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Gvandra Trek — 7 Days to the Ullu-Kyol Lakes

Height (m): 2868
Duration: 7 days
Difficulty: Low
Continent: Europe
Children: From 10 years old
Accommodation: There are tents

Temporarily unavailable

The seven-day Gvandra trek is a tented route through the Uchkulan, Kichkinakol, Makhar and Gondaray valleys to the Gitche-Kyol and Ullu-Kyol lakes and the Lower Ullu-Kyol pass, about 2900 m. There is less resort infrastructure here and more of the real Western Caucasus: long stages, alpine meadows, camps beside water and a pack on your shoulders.

Programme price — $490.

The programme suits participants in good general condition who are ready for stages of up to 16 km, for tent life and for carrying personal kit together with a share of the group load. No technical mountaineering experience is required.

Participation by children is assessed individually for each family. The length of the stages, the load each participant carries, the weather and the responsible adult's ability to carry and support the child throughout are all taken into account. On the long stage of about 16 km that is a serious additional load, so the family composition and how kit is shared out are agreed in advance.

Important

Day five involves a stage of about 16 km with the descent into the Makhar valley
Participants carry personal belongings and an agreed share of the group equipment and food
The border-zone permit requirements that apply to the chosen dates, who is responsible for the application and how it is submitted are confirmed before booking

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About the Gvandra trek

Route line: Mineralnye Vody — Uchkulan — the Kichkinakol valley — Lake Gitche-Kyol — Lake Ullu-Kyol — the Lower Ullu-Kyol pass — the Makhar and Gondaray valleys — Mineralnye Vody.

After the preparation day in Mineralnye Vody the group moves to the start of the route and switches to tent life. The first stages lead through forest and hanging valleys to Lake Gitche-Kyol. A there-and-back outing to Ullu-Kyol is made from camp, so the main load stays in the tents that day. The group then crosses the ungraded Lower Ullu-Kyol pass and descends into the Makhar valley.

The main difficulty of the route is not technique but accumulated load. For several days in a row you walk on mountain trail, gain and lose height, keep your kit dry and recover in a tent. The longest stage calls for a steady pace, so regular walks on rough ground with a pack are needed before the trip.

Agree your personal kit list with the guide before the trip. There is a rental shop in town for anything you would rather not buy for a single week.

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Gvandra trekking programme, 7 days

Day 1. Meeting with the instructor at 13:00 at the airport or railway station in Mineralnye Vody. The group checks into the hotel and turns to the organisational questions. Introductions and a briefing with the guide follow. Personal equipment is checked and shared equipment and food are handed out. There is a rental shop in town where anything left at home can be hired. Night at the hotel.

Day 2. Transfer by minibus to the village of Uchkulan. On arrival the group pitches camp and works through the organisational questions. Equipment fitting. In the free time there is a chance to walk in the Uchkulan valley. Dinner. Further equipment fitting. Night in tents.

Day 3. Up at 07:00, breakfast at 08:00, departure at 08:30. Today brings a demanding climb up the valley to Lake Gitche-Kyol. The walking pattern is 40 minutes on the move, 20 minutes’ rest. The route runs through the forest zone and starts with a steep climb into the hanging valley of the Kichkinakol river; higher up it reaches the alpine zone and the going becomes more pleasant, moving from one hanging valley into the next. The base camp is pitched on the shore of the first lake. Dinner. Night in tents. Route length 8.5 km.

Day 4. Up at 07:00, breakfast at 08:00, departure at 08:30. The walking pattern is 40 minutes on the move, 20 minutes’ rest. To be beside the jewel of Gvandra, Ullu-Kyol, one of the largest lakes in the Caucasus, and not walk up to it would be a waste, so today the group makes a there-and-back outing to the lake with light packs, taking a flask of tea, snacks and lunch. From the lake there is a magnificent view of the west and east Ullu-Kyol passes and of the summit of the same name. The lake itself is 650 metres long and more than three hundred across, and lies at 2817 metres above sea level. The return follows the same line. Dinner. Night in tents. Route length 5 km.

Day 5. Up at 07:00, breakfast at 08:00, departure at 08:30. The walking pattern is 40 minutes on the move, 20 minutes’ rest. From the campsite the group gains 250 metres to reach the Lower Ullu-Kyol pass, 2900 metres, with the whole Main Caucasus Range laid out ahead. The task of the day is the descent into the Makhar valley: not difficult, but long and tiring. On the way the group calls at the narzan mineral springs and stops there for lunch. Camp is pitched in the Gondaray valley. Dinner. Night in tents. Route length 16 km.

Day 6. Up at 08:00, breakfast at 09:00. The group packs up unhurriedly and waits for the transport to Mineralnye Vody. Return to the hotel. Farewell lunch. Night at the hotel.

Day 7. Departure home.

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What the Gvandra trek price includes

Guides
Hotel accommodation in twin or triple rooms, for the number of nights set out in the programme
Tent accommodation, for the number of nights set out in the programme
All transfers according to the programme
Three meals a day throughout the programme, with dinner on the first day and breakfast on the last
Permits and registrations for the route, with the exact scope and each side’s responsibility confirmed before booking
Group equipment: satellite navigator, first-aid kit, tents and shared kitchen equipment

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