Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
RussiaOn one of the trails in Kislovodsk Park, passing under the Blue Rocks, there are several grottoes. One of them is interesting because inside, right in the wall of the grotto, a large stone face is carved-a bas-relief, which has become one of the most mysterious local attractions. Initially, it was called "Demon", because in the facial features they saw a resemblance to the face of the figure of a demon who "lives" in the Lermontov grotto next to the Kislovodsk Colonnade, but later it was renamed the "Master of the Mountains".
Where this bas–relief in the rock came from and who its author is not exactly known. Guides and guides tell all kinds of legends about it, attributing to this place an area of mystery and mysticism, who is good at what. So, they say that the face was carved by ancient people, and it was discovered only in the 70s of the last century. However, this version does not stand up to criticism, if only because the grottoes themselves were a famous tourist destination back in the XIX century, and the face appeared only in the last century. They also say that this is the face of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, who repeatedly visited Kislovodsk and whose name the hiking trail in the park is named after. And some tourists believe that this is generally a modern facility that was created specifically to attract tourists. Which of these stories to believe is up to you to choose.
Anyway, this place is worth a visit, and if you like hiking, then be sure to come here. It will be interesting not only the bas-relief itself, but also the route here. So, while walking along this trail you will be able to enjoy the views of Kislovodsk National Park from several observation decks, and if you follow this trail further beyond the grottoes, you will get into the gorge with an overhanging A rock head, a mini waterfall and a bizarre stone formation in the shape of a lion's head. And since most vacationers start the walking part of the route from Valley of Roses, you will be able to see some interesting places in the vicinity of the valley, in particular Temple of the Air from the observation deck, Gray stones, Red stones, etc. The grottoes themselves are also interesting, connected by a narrow passage through a thin stone wall.
Unfortunately, the walls of the grottoes are abundantly marked with inscriptions by tourists. Basically, these are the names and names of cities that unlucky vacationers leave with paint, markers or scratch right into the soft rock of the walls. Remarkably, one of these inscriptions is dated even to 1834.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: free of charge.
🚶 How to get there: The grotto with the face or "The Owner of the Mountains" is located in the Kislovodsk National Park on the Kosygin Trail ("The owner of the mountains" on the map). This is a little-popular part of the park among tourists, which can only be reached on foot or by mountain bike, and therefore large organized groups do not go here. But you can't call this trail deserted in the high tourist season either.
Most often, they go to the "Owner of the mountains" from the Valley of Roses, where, in turn, they reach from the Colonnade by taxi-electric vehicles from 200 rubles / person. From the valley to the grotto you will have to walk two and a half kilometers along a good wide path, which will take about 40 minutes in one direction. The route is gentle, there are no difficulties, you can go with children and the elderly, only right next to the grottoes from the trail you will have to climb a very steep path for a few meters.
You can go here without a taxi, starting a walking route through the park from the Colonnade (6 kilometers and an hour and a half in one direction), or from the Cascade Staircase (4 kilometers and about an hour in one direction). In this case, we advise you to plan a whole day's walk through the National Park and visit its main attractions, take drinking water and a snack with you, put on comfortable sports shoes.
Despite the fact that there are signs installed in the park and there is, including a pointer to the "Owner of the mountains", in order to find him, it is best to use the navigator with our exact coordinates. The fact is that the grottoes themselves are located a little higher above the trail and are often simply not noticed by tourists, and besides, there is no sign directly next to them, it is only a hundred meters before the attraction at the fork of the trails. Therefore, we recommend downloading offline maps to your smartphone, for example, applications such as Organic Maps, OSM, Maps.me etc., and they have points of interest from our map. It is better to do this in advance, because the Internet in this part of the park catches very poorly. In extreme cases, you can ask for directions from passing tourists.
We also advise you to look at ready-made excursions with online booking on these verified sites with reviews: