My Unforgettable Trip to Kabardino-Balkaria: Elbrus, Jily-Su, and a Taste of Local Cuisine

Hello, everyone!

I'm sharing my experience traveling to Kabardino-Balkar Republic in June. I stayed in Essentuki and took a trip to the neighboring republic. From Krasnodar to Essentuki, the road was great, and I traveled by car the whole time.

First, I visited the road to Dzily-Su because it was the closest – the road starts right after Kislovodsk. The road is new, but you'll encounter potholes along the way, but it's not a big deal.

The first stop on my Dzily-Su trip was the Eco Park 'Dolina Narzannov'. It's about an hour's drive from Kislovodsk.

On the way, I stopped to grab a bite at Hichin House, a cafe with delicious local cuisine and affordable prices. I've written more about the cafe in this review.

Another interesting thing about this place is that tourists have a tradition of leaving money as a memory of their trip.

After my snack, we headed to the Narzannov Valley. The entrance fee is 150 rubles per person, and inside, you'll find a large parking lot for cars as well as several shops and cafes. The park features not only narzans but also an old castle and an almost 3km-long eco-trail that's one way.

We started by trying the narzans. You shouldn't drink a lot of this water without a doctor's note, but you can try a little.

You can also take narzans baths.

Next to the narzans is an abandoned old castle that used to be a hotel. It looks atmospheric, and nearby, you'll find abandoned buildings of a rest base. The castle is still open for visitors, and you can explore it. Inside, you'll find a spiral staircase, rooms, and balconies.

Finally, after visiting the old castle, we headed to the eco-trail. It's shaded, but it's hot in the mountains, and it's not often that it's this warm.

The scenery is breathtaking. From the eco-trail, you'll get stunning views of the majestic mountains.

One of the coolest things about this route is the river that runs alongside it - we encountered seven bridges crossing over it.

The trail is well-maintained, with plenty of trash cans and rest stops. It's clear that someone is keeping an eye on things.

And here are a few more photos to give you an idea of what we saw:

It took us around three hours to explore the Narzan Valley. I'd recommend getting to Jily-Su early to make the most of your visit.

From there, we headed further on to the Sultan Waterfall and the end of the road.

The climb up to Jily-Su is pretty smooth, but the valley and the Sultan Waterfall are at an altitude of 2500m. As you go higher, it gets colder, so be sure to pack some warm clothes. I was glad I brought my jacket after we arrived.

On the way to Jily-Su, you can catch a glimpse of Mount Elbrus if the weather's clear - my friends went early in the morning to catch a shot of it, and they managed to get one.

The Jily-Su valley has a makeshift parking lot, and the Sultan Waterfall is just a short walk away.

I have to admit, I got a bit dizzy and felt like I was drunk when I got close to the waterfall. So, I didn't get too close, just stopped a bit further away.

Gyly-Su is definitely worth visiting - it's an incredible place with breathtaking views of the mountain peaks. The road is good, and a sedan can easily make it to the destination.

After Gyly-Su, I finally got to fulfill my long-held dream and head to the highest point in Europe - Mount Elbrus. From Essentuki, you need to head towards Nalchik, and then turn towards the Elbrus settlement. The starting point for the cable cars to Mount Elbrus is the village of Tersekhol.

The road is good and peaceful.

As you get closer to Tersekhol, the views get more beautiful, and the mountains get higher. There are many picturesque spots.

There aren't many gas stations on the way, so I recommend filling up before heading to Nalchik.

We arrived in Tersekhol around 12 pm, and the cable cars operate until 4:30 pm. There's a tourist bus that takes you to the Azaau plateau from the paid parking lot. The parking fee is 200 rubles per car for 4 hours and 300 rubles per day.

There's also a cable car to Cheget - a mountain with a view of Elbrus. It's a chairlift.

But I was there for Elbrus, so I left Cheget for next time :).

The old chairlift to Elbrus is a bit of a slow and cramped ride. It's not very comfortable.

But on the Azaau plateau, there are new gondola cable cars that we took. We bought a Ski-pass that includes a ride up and down all the cable car stations.

The cost is 2100 rubles per person.

The cabins can hold 6-8 people. The cabins are in motion when you get in, but they move slowly, so it's not a problem.

Elbrus is an incredible sight. When you're going up to the first cable car station, you see green landscapes, but as you go further, summer turns into winter.

When I visited in June, there was still snow on the summit, and I encountered a lot of skiers with their gear.

The mountain stations have cafes and souvenir shops. You can try local dishes.

The last station is Gara-Bashi. It's at 3850 meters above sea level, and you can really feel the height. When you're physically exerting yourself, you start to feel winded.

It's already winter here:

You really need a coat because it's -5 degrees and there's a strong wind.

On the way up to Gara-Bashi, you can see a bit of a blue lake. Also, when you're going up to Gara-Bashi outside the cabin, there's a strong wind, and you can hear it howling. At that moment, I was glad that the cabin was closed.

Going to Elbrus was just amazing, and I'm really glad I came here. I got a lot of positive emotions.

This trip was also accompanied by gastronomic tourism :). On the way to Tersekol, we passed through the highest town in Russia - Tyrnyauz. We decided to stop and try some local products, and take some with us as a gift. We also stopped at shops in other settlements. And in Tersekol itself, we tried local khinkali and tea in a cafe.

I'll share what we bought. Everything was very tasty and natural.

I have an allergy to honey, but the seller offered me honey from nettle, which is hypoallergenic. I decided to buy it. I really didn't have an allergic reaction or any side effects. The honey is very tasty, similar to goat's milk.

I also picked up manty with beef filling and khinkali with son and potato from the freezer. They're already ready, just need to heat them up. I brought them all the way to Essentuki in a thermopack.

The packaging of the five khinkali cost me 320r, the manty 250r, I don't remember the exact weight.

The dried beef was a real hit with me - I even wished I'd bought another pack. The meat is tender, slightly salty. It's all natural, no artificial additives.

And that's how I ended up on this gastronomic tour.

Kabardino-Balkar Republic left me with a ton of positive emotions. The nature here is stunning, there are loads of places to visit. I'm already counting down the days until I can come back. The locals are super friendly, I met some really nice and welcoming people.

I'd definitely recommend this trip!

Thanks for reading, everyone!