“What is Dagestan, Russia? – I was asked this in all seriousness when I was getting ready for a trip.
— And there are rubles? And you don’t need a foreign passport ? A COVID-19 test must be taken upon arrival?»
It’s surprising that this region of Russia has not yet become a tourism mecca. After all, there are all the conditions here: the sea, mountains, flower fields, ancient cities and villages, a lot of attractions.
What can I say, I myself didn’t really know anything about Dagestan until this spring. And then I looked at photos from a friend who went in March, and fell in love with this beauty.
In the end, we got to Dagestan during the May holidays. There are many flights to Makhachkala, planes fly from all Moscow airports, so it’s easy to find a convenient option.
How to get there
The plane to Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, takes about 2.5 hours. At the airport we took two taxis at once (you can’t call a minivan, and our large family doesn’t fit in a standard car). The cost of the trip was approximately 450 rubles.
Day one: Makhachkala
We checked into a hotel in the city center and began looking for a place to have lunch. Coincidentally, we arrived during the post, so most of the establishments were not open during the day. But some were open. And we were lucky to get to the restaurant-museum “On Lermontova”. The place is popular – “Heads and Tails” was filmed here, so there are a lot of people who want to have lunch or dinner.
We ordered local dishes: kurze (essentially dumplings), miracle with pumpkin and nuts, with herbs. And it was very tasty!
Then we walked to the embankment of the Caspian Sea, threw pebbles into the water, breathed in the heady air and walked through the park.
We had dinner at a cafe on the way to the hotel. We ordered dessert – a pie with cottage cheese and urbech – and they brought us a whole pie. What a shame it was to leave some on the plate! But it turned out to be simply impossible to eat everything!
Day two: Sarykum dune and Sulak canyon
The next morning we went on our first excursion. The guide was found in advance, back in Moscow. We needed someone with a big car and a child car seat.
First of all, we were taken to the Sarykum dune. From the road it looks like some kind of mountain of sand. And you even think: what’s special here? But when you get closer, you realize that it’s just huge! It was here that the famous film “White Sun of the Desert” was filmed. A long path made of boards leads to the dunes. And to be honest, it was not easy going. A very strong wind was blowing, sand flew into my eyes and got into my hair. But when we reached the top, the beauty surrounding us was indescribable! And the children were just happy to run around in the big sandbox.
The next point was the Sulak Canyon. This is the place that every future tourist sees when they type “attractions of Dagestan” into a search engine. Imagine tall, beautiful mountains, and between them a turbulent river of bright turquoise color. This place alone is worth going to Dagestan! Having looked at the canyon from one side, we also approached from the side where the state district power plant is located. And both views of the river were amazing!
Day three: Derbent and Izberbash
On the third day we decided to go to Derbent – the oldest city among those where people still live. The road from Makhachkala is not long – about two hours. But at the same time picturesque, along the sea. And along the way we saw the most beautiful poppy fields. One of them couldn’t stand it and even stopped. We climbed over the fence and started taking pictures.
First, the guide suggested stopping by the famous landmark – the Lun ekranoplane. This gigantic structure is a hybrid of a ship and an airplane. And it is located not far from Derbent. It is located right on the seashore. They say that in the future they want to build a military equipment park next to it. But now there’s just a lonely “Lun” standing there, which always has crowds of tourists.
The kids liked it. We took photos and moved on to Derbent itself. First we were taken to the mountain where the beautiful Naryn-Kala fortress is located. There we took an excursion and did not regret it – it turned out to be very interesting and educational. We saw how the rulers of these places lived many centuries ago.
And after the fortress, I asked the guide to show us a store where you can buy a local carpet. I really wanted to bring it home as a souvenir.
The guide called someone he knew and took us to a completely nondescript place. But how many carpets there were – handmade, bright, colorful, beautiful. It was simply impossible to leave there empty-handed!
After Derbent we went to the city of Izberbash, where the second half of our trip was to take place. It so happened that it was very difficult to find a hotel in Makhachkala during the May holidays. And so I divided the trip into two parts in advance: a couple of nights each in Makhachkala and in Izberbash.
Honestly, now I understand that there is nothing special to do in Izberbash. Perhaps it is much nicer here in the summer, when you can swim in the sea and the beaches are open. But it’s boring here in the off-season.
Day four: mountains
So, on the fourth day we went to the mountains. The road there was not easy – we drove more than three hours in one direction alone. But it was worth it!
The first stop was made near the Tobot waterfall. And this is just a picture come to life! Next we went to an abandoned village in the mountains – Kakhib. There are many such places in Dagestan. But you need to keep in mind that getting there is quite difficult. I have three small children. And walking several kilometers somewhere in the mountains in the heat is simply unrealistic.
But Kakhib is located quite well. We first arrived in a new village, and then we had to get to the old one. The road is also not easy – rocky and long. But it’s possible to pass it.
At the same time, the landscapes around were so beautiful that I couldn’t even believe that we were really seeing all this with our own eyes? All this looked like the scenery for “The Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones.” Around us were picturesque green slopes of the mountain, a rushing river, and old destroyed houses nearby. Previously, many centuries ago, people lived here. They chose this place because of security – no enemy would pass through. But then life changed, and it became clear that we needed a road, connections with other villages. And people moved to another mountain and abandoned these houses. Now they have become very picturesque ruins. It’s even surprising why they still don’t make films here.
But that was not all! After Kakhib, we went to another incredibly beautiful place – it’s called Goor or “troll’s tongue.” Nearby there is an abandoned village, snow-capped mountain peaks, and a huge green plateau hanging over a cliff. We return home already after dark and very tired. But we were overwhelmed with emotions. We constantly repeated: “Is it really possible that we have all this in Russia?”
Day five
In the morning we went for a walk along the sea in Izberbash, ate in a cafe, and then headed to the airport. The guide said that we didn’t see everything. There are still many beautiful places in Dagestan.
And now we have a great desire to return!
