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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Mirror image - a beautiful mountain lake in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana at an altitude of more than 1800 meters. It got its name for a reason: in calm weather, it really reflects the sky and the coast as in a mirror. From the site on which it is located, there are excellent views of the main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains, and in good weather you can see the famous Fisht peaks, Oshten, Pseashho, Aibga, Agepsta. The only problem is that it is difficult for most tourists to reach it. Although no, there is another one - a very expensive visit, but about everything in order:
In general, Mirror Lake is not alone here. A few hundred meters away there is still a foggy and nameless lake, but they appear only in spring or after heavy rains, and the rest of the year they dry up or turn into a not very beautiful swamp. And nearby are the remains of the Soviet weather station "Achishkho", but there is virtually nothing left of it except the foundation.
Fortunately, only lovers of hiking or one-day hiking trips can visit the mirror and foggy lakes, and Jeep tours are not carried here. From Krasnaya Polyana you can visit them within one day, but for this you will have to stock up and leave or leave very early. More often, lovers of multi-day hikes come here with an overnight stay, complementing their route with hikes to the achipse waterfalls and the ascent of Achishkho mountain to 2300 meters. On the way to the mirror or on the way back you can visit the more popular, but not so beautiful Khmelevsky lakes. And by the way, the easiest route leads here through the Khmelevsky lakes, as described below.
Depending on the method of visiting the Mirror Lake, you must take bivouac equipment and food with you (in case of an overnight stay), preferably trekking poles, good shoes, headgear, sunglasses and sun protection (you will need it in winter when the weather is clear). Even in summer it is worth dressing warmly, snow in places can persist until June.
Attention! Be especially careful during overnight hikes: bears are found here.
🕐 Working hours
around the clock, visit during daylight hours.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
Mirror Lake is located in Caucasian Reserve paid access-300 rubles / day. But before you get to its territory, you first have to go through Sochi National Park, the fee for which is 200 rubles/person, children under 10 years-free of charge. In total, for a one-day trip you will have to pay 500 rubles per person. The entrance fee to the Sochi National Park is paid at the checkpoint on the route to the Khmelevsky lakes or when leaving the center of Krasnaya Polyana on a walking route through the dolmens. There is no checkpoint at the entrance to the Caucasian reserve, so you need to issue a permit in advance at the Reserve office in Adler, Karl Marx Street, 8, or at the ticket office of the Laura aviary complex behind the Gazprom GTC on Achipsinskaya Street, 16. in practice, tourists do not always issue permits to the Reserve in the hope of not meeting.
🚶 How to get there
located in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana approximately 15 kilometers from the center of the village and three kilometers from the Khmelevsky Lakes (Mirror Lake on the map. Rare individual excursions with overnight stays are led here, more often lovers of mountain and hiking get there on their own. About how to get to Krasnaya Polyana first here.
The easiest way to get here is to get to the Khmelev Lakes first (you can take an individual tour by Jeep or by car, see how to get to the Khmelev lakes here). From Khmelevsky to Mirror 3 kilometers in one direction on an almost horizontal route, there and back will take 3 hours. Therefore, group excursions on Jeeps in this case will not work, because no one will wait for you.
Another completely hiking route starts from the center of the village through the Dolmens of Krasnaya Polyana along the Beshenka River. It is shorter, but the climb is steeper. Climbing and mountaineering skills will not be required on it, since it is a trekking or hiking route without a category, but the ability to navigate and experience hiking in the mountains are mandatory. You can use maps for navigation Organic Maps, OSM, etc. with marked trails, but it is better to use guides or join tourists who have already walked along this route.
We also advise you to see interesting options for individual and group excursions on these proven sites: