Sulak Canyon

Sulak Canyon is the most fascinating natural attraction of Dagestan and a place that we undoubtedly recommend to every guest of the Republic to visit. This is one of the deepest canyons in Europe, and even leaves behind the world-famous Grand Canyon in the USA. It is a gorge up to 1920 meters deep and 53 kilometers long, along the bottom of which the Sulak River flows. There are two hydroelectric power stations on the Sulak River: Chirkeyskaya HPP and Miatlinskaya HPP, they are usually visited simultaneously with the canyon.

This natural attraction attracts tens of thousands of tourists annually. In clear sunny weather, the canyon offers stunning and fascinating views that take your breath away even from the most seasoned travelers: the surrounding mountains and hills covered with greenery, the emerald river winding among them and birds flying below. In addition to the views from the observation points, it is also possible and necessary to take a boat trip along the river at the bottom of the canyon.

Visiting the canyon is a bit confusing, there is a lot of conflicting information on this subject on the Internet and reviews. We arrived at the place and figured out everything ourselves, and we advise you to read our information carefully, regardless of whether you go to the Sulak Canyon on your own or with an excursion.

So, there are several ways to visit the canyon. The easiest way is just to come and look at the canyon from above from one of the public and free viewing points. The main points for exploring the canyon and visiting it are located in three places: Dubki village, Chirkey reservoir and on the way to the village Staroe Zubutli village.

But in addition to simply admiring and photographing from the observation decks, there is an even closer acquaintance with it – this is boating on the Sulak River along its bottom from the village of Staroe Zubutli or from a new place from the Istok recreation center. This is an exciting and interesting activity, really expensive, and besides, there are some difficulties with it. We tell you more about everything:

• Observation decks in the village of Dubki

  This is the most easily accessible place to explore the canyon. There are several convenient viewing points on the outskirts of the village, offering stunning views of the narrowest and deepest part of the canyon. Tourists are sure to be brought to these viewing points during group excursions, and it's definitely worth coming here if you're traveling on your own.

  Getting to Dubki will not be a problem, there is an excellent asphalt road leading here. Moreover, the asphalt is laid right up to the popular tourist viewing points, and there are always a lot of tourists there. Which of the viewing rooms in Dubki to choose is not important, since cool views open everywhere (observation deck in Dubki on the map). But if you want to have fewer people, then you can easily choose one of the other viewing points on the outskirts of Dubki, although you will have to drive a little along a dirt road or walk 5-10 minutes on foot.

  It will not be possible to take a boat ride along the canyon in Dubki. To do this, from Dubki, jeeping is offered to the pier of boats in Zubutli, the cost is from 6000 rubles. for a car up to 6 people, including boating. The entire round trip and boat ride will take about 4 hours.

  Get to Dubki from Makhachkala by public transport, you can take suburban minibuses from the Northern bus station, but they only go twice in the morning from Makhachkala, and in the afternoon back, so without spending the night you will only have time to visit the observation room. And if you want to go by jeep to Zubutli and go boating, you will have to spend the night in one of these settlements, or go back to Makhachkala by taxi or hitchhiking.

  The village of Dubki itself is small, but it is much better developed than the village of Zubutli. Usually it is visited by passing through, but if you decide to stay overnight, then from the infrastructure there is a guest house and a hotel, a cafe, several shops. In the vicinity of the village it is easy to find places for a tent to stay overnight.

• On the Chirkeysky reservoir

  The reservoir appeared on the Sulak River during the construction of the Chirkejskaya HPP. It is here that most of the tourists are taken during a boat tour of the reservoir and canyon after or before visiting the observation deck in Dubki (reservoir on the map). But we decided to call it a "fake walk" and a "fake canon." The fact is that the most interesting and picturesque part of the canyon with steep and high walls and sharp turns of the river remains behind the Chirkeyskaya HPP opposite Dubkov, and it is impossible to get from the reservoir by boat. That's why tourists are driven around the reservoir and far from the most exciting part of the gorge, and they say that this is exactly what the canyon itself is. We tell you more about the Chirkeyskoye reservoir in a separate article.

• In the village of Zubutli

  Zubutli is the very place where you can ride along the Sulak River in the most picturesque and interesting place, where a narrow strip of turquoise water is sandwiched between very high rocky walls, for which the canyon is so famous and impressive (marina of boats in Zubutli on the map). In addition, on the way to the village from the observation points along the road there will be fascinating views that are no worse than the observation points in the Oaks. The only problem is that it is not easy to get to the village, and therefore inexpensive group tours by bus are not carried here, and instead of walking through a real canyon, mass tourists are offered the aforementioned Chirkeskaya reservoir.

  Zubutli is a very tiny village, consists of a couple of streets. Nevertheless, there is a tourist infrastructure here: there are several private guest houses and campsites, there is a marina with boats for walking, parking for transport. Communication works very poorly, you can catch the signal only in some places. To stay here for an overnight stay in one of the guest houses, you need to negotiate with local residents already on the spot or with jeep drivers, and booking accommodation via the Internet is not yet easy and expensive here.

  There is no way to get to Zubutli by public transport, and it's not always possible to get to Zubutli by private transport. It is advisable to drive an all-wheel drive, or at least a high-slung car. With a great desire and experience of traveling on mountain roads, you can also drive a puzoterka, but what condition your car will be in after that is a big question. In bad weather during or after rain, not to mention snow, we strongly advise you not to go on your own. The road here is one of the most difficult in the whole of Dagestan, do not neglect this warning.

  Attention! In 2023, the road to Zubutli through the Miatlinskaya HPP was temporarily closed for the repair period, it was possible to drive only on a very bad road from the village of Hubar. But now this road has been reopened, and you can get to Zubutli again by your own transport.

  So, the road to Zubutli leads through the Miatlinskaya HPP in the village of Novo-Zubutli, and then along the gorge 13 kilometers along the terrible mountain primer. Navigators and maps can build you other route options through the village of Khubar, but you can only drive there on an all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle. There is a good asphalt road leading to the Miatlinskaya HPP itself, you can easily reach it using the navigator. At the entrance to the hydroelectric power station you will be met by local guides on off-road vehicles and will be offered to ride to the village for 4000 rubles for the whole car will be offered to ride to the village from 6000 rubles for the whole car for up to 6 people, including boating. They do it not intrusively and can even be said delicately, which is very nice. However, if you decide to use their services, then accurately agree on the final price and make sure that it is indicated for a trip in both directions for the whole car with waiting and boating, and not in one direction and for each person.

  If you are determined to go on your own, then you need to go through security control to pass through the hydroelectric power station, because this is an object of special importance. To do this, feel free to drive further down the road to the checkpoint building for travel to the HPP (CHECKPOINT on the map). In 2022, a sign prohibiting traffic was installed there, but you need to go directly under the sign across the bridge, there are no options here. You can drive up to the checkpoint from the other side through another bridge a little downstream of the Sulak River, but there is an almost impassable road.

  At the checkpoint, you need to present the driver's documents and all adult passengers (passports), go through security control, after which they will open the gate for you and you can go on. There is only one road from the hydroelectric power station – the most difficult primer. At the very beginning of this route, after the passage of the HPP tunnel, it will be necessary to overcome a very steep, almost extreme climb. If your car overcomes it, then you will get further to the village without much difficulty. It will take about an hour to get to the village.

  When you come to Zubutli, you need to leave the car in the only parking lot for 100 rubles, you will not miss it. There are simply no other options where you can park your car in the village.

  From the parking lot to the marina with boats you can go down on foot in 5-10 minutes along the trail. There is a cafe there, pleasure boats depart at any time at your request. In 2023, for a walk lasting a little less than an hour, they ask from 3,500 for a boat with a capacity of up to 5 people, there are also boats for 8 and 12 people. The price for skating is not fixed and may change, and you can also bargain.

• Recreation center "Istok"

  Boating from the recreation center "Istok". This is a new alternative point from where you can take a boat ride along the bottom of the canyon along the same interesting part of it as from Zubutli. At the same time, you do not have to pass through the checkpoint at the hydroelectric power station, and in general, there is less to go to the starting point of the boat. There is a dirt road leading to the "Source", which starts from the asphalt road next to the Nokho cave, you will need to drive about 3 kilometers, and judging by the reviews, the road here is not as difficult and bad as to Zubutli (marina of boats from the Source on the map). But we have not yet traveled this route ourselves, and therefore we cannot tell in detail about the state of the road and the conditions of travel.

  However, boats from the "Source" are a little more expensive than in Zubutli. Here, walks are offered only on a large boat, you will have to pay 13,000 rubles for the whole boat, at least this price is voiced by travelers who have been there, in what is the best chat in Dagestan. The boat includes up to 10 people, but you can wait for fellow travelers and go with them, so it will be cheaper.

• Walking along the Sulak trail of Oak trees

  The Sulak trail leads from the village of Dubki along the right slope of the canyon, which can be easily overcome on foot. Going down it, you will find yourself on the opposite side of the river from the village of Staroe Zubutli. On the other side there will also be a pier from which pleasure boats depart along the canyon. You can move to the village and to the pier via a pedestrian bridge, and also theoretically pleasure boats can pick you up on this shore, if you agree on it in advance. You can go back to Dubki on foot the same way, leave the village of Staroe Zubutli by hitchhiking or get hooked on sightseeing jeeps to the nearest "civilization" behind the Miatlinskaya HPP, if there are empty seats in them. We tell you more about the Sulak trail here.

• Other places to explore the canyon

  In addition to the places mentioned above, there are other locations, including those that have appeared in recent years, where large groups of tourists are brought during excursions to the canyon. For an independent trip, we definitely will not recommend them, but here you can hire a jeep for a trip to Zubutli with a boat ride from 10,000 rubles for the whole car for up to 6 people:

  • Suspension Bridge and Noho Cave. They are located next to the Miatlinskaya HPP and are visited together. The suspension bridge is stretched between the walls of the gorge, and, as they say, offers a good view of the bends of the river and the canyon in one of its narrowest places. The entrance to the bridge and the cave costs 500 rubles, for children - 250 rubles.
  • Glavryba. This is a fish farm and a campsite with restaurants on the water, a children's town, a Ferris wheel and other tourist attractions. Groups of sightseeing tourists are brought here for lunch, but you can come on your own.
  • Rodnik farm. On the opposite side of the canyon from the Oaks there is a farm and a part-time recreation center, which also offers good views of the canyon.