Guam gorge - Travel Guide and how to visit on your own

Guam Gorge or Guamka gorge - the most famous attraction guamka farms to which the latter owes its frenzied tourist popularity. Actually, just for the sake of walking along the gorge or riding through it on a tourist train, most tourists come here. The gorge can be visited not only during a holiday in Guamka, but also as a one-day independent trip by car or with an excursion from Krasnodar and other resorts of the Krasnodar Territory, as well as from kamennomostsky settlement in Republic Of Adygea. This attraction is open all year round, but there are special features of visiting, which we talk about in this guide.

History of the Guam Gorge and how it appeared

Over millions of years, the Kurjips River has washed a deep trench of the Guam gorge into the rocks. In places, its depth reaches 400 meters, and the walls narrow to 5 meters. It starts from the hamlet of Guamka and stretches for 8 kilometers towards the village of Mezmay. But the most interesting and beautiful part of it does not reach Mezmay, but ends earlier after about 3.5 kilometers from Guamka, after which it passes simply into a wooded area surrounded by mountains.

At the beginning of the last century, under Soviet rule, a narrow-gauge railway was laid through the gorge to export timber from the village of mezmai Lumberjacks, since it was difficult to make a normal bypass road at that time. But over time, the road lost its importance, becoming just a tourist attraction. Today, a tourist train runs along it, but not along the entire section between the villages, but only at a distance of 1707 meters from Guamka to the station and cafe "1707", and back. Previously, it was possible to travel along it and further to Mezmay, but due to the collapse and destruction of railway tracks in 2011, this message was interrupted, and whether it will be restored is unknown.

What else to see in the Guam gorge

In addition to the beautiful views of the river and the rocks, there are several notable places in the gorge:

• Railway station and cafe "1707". The tourist train stops here (station on the map. You can take beautiful photos with a view of the river, eat indoors or on the terrace with a view. The station is equipped with toilets, there is a kiosk with souvenirs.
• A train that fell into the river. An old carriage in the river can be seen right in the river on the section where the train runs (train on the map).
• The waterfall. The mini waterfall next to the railway is 900 meters on foot after the station and cafe (waterfall on the map. Some sources on the Internet describe it as a beautiful waterfall that falls directly on the rails, but this is only after the rains, the rest of the time it is just a trickle of water on the rock.
• Historical bridge (Suhaya Balka bridge). A memorial plaque is installed next to the railway bridge in 1100 meters from the station and cafe (Bridge on the map. This bridge was blown up twice by partisans to prevent the movement of the Germans, who planned to move to Sochi through the mountains.
• Monument To Dedova Maria. It is located one and a half kilometers from the station almost at the very end of the gorge (monument on the map. In 1979, the detourer of the tracks died under a mudflow, having managed to warn the passenger train about the danger at the cost of her life.

Also from the gorge begin the trails to The Monk's cave and along the gorge of the Sukhaya Balka river, but these are quite complex tourist routes that should be set purposefully and prepared:

• Sukhaya Balka route. This is a difficult route, it involves passing only with guides and special equipment, part of the way passes through the water fording (Suhaya Balka on map. Along the route, you will pass through the canyon of the river up to 70 meters deep, reach the waterfalls Yavorovy (80 meters high), and bride. Only trained adults can master it, and only under the guidance of an instructor. In practice, experienced tourists decide on an independent hike. For more information read about the Suhaya Balka route here.
• Route to Monk's cave and waterfall. This is a shorter, and it is considered to be an easier route, although it is also not recommended for independent passage. Starts from the station and cafe "1707 (monakhova cave on the map). Learn more about the monk's cave and waterfall, and how to get to them here.

When is it better to visit the Guam gorge

You can visit the Guam gorge at any time of the year: it looks great in summer and winter, and no worse in spring or autumn. Only one condition is important – that the weather during the visit was good, preferably Sunny, and then the impressions and photos will be the best. Therefore, we advise you to check the weather forecast in advance before your trip. And, of course, you should dress for the season and weather.

High tourist season and the best time to travel is from June to September. In these months, the air warms up to +25 during the day, there is not much precipitation. But remember that even in the hottest months, it can be chilly in the evenings, so warm clothes will not hurt.

Separately, it is worth saying about May. It is already a warm month, but also the rainiest of the year.

Current weather in Guamka and forecast

* - прогноз указан по местному времени. Данные получены с https://openweathermap.org. Если отображаются устаревшие даты, обновите страницу с помощью F5+Ctrl.

How to visit the Guam gorge, how to get there

The entrance to the gorge is located on the outskirts of the village of Guamka (entrance to the Guam gorge on the map) and stretches for about 3.5 kilometers in the direction of Mezmay. After that, the gorge ends, but the railway stretches further to Mezmay. The total distance from Guamka to Mezmay by rail is 8 kilometers.

Accordingly, to walk along it or take a tourist train, you first need to get to Guamka or Mezmay. Most often, the route starts from Guamka, since it is here that the most picturesque part of the gorge is located and the tourist train departs from here. From Mezmay you can also walk along the route, but for this you have to walk almost 5 kilometers along a not very interesting path along the dilapidated railway tracks.

Usually tourists rarely go on vacation specifically to Guamka, and most often visit this place in the form of a short trip for one or two days from one of the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory. You can get to the farm yourself, but for this it is best to use personal transport, since public transport here is very poorly developed, and you will have to go with transfers by bus through Apsheronsk. And, what's bad, the bus schedule is unstable and inconvenient, so you may also have to spend the night on the way to Apsheronsk.

A much more convenient option is to buy ready-made excursions to Guamka at the place of rest. They are one-day with a visit only to Guamka and gorges, but there are more interesting tours for several days, including Eagle Regiment, attractions in the vicinity of Mezmay, hot springs, and even a visit to mountainous Adygea. Such excursions are available from distributors and travel agencies in almost all major beach resorts of the Krasnodar Territory, and you can also purchase them online on these verified sites with reviews:

• 📷 search for excursions to Guamka on Tripster.ru
• 📷 tours to Guamka from the tour operator Dolphin

And now we tell you how to visit the Guam gorge, when you have already reached the village of Guamka:

From anywhere in Guamka, the entrance to the gorge and the departure station of the tourist train can be reached on foot. If you come here by private transport, then for you near the entrance to the gorge there is a spacious parking lot for 50 rubles a day, but without problems you can put the car in any other place in the guamka farm on the side of the road.

There are two options to see the gorge: by tourist train (for a fee) and on foot (for free). But since recently, a walking visit at certain times is limited to train traffic, but it is still possible to do this. You can also combine a walk with a one-way train ride, depending on the schedule.

Here are details about both methods:

• By train

  A steam-powered tourist train runs from the railway station on the outskirts of the village (station on the map) to the station and cafe "1707"(station on the map), passing in about 25 minutes 1707 meters. It moves very slowly, a little faster than a pedestrian, which allows you to easily see everything and take a photo. There are no stops along the way. It is better to immediately take good seats at the window when landing, otherwise there is a chance not to see anything: when landing in Guamka – windows on the left side; from the cafe – windows on the right side.

  If you do not have enough views from the train along the way, then from the station and cafe you can walk further along the railway towards Mezmay, and see the interesting places mentioned above. It is also possible to walk to Mezmay 7 kilometers, (but you will have to go back only by taxi or again on foot).

  In the composition there is an open car with a roof, and two ordinary closed cars. Of course, the views from the open are better, but the fare in it is a little more expensive. Here is the schedule and cost as of 2021:

  The cost of train tickets for the Guam gorge

  Type of car	Cost (both ways)
  Closed car	500 rubles adults / 250 children 7-13 years; children under 7 years-free of charge.
  Open carriage	600 rubles adults / 300 children 7-13 years; children under 7 years-free of charge.

  Tickets are purchased at the ticket office at the station. It is possible to pay with a plastic card, but due to the instability of the work it is better to have cash with you. A one-way ticket is half the price.

  Guam gorge train schedule:

  Direction	Departure time
  Departure from Guamka	Tuesday to Sunday - 09:30; 10:30; 11:30; 12:30; 13:30; 14:30; 15:30; 16:30; 17:30. Monday and Tuesday are days off.
  Departure to Guamka	Tuesday to Sunday - 10:00; 11:00; 12:00; 13:00; 14:00; 15:00; 16:00; 17:00; 18:00. Monday and Tuesday are days off.

  
  

  

  

  

• On foot

  As mentioned above, walking along the gorge from Guamka to the cafe "1707" station during the operation of the train is prohibited. But you can safely walk along it on Monday and Tuesday, and on other days before 09:00 hours, and after 18:00. During the operation of the train, security will not let you through here, the entrance is blocked by a gate. This is done ostensibly under the pretext of safety, since pedestrians will not be able to miss the train. Although in practice it is clear that there is plenty of space for pedestrians and for the train, especially since the train moves at the speed of a pedestrian.

  However, do not be too frivolous about hiking in the Guam gorge, it is still a dangerous place. In front of the entrance there is an information sign stating that in the period from 2001 to 2012, 12 people died here, 147 were injured. Indeed, rockfalls here are not uncommon. So, during our visit in 2019, a stone fell directly on the tracks at night (See Photo), and even the roof of the train would not have protected passengers.

  So, in the gorge on foot you can go at a time when the train is not working. But note that if you walk in the morning before 9 o'clock, you can not get back on foot until 18. There are no passages along the river to the closed area either, everything is blocked. And since it will take no more than 3 hours to walk to the farthest attraction, the monument to grandfather Mary, and back, you will either have to return to the village by train in one direction (for half the price), or find a longer Entertainment in the Gorge: Walk to Mezmay, take the route to The Monk's cave or along the Suhaya Balka.

  

  

  

How to visit the gum gorge from Mezmay:

If you decide to get acquainted with the interesting village of Mezmay and, perhaps, spend the night there, then it is quite possible to walk along the gorge and from there. You can even take the route in one direction, i.e. get to Mezmay, and from there go through the gorge with access to Guamka. But you need to understand that if you plan to use public transport, you will have to spend one night in Mezmay, and then another in Guamka, since the bus schedule will simply not allow you to do this for one day. The option with personal transport is also not suitable, since you will have to leave it in Mezmay. But if you are willing to pay for a not cheap taxi to move between the villages, then you can go all in one day.

So, the railway along the Guam gorge begins in Mezmay right in the middle of the village, you can not pass it. If you need, you can use the map or ask any of the locals, they will tell you the direction. When you find the "piece of iron", you just need to go along it, and after about 5 kilometers you will get to the most interesting and picturesque part of the gorge, and then to the station of the tourist train at the cafe"1707". Here you can turn back, or pass/pass to Guamka depending on whether the tourist train will run at that moment.