The Republic of DAGESTAN
The first time in a new country is always a great discovery. Except if you travel for a whole month, the discovery always seems too short. There are so many incredible places on this planet that I try to rarely visit a place more than once, unless it is a real favorite.
Preparing your trip in advance and having an idea in advance of what you really want to see, allows you to maximize this stay and see at the precise moment what you really want to discover.
In this article, I present to you, in a clear way,
the most beautiful places in Dagestan that you should not miss,
those that are secondary depending on your wishes,
and an example of a tourist circuit.
I hope this will help you.
Without any expectations, I traveled to Dagestan. It was supposed to be a quick stop before Georgia, but in the end, it happened to be one of the best parts of our travel.
I won’t stop repeating it, but Russia definitely never stops surprising me greatly.
It was the first time I found myself in a Russian-speaking land with mainly Islamic traditions, and I met there not only very wild and beautiful landscapes but also kind and generous people.
I noticed how people living with so little were happier and more generous than I had ever seen.
This trip was not only a feast for the eyes but also a discovery of the old traditions and teachings of Islam.
We had Organised a Jeep tour for five days, as it was said to be the best combo with the agency. Our guide was dynamic and local, and he showed us his country just the way it is and shared his love for his roots. Alone, we would have never seen the true beauty of Dagestan: its people.
What are the most beautiful and important places to explore ?
Бархан Сарыку́м (Barkhan Sary-kum)
Кули село (village of Kuli)
Дербент (Derbent City)
Салтинский подземный водопад (Saltinskiy Waterfall), Карадахская теснина (Karadakh Gorge), Водопад Тобот (Tobot Waterfall), Сулакский каньон (Nokhyo Cave), Матласские водопады (Matlas Waterfall)
Гамсутль (Gamsutl village)
Язык тролля в селении Гоор (Troll language in the village of Goor)
If you want to add more stops to the road, I would also advise you these locations :
Гъуниб (Gunib village)
Хучнинский водопад (Khanagskiy Waterfall)
Крепость семи братьев и одной сестры (Fortress of Seven Brothers and One Sister History)
Экроноплан Лунь (Lun-class ekranoplan)
Датунский храм (Datuna Church)
Смотровая Харачи
Ирганайское ГЭС (Irganayskaya hpp electric station)
Небесные качели (Sky Swing)
Крепость Бурхай-кала (Burhai-kala fortress)
Here is a concrete example of a tour, that you can do in five or six days, in order to see the most beautiful places in Dagestan.
It is flexible and depends on your wishes. But I think this is the best order to discover this region.
Day 1. Around MAKHACHKALA
From Makhachkala we drive to Barkhan Sary-kum (Бархан Сарыку́м), one of the largest sand dunes in Eurasia. Between the sea and mountains standing out of nowhere, this place is breathtaking. It seemed like an alive being, something definitely not earthy. After we drove towards the Glavryba trout farm, which consists of a closed pavilion and a summer outdoor veranda with an extensive entertainment complex, directly above the Sulak River. You can see there how trout are bred. If desired, you can take a fishing rod to catch fish yourself, which will then be prepared for you. We lunch at a picturesque restaurant above the Sulak River, in the middle of an enchanted garden called “Not Boring Garden” (Neskuchnyy Sad). It’s similar to an oasis with delicious food, the perfume of flowers and spices, and singing cicadas. A Must-do.Then we went to visit nearby the beautiful Nokhyo cave (Сулакский каньон) with a suspension bridge on the turquoise Sulak Canyon, and from there we rode on an observation deck to a boat ride on a lake reservoir. We stayed overnight at a guest house in the mountains, and I had the best dinner ever.
Day 2. IN THE DRY MOUNTAINS
It was a rainy day, and instead of going to the Troll Language (язык Тролля) and the difficult-to-access village of Goor, we decided to discover two incredible waterfalls : the Tobot waterfall (Водопад Тобот) and the Matlas waterfall (Матласские водопады). Not so far from each other, there’s also the Karadakh Gorge (Карадахская теснина). After lunch, we drove to Kumukh. There we discovered the Burhai-kala fortress (Крепость Бурхай-кала) with the Juma mosque, built in 777, and walked around the old village. There are many artificial lakes in Dagestan with electric dams (Ирганайское ГЭС ) in order to keep and bring water to agriculture but also to create energy. I also noticed that a lot of valleys have been man-created on terraces to facilitate cultivation. It looks similar to the rice fields in Mongolia or Thailand.
Day 3. IN THE GREEN MOUNTAINS : KULI VILLAGE
We went sky swing at an altitude of 2600m over a gorge 500 meters high (Небесные качели), then we went for a horse ride and we finished our day by having a barbecue in the great outdoors, which was a real breath of fresh air and dreams. The view was incredible. These places are located around the Kuli village, where we slept two nights at a guest house. I met the kindest and most generous people. Of course, it’s surprising to see how they use what the earth offers them (plants, herbs, etc.) and how they live happily with very little but everything. This village is one of the highest inhabited village in altitude (1923m) and one of the furthest. It’s a big place where water and electricity have only recently been brought in.
Day 4. ON THE WAY TO DERBENT
We drive through the highest mountain pass in Dagestan towards the ancient city of Derbent. It is one of the wildest valleys I have ever seen, and I understood that I let my heart dwell here. The wildest and most beautiful part of Dagestan was, for me, this area. Along the way, we stopped at the ghost village of Chirag at an altitude of, 2300m. There are many abandoned villages in this area, which give the strange impression of glimpsing into the past. Most of the inhabitants decided to leave for an easier life in the main city.We arrived late in the day in Derbent, a city living between the Persian past and seaside resort development. The city is famous for its citadel and historical center, designated by UNESCO as world sites.The first stop on the way was to see the Caspian monster plane, a “Lun-class ekranoplan”. I wish we had also stopped to see the Samur liana forest, but it wasn’t on our way.
Day 5. DERBENT.
Main places to discover : the Naryn-Kala fortress, the ancient Dzhuma mosque, a walk through the Old Town, the Derbent Embankment with the beach, the Derbent lighthouse, the crystal bridge, the Armenian Church, the Orthodox Church, the Synagogue kele-nymaz, the house of Peter 1, and the cemetery kyrchlyar.
You can do everything by walking, and I would advise using at least a full day for this.
This last day was supposed to be a walk around the Old Town, buying gifts and, of course, at the beach. When we came back to Dagestan, we decided to spend more days in Derbent, in order to simply enjoy the beautiful Caspian Sea.
Usually, tourists transfer back to Makhachkala airport and spend a night in the capital, but we decided to drive all the way to Vladikavkaz.
Some facts about Dagestan
Located in the Northeast Caucasus Mountains, mainly made up of highlands, making travel and communication difficult, Dagestan has an unusual ethnic diversity for a largely tribal region.
With a semi-arid climate, it has a surface area of 50,270 km2.
Surrounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, the country also borders Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kalmykia, Chechnya and Stavropol Krai.
The soil is rich in oil, natural gas, and coal and has more than 1800 water currents (the main being the Soulak River).
Since 1992, Dagestan has been a subject of the Russian Federation.
By consequence, its main language is Russian, to which are added fourteen local languages (коренные языки) of Dagestan: Avar, Agul, Azeri, Dargwa, Koumyk, Lak, Lezgien, Nogai, Rutoul, Tabassaran, Tat language, Tsakhur and Chechen.
The vast majority of the population professes Sunni and Shiite Islam, a minority adheres to Christianity.
I hope it gives you the desire to visit this beautiful region of the world.
I had no expectations for Dagestan. And I was the happiest tourist ever.I would add that this trip was not only special for the beauty of the eyes but also for the food.
People were so generous, and with the guests being treated like kings, we have been fed non-stop with a lot of very mouth-watering dishes.
If you know where to rest in Dagestan, then you can rest like nowhere else.
The best is to have a private local guide drive you all around the country.
I recommend you spend at least five or six days.