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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The Matlass stone bowl near the village of Matlass in Dagestan is a natural landmark, which is a deep gorge, along the bottom of which there is an equipped hiking trail. The high stone walls of the gorge, rising steeply on both sides of the trail, create the feeling that they are about to close overhead. In addition to the main passage through the gorge, there are also branches in which the camps really close and form almost a cave. The views while walking along the trail are impressive: the walls are covered with moss and vegetation, which gives them additional beauty and smoothes the effect of an enclosed space.
In general, this place is interesting, and sometimes it is compared to the Karadakh gorge. However, in our opinion, this is just a mini-version of Karadakh, and if you have already visited the Karadakh gorge, then we do not recommend going here specifically just for a walk along it. However, in addition to the stone bowl itself, there are several other interesting places nearby on the Matlas plateau are the Matlas waterfalls and baths, a mosque and a monument to Leo Tolstoy and H. Murat. We advise you to visit all this together in one trip.
The route along the Matlas stone bowl takes an average of 20-30 minutes. It starts from the parking lot, where there is a cafe with mountain tea and a snack. From the parking lot to the entrance to the gorge, you will need to walk 15-20 minutes along the trail, which, by the way, offers magnificent views of the surroundings and mountains. When you reach the main entrance to the gorge, the path diverges here: one goes to the right into the main gorge, and the other to the left.
It is better to choose the right path, as it is more accessible and simpler, and leads to the very "heart" of the Matlas stone bowl by the shortest way. You can go along the left path, but there are difficult sections on it with overcoming large stone blocks and steep ascents and descents. Trails lead to different places and do not connect, although experienced tourists say that somewhere there is a passage through a cave in the rock, but we did not find it. Please note that after the rains it is very dirty and damp on the routes, you need to cross huge puddles, water flows down the walls and drips from above. It is better to dress in waterproof clothing, which is not a pity to get dirty. Shoes need to be comfortable here, slippers-slates will not work, and even rubber boots will come in handy during the rainy season.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Matlas stone bowl is located 17 kilometers from the village of Khunzakh and 158 from Makhachkala (stone bowl on the map). You can visit it from Hunzakh village or from Gunib, and even go here for one day from Makhachkala or Derbent. This can be done both independently and as part of a one-day excursion. You can buy excursions on the websites:
- 📷 Excursions to the Matlas Plateau and the stone bowl on Sputnik8.com
- 📷 Excursions to the Matlas Plateau and the stone bowl on Tripster.ru
Driving your car here will not be difficult. The road leads almost to the parking lot at the stone bowl is good, asphalt is everywhere, and only the last few hundred meters is a gravel primer, but it will also be covered with a hard surface in the near future. Parking at the entrance is free, and if there is no space on it, you can park the car on the side of the road nearby.
💥 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: