Chechen mountains. Mountain Chechnya. Itum-Kalinsky district (47 photos)

Village Tazbichi Itum- Kalinsky district located V three kilometers To east from district center, on most alpine V Chechnya road Itum- Calais - Sharoy. Thisperfect place For near walks from upper Argun in neighboring, lateral gorge. TOak And described village, itSame called Tazbichi. Story about him will go in two parts: first we will get there, and then - just as slowly - we will walk.)

Along with the Daryal, the Argun Gorge passed from Russia to Transcaucasia and Asia Minor; since ancient times it has been the most important transit road from Chechnya to Georgia, Dagestan and Ossetia. The times when it was possible to go through the entire gorge are gone together with the USSR, and then with the "independent Ichkeria". In December 1999, the Russian military blocked the Chechen section state border. Open checkpoints, even for local residents, here in not going to in the foreseeable future.

On Argun you can see natural beauty Chechnya and mountainous Georgia, and many surviving monuments ancient architecture Vainakhs and Khevsurs, and traces of two Chechen wars. Of the documents you need to have only an internal Russian passport for Chechnya (if your route does not include the border zone, south of the regional center of Itum-Kale) and foreign - for Georgia. The journey through the gorge will have to be divided into two parts - Chechen and Georgian.

From Grozny bus station "Minutka"(not far from the square with the same name) buses and minibuses go to the village of Shatoy on the northern outskirts of the Argun Gorge. To the village of Itum-Kale - the southernmost regional center of Chechnya - the only minibus for the day leaves around noon .

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From Grozny to about the village of Varanda, the route runs along the plain. In the village of Starye Atagi, the mountains are just beginning to approach, in Varandy it already seems that you can reach them with your hand, and further, somewhere in the Shatoi region, you will find yourself among the peaks overgrown with forests, over an abyss with a raging river.

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Around the village Yaryshmardy(outside the village of Chishki) on the side of the road there is a wooden Orthodox cross one and a half human height, at the foot of the cross lies a shot through soldier's helmet. At this place on April 16, 1996, the "black Arab" Khattab destroyed a column of the 245th motorized rifle regiment Russian army killing about 100 people.

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Photo 2007.

At the entrance to the district center Shatoy, fifty kilometers from the Chechen capital, there is a 22-meter combat tower with a pyramidal-stepped roof characteristic of the Vainakhs and machicols - balconies for shooting. You can get to it by making a detour through the entire Shatoi, moving to the opposite bank of the Argun and turning onto the dirt road towards the village of Bolshie Varanda. Stairs and interfloor ceilings have been restored inside the tower, so... well, you understand. ;-)

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On the northern outskirts of the village Ushkaloy, in the narrowest part of the gorge, the traveler will be met by two watchtowers, as if soldered into a rocky niche. The towers were built in the XIV-XVI centuries, and in 1944 one of them (the one on the left) was destroyed. The second was badly damaged during the shelling of the Second Chechen, but a year and a half or two years ago it was restored, and the first was generally rebuilt.

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Each of them has only three walls, the fourth is rock (in photo 10 - on the left side).

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Photo Welran

From the road through the river is laid strong pedestrian bridge, along which it is possible to reach the towers.

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Photo Welran

At the entrance to Itum-Kale, 75 kilometers from Grozny, the mountains diverge again, giving way to a small valley for people. the main street in the village it bears the name of Magomed Uzuev, an Itum-Kalinian, a hero of the defense of the Brest Fortress. Houses - all over private sector, mostly red brick, all new. Former ones say locals, were bombed during the war.

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These are chimney tops made of painted tin. Tin jewelry is one of characteristic features any Chechen or Ingush house, because every owner wants his home to be smart.

On the southern, most ancient outskirts of Itum-Kale, there is a mosque and a small medieval Pacoch castle. In August 2007, when I was here for the first time, the military had recently left the fortress, leaving in some places brickwork for firing points, rotten sandbags and rusty prickly wire.

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The battle tower next door stood dilapidated from time and war.

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A couple of years ago, perfectionist restorers gave A the lobe has an almost European gloss, and along the way, the mosque was rebuilt beyond recognition.)) Now they look stern and at the same time smart:

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Now the castle houses a very pleasant local history museum named after Khusein Isaev - a famous fellow countryman, an associate of Akhmat Kadyrov, who died with him in an explosion at the Dynamo stadium in Grozny on May 9, 2004 of the year.

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At castle-museumwill fork. D oroga straight through bridge to the right of the tower will lead V village Veduchi (8 km, There is pointer), Where With Martha 2012 of the year goes construction ski complex. Doroga to the left, between the beehives and the house with a green roof, goes into Tazbichi And Sharoy. Yes, we're almost there!

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( By the way, from photos 17, 19 and 21 it is clearly seen that the tower next to the castle also experienced a rebirth - decades or even centuries later, the top was completed. The masonry intricately combines ancient stones that have darkened with time and light gray new ones. ... It looks like a family reunion after a long separation.)

Mobile connection. Starting from the village of Ushkaloy, Itum-Kalinsky district, the signal on Moscow SIM cards is lost. In Ushkaloy and Itum-Kale, only Chechen sims are caught, and after the outpost "Khacharoy" (where the border zone begins) mobile communications not at all.

The highest and most beautiful mountains are located in the south of Chechnya - this is part of Caucasian ridge. Most of them are very difficult to get to, but those who succeed will be rewarded with the opportunity to see magnificent landscapes and be alone with nature.

There are several mountain systems in Chechnya, which were formed from the rapid flow of rivers. Four mountain ranges Caucasus mountains run almost parallel. These are the Black Mountains, and Pasture, Lateral, Rocky Ranges.

The Black Mountains are covered with black soil, they are low, up to 1200 meters. Forests, fruit trees, flowers, herbs grow in fertile land, cattle graze in water meadows.

The ridges that are located to the south are much higher. Through central part Republic goes pasture range. And along the southern border of Chechnya, on the territory of the Itum-Kalinsky and Sharoysky districts, the Side Range stretches, the peaks of which are the most impregnable and highest. This part Chechen mountains especially appreciated by climbers, and it is here that the most beautiful places are.

Mount Tebulosmta

The most high point Chechnya and in general the entire North and Eastern Caucasus - Mount Tebulosmta. Almost four and a half kilometers - altitude this mountain, the very top of which is covered with snow all year round. It is several tens of meters higher than the Ingush mountain Shuan. In the old days, rock crystal was mined here.

Mount Ashenete

This mountain is not the highest - just over 1250 meters, but very beautiful. It is located in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district, not far from the border with Dagestan. Gorya is popular with tourists, as from its top you can see beautiful landscapes to other mountains in the neighborhood. According to legend, mountain Christians used to live on this mountain.

Mount Amir Kort

It is also located in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district, on the very border with Dagestan. The mountain is just over one kilometer high. As the legends say, the mountain got its name after the name of the mythical warrior Amir, who was the Caucasian prototype of Prometheus. Mount Amir Kort has a very rich flora and fauna. Wild boars, chamois, golden eagles live on its picturesque emerald slopes, beautiful and rare plants grow.

Mount Komito

Located on the border with Georgia. One of the most high peaks and is very popular with climbers. Although gorges and cliffs are often found on the mountain, there are routes here. This mountain is over 4200 meters high. Throughout the year it is covered with snow, there are glaciers on the slopes.

Chechnya is North Caucasus. So, Chechnya is mountains. The territory of the republic is divided into flat areas, foothills, mountains and highlands. mountain ranges and intermountain valleys occupy more than a third of the area of ​​Chechnya. It is in the mountains that the most ancient villages are located: most architectural gems republics can be found here, on hard-to-reach slopes and in lost gorges. The main pages of Chechen history, its loudest military victories and defeats are connected with the mountains. And, of course, the mountains of the Chechen Republic keep many secrets of this ancient people.

The largest accumulation of mountain peaks is in the south of the republic, here the main glaciers are located and here the most severe mountain climate. These mountains are difficult to access and covered with snow for most of the year, but they are the most picturesque peaks republics. Both professional photographers and ordinary tourists come to Chechnya to admire them.

Different mountains of one republic

The main role in shaping the relief of Chechnya belongs to the rivers. First, the rivers formed the so-called breakthrough valleys, and then in these valleys, in places where the rock was easily destroyed, tributary valleys appeared. It was they who turned the northern slope of the Main Caucasian Range into several ranges, which are now almost parallel. Such a dismemberment of the main ridge gave Chechnya mountain systems: Black Mountains, Pasture, Rocky and Side Ranges.

The lowest of these is the Black Mountains range. Its peaks reach a maximum of 1200 m above sea level. The Black Mountains are mountains of easily destroyed rocks, covered with a thick layer of black earth (hence their name - “black”). A forest grows on fertile soil, cattle graze on pastures. local forests consist of oak, beech, plane tree, hornbeam, linden, ash, hazel, mountain maple. Wild fruit trees grow right there: apple trees, pears, plums, dogwoods. In addition, there is a huge variety of herbs.

The mountainous part of Chechnya, located to the south, is expressed by several more high ridges. According to the features of the relief mountain part The territory of the republic is divided into a zone of limestone ridges (Pasture and Rocky ridges) and shale-sandstone (Lateral ridge with spurs).

The central part of Chechnya is crossed by the Pasture Range: this is one chain of the Peshkhoi Mountains. In the east, it passes into the Andean Range and its spurs. As part of the Pasture Range, there are peaks over 2000 m high. This, for example, is the top of Argun. To the south of Pastbishchny Ridge in Chechnya there is one of the highest limestone ridges - Skalisty. Its highest point in Chechnya is Mount Skalisty (3036 m.).

Along the southern border of the republic stretches the Side Range, which is a cluster of the highest and impregnable peaks. In its Chechen part, the Side Range is almost a thousand meters higher than the Main Caucasian Range. This is the most picturesque part of the republic, especially loved by climbers.

The highest mountains of Chechnya

Tebulsomta is the highest mountain not only in Chechnya, but also in the entire Eastern Caucasus. Its height is 4492 m, it is 41 meters higher than Mount Shoan - the most high mountain Ingushetia. Tebulsomta is located in the south of the republic, on the very border with the Republic of Ingushetia. The top of the mountain is always covered in snow. Until 1905, rock crystal was mined at Tebulsomt.

On the border of Chechnya and Georgia, but in different administrative regions of the republic, there are two mountains of approximately equal height - Shaikhkort and Narkhiya. Shaikhkort is located in the Sharoi region of Chechnya, the height of the mountain is 3942 m. The height of the mountain Nakhiya is 3777 m, it is located on the territory of the Itum-Kalinsky region of the republic.

Another peak of the Sharoi region is a beautiful and towering mountain - Komito (4261 m). Climbers are very fond of this peak, located on the border of the Chechen Republic and Georgia, climbing routes have been developed here, despite the fact that there are very steep cliffs and deep gorges. Komito is covered with snow all year round, and there are several glaciers on its slopes.

Boloilam is a mountain in the Achkhoi-Martan district of Chechnya. Its height is almost 2030 meters. A legend is connected with this peak, according to which it was on this mountain that the most militant Chechen ethnic society “baloi” was born, the descendants were several Chechen teips (Yalkhoroy, Akkkhi, Orstokhoy), who currently live both in Russia and in Turkey, Iraq , Syria, Jordan. Mount Khakmadoy is the birthplace of another Chechen taip, Khakmadoy, which in turn is divided into nine genera. There are many monuments of architecture - ancient places of worship. The summit of Khakmadoy is located on the banks of the Argun River.

Many mountains of the republic, being relatively low and inhabited by peaks, gained notoriety during the Chechen military campaigns. Fierce battles with significant losses were fought in the area of ​​Bald Mountain. She also often appeared in the news reports Yastrebina Gora, which is not far from Grozny.

But all this is in the past. Today the mountains of Chechnya are safe, lovers of hiking, as well as connoisseurs of alpine landscapes, can easily get here. Destroyed villages and ancient monuments are gradually being restored, new roads are being built, skiing is developing.

The heat that prevailed in the Caucasus in the summer of 2000 broke all records of the century. Even local centenarians did not remember such hellish heat! The air temperature was close to 50 degrees Celsius. And it's in the shade. In the sun, things were happening that had never been shown in any horror movie before! It was strange that people didn't fall. To endure real hellish heat for people from the central regions of Russia is a real feat! Without exaggeration. But it was necessary not just to endure statically. There were real combat missions, which, oddly enough, were also carried out!

To me, a person of Asian origin, such a load did not seem prohibitive. I saw in my life the sun, melting the asphalt to a semi-liquid state. Frost that turned metal into glass. Kazakhstan, where I was born and lived for a quarter of a century, was generous with both summer heat and winter cold. But I have never seen a war. Her nightmarish physical and emotional stress! And this, combined with such a weather anomaly this summer, is a real test even for me! Poor Russians!

And here, by the way, is another combat mission. A married couple came to the military commandant's office of the Gudermes region. They came with a complaint. Say your gunners fired. Didn't get there. Our horses were killed. The couple were engaged in breeding these noble animals on a remote mountain retreat. Well ... We need to check, see everything in place. Our armored personnel carrier is immediately sent to inspect the facility. The chief of intelligence of the commandant's office, already a middle-aged lieutenant colonel, is appointed senior. Landing on armor - soldiers from a parallel composition.

The parallel composition of the commandant's company is local residents who wished to serve in the valiant Russian army. They came in the morning, received weapons against signature, dragged an army strap during the day, handed over their weapons in the evening and went home. Cool chart! We didn't trust them. How few people could be "plugged" into this unit? Surely there were spies and saboteurs. Nobody wanted to become a victim of the fifth column. No one wanted to stay in this inhospitable land of the Caucasian highlanders at all. Everyone wanted to earn money and return home. And the house was so far...

Beter walked hard. The KAMAZ engine, installed by the designers in this iron turtle, obviously did not cope with its task. The overheated "hearts" of our iron "horses" were filled with the entire repair box of the company! And on the rise, the overworking diesel of the Tatar magicians generally boiled! Our strategists did not know that there is such heat on earth. And not somewhere in Africa, but in latitudes that are quite achievable for our interests. Although, who knows - on what parallel do the interests of our brilliant General Staff end? And on what meridian...

I have long understood the tricky secret of the BTR-80. I found that intermediate point at which the engine did not boil, but the work was carried out in an acceptable mode. Diesel, purring busily, raised our small, not particularly reliable team higher and higher into the mountains. The spouses were sitting in the cabin - the owners of the drive, on the armor was a lieutenant colonel with a Chechen militia. And anxiety lay like a heavy stone in my heart. There are only three of us. I am a gunner, scout. The local militias did not inspire much confidence in me. Perhaps it would be better if they did not exist at all. What's on their mind? Who are they? Yes, and this exit itself strongly looked like a provocation. The devil knows them - these horse breeders! Maybe specially sent. They will lure us now... And it is so far to the nearest checkpoint!

And here is the takeaway. A hut, probably for temporary housing for the spouses, a fenced area for the night stall of horses, some kind of shed, apparently for storing food. Hot! This damn heat is killing the last remnants of the will to move! Not only physical, but also mental. The task is carried out on a pure “autopilot”! "The soldier runs first as much as he can, and then as much as necessary." An old army proverb.

We, with my gunner - Seryoga, have long been running in the "must" mode. Although, of course, you can’t say this for Seryoga. The man who completed a five-year contract in Africa as part of the Russian Navy had a pronounced image of a leader. Congenital officer aplomb. The Chechens, who sat on my armor for the first time, once, with unconcealed reverence, asked about his status. I answered evasively, saying only that he used to serve in the Navy. The horsemen, after conferring, for some reason decided that Seryoga was a lieutenant commander. Well, okay! Let it be.

The "underground" with civilians left to look at the consequences of shelling. The Chechens sat down in the shade of a low but dense bush that grew along the side of the mountain. Seryoga and I remained sitting on the armor. Back to back, with machine guns on my knees.

There weren't two of us! The armored personnel carrier, on which I “ironed” for more than one thousand miles along the dusty Caucasian roads broken by two wars, has long ceased to be just a technique for us, a set of metal parts. He became animated. The object of our love and care, and sometimes non-violent matyukov, "Betar" often received with a hammer, or with a tire iron on his impenetrable, armored "organs" for his obstinate character. But he didn't take offense.

As before, he dragged along with us a heavy army service, sometimes he was capricious, often “pained”, and sometimes let him down. But this is not from harm, but from old age. All the rubbish that has spent its resource was collected and shoved into this war! Equipment, weapons ... When, during night firing, a mortar exploded on the territory of the company, killing one and seriously crippling two mortars, it suddenly turned out that the two hundred and five-millimeter mortars with which one of the two mortar platoons was armed had a 1943 year of release.

I'm already used to perceive my mini-tank as a living being, as a friend and comrade-in-arms. A small, not at all harmful eccentricity. There were three of us!
And it was past noon. The heat was becoming unbearable! There was no way to drive the car into the shade. Not a single tree in the area! Only shrub. Moving away from technology was also dangerous. Still, the KPVT barrel, caliber 14.5 mm., Made our unholy trinity a more solid and hard-to-eat company. Plus easel "Kalash", built into the tower next to the KPVT. Armor that can cover from bullets on this almost bare slope. And in general ... Three - not two. At the time, this thought didn't seem paranoid.

Somehow, all the standard attitudes about the invincibility of a well-trained and vigilant soldier became not particularly impressive. What could we control in this unfamiliar, alien area, being in full view of anyone who knew about our arrival and prepared for a meeting? And in such an unreliable company...

Life, so valuable and expensive, has fallen in value at times! The risk has gone beyond the concept of adventure. We were at the mercy of Lady Fortune. As she decides, so be it. And it didn't invigorate. You do not feel particularly pleasant when you do not keep the situation under your control, but are held captive by circumstances. Although, by and large, the whole life goes something like this. But the degree of dependence is an important thing! The illusion of a complete master of the situation is somehow more comfortable than the role of a guinea pig. Perhaps this is what distinguishes the concepts of "risk" and "adventure".

I couldn't take it. Went under the bush. Seryoga, who had a more impressive reserve of patience and physical strength, remained on the armor, saying only that I would not leave his field of vision. We were sitting ten meters from each other and with peripheral vision kept the Chechens in the field of attention. And they almost openly laughed at us! Not stupid, damn it! All understood. One of them, throwing the machine gun behind his back, approached me. Seryoga nervously shifted his machine gun more comfortably. I wake up.

-"Friend! Stop doing x ... her! We are just like you! I ran away from here during the first war. Lived in Stavropol Territory. Now he's back with you. I don't need Wahhabis here. Don't be afraid of us! We are friends." His emotional speech and childishly honest eyes reassured me a little, but I still did not lose my vigilance.

- "Don't you worry! Simple security measures. We need to return home. And are you here?" - I lie enthusiastically to the Chechen. And he is his:
- “Brother! Throw you! We are with you. Don't be afraid of anything! It's safe here." The Chechen is leaving. I'm back in the shade. According to science, now it was necessary to be wary even more. But the eyes of this, not at all a typical representative of a warlike nation, which I have already studied quite well while living in Central Asia, and especially while serving in the Soviet Army, completely knocked down my mood of vigilance and distrust. After all, how much the eyes say about a person! And how much can he who knows how to pretend in his eyes!

Our senior came in about an hour later. The way back is much easier. Down my "betar" rolls effortlessly. Seryoga is still sitting on the armor, controlling the situation. He and I had long ago agreed that, while working with the local troops, he would keep an eye on the situation at the top, so that they would not hit me on the top of my head with a butt. Anything can happen…

Later, when the situation settled down, and the same people were assigned to our armored personnel carrier from a parallel company, we became friends with them a little. Seryoga (fool) even left his address to one of them! Appeal - "old" has firmly entered their lexicon of communication. They were both in their forties. And I'm up to last day did not trust the Chechens. And now I don't trust. “Experience is the son of difficult mistakes”, damn it! I did not want to make these mistakes there, in the Chechen war.

There are two types of mountains in Chechnya - green and blue. That's what the locals call them. The blue ones are so called because of the glaciers that cover the tops with huge and insanely beautiful snow caps. good sunny weather when visibility, in the language of pilots “million-on-million”, “blue mountains” are visible from the upper floors of Grozny apartments (you can’t even imagine how great it is to drink coffee in the morning, looking at the glaciers spread out at arm’s length). Green (in the words of the war times of the two Chechen campaigns - "green") mountains take the republic into a kind of pincers. It was the "zelenka" from March to October that was best place for militants to live: very dense vegetation makes it possible to equip convenient temporary huts, dugouts and caches; it perfectly masks any movements. All this was true 10 years ago. But the sticky, viscous fear is still no-no yes seeps into the media so far. Although it no longer refers to the Chechen Republic, but to neighboring Dagestan, nevertheless, the mountains in the understanding and imagination of the layman still remain a source of increased danger.

However, the danger of these mountains is not at all in militants, terrorism or some other hardened horror stories. Life and health are threatened by nature itself - too beautiful and too ruthless. Like a soaring eagle - an unofficial symbol of mountainous Chechnya.

Contrary to a ton of rotten comments on previous posts, I responsibly report that I did not come to Chechnya at the invitation of Kadyrov or any of the Chechens. In principle, no one called me there, despite a large number of friends and acquaintances gathered during my blogging life. Everything is much simpler - Highscreen offered to test the camera of their phone Highscreen Bay , and I have already chosen Chechen Republic. Therefore, all the photos of this and previous posts are taken on 13 megapixel camera very cool 5.5 inch phone. And not processed by Photoshop or any other improvised means.

So, mountainous Chechnya. Many, succumbing to the slight hypocrisy of postcard photographs and logos of Grozny, believe that the capital of Chechnya is located in the mountains. However, this is misleading. In fact, Grozny stands on a plain with a height of only 130 meters above sea level and there are no mountains in the city itself and even around it. However, only 80 kilometers - and the amazing alpine landscape begins, which you are waiting for in Chechnya at the very least.

In general, going up the serpentine to the very top, you increasingly compare mountainous Chechnya with the Swiss cantons - the same amazing carpet of herbs of various shades, softly laid on the rocks.

The same peacefully grazing cows and lambs, scattered in pastures in moving dots.

The same formidable ice peaks, sternly considering from the height of their years and kilometers all this mouse fuss under them.

The higher you rise above the world, the scarier it becomes. The serpentine winds, climbing tens of meters in a second and falling down in the same time. A 90-degree turn immediately replaces a sharp turn in the other direction, and even with an almost vertical take-off upwards - real roller coaster on mountain road. One thing pleases - the amazing quality of the roadway. Where a few years ago snow, sand and large stones were mixed under the wheels into one deadly mess, excellent asphalt has now been laid. Locals say they laid 2 kilometers a week. Markings, signs, fenders - civilization has clearly come here (the road is so good that individuals manage to scorch on it - on the way back they met a shifter, near which horsemen who had miraculously not flown into a kilometer-long abyss sparkled excitedly. The car was crushed, but I hope they , the awareness of the frailty of this world and such a short path to another world will come).

But you can fly into the abyss at low speed. The avalanche season has already passed, but the rockfall season has happily jumped onto the road to replace it. Imagine where such a pebble will send you from the road

And even higher you have to wade through a very dense snow porridge. Graders, as you understand, do not go through the mountains.

We go down below, and from the harsh snowy and windy winter we find ourselves in a warm and welcoming spring. Here it is, the purpose of our trip - Lake Kezenoy-Am. It is natural boundary between Chechnya and Dagestan. Its name is translated in different ways. Wikipedia mentions "Blue" or "Trout" lake. The Chechens themselves call it the "Cruel Puddle". According to legend, a village rests at its bottom, flooded by the Almighty along with all the inhabitants for disobedience and slander. This version, by the way, in a certain (non-religious) sense, is confirmed by geologists who claim that the lake was formed as a result of an earthquake that blocked the path of the Kharsum and Kaukh rivers. We arrived at that rarest moment when the lake had just thrown off its ice shell, but squeezing it from all sides Mountain peaks We haven't gotten rid of the snow yet.

And here is our hotel - "Kezenoy". Made "in the image and likeness" of large and beautiful alpine chalets. Outside - very nice.

Inside the hotel - like a hotel. Nothing outstanding or out of the ordinary. Ordinary "kopeck piece" according to the international star classification. The price tag is democratic (by the standards of Chechnya) - from 2500 for a simple room to 4000 for a suite. A private chalet costs 10,000 per night from all.

View from the room (you can enlarge the photo)

Breakfast is included in the price, but you should not seriously count on it - nothing befitting a hotel" smorgasbords"will not. For breakfast, the widest choice of scrambled eggs and oatmeal with butter. The restaurant in which the meals are held is not bad in itself - everything is decent, neat. The tables, of course, are richly packed - plates, glasses, napkin holders and other belongings are patiently waiting when they are removed immediately after the seating of visitors.

According to the same long-standing Soviet tradition, the staff is trying its best to spoil your appetite with a sour mine. In general, the restaurant in this hotel is the only place in all of Chechnya where we did not see a single smile. At all. On the other hand, this rare place in Chechnya, where you can pay by card (keep in mind when you go - Chechens love cash). Also keep in mind that the nearest village is 30 kilometers along a mountain serpentine, and the store is even further away. So the price tag for all sorts of dishes for Chechnya is more than high. But there you can buy wine, vodka and whiskey. Ask the waiters.

And now - attention! There is no entertainment in Kezenoy at all. Well, that is, in the afternoon you can go to " ancient city Khoy" and there to look at the houses and graves of the ancient Chechens (there, by the way, you will find out that the Vainakhs adopted Islam only three hundred years ago, and before that they were ordinary pagans). But, in fairness, the version of the antiquity of these buildings personally me I didn’t convince, and in general this is, perhaps, not my subject.

The remaining time after the tour is supposed to be spent watching TV or walking to the lake. There is also such an observation pseudo-Greek gazebo. I did not catch its semantic meaning, but it is beautiful.

There is also a water bike park.

Well, a little more on the little things

More, alas, there is nothing to do in Kezenoy. And this once again shows how difficult the road ahead for the development of tourism in the republic is. Russian tourist spoiled by Turkey and Egypt, rolled on the expensive Alpine and already Krasnopolyaninsky routes, and even the now Russian Crimea may well provide more than sane service at very affordable prices in the current crisis. Chechen resorts are still very far from this.

But one thing must be understood here. important thing. Chechnya is perhaps the only region I have visited where you can feel with your skin how local not all the same . National pride, Caucasian maximalism, coupled with the natural thirst for brilliance, fame and recognition - all this is an incentive for growth. It is important that the leadership of the republic understands that the construction of majestic boxes does not surprise tourists. That a tourist will not go to landscapes alone. What the hell, people who know how to do this should glue wallpaper in a hotel - and then it won’t work out of the blue.

Much attention has always been riveted to Chechnya. In recent years, Kadyrov spends great job on popularization of the republic, on high-quality sawing out of the brains of ordinary inhabitants of Chechnya in the form of an enemy. But for this it is not enough to build huge glass towers in the mountains. First of all, we need to raise the level of service, make it so that travelers are not only beautiful and tasty, but also interesting.

However, I cannot fail to note the huge contribution to this work of my friends from the company "Vizit Chechnya". It is with great pleasure that I recommend that readers, when planning a visit to Chechnya, contact