Horse ride tours
Path of the Scyths
North Caucasus, Elbrus Region, Russia. Horse riding tour "The Scythian Path"
2 day horse riding tour in the upper part of Tyzil river in the Elbrus region
Program category: Horse riding tours
Difficulty: advanced (BASIC RIDING SKILLS REQUIRED)
Duration: 2 days
Season: June - September
Program price: 240 Euro
Mountain Horse riding tour in Elbrus region with MCS AlexClimb Guides
The easiest route in our collection of the mountain horseback riding tours is a two-day horseback route in the upper region of Tyzyl River, with a visit to one of the most mysterious corners of the Elbrus region, accessible only to horseback riders. After arriving to Nalchik and gathering the group, we move up the Baksan valley by off-road vehicles. We will make the first break at the Bylym lake view point – there is an opportunity to admire one of the most popular attractions of the Elbrus region – Bylym Lake - a man-made reservoir of crystal blue water, the color of which constantly changes depending on the time of day.
Further, our way goes to Terra Incognita - this area is visited only by a few shepherds and hunters - you can get there either on a prepared off-road vehicle or on horseback. At the foot of the Bukabashi cliff, our first overnight stay will be organized in a surprisingly beautiful place, with a panoramic view of the vast expanses of the Eastern Elbrus region and the majestic dome of Mount Elbrus, crowning with a huge white mass the gentle expanses of the mountain plateaus. After meeting the dawn (we are on the eastern side of Elbrus and will be able to fully enjoy the dawn view of this majestic mountain), we will mount on prepared horses and follow riding the horseback towards the Kanzhol plateau, gradually descending into the Tyzyl river valley.
All along the route you can see numerous monuments of deep antiquity. The guide accompanying the group will show you ancient gravestones and the remains of the dwellings that date back to the era of the Scythian nomads who inhabited these places 1500-2000 years ago. For the surrounding mountains, these millennia flew by like minutes, and nothing has changed since the time when the intruders of the nomad camps were threatened with faceted arrows, and those who died in battle were buried under heavy stone slabs with solar signs. All the wildness of these places has been preserved intact, and you can easily imagine that not a modern camera hangs on your shoulder, but a tight Scythian bow with arrows, and there is nothing else in the world except the fluffy mane of a horse and the measured beat of its hooves on mossy rocks.
After 4-5 hours of leisurely horseback riding, we descend into an amazingly beautiful gorge, where we stop for the second night on the route - in a secluded valley, where the village of Solnechny miners, founded in the 1930s and existed for about 40 years, was previously located. Now barely noticeable picturesque ruins remain from the village, and the site has gained its original incredible tranquility and silence - this is a heavenly corner at the confluence of two crystal rivers, with a beautiful pebble beach and gentle slopes of neighboring gorges. The exposition of this place is such that in any season the maximum of sunlight gets here - hence the name which translates from Russian as Solar.
After an evening by a campfire, barbecue and romantic stories about mountains and people, we spend the night in the tents under the light sound of the Tyzyl River, and the next morning we continue riding horses to the foot of Mount Kanzhol - a majestic rock mass separating the river basins of the eastern and northern sides of Elbrus. We finish the route along the eastern slopes of Mount Kanzhol with a wide circle, returning in the evening to the place of our first overnight stay, where the 4x4s are waiting for us to return to the civilized conditions of a comfortable hotel in the village of Elbrus, with a hot shower and excellent local handmade food.
We select the calmest horses for the participants of this trip, but you need to understand the basic rules of horseback riding. This is an important point, since with a low complexity of the route, it is still not a training riding on an arena. We will cross mountain slopes and canyons on horseback, wade rivers. So, if you have no riding experience at all, it is recommended to get some before you find yourself face to face with your new four-legged friend, ready for the most interesting joint adventures!
The 2-day horse riding tour "The Scythian Path" is available for participants with basic riding skills and familiar with the basic rules of the outdoor tourist activities. The route passes in the remote mountainous regions of the Elbrus region, far from the objects of tourist infrastructure - overnight stays on the route are organized in the tents, cooking is done on an open fire.
The First Principle of MCS AlexClimb
The First Rule, by which we are guided in the development of our mountain programs - is safety. Professional Guides lead the group, the highest quality certificated equipment and the most modern navigation equipment are used. This guarantees the highest possible level of your safety in the mountains, which is the most important side of our work.
Program Schedule
The AlexClimb Caucasus horse riding tour schedule:
Horse riding tour in the Elbrus region: "By the path of the Scyths"
Horse riding, basic level
Day 1 - Meeting in Nalchik, transfer (4x4) to the starting point of the route with a stop for lunch on the Bylym lake view point, setting up a camp, dinner and overnight in the tents
Day 2 - Horseback riding downhill to the valley of the Tyzyl River, with a stop for lunch and an excursion to the places of ancient Scythian camps, setting up a camp on the banks of the Tyzyl River near the former village of Solnechny, overnight in the tents.
Day 3 - Ascent by horse to the foot of the Kanzhol massif, descent to the previous camp, lunch and short rest, return to the starting point of the route. Transfer to the Elbrus village and hotel accommodation in the double rooms. Dinner
Day 4 - Transfer to Nalchik
Prices and conditions
The price of the horse riding program "Caucasus. The Skythian Path 2021":
240 Euro* - standart group 4-6 participants
320 Euro* - mini-group 2-3 participants
450 Euro* - private program for 1 participants
* Price per person
You have to be ready for:
- Camping life in the field conditions;
- Cooking your meals by yourself;
- Horse back riding for 4-5 hours dayly;
- Air temperature can be down to 0°C on the altitude higher than 2000 m;
- Average temperature on the route is comfortable: +12 - +18°C;
Conditions: basic outdoor and horse riding skills.
The price includes: guide services, rent of the communal equipment (tents, cooking gear), hotel accommodation, transfers from the point of the beginning of the program to its end (Nalchik), using the communal basic medical kit, food for outdoor part of the program.
The price does not include: Russian visa charges*, International and domestic flight expenses to and from the point of the beginning of the program (Nalchik), extra food and drinks, using the satellite phone.
Group capacity: 6
Guides: 2
*AlexClimb Mountain Climbing School can provide Russian Visa support for you. More information on request.
Detailed conditions and limitations on the program "Caucasus. Horse riding tour The Skythian Path" can be read in the Offer section
Our other horse riding tours
- Elbrus region - 3 day horse riding tour "The Ancestors Call"
- Dagestan - 2 day horseriding tour "On the track of Tamerlan"
Our Principles
AlexClimb Rule #1 - Safety First
From the very beginning of our activity, here nearly 16 years, the first Principle of work of School of mountaineering and rock-climbing of MCS AlexClimb is the Safety Priority. On the basis of this Principle all process of training is based, all programs and rounds are developed and carried out only within this main principle. We consider that at professional approach to development of programs, at personal discipline and correctly put motivation - occupations by mountaineering and rock-climbing are COMPLETELY safe. And from the return - all troubles and accidents in our sport come from nonprofessionalism, from ignorance or neglect by elementary standards of safety, from irrational motivation, from revaluation of own forces and opportunities. All these prerequisites we COMPLETELY EXCLUDE in our work - ours Rock-climbing, Ice climbing and Mountaineering are based on one Principle - the Safety Priority. In rock-climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing, the Priority of Safety of MCS AlexClimb-is your personal security and comfort irrespective of, than we are engaged - we train muscles and we work technology of the movement in the sports hall and on the rock climbing wall, we make the way through snowstorm to top or we relax on golden sand of the Caribbean beach after hot day of trainings on rocks. The Safety priority - the main credo of School of mountaineering and rock-climbing of MCS AlexClimb.
AlexClimb Rule #2 - Leave No Trace
Closely interacting with Nature, working with the active programs in mountains, woods, lakes and rivers, we perfectly understand the importance of carefull and respectfull bahavior towards the Nature, for its resources. From the very beginning of our outdoor-activity we adopted rules of Leave No Trace technique - the standard of behavior of the person accepted in all the civilized world in relation to environment and especially - to the wild nature. After all on the relation of people to the nature near which they exist, itself can draw dalekoidushchy conclusions on the relation of these people to... Where and as we didn't travel - we don't reserve any garbage, we try to reduce whenever possible our influence on environment to a minimum. We clear earlier zagryazyonny tourist parking of the left garbage, we take out and we take out to utilization places that to us other people left there. We consider that only thus, at personal individual consciousness of each citizen, each tourist, climber or autotraveller, we will be able to keep the nature surrounding us in its state, natural, suitable for life, - in it pledge of the healthy future for ourselves and our children.
