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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
If you are traveling by car along a picturesque mountain road from Dagestan to Chechnya through Lake Kezenoy-Am (or in the opposite direction), be sure to stop at a chic observation deck with a scattering of unusual stone balls and stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the village of Andi below.
To be honest, this is not the attraction for which it is worth coming here on purpose — it is too far from the coastal resorts and other tourist places of Dagestan. But as a place for a short stop along the way — definitely worth attention. The place is very picturesque, the views are stunning, as, indeed, almost everywhere in Dagestan and Chechnya. For convenience, they even installed a couple of benches and a swing where you can relax and enjoy the scenery.
And also on the site, in some unknown way, there were huge stones of almost perfect spherical shape, which gives the place a touch of mystery. In fact, there is no mystery in them: these are natural nodules — mineral formations that formed in sedimentary rocks around some core (for example, an organic residue or other mineral). Over time, the surrounding rock collapsed, and the harder nodules remained, taking on a rounded shape. The only question remains: how did they end up on this particular site? They were probably moved here manually from a nearby slope or they rolled down under their own weight. If you know the exact answer — share in the comments!
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The stone balls near the village of Andi are located on the road from Dagestan to Chechnya via Lake Kezenoy-Am, this is the Botlikhsky district (Stone balls on the map). There is a good asphalt road leading here, which, by the way, can even be safely called one of the most picturesque roads in Dagestan, since wonderful landscapes open here at every kilometer. But still be careful during the trip: although the road is in good condition, it is mountainous, with sharp turns and height differences, and sometimes there are landslides and landslides.
If you are going to come here from Makhachkala or from the Caspian coast in general, we advise you to make up your tourist route with a visit to other interesting places in Dagestan, such as Gunib, Saltinsky Waterfall, Hunzah, ghost village Gamsutl and many more things. See all points of interest on our map. If you just need to get there, then for the time being it is better to set a route bypassing Khunzakh and Matlas through Shamilkala, Gimry, etc., since the Matlas-Tlokh section has a very bad and dangerous dirt road. In 2024, repairs began to be carried out on it, but we don't know exactly when they will be completed, but we will update the information as it becomes available.
From Chechnya, the road is also very beautiful and winding. You can go through Vedeno and Harachoy with a stop at Lake Kezenoy-Am and the city of the dead Khoy, there is excellent asphalt everywhere along the way.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Dagestan with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: