My close friends still believe that Sunny Dagestan is a difficult region for independent travelers. However, its main difficulty is that, having come here for the first time, you, like us, will plan the next trip!
In this natural museum, I want to take pictures of every centimeter and touch every exhibit with my hands. Let’s disassemble objectively.
Road
We flew to the main airport of the Republic of Utash named after the Hero of the Soviet Union Amet-Khan Sultan. From the airport to the center of the capital, Makhachkala, only 20 km. But our road took all 8 hours, because upon arrival we immediately went to the quarry, or rather to the Sulak canyon and in the second largest in the world, velvet Sarykum.
I advise you to take a guide in Dagestan! Of course, you can independently lay the route on the map on your own, but only a knowledgeable person will tell you where the sun is sitting in the gap, from which point the aul ghost Gamsutl is better and how to go around the landfill on the road. The mountain paths are complex. And, despite our rich experience in independent trips around the world, in Dagestan we trusted Murad.
Subscribers made me get to the tasting of local wine / cognac. I plans to make an unusual route around the republic. The son is to get to the unique ekranoplane “Lun”. Given: to meet in three days.
Dagestan is a place where everything is on a grand scale. Nature, people, portions in a cafe. At an adequate price, by the way.
Judge for yourself:
- Sulak canyon in Dagestan deeper than a large canyon in the United States;
- Derbent is the oldest city in Russia, one of the oldest “living” cities in the world;
- Barchan Sarykum is the highest in Eurasia and the second in the world;
- In Dagestan, the longest automobile tunnel of Russia (4 km 300 meters);
- The only Liana Forest in Russia is Samur;
- The village of Kurush is the highest in Europe, 2560 meters;
- The Tabasaran language is the most difficult, it has 46 cases;
- The port of Makhachkala is the only non -freezing Russian port of the Caspian Sea;
- And Dagestanka Sakinat Hanapieva, 75 years old – the strongest grandmother in the world.
We had three days to get to know the region
Day 1
Barghan Sarykum. The only desert in Russia. Height – according to various sources, from 244 to 262 meters. The origin of the dungeon is a mystery. The first to mention him by Alexander Dumas-father. Then the “white sun of the deserts” was removed, Said was buried in 70 ° sand and saved the harem of Abdullah.
Entrance 50 rubles adult/ 25 rubles schoolboy*.
Sulak canyon. Its depth reaches 1920 meters, and the length of 53 kilometers. Eagles above the head, below the frame point, which ride tourists on the turquoise water of the canyon.
Features of the first day: if there is a power point on the margin, then there is no on the canyon. Nearby is the settlement of Dubka. There you can find cafes and small shops.
Day 2
Walk around Makhachkala. Onetwotrip settled us in the hotel in the very center of the city, and we decided to spend the day in the capital of the republic. We visited the market, on the embankment, went around the main squares of the city. Makhachkala is famous for modern, bright, delicious coffee houses and we planned to visit everyone that we recommend, but … failed.
We were visiting Dagestan during the Muslim post of Ramadan, and this year most of the cafe were closed to Iftar, that is, six o’clock in the evening.
Only in the evening I managed to try the business card of local barista – coffee with urbech.
Urbech is prepared from seeds, fruit seeds and nuts. They make it without heat treatment, flavors, dyes, flavor amplifiers. As a sweetener, honey, Jerusalem artichoke or maple syrup is used.
Day 3
Irganai reservoir
Karadakh Tesnina, Selo-Razrakra Gamsutl. The path, when it seemed that now is the time to turn back!
On the way to the reservoir, we had a collapse. I warned that mountain roads are dangerous. And the glory to our guide leader Murad!
Tesnina in his natural power opens only to those who reached the end. Imagine: a narrow passage washed with water, and boulders hang over you.
Aul-ghost Gamsutl He became a popular place after the death of the last resident in 2015. Part of the path can be driven on UAZ (200 rubles per person), but 1.5 km will have to go up, and eagles nest nearby. You go and think, because the inhabitants of this village every day the same road went to work, children to school. Did they have such shortness of breath?
Derbent
Officially, the city is 2000 years old, but it is mentioned for the first time in the VI century BC.
In Derbent, it is imperative to take excursions to the fortress of Naryn-Kala and to the Derbent Winery Company. It was there that I managed to complete the task from subscribers: to visit the tasting of local alcohol products. Worthy!
The companies are only 3 years old, and employees enthusiastically tell about all the details of the production of Dagestan Zykokko. Here without irony. In technologists-consultants, Italians who admitted that in Dagestan the conditions for vineyards are very similar to Italian places.
You need to take at least 2-3 days to Derbent.
In the summer, they bathe here in the Caspian Sea. The beaches are clean. There are landscaped, there are wild ones.
Ekranoplan “Lun” Located 20 km from Derbent. This is a unique military project from the USSR. It is freely available right on the Caspian beach.
And in Derbent, thanks to participation in the Kudablin project, I fulfilled my dream – I bought the national carpet Sumy.
So far, Dagestan is still not the most popular place for our tourists. Thanks to Onetwotrip, we have a real chance to visit alone in those places where, after 2-3 years, the roads of the crowds of travelers will trample. I am glad that in the framework of the Kudabin project, my subscribers chose this particular direction!
Text: Tatyana Gritsenko
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