Prices, accommodation, how to get there, what to see. Prices, accommodation, how to get there, what to see Excursions in Arkhyz

Arkhyz is the name of a village in the Zelenchuk region of Karachay-Cherkessia. Geographically, Arkhyz is located in the Western Caucasus between the spurs of the Main Caucasus Range.

This is a very picturesque place, not at all advertised, unlike the Rosa Khutor resort. This contains both the pros and cons of the resort. With the opening of the first cable car in Arkhyz in 2014, the resort became a ski resort and you can come here in winter and ski on the snow-covered slopes.

Arkhyz is charmingly beautiful both in summer and winter. Gorges, overhanging mountains, alpine meadows, mountain rivers, waterfalls and glaciers attract hundreds of tourists every year. Come to Arkhyz, and this article will help you make a first impression and clarify some of the difficulties that may arise when planning a trip and will finally convince you that choosing Arkhyz as a holiday destination is a very good choice.

Climate of Arkhyz

The village of Arkhyz is closed on all sides by mountains, which makes the climate very mild. In winter, the thermometer rarely drops below -15 degrees. In summer, there is no sultry heat in Arkhyz, the air is cool and fresh, and the temperature in summer does not rise above 25 degrees. Winters in Arkhyz are very snowy, which makes this place ideal for skiing. There are 300 clear and sunny days in Arkhyz a year; it is for this reason that the RAS observatory was built near Nizhny Arkhyz on Mount Pastukhava. Local residents also talk about the unique weather in Arkhyz. It can be sunny in Arkhyz, even if it rains in the village of Zelenchukskaya (50 km from Arkhyz).

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How to get to Arkhyz

One of the main questions that you have to solve if you do not have personal transport is “How to get to Arkhyz?” As mentioned above, Arkhyz is just a village and there are no trains and there is no airport nearby. Only minibuses and minibuses from nearby regional centers go to Arkhyz. To get your bearings and decide on ways to transport yourself to the resort, you can use the schematic sign below.

The table shows the most likely travel options. So you can see that if you want to fly to Arkhyz by plane, the nearest airports are located in Stavropol and Mineralnye Vody, from both of these points the distance to Arkhyz is approximately the same (210-225 km.) Thus, when choosing a ticket, you can concentrate only on the price of an air ticket and neglect the choice of airport of arrival, if such a choice exists.

If you are going to use the services of Russian Railways, then the nearest railway station is in Nevinnomyssk, from where you can order a taxi or use the services of a public carrier to Arkhyz. But using public transport to get to Arkhyz from Nevinnomyssk is extremely inconvenient for several reasons. Firstly, as already mentioned, only minibuses and gazelles go to Arkhyz, so most likely you will have to pay extra for your suitcase or backpack. Secondly, the bus on the route Nevinnomyssk - Arkhyz runs only once a day at 13.00, which makes getting on this bus not just difficult, but almost impossible. Therefore, for transfer we recommend using the taxi fleet of the official representative of the Romantic ski resort. "Taxi Arkhyz" is a reliable and proven carrier. The website shows a price tag, so a transfer from the railway station in Nevinnomyssk to the Arkhyz resort will cost you 2,100 rubles, regardless of the number of passengers.

If you decide to get to Arkhyz from one of the cities of the KMV (Kislovodsk, Pyatigors or Essentuki), then this can be done using a transfer from any travel agency. You simply board a tourist bus departing for an excursion to Arkhyz. This method also has its limitations, for example, excursions to Arkhyz from KMS are not carried daily, but only on weekends, and such a bus will leave at 8 or 9 in the morning. The price will vary from 1000 to 1500 per person.

Yes, getting to Arkhyz is not very easy, but it’s worth it. The delightful nature of Karachay-Cherkessia will not leave you indifferent, and the mountains will forever fall in love with you and never let you go.

Arkhyz village

The village itself is very small (500 people according to 2010 data) and tourism is the main source of well-being for local residents. Therefore, almost every resident has a relationship with the tourism industry in Arkhyz. On the main street of the village (Lenin Street) there are many restaurants, cafes and kebab houses. In the place where Lenin Street intersects Khubiev Street, there is a landmark telemetry tower, a public transport stop, a market and a gathering place for excursions. In addition to excursions in UAZ vehicles, in Arkhyz you can take horseback riding tours or arrange rafting on the Bolshoi Zelenchuk River; the rental point for rafting equipment is located not far from the market.

Housing in Arkhyz

Sights of Arkhyz

Sofia Waterfalls and Sofia Lakes

Although the attractions are located in the same direction, they are rarely combined, because it takes 3-4 hours to explore the Sofia Waterfalls, and the hike to the Sofia Lakes and the return trip will take 6-7 hours, so there is a risk of not returning before dark, and it gets dark at mountains very quickly.

Cossack waterfall

Behind the village of Arkhyz there is the Arkhyz section of the Teberda Nature Reserve, where several ecological walking routes are arranged for tourists, such as: Cossack Waterfall, Sleeping Lake and Lake of Love. The same routes can be covered not only on foot, but also on horseback; horseback riding is available right there. Entrance to the reserve is paid and amounts to 100 rubles per person. The route to the Cossack Waterfall is easy and will take no more than 3 hours. The route to Lake Love is moderately difficult and will require a whole day to complete.

Barite Falls

The route is located north of the village of Arkhyz, access to the trail is direct from the village. The route is of medium difficulty and will take 3-4 hours to complete.

Alan settlement and the Face of Christ

Attractions are located in the village of Nizhny Arkhyz. A visit to the attraction will take no more than 4 hours; usually a visit to these two attractions is combined with a visit to the nearby RAS Observatory.

From Arkhyz they take off-road vehicles to many other places: Dukka Lakes, Phiya Pass, Belaya River, Seven-Colored Waterfall and much more.

Excursions from the KMS are often carried to Arkhyz, but as a rule, the list of attractions on such an excursion is limited to Alansky and temples, the face of Christ and the RAS Observatory.

Karachay cuisine

Karachay cuisine is very simple. It may even be too simple for urban conditions, but here in the mountains, where the air is saturated with oxygen, any dish seems exquisite. You can even say that mountain air is an essential ingredient in all Karachay dishes.

Karachays prepare soups from lamb, the most common meat in the Caucasus. Due to their religion, and Islam is widespread in the Caucasus, Karachais do not eat pork and do not even try to look for pork kebab here.

Two soups are ubiquitous: shulyum and shorpa. The main ingredient of both is lamb, always on the bone, to make the broth richer.
In addition to lamb meat, potatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes and herbs are added to shurpa. But if there is something missing at hand, it doesn’t matter, it can simply be excluded. The simplest shurpa that we tried consisted simply of lamb on the bone and potatoes, but this did not make it the least tasty. Another distinctive feature of shurpa is its spiciness; as a rule, in addition to greens, red and black pepper are added to the soup, which gives the soup a piquant spiciness. Shulum can be even simpler than shurpa, and if you don’t throw the potatoes out of the shurpa, then it’s easy to make it out of shulum. There will be such lamb broth.

There is no traditional second course in our understanding in the Caucasus. The main dish is always meat, and in this case it is lamb kebab. But since there are not very many tender parts of the lamb, everything that falls under the ax goes into the kebab. From ribs to loins, so don’t be surprised to see meat with tassels on a skewer.

The traditional side dish for meat is mamalyga - a porridge made from corn flour, almost tasteless, so as not to interrupt the taste of the main dish.

The main appetizer of the Caucasus is khichina. Khychins come with meat and cheese, baked or fried. In the fried version, khychin is very similar to a regular seaside cheburek, and in the baked version it is similar to an Ossetian pie. If you are not very hungry and want to have a snack literally on the go, then you can’t think of anything better than baked khychin with hot tea from mountain herbs. Mountain tea requires special mention. At the market in Arkhyz you can easily find herbal preparations from alpine meadows. Their aroma will warm you up on winter evenings and lift your tone during working days.

I would also like to mention Karachay lemonade, bottled in Karachayevskaya at the Karachay brewery. This is the real taste of childhood, and all of Arkhyz knows it. Therefore, you will find “Cheburashka” with the inscription “lemonade” or “pear” in any store, cafe and restaurant, even in remote places such as the Glacier Farm on the route to the Sofia Falls. And the secret that these lemonades can only be bought in Karachay-Cherkessia, Stavropol and Kabardino-Balkaria lies in the shelf life of the lemonade - 20 days.

Prices in Arkhyz

You can pay with the card only at the hotel, on the cable car and in the shop of the Romantic ski resort. In any other places, no other payment methods other than cash are possible.

The ascent on the Milky Way gondola cable car costs 700 rubles.

Excursion support in Arkhyz in any direction costs approximately 600-700 rubles per person, but this price will only be realistic if the car is completely full. If there are no other travel companions, then the only way to go somewhere is to pay for the UAZ in full. The cost of the car is 3000-4000 thousand rubles. The average bill for two in canteens and catering places will be 600-1000 rubles.

Arkhyz is a famous mountain resort in Karachay-Cherkessia. The unique nature of the Caucasus, mild climate, many sunny days, windless, comfortable weather both in winter and summer, have made it a favorite vacation spot at any time of the year.

Arkhyz in summer. Village Romantic.

Trekking enthusiasts have known these places for a long time, but with the start of construction of the Romantik village, Arkhyz became one of the most popular ski resorts. The village is rapidly being built up with new hotels, new hotels and cafes have appeared. The tourist infrastructure of the resort is developing every year.

Vacation in Arkhyz.

To fully relax, visit different parts of Arkhyz, and see its sights, you need several days. It all depends on your desires and the season. In winter it is, of course, a ski resort.

In the summer, these are interesting historical places, trekking routes for both beginners and experienced tourists.

Mushrooms, berries, fishing in season. Horseback riding, rafting, jeeping.

Reserved forest, mountain rivers, lakes, waterfalls of incredible beauty. All this is in Arkhyz.

Sights of Arkhyz. Where to go and what to see.

On the road to Arkhyz you will not pass a stop near the Face of Christ. A small chapel, next to it there is a market and parking for cars.

There are 525 steps up the mountain to Lik. This is one of the most ancient man-made icons on the rock that has survived to this day.

Nizhne-Arkhyz temples.

The oldest temple, built in the 10th century. Here you can book a tour or take a walk yourself. On the monuments there are descriptions everywhere, signs of what is located and where.

Observatory.

Past the temples, past the village of Bukovo, the road leads up to the observatory. It is clearly visible from the highway. A good asphalt road will lead to the main SAO telescope. From here you have a stunning view of the gorge.

Observatory workers conduct excursions. There is a cinema hall where you can watch a documentary about the work of astronomers. In the lobby you can buy souvenirs to remember your visit to this unusual place.

Behind the village of Arkhyz there is a turn to the Taulu clearing. A picturesque place along the mountain river Psysh. Fans of camping gather here. There are several hotels.

From here you can drive in UAZs towards Mount Sofia, to waterfalls and lakes. Rent ATVs or bicycles. Book horseback riding. Trekking routes, both one-day and multi-day, start from here. Various rallies and festivals are held.

From the village of Arkhyz a simple route leads uphill to the Barite Falls. It is impossible to get lost there; the road is absolutely safe. The journey will take several hours.

This is for outdoor enthusiasts. You can leisurely climb the mountain along a well-trodden path, swim under a waterfall, and enjoy the views of Arkhyz from above. And if you get there in September, then pick up hazelnuts.

Excursions in Arkhyz.

Excursions to Arkhyz go all year round. But the most active season for such trips is, of course, summer. When it's warm and there's a lot of greenery. Typically these are trips lasting one or two days. Now we are not talking about active recreation, trekking, but about sightseeing excursions, where people of advanced age go with children. Unwind and enjoy the mountain views.

The main excursion routes pass through historical sights. These are the Face of Christ and the Nizhny Arkhyz temples. We stop at the observatory. There are very beautiful views of the gorge, you can take interesting photographs.

They offer jeeping in cars and horseback riding, from the Taulu clearing towards the Sofia Falls and to the Belaya River.

You can take the cable car up to the village of Romantik. Very beautiful view from a height of 2400 meters.

Trekking routes.

We recently discovered this type of active recreation: trekking. So in our collection of Arkhyz there is only one route - a hike to the Barite Falls. We wrote about this in detail in one of our articles .

Arkhyz is famous for its mountain beauty among tourists. So we have Sofia waterfalls, Sofia lakes, Dukin lakes and many other wonderful places ahead of us. Let's wait for spring. And if you don’t want to climb the mountains, there are plenty of forest roads through the reserve not far from the village. Believe me, you will receive a colossal boost of energy and health.

Summer and winter in Arkhyz.

Tourists love Arkhyz at any time of the year. From the beginning of May to September is the time for lovers of hiking, mushrooms and fishing, from December to March - for skiers and snowboarders.

The weather in the mountains is generally very difficult to predict, but according to our observations, Arkhyz is the mildest resort in the Caucasus in terms of climate. There are rarely winds and many sunny days.

We visited Arkhyz more in the winter, as we learned to ski, and there are all conditions for beginners. And only this year we discovered the summer season in these parts.

We are going to Arkhyz. Everything you need to know.

First of all, Arkhyz is mountains. That is, unpredictable weather changes, which very often contradict forecasters’ forecasts.

There are no large shops in the village. The nearest Magnit is in Zelenchukskaya, that is, about fifty kilometers away. And here on site, there are small private stalls, where the assortment is not large, but everything you need is there. The prices are not too high. One grocery store is located in the service center of the Romantik village.

Accommodation must be booked in advance, especially during high season. The prices are the same, we checked.

The tourism infrastructure is quite developed. There are cafes, rental shops, pharmacies, ATMs and so on. In a word, everything for relaxation is provided.

How much does a vacation in Arkhyz cost?

How much money you need for a holiday in Arkhyz depends on your desires and the season. Let's try to describe where we ourselves were.

A hotel room in the warm season costs from 1000 rubles in the village (we are talking about a double standard). At the Romantik 1 hotel – from 2500 per night. Prices are constantly changing, even within a week the price per room may differ.

A ski pass for one day in 2017 cost 2,100 rubles. Sightseeing climb - 700 rubles per person. Services of an official ski instructor RUB 3,000. in Romance.

Jeeping in the mountains with local drivers from 3000 per car (up to seven people). The price varies slightly depending on the route, plus or minus 500 rubles.

Rafting from 800 to 3000 rubles per person, depending on the route.

Horseback riding 400 rubles per hour.

Lunch in local cafes with Caucasian cuisine costs approximately 500-700 rubles for two. In Romantika and Moonglade, fast food cafes are a little more expensive.

Food prices. What to buy and where to eat.

There are quite a lot of catering establishments in Arkhyz, for every taste. We prefer Caucasian cuisine, so we stop at private local cafes near the Face of Christ. Homely atmosphere and delicious khychin and lamb.

Khychin with meat 100 rubles, shish kebab 300 rubles per skewer (300-400 grams of lamb pulp). They will also add homemade sour cream to your khichins.

In Romantika there is a restaurant Tramplin. Next to the cable car, in the center of the village. Nice environment. Prices, of course, are several times higher. (100 grams of shish kebab 280 rubles, steak – 450 rubles). It’s difficult to give a price for lunch, depending on who eats what. We think three thousand is enough for two.

There is a fast food cafe and canteen in the Service Center in Romantika and on Lunnaya Polyana. Tasty, clean, inexpensive. We liked. About 1000 rubles for two is enough to have lunch. Salads, soups, main courses. Everything looked delicious.

Souvenirs, purchases, what to bring home from a trip.

Like all resorts in the Caucasus, Arkhyz has markets with souvenirs. Many residents here live from folk crafts. Knitted items made from sheep's wool, fur toys, painted dishes. Magnets, of course.

An Arkhyz exclusive is pickled honey mushrooms in Bukovo, they are sold at the market near the Face of Christ. Very tasty, we recommend!

What to take with you to Arkhyz.

Again we emphasize that these are mountains. Be sure to wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes.

Take essential medications. There is a pharmacy in Romantika, but if you are staying in a village, you will have to travel quite far.

Despite the fact that sheep are raised in almost every household, it turned out to be difficult to buy meat in the village. It is better to take everything related to food and alcoholic drinks with you. Or buy it in Zelenchukskaya. You can buy more at the market in the village if you forgot something.

To the Arkhyz mountains on your own.

Nowadays it has become very easy to independently organize a holiday in the mountains of Arkhyz.

First, we buy a ticket to the nearest station or airport. The most convenient way to get to Nevinnomyssk is by rail, and by plane to Mineralnye Vody. It’s easy to order tickets online at www.aviasales.ru. or download their mobile app to find cheap flights.

The second stage is to look for low prices and book accommodation for the required dates. Through the service http://hotellook.ru/ you can find the most suitable option for the desired days.

We determine how to get from the airport or train station to Arkhyz. You can use public transport, a minibus goes to the village of Romantik from the cities of Stavropol Cherkessk Nevinnomyssk, etc. Or order an airport transfer via , you can find travel companions on . It will be more convenient than public transport, especially if there are several of you.

Where and how to find daily housing in Arkhyz.

To ensure that your accommodation meets your expectations, you need to understand where hotels and guest houses are located.

In close proximity to the ski lifts, in the village of Romantik, there are hotels Romantik 1, Romantik 2 and Vertical. This year a new cottage boarding house Allur was built.

You won’t be able to get to the cable car from the other hotels on foot, in ski boots, and in any case, you’ll have to go by car from the village of Arkhyz. The entire bulk of hotels and guest houses are located directly in the village. If you come without a car on vacation, there is always a private taxi in the center.

In the warm season, we prefer to stay the other way around in the village of Arkhyz. Walking routes, jeeping, rafting, and horseback riding originate from here. The guest houses have barbecues, near a forest and mountain rivers.

How to travel by public transport.

With the development of Arkhyz, a ski resort, minibuses and buses from nearby cities were launched to the village of Romantik. From Pyatigorsk, Mineralnye Vody, from Stavropol, from Nevinnomyssk and Pyatigorsk.

For example, last year the bus traveled from Mineralnye Vody once a day at lunchtime. Perhaps the bus schedule will change, as the flow of tourists and the need for transport is constantly growing.

You can get there with a transfer in the village of Zelenchukskaya. From there a bus runs several times a day to the village of Arkhyz.

You need to find out the minibus schedule in each specific case, city, departure time.

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