The Russian Caucasus is one of the most fascinating and diverse regions in the world. Made up of several republics, it is culturally closer to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan than to Russia itself.
This is a land shaped by empires, kingdoms, and centuries of resistance — a true crossroads of civilizations, where strong cultural identities have flourished in breathtaking mountain landscapes.
Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, and North Ossetia may all lie within Russia’s borders and the North Caucasus region, but traveling through them feels like visiting four distinct countries — each with its own language, traditions, and cuisine.
From the highest peaks in Europe to untouched mountain villages, and from remnants of the Soviet era to bold 21st-century transformations, the North Caucasus offers an experience like no other — raw, real, and deeply rewarding.
Our scheduled group tours to the Russian Caucasus
Typically, we run 8 to 9-day tours, visiting 4 republics, including Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and North Ossetia.
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need to know for your Caucasus travel tour
How to get a visa?
Many nationalities are now eligible for an online visa (30 days).
For more info, check our guide on how to get visa for Russia.
Which nationalities can join?
All nationalities can easily get a visa for Russia including Americans and British.
Getting into Russia
You can fly to the North Caucasus from Istanbul with Pobeda, Baku with Azerbaijan Airlines, and Dubai with FlyDubai.
Sample itinerary for our North Caucasus tours
Here’s the standard 8-day tour we offer on most of our expeditions.
Day 1 – Arrival in Vladikavaz
- Vladikavaz is the capital of North Ossetia, one of the 8 republics in the Russian Caucasus. It’s the only Christian region we’ll be visiting on this expedition.
- On this particular day, Pobeda operates a direct flight from Istanbul to Vladikavaz, arriving at 6 pm.
- There are other ways to get into Vladikavaz but I believe most people will arrive on this particular flight, so the actual tour won’t start until 6 pm, with check-in at the hotel and a traditional dinner.
- Traditional North Ossetian dinner and overnight in Vladikavaz.
Day 2 – South of Ingushetia
- On our second day, we’ll enter a new republic: Ingushetia.
- People in Ingushetia are culturally and ethnically Chechens but for political reasons, they were split into 2 different republics, probably as an attempt to divide their society.
- Bordering the region of Kazbegi in Georgia, the south of Ingushetia is gorgeous, home to the picturesque Vainakh towers and jaw-dropping mountains.
- For visiting this part of Russia, you’ll need a special permit, which we’ll be getting for you.
- Overnight in Vladikavaz.
Day 3 – Magas and Grozny
- In the morning, we will visit Beslan, a former school in North Ossetia and today, a sobering memorial that remembers one of the worst terrorist attacks ever occurred in Europe, an indispensable episode in Russia’s history to understand their relationship with Chechnya.
- Then, we’ll visit Ingushetia’s capital, Magas, a surreal city in the Caucasus and the youngest capital in all of Russia, the highlight being the Memorial of History and Glory, a monument that tries to remember and explain all the forced deportations of Ingushetians into Kazakhstan.
- Then, it’s time to enter the Republic of Chechnya, a different world from anything you’ve seen in Russia.
- Grozny is the capital of Chechnya. It was entirely destroyed during the war, so most buildings are pretty new as well. We’ll climb up the tallest tower to get a perspective of the city, and we’ll also visit Kadirov Museum, named after the current and controversial leader of Chechnya.
- Overnight in Grozny.
Day 4 – Shali, Kezenoy-am and Gimry
- This is going to be a long traveling day, since we’ll get into Dagestan through windy, mountain roads.
- We’ll start our visit with Shali, home to the largest mosque in Europe. Then, we’ll stop in Kezenoy-am, a mountain lake and popular tourist spot for Chechens. I don’t think the lake is particularly pretty, but it’s a cool place where to see local people hanging out and spending their day over a barbecue.
- Then, we’ll continue our journey until Gimry, a small and not very touristic Dagestani village, where the first imams of Dagestan and Chechnya were born.
- Overnight in Gimry.
Day 5 – Gamsutl’, Sogratl’ and Gunib
- During Soviet times, many Chechens suffered from forced deportation to other parts of the Soviet Union. At the same time, since Dagestan was overpopulated, many Dagestanis were also forced to move into empty Chechnya, the reason why today, you can still find many abandoned villages across Dagestan, the most picturesque being Gamsutl’, which has become a real tourist attraction.
- We’ll also visit the village of Gunib and if we have time, we’ll stop in Chokh, home to an original Stalin statue – more like a bust – one of the very, very few that remain in the world.
- Overnight in Sogratl’.
Day 6 – Salta, Balkhar and Kubachi
- Today’s road is pretty rough so to get to Kubachi, so we’ll get into our 4WD. Kubachi, is a relatively-sized mountain village home to many local craftsmen especialized in jewelry.
- On the way, we’ll go through unspoiled, and very remote Dagestani villages, while enjoying the gorgeous mountain landscapes.
- Overnight in Kubachi.
Day 7 – Derbent
- Derbent is a southern Dagestani town located by the Caspian Sea, very close to the border with Azerbaijan.
- It’s also the most ancient town in all of Russia, dating to the 8th century BC. It was a Persian town before it passed into the Russian Federation in 1813.
- Derbent is an actual touristic town, very popular among Russians for its centuries of history. As such, the town is filled with hotels, bars and many food options, the perfect place where to end a rough trip across North Caucasus.
- Overnight in Derbent.
Day 8 – Departure
- The international airport is located almost 2 hours from Derbent.
- With our minibus, we’ll organize 1 morning transfer to the airport and the city of Makhachkala, which is the capital of Dagestan.
