Belaya Valley: From Rufabgo to Guzeripl

Description

A one-day route along the Belaya River valley, the main river of mountain Adygea: from the waterfall stream at Kamennomostsky to the last settlement before the territory of the Caucasian Reserve. About fifty-five kilometers along the valley highway; the route reads as an increase in wild nature — the further south, the quieter the road and higher the mountains. Start at the Rufabgo waterfalls: the Big Rufabgo stream falls to the Belaya, forming sixteen waterfalls, of which the lower five — from "Three Brothers" to the fifteen-meter "Girl's Braid" — connect the equipped route with bridges and decking. There is also a free left-bank trail from Kamennomostsky — it leads to the start of the route past the Turkish Bazaar locality, ancient Circassian gardens and the Skvoznaya Cave. Nearby is the Khadjokh Gorge: the Belaya River compresses here into a gorge about four hundred meters long, six–seven meters wide and up to thirty-five meters deep; since 1979 it is a nature monument, along the left bank go forest paths, stairs and railings. Kamennomostsky itself is the unofficial gates of mountain Adygea: on the left bank stood the Adyghe aul Khodzhiko, famous for defense under the leadership of Muhammad Amin, the naib of Shamil, in 1864 a stanitsa was founded. The name is from the "stone bridge", a collapsed rock above the gorge; nearby is a dolmen, the Mishoko gorge and the Turkish Bazaar locality with the reputation of the most "bandit" place of Adygea. Further the road goes through Dakhovskaya — a stanitsa from 1862 at an altitude of 480 meters, surrounded by beech and fir forests: the land here is archaeologically rich, from a Paleolithic site to the dolmens of Deguak Meadow, and from the bridge at the stanitsa the highway goes through the Azish Pass to the Lagonak Plateau. Finish at Guzeripl, founded in 1924 as a cordon of the Caucasian Reserve: since 1949 through the settlement went the famous All-Union tourist route number thirty "Along the Western Caucasus", today this is the base of reserve tourism with the cordon, rangers and guest houses. Entry to the reserve territory — by permit, apply in advance.