Chegem is a great location for a short trip, which is worth including in a trip to the south of Russia. Here you will find powerful waterfalls, green mountain slopes and a giant gorge where you can paraglide. We tell you how to enjoy the beauty of Chegem in just one day.
How to get there
The Chegem Gorge, like all the natural attractions of the Elbrus region, is best explored by car. Traveling by taxi and ordering a transfer is expensive, and there is no public transport here. Those who travel by car from Moscow are especially lucky: the Don toll highway (M4) is an excellent road. The coverage is ideal, there are almost no traffic jams, there are many cafes, and if you leave around five in the morning, then by midnight you can already be in Pyatigorsk.
Flying by plane is also an excellent option, only to Mineralnye Vody: there is no airport in Pyatigorsk. But these cities are located very close, only 20 km between them. The cost of air tickets from Moscow and back starts from 9,000 rubles* with luggage. In the city you can rent a car and go explore Chegem.
Where to live and why Pyatigorsk
Touristically developed Stavropol region borders on the original mountainous Kabardino-Balkaria, and it is from Pyatigorsk that it is closest to travel to Chegem and the entire Elbrus region. The P-217 Caucasus highway leads there, and the rest of the Stavropol resort towns – Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk – are located a little further from it.
The Pyatigorsk/Kabardino-Balkaria combination is a convenient reference point for trips around the Elbrus region. You can live in a green resort town, go to cafes with gorgeous views and enjoy the benefits of civilization. And just a couple of hours’ drive – and you’ll already be admiring the dizzying landscapes of the North Caucasus mountains.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
Whether in Mineralnye Vody or Pyatigorsk, there are hotels for every taste and budget. If you don’t have a car yet, it’s better to live closer to the center.
Where to stay in Mineralnye Vody:
- Apartments Rent Min-Vody – from 2,500 rubles per night*.
- “City and Business Hotel” – from 4,000 rubles per night*.
- KMV Apartments on Pushkin Street – from 6,000 rubles per night*.
Where to stay in Pyatigorsk:
- “Volna” – from 1,500 rubles per day*.
- “Hotel Park Rodnik” – from 8,000 rubles per night*
- “Bristol Spa Hotel” – from 12,000 rubles per night*
Going to Chegem
In this article we talk about paragliding in Chegem, so type “Chegem paradrome” in your navigator. Its exact coordinates are N 43.2968 E 43.1629. The journey from Pyatigorsk to the place will take about two and a half hours. The road to the paradrome is ideal: smooth asphalt everywhere, with the exception of a small dirt road section, which begins approximately 16 km after the Chegem waterfalls.
If a beauty contest were held among the roads, Kabardino-Balkaria would definitely be in the top: the nature here is very generous, and you can enjoy gorgeous views right from the car window. Green velvet mountains, lambs, cows and horses grazing on the slopes; the tall “walls” of the Chegem gorge and the snowy peaks that can be seen between the green mountains – it seems that someone specially created this ideal picture with an impeccable perspective.
Chegem waterfalls
In about an hour and a half you will arrive at the Chegem waterfalls. The main advantage of this location is its location right next to the road.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
The place is located in a gorge: water falls from the rocks, and the splashes fall directly onto the roadway. The streams are small, high and there are many of them, which is why this waterfall is also called the Weeping Waterfall. It consists of a group of waterfalls on the Kayaarty, Sakal-Tup and Adaisu rivers, which flow into the Chegem River – it is fed by the eternal ice of the Main Caucasian Range.
There is a cafe here where you can taste shish kebab, trout and khychin – these are flatbreads with potatoes, cheese or meat, a national dish of Karachay-Balkar cuisine. They also sell various handmade souvenirs and local products: woolen scarves, shawls, socks, sweaters, marshmallows, jam, honey. The place is beautiful, but crowded.
Paradrome and paragliding
Half an hour from the waterfalls you are at the Chegem Paradrome: paragliders are flying in the sky, there is a green meadow and soft grass under your feet, and on the sides there are such mountains that it will take your breath away with delight. It seems like some kind of scenery was built around it, it’s so cozy here. The paradrome has everything that flyers who come here for a long time need: places for tents, houses, cafes and all household amenities.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
There is no need to register in advance to fly. Just arrive early (at 9 am), sign up at the reception and wait to be called on a first-come, first-served basis. Just keep in mind that sometimes you need to wait here not only for people, but also for the wind – it is changeable.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
But with such views, the wait won’t be boring. By the way, a few words about the cafe: there are open and covered terraces. The prices are quite humane: a cappuccino costs 150 rubles*, pilaf with chicken (large portion) – 200 rubles*, khychin with potatoes and cheese – 150 rubles*.
Important points
Everyone who plans to fly in Chegem should know them.
- Spend the whole day on this task and arrive early: the weather and the flow of people are unpredictable things.
- Bank cards are not accepted at the paradrome: there is no connection or terminals here, sometimes Wi-Fi is turned on, and then you can pay by transfer, but it’s better to take cash.
- Wear comfortable sneakers and a windbreaker: it will be cool when paragliding.
- 20 minutes of flight cost 5,000 rubles. Of course, they fly longer: when the queue is short and the weather permits, you can fly for 40 minutes or an hour. But this is all decided directly on the spot. By the way, they offer a discount on your birthday, you just need to show your passport.
- Getting to the top for flight is a separate action. You will be driven up the mountain in a UAZ without a roof.
When you reach the top, everything inside seems to freeze with joy. Before the flight, they put a lot of heavy belts on you, the pilot jokes life-affirmingly, “don’t worry that there are rocks everywhere and not a field – it doesn’t matter where you flop,” they shout “run” from behind, an incomprehensible force pulls you back, and you also have to spread out selfie stick with GoPro (video shooting costs 1,000 rubles, you will hold the camera yourself).
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
The most interesting thing is the tricks in the air: spirals, dynamic turns and slides.
You can go down the mountain either by SUV or on foot. The descent is not difficult, you will reach the bottom in 15–20 minutes at an average step, and at the same time “digest” everything that happened, admiring the beautiful scenery.
Zipline
Another activity offered at the paradrome is flying over the gorge on a zipline. Price 1,500 rubles per person. If you want video from GoPro, another 500 rubles. By the way, there are also birthday discounts here.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
A colorful UAZ “loaf” also takes you upstairs: it’s fun, but it shakes a lot. In about 10 minutes you are there. They put on your equipment, give you a selfie stick with a video camera, you stand on a wooden bridge over the edge of the abyss, take a running start, and fly over all this splendor. The ride lasts only 20 seconds: not enough, but the views are amazing: right below you is the stormy Chegem River and the most beautiful gorge.
An unexpected bonus will be the way back: in order for the car to pick you up, you need to go down through the river. You will enjoy magnificent mountain panoramas, see flowering slopes and cross a stormy mountain river on a suspended wooden bridge.
Tame gophers
In the clearing, you will inevitably see people moving along the ground in a squat position and filming something on their phones. But this is not “something” – this is “someone”, namely, the cutest gophers that scurry back and forth. The Chegem glade is dotted with their minks: they are very nimble and nimble, and also make sounds similar to a bird whistle.
Author: Victoria Masyagutova
These guys are very curious, and if you’re lucky, you can touch them. Their noses and paws are cold. There is even an old-timer here, the gopher Boris – a sign with his name is on the entrance to the hole.
By the way, environmentalists ask not to feed gophers, and certainly not to treat them with food from the human table: one cookie can be the animal’s last.
For the future
The flight season at the Chegem paradrome lasts from March to November – flights in this area are possible only during the snowless season. Here they not only give rides to tourists, but also teach those who want to fly themselves. There are many accommodation options right on the clearing: hostel-style sleeping accommodations and separate rooms in triangular houses, as well as camping. Even if you don’t plan to fly, but just want to stay for a couple of days in Chegem, this place is one of the best: the views from the window here are like a postcard.
*Prices are current at the time of publication.
