lng=eng) Thispro-Moscow and detailed look on recent developments intheregion.and detailed look on recent developments Caucasuswhoprovide anunbiased intheNorth stringers _index1.html) London-basedinstitute withanetworkof and are worthreading. Anne Niva,are bothavailable in English by anotherfearless female warreporter, book Russian journalistAnnaPolitkovskaya’s WHERE CANILEARN MORE? beaches. preferred tobake Caspian onthesandy which isfamousforitssilverware. Others villagesbeautiful mountain such as Gunib, hordes of tovisit Russiantouristsalsoused Jews and Inmore peacefultimesLezgins. cultural population,comprising mountain fortress andboastsaninteresting multi- list, isgracedbyamagnificentancient Derbent, ontheUnescoWorldHeritage future.distant The5000-year-old townof a travel intherather destination,although three regions andismore likely tobecome ofDagestan hasthemosttouristsights the TO SEE? ONCE IT’SSAFETOGO,WHAT ISTHERE Dagestan in1999. increased sincetheChechen incursion into thegroupsthathas the bitterness between Thiscreatedpying theirlandandhouses. many of themfoundtheDagestani occu- amnesty,Returning after Khrushchev’s duringWWII.ation withtheGermans Asia forallegedIngush toCentral collabor- Free Chechnya Free the followingwebsites: and unexplodedbombs. ofChechen andIngushmountains mines is restored, itwilltake years toclearthe trict intoGeorgia. after Now,even peace over in passes mountain Itum-Kale dis- landscape andtowalk graceful mountain clan towers amidstthe standing medieval was popularwithhikers whocametosee War andPeace Reporting civilians againstallsides intheconflict. avocal defender ofChechen /russia/chechnya/) Remains Watch Human Rights You can also find useful information on You canalsofinduseful In Soviet times,Checheno-Ingushetia CHECHNYA, DAGESTAN &INGUSHETIA A Dirty War A Dirty (www.chechnyafree.ru/index (www.hrw.org/campaigns and (www.iwpr.net/caucasus Chienne deGuerre 493

RUSSIAN CAUCASUS RUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUS the above - ‘Do the right thing withourcontent.’ the above-‘Doright thetermsandconditionsonoursitefor a longerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords,pleasedon’tuploadthischaptertoapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfairtoaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercialpurposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. it easierforyoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake 494 © LonelyPlanetPublications

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