Dombay which airport is closer. Elena Iskhakova's blog
When I went on a train through the North Caucasus, I assumed, of course, that I would get vivid impressions. But I had no idea how much this region would hook me. How beautiful these mountains, passes, gorges will be...
And in this article I want to tell you what a ski Dombay resort in summer.
What does an ordinary person know about Dombai? That it is somewhere in the Caucasus, that avid skiers strive to get there, that it is beautiful there. That's about the same knowledge we went there. And here's what came out of it.
Dombay: why you should come here, even if you are not a skier
Usually, when describing a place, they say the words “unique nature” to me, I begin to suspect that it is not so unique after all.
Well, just think for yourself: would it occur to someone in a guide to Austria to focus on the unique nature? I doubt. For this is illogical, if only because in neighboring Germany and Switzerland it will be very similar. In general, all large mountains are somewhat similar. And the most interesting thing: having visited some big mountains, you fall in love with all the others in absentia. Noticed?
How to get there
by plane you can fly to the airport in Kavminvody. From the Mineralnye Vody bus station, you can take a bus to Teberdy , and from there by taxi or by bus to Dombai.
But the most pleasant option is, of course, to travel around the Caucasus, as we do in our own car. We drove from the side of Kislovodsk and left the mountains to the highway just near Cherkessk.
By car from Cherkessk (the capital of Karachay-Cherkessia) you will reach Dombai along the A-155 highway in 2-2.5 hours. And believe me - it will be one of the most beautiful roads in your life!
While we were driving, I involuntarily had associations with the same Swiss landscapes:
"Alpine pastorals" would be called these paintings, if you remove from them the towers of minarets and rickety fences. And add the bell towers of Catholic churches, coupled with high-speed rail and autobahn.
By the way, one of the features of this region is cars without license plates. This is how local jigits drive. The traffic police officers obviously do not touch them (wow, yes, they are still theirs!), But with the camera that the feds have installed and which captures everyone by state numbers, it is unlikely that they will be able to agree.
Instead of cows with bells, lean stallions graze along the slopes along the road. Already something, but it is customary to be proud and admire horses in the Caucasus! As in, Karachay-Cherkessia has its own pride.
The existence of two separate breeds, Kabardian and Karachai, was officially recognized in 1935 - although in the first volume of the state stud book, all Caucasian breeds were united by the general term "mountain". In 1943, after the repressions and deportation of the Karachais to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, all references to this people, including the name of the local breed of horses, were deleted. Of course, the Karachai horses themselves continued to exist, but they were recorded as Kabardian. It was possible to “rehabilitate” the breed as a separate one only in the 1980s, but the controversy has not subsided so far.
And we are already approaching Teberda, once the largest anti-tuberculosis resort in the USSR.
Teberda: say yes to nature
The resort is located at an altitude of 1300−1400 meters above sea level, in the picturesque valley of the river Teberda.
It is this resort that will become your transit point if you go to Dombay not by car, but fly by plane to the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
For a resident of large cities, Teberda will seem like a big village. But once it was from her that the tourist boom began in these places. Only then it was not skiers or lovers of trekking in the mountains who were eager to rest here. And people with tuberculosis, which was called the "plague of the 19th century."
The climate of Teberda is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, low humidity and high air ionization (50 times higher than in cities and on the plain). Another point is the special wind regime. The valley receives both fresh air from the surrounding mountains and warm air from the Black Sea. At the same time, thanks to the mountains, biologically active substances, phytoncides produced by plants - relict pines and meadow herbs are retained in the valley. So this place is one big natural inhaler.
In 1870, in these places, the wife of Captain Kuzovlev, who was the right hand of the head of this entire district, successfully recovered from consumption. To celebrate, the captain built a cottage in these places, where his wife lived happily for another 20 years.
Another lucky man who was helped by the local climate from tuberculosis was Islam Krymshamkhalov, a Karachai artist and public figure. Having settled in Teberda, Krymshamkhalov became one of the main beautifiers of the resort. In 1910, a letter was written to the then viceroy in the Caucasus, Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov-Dashkov, and the very next year, the construction of state-owned dachas, the prototypes of modern boarding houses, began in Teberda.
In the same year, at the Pirogov Congress of Doctors in Moscow, Teberda was officially recognized mountain resort . So Teberda became an alternative not only to the Crimean one, where domestic asthmatics and tuberculosis patients were traditionally treated, but also to expensive resorts and. Here they are, the origins of import substitution, friends :-)
The first Soviet health resorts appeared here in 1923, and in the 1930s Teberda turned into a privileged resort, sanatoriums were built here by major ministries and departments.
Teberda has not lost either the status of a resort of federal significance or its main advantages. The nature here is still defiantly beautiful, as we have personally seen. And it is through Teberda, like a hundred years ago, that the only road passes - the former Military Sukhumi, now the federal highway A-155.
Dombay is only 25 kilometers from here (20 minutes by car).
And the closer we get to it, the more it begins to seem to me that I am again traveling in the mountains of Switzerland ...
Because that pyramidal peak over there really reminds me of the Matterhorn.
And here is myself Dombay village. It is located at around 1600 m above sea level. This place is called Dombai Polyana. Three gorges converge here. And accordingly, three rivers merge into one - Alibek, Dombay-Ulgen and Amanauz.
The town itself is small. Literally a couple of turns - and we are already driving into the parking lot at the lower station of the cable car.
Dombay in the summer: why you should come
Mount Dombai-Ulgen is the highest peak in the Western Caucasus (4046 m), which gave the name to the entire region. It is located east of the resort village of Dombay, on the border of Abkhazia and Karachay-Cherkessia.
As a ski resort, Dombai has been known in our country since the late 1960s. Nowadays, in terms of infrastructure, the resort lags behind more modern competitors. But the prices here are more democratic, and the atmosphere is almost homely.
Before we had time to get out of the car, an uncle jumped up to us and, in his own way, suggested that we not overpay for the rise on the new cable car, but ride on the old one, 300 rubles cheaper.
We looked at her ... Maybe it's romantic, of course, but we don't want to risk it. We go to the ticket office of the new cable car.
Prices for a new lift
One lift for 3 stages costs 1050 rubles. Winter ski passes (judging by the price list at the checkout) were as follows: for 1 day - 1600 rubles, 2 days - 2840, 3 - 3910 rubles. Very soulful, compared with Krasnopolian prices.
The rise begins at 1590, which is quite a lot already. The first stage of the cable car - up to the mark of 2277 meters - is gondola, i.e. 8-seater closed cabins. And the view from them to the valley opens like this:
At 2277 meters you can take a little walk, take pictures and gather your courage if you are afraid of heights - then there will be a chair lift.
If you like handmade souvenirs, then you will also find great shopping here:
Yes, and before landing on a chair, it is worth warming up - the temperature at the top will be 10 degrees lower than in the valley. So take your last chance.
Let's go to the chair. There are no queues for boarding right now.
We rise higher and higher. Here comes the snow on the road. Snow cannons are not visible, which means that the product is natural, as they say.
As I found out later, after returning from Dombay, the artificial snow system had already been purchased and will appear on the ski slopes of the Dombay resort in December 2018, by the beginning of the new winter season.
In the meantime, enjoy the beauty of nature. The landscapes are simply breathtaking! Can this be put into words?
True, the sight of people riding on opposite chairs is a little alarming - they are wrapped in clothes, like the Germans near Moscow:
But after Elbrus, which met us with a snow storm, we are no longer afraid of anything.
Why you should take the cable car in summer
Dombay glade and the mountains surrounding it are legendary places. For climbers, Dombay is generally a cult place. It was with them, climbers, that the development of the region began in the pre-war years. The skiers came later. But it is precisely for their sake that money is now being invested in the infrastructure of the region.
Although it is the old recognizable species that remain the hallmark of Dombay. Like, for example, that hotel in the form of a “flying saucer”:
In this regard, local guides will surely tell you a legend about how aliens once landed on this place, and they liked it so much that they changed their mind about flying away and parked their “ship” here forever ... Well, looking at the panoramas of these mountains, willingly believe it.
At the same time, I note to myself that trails in Dombai not difficult: quite wide and not too steep in slope.
We are approaching the mark of 3035 meters above sea level. It is certainly cool here, and warm clothes save. You can go another 200 m higher on a chair. But for now we decide to look around here.
First, we set off to capture an excellent view of Mount Belalakaya:
If you, like us, have seen many mountain resorts in your tourist age, and there are 100,500 photos with mountain views in your archive, then this inscription will remind you exactly where you enjoyed the panoramas of snow-capped peaks.
There are simple cafes here, where skiers apparently dine.
Tourists with pretensions will definitely not be enthusiastic about visiting such “authentic” establishments. I’m not even talking about the toilet that hangs over the abyss (note that the cost of visiting is 30 rubles):
There are also a dozen and a half different souvenir stalls here - what if, for complete happiness, you urgently needed that pretty hat with ears?
But it is clear, everything is as it should be. Where there are tourists, there are souvenirs.
But what this uncle was doing at the ski resort with two machine guns in an embrace - we still did not understand:
We skip ahead and wait for the next chair. They decided not to climb another 200 meters: everything was drowned in a cloud there, visibility is zero, and we don’t smile at all to freeze on a chair.
On the way down, a piercing wind blows in the face. But we still manage to make a couple of great shots:
Below we are overtaken by a feeling of hunger, and in search of food we go to the other side of the river, across the bridge:
How much does it cost to eat in Dombay
On the other side of the river we find carpenter-like malls and a couple of cafes.
Food prices in Dombay in summer and winter are almost the same and depend on the level of the institution. Khychins that we love cost from 100 rubles in a cafe, from 130-200 in a restaurant. The main fillings are meat, potatoes, cottage cheese or soft cheese with herbs. But you can’t guess with them: they can serve small ones, where the cat cried the toppings, or, on the contrary, they can bring such that you can get enough of this snack alone.
The main dishes include: river and lake trout (from 250 rubles per serving, usually it is one big fish), the same price is for Gorski and Karachai meat. A kettle of mountain tea with honey or jam - from 150 rubles. Lagman and shurpa are usually from 150 rubles per serving. In general, you can eat in a cafe from 500 rubles for two.
What to see in the vicinity of Dombay
And we begin to desperately regret that we didn’t take a couple more days to visit Dombai ...
Some sights are accessible by our car - roads are laid to them. However, it is impossible to travel by bus along mountain roads, so there are no large groups of tourists at these sites. Some of them, as we were told, will have to walk along the picturesque mountain paths.
In general, summer holidays in Dombay can turn out to be very, very diverse, there is no shortage of excursions and entertainment.
Prices for some activities: ATV rental - about 2000 rubles; horse riding - from 1000 rubles per person; fishing - from 500 rubles
There is one caveat: many of the natural beauties of the Teberdinsky Biosphere Reserve, in addition, the border with Abkhazia passes nearby. Therefore, the scheme here is the same as in Krasnaya Polyana: if you go on these routes, you will have to issue a pass to the border zone. Previously, it had to be done in advance (2-3 days in advance) in Cherkessk, but now you can get it right from the forester on the route. But you need to have a passport with you and fill out a questionnaire. This is done free of charge.
But the trails in the reserve are paid. The cost of the passage is 100-150 rubles. Agree, this is not much, if all these lakes and waterfalls are really as beautiful as in the photo in tourist booklets.
Where to stay in Dombay
There are quite a lot of guest houses and hotels in Dombai. All of them differ from each other in the level of accommodation, the quality of the services provided. However, all Dombay hotels are famous for their Caucasian hospitality and home comfort. The price level in the summer and winter months, of course, is different.
In the off-season, a double standard can be found from 1300 rubles, in winter the cost of rooms in most hotels starts from 2000 rubles. Modest apartments cost from 2 thousand rubles, a higher level - from 4 thousand. As a rule, by the New Year, prices still rise.
We rested in Dombai in the off-season (May 2018) and, choosing options for ourselves, looked at the following hotels:
- Chateau Leopard
- Hotel National
- Crystal Hotel
- Meridian
- Andersen Hotel
- Hotel Gonachkhir
If you need something simpler, you can ask for these options:
- Hotel Sokol
- Crown of Dombai
- Star
- Altair-Dombay
- sky hotel
- Hotel Stella
If you do not want to organize your own vacation in Dombai, then you can buy a ready-made tour.
All hands on deck!
In general, if you plan your vacation in Dombai outside the ski season (and it lasts here from December to April), get ready for dizzying mountain trails and incredible adventures. And take at least a week to your rest!
Because now, having returned from this region, I have already compiled a whole list of reasons why I want to return there. If you are also a supporter of outdoor activities, then these places will also capture you in their captivity ...
I look forward to your comments and questions.
See you on the blog!
I am the ideal employee. I take holidays in winter because I love skiing. Here is one of the holidays I went to ride and look at the famous flying saucer). It can be said that my journey began with Mineralnye Vody, where I arrived by plane.
By car
The shortest and best route in goes along the roads A157 and A155. The track will not let you get bored, beautiful landscapes will accompany the whole trip. First you will pass through Essentuki, and later Karachaevsk.
In general, the road is narrow and not without dangers, often it goes along a cliff. It is not advised to drive along it at night, especially since there is no mobile communication in some areas. In winter, take chains, a shovel, a flashlight, a cable and other things necessary in case of force majeure. As our driver said, you should not calculate the time of the trip, anything can happen in winter. A lot of snow can fall overnight and the journey will take 4 hours, although the distance is 200 km. 
The nature reserve begins in Teberda, and tolls are often collected here, although hiking trails in summer and autumn are considered paid. The fare is taken not only from cars, but from all, it costs 100 rubles, ask for a check, you are required to provide it.
By taxi
More often I travel by public transport, but sometimes I allow myself a taxi, just a trip with skis is the case. Ordering a car from Mineralnye Vody to Dombai will cost 3,000 rubles, but learn that the things of four passengers will not fit into the trunk, and skis even more so. Therefore, I advise you to order a minivan, this pleasure will cost 5000 rubles. The amount is not so terrible if it is divided into several people, because 6 passengers can fit in a minivan. For the same cost, you can pick up a minibus for a large company, then the trip will be even cheaper. There are also combined transfers for independent travelers who want to share the company in a taxi. Such services are provided by some companies that collect a group at the airport or train station.
By bus
If I decided to travel by bus, I would have to make 2 transfers. First, from the airport you need to get to the bus station, bus number 11 goes to it. Flights run regularly, from 6:30 to 8 pm, every 15-25 minutes. The stop near the airport is the final one, and the trip takes 10 minutes, in this regard it is convenient to get with luggage. The bus station is located near the Ruslan market (Sovetskaya st., 97), you can see it from the road.
From here, buses to Teberda leave daily at 14:45, the schedule can be seen below. 
The route is not laid along the shortest road, so it arrives in Teberda in 6 hours and this is not the end of the trip! Dombay is still 20 km away. Here you can transfer to the Cherkessk-Dombay minibus, but the latter departs from the final station at 15:20 and by the time the bus arrives from Mineralnye Vody, Teberda is already passing. Only taxi drivers remain, guarding this evening bus, there are enough of them here, but I would write down a couple of phones just in case, because it's getting late.
Buying tickets
A bus ticket is sold at the box office or on the carrier's website. You can pay for travel in public transport from the driver.
Price
- Bus airport-bus station costs 15 rubles.
- Bus Mineralnye Vody - Teberda - 460 rubles.
- Taxi 400 rubles.
Conclusion
There is no railway in Dombai, I did not even consider this option. To do without a taxi, you can get from Mineralnye Vody to Cherkessk, and then transfer to a bus to.
A wonderful mild climate, mountain air is more transparent than crystal, snowy mountain peaks, at the foot of which there are pine forests with mineral springs - all this is Dombay. Many travelers, lovers of skiing come back here more than once, and someone only dreams of visiting here. It is not difficult to get to Dombay, use any convenient transport: by plane, bus, train, taxi, by car.
To make the right and convenient route to Dombay, be patient and put up with the need for transfers. The fastest way to travel is by plane. A large airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody, which is closest to Dombai. From Moscow to Mineralnye Vody there are more than a dozen flights operated by various airlines: Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Transaero, UTair and others. Flight schedule, there are promotions when buying tickets. Flight time - 2 hours, cost - from 2700 rubles. The ski resort is 200-230 km away (depending on the further route). To move, you can take a taxi, wait for a regular bus or use the hotel's transfer services. It is better to order a taxi in advance from home, for example, on the KiwiTaxi website or on the TsarDorog portal. The distance to Dombai in time will take from 3.5 to 4.5 hours, so a taxi will cost at least 3,500 rubles. It is much cheaper to get together in a group and hire a fixed-route taxi for 5-8 thousand rubles. (depending on the number of seats). Be vigilant when accepting the services of private carriers, read reviews about them online." " download here.
For those who prefer traveling by train, there are several convenient, inexpensive flights to the Dombai Valley. The nearest major railway stations in the cities: Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik, Cherkessk, Nevinnomyssk. Trains from Moscow depart from the stations: Kazansky, Kursky, Paveletsky. Next, take a taxi or a regular bus with a change in Teberda. From Moscow to the station "Mineralnye Vody" the train takes 28-40 hours, the ticket price (reserved seat) is from 2200 rubles. The cheapest mode of transport is a direct bus. Every week high-comfort buses run from Moscow to Dombay. The buses are well equipped: there is a bio-toilet, a TV, a boiler, an attendant. The method is not the fastest, but it makes it possible to enjoy the picturesque surroundings on the way. Such transfer services will be provided to you by Ankor, Gulliver and others. Phone numbers and terms of delivery to Dombay, see the official websites of the companies.
How to buy a ticket without leaving home?
Indicate the route, date of travel and number of passengers in the required fields. The system will select the option from the hundreds of airlines.
From the list, select the flight that suits you.
Enter personal data - they are required to issue tickets. Tutu.ru transmits them only via a secure channel.
Pay for tickets with a credit card.
What does an e-ticket look like and where can I get it?
After paying on the site, a new entry will appear in the airline's database - this is your electronic ticket.
Now all information about the flight will be stored by the carrier airline.
Modern air tickets are not issued in paper form.
You can see, print and take with you to the airport not the ticket itself, but the itinerary receipt. It contains the e-ticket number and all the details of your flight.
Tutu.ru sends an itinerary receipt by e-mail. We recommend to print it and take it with you to the airport.
It can come in handy at passport control abroad, although you only need your passport to board the plane.
How to return an e-ticket?
The airline determines the rules for returning tickets. Usually, the cheaper the ticket, the less money you can get back.
To return the ticket as soon as possible contact with the operator.
To do this, you need to respond to the letter that you will receive after ordering tickets on the Tutu.ru website.
Indicate in the subject of the message "Refund of tickets" and briefly describe your situation. Our specialists will contact you.
The letter that you will receive after ordering will contain the contacts of the partner agency through which the ticket was issued. You can contact him directly.
See all offers for Dombai
See offers for other ski resorts Russia And CIS
Flight to Dombay for a ski holiday, it is carried out to the Mineralnye Vody airport with a subsequent transfer, bus ride or taxi.
Main flights "Moscow - Mineralnye Vody"(specify information when booking flights or on airport websites)
A / c "Aeroflot", from Moscow (airport Sheremetyevo-1) TU-154, travel time 2 hours 15 minutes.
flight number 785 at 08:35, arrival at 10:50;
flight number 787 at 15:40, arrival at 18:05.
A / c "Siberia"", from Moscow (airport Domodedovo) TU-154, travel time 2 hours 10 minutes.
flight number 1213 at 12:50, arrival at 15:00.
A / k "KavMinvodyAvia", from Moscow (airport Vnukovo) TU-154, travel time 2 hours.
flight No. 1219 at 11:20, arrival at 13:20;
flight No. 1217 at 18:50, arrival at 20:50;
from Moscow (airport Domodedovo) TU-154, travel time 2 hours.
flight number 1225 at 10:30, arrival at 12:20.
"Mineralnye Vody - Moscow" (main flights)
A / c "Aeroflot"(airport Sheremetyevo-1) TU-154, travel time 2 hours 25 minutes.
flight number 786 at 12:20, arrival at 14:45;
flight number 788 at 19:25, arrival at 21:50.
A / c "Siberia"(a / p Domodedovo). TU-154, travel time 2 hours 10 minutes.
flight number 1214 at 16:30, arrival at 18:40.
A / k "KavMinvodyAvia", (airport Vnukovo) TU-154, travel time 2 hours.
flight number 1218 at 08:05, arrival at 10:50
flight number 1220 at 14:50, arrival at 16:50
(airport Domodedovo) TU-154, travel time 2 hours.
flight number 1236 at 13:40, arrival at 15:40
flight number 1226 at 20:30, arrival at 22:25
Russian Railways offer trains "Moscow - Mineralnye Vody" for travel to ski resorts in Dombay. The exact cost and availability can be found in the section " Ticket booking
"
No. 004 "Moscow Kazanskaya - Kislovodsk" (firm)
No. 027 "Moscow Kursk - Kislovodsk" (ambulance)
No. 034 "Moscow Kazanskaya - Vladikavkaz" (ambulance)
No. 062 "Moscow Kazan - Nalchik" (ambulance)
For a comfortable skiing holiday in Dombay, you can order a transfer "Mineralnye Vody - Dombay or Prielbrusye - Mineralnye Vody" (specify the cost when booking):
- individual - 3700 paternal. auto, 4500 - foreign car;
- group - 7000 domestic cars, 8000 - foreign cars.
Ordered before arrival, travel time - 3.5-4 hours.
Reservation service is additionally paid - 250 rubles. for the car.
For a ski holiday in Dombay And Elbrus region can be reached from Moscow:
Regular bus service(first visit at the end of December). Buses brand "Neoplan" (comfortable buses for 53-55 seats, audio and video systems, kitchen, dry closet, attendant, two drivers)
Departure from Moscow every Friday, departure at 8:30 from Domodedovskaya metro station
Departure from Dombay every Saturday, departure at 16:30 from the guest. "Mountain peaks" departure at 17:00 from the guest. "Dombay"
Departure from Terskol every Saturday, departure at 16:30 from the guest. "Terskol" departure at 17:00 from the guest. "Cheget". The total travel time is 24-26 hours.
Approximate cost and dates (to be specified when booking tickets at the bus station
Departure from Moscow Departure from Dombay / Terskol Round-trip fare
