We tell you about our vacation in Dombai and how much the trip costs: prices for hotels, food and lifts in 2019, as well as excursions and travel to the resort.
The oldest ski resort in our country is worth visiting at least once. And although the infrastructure is poor, the nature in the vicinity of the resort is beyond praise.
New complex of lifts in Dombai.
How to get to Dombai
Dombay is located on the border of Russia with Abkhazia. The road there is a dead end, further only the Main Caucasian ridge. So how can you get to Dombai?
Airplane + bus or taxi
The nearest airport is in Min. Waters (Stavropol is also suitable). The cost of tickets from Moscow to Min. Low water - from 3500 rubles in both directions in winter and from 6000 rubles in summer. Search for tickets on Skyscanner.
So, you arrived, and then difficulties arise - there are no regular buses to Dombai, only with transfers (via Cherkessk, Teberda). Check the information on the website of the carrier "Gulliver", in winter direct flights are still organized. For those who value convenience and do not want to waste time, we advise you to order a transfer on the service - it is safer than contacting local bombils.
From the bus station Min. Vod can be taken by bus to Teberda (from 470 rubles one way), and from there by taxi or by bus to Dombai.
The fogs in Dombai are very beautiful. Train / bus + bus or taxi
The closest railway station to Dombay is located in Nevynnomyssk, you can also get to Min. Water. Tickets for reserved seat from Moscow cost from 2 thousand rubles one way. Further - by bus or.
Bus tours from the capital cost from 10 thousand rubles per person (the price depends on the duration of the tour). One way bus travel - from 2.5 thousand rubles.
Buses from Stavropol, Rostov, Pyatigorsk, Nevinnomyssk, Krasnodar
Car
A trip to Dombay by car is one of the most convenient ways to get to the resort, we chose it. The road is good, except for the section from Kislovodsk to Karachaevsk. There are sections under repair between Cherkessk and Karachaevsk. There is no gas station in Dombai, refuel in Teberda.
Personal experience. We rested in Dombai twice in the off-season (October 2016 and 2018). For the first time we lived in a beautiful place for 1600 rubles a day. The hotel was carefully selected based on reviews. The price-quality ratio is ideal, quiet, the owners are sincere, the food is very tasty. There was always hot water and autonomous heating, and this was our main criterion when choosing a hotel in the cool season.
It's nice to ride the old Soviet lifts in Dombai, especially with warm tea. How to choose a hotel for rest in Dombay:
- If you find a hotel on the website at a discount, it is better to book, since without a reservation the price per room will be 300-500 rubles higher.
- Carefully read the reviews of other tourists: there helpful information about the Internet, heating and hot water - there are problems with this in Dombai.
- In the off-season, choose a hotel with independent heating.
- On weekends come vacationers from Stavropol and Krasnodar Territory... They are noisy, there are no parking spaces, and the hotels are overcrowded.
- If you are driving, ask about parking.
We treat waterfalls without unnecessary trepidation, but we love the Chuchkhur waterfalls. They are especially beautiful when framed in gold. Streams plunge down in cascades from about 250 meters in height. The power of mountain rivers is felt here! Prices for tours to Dombay in 2019
The cost of vouchers is indicated for two people with a flight from Moscow and may vary.
If you do not want to independently organize your vacation in Dombai, then you can buy a tour. Tours in 2019 cost from 17 thousand rubles for 7 nights in three star hotel without food, but on average - 30 thousand for two.
Prices rise closer to the New Year: on holiday dates, tours cost from 45 thousand rubles for 5 nights (with breakfast) and from 40 thousand - for 3 nights. In winter 2019, tours to Dombay for 3-5 nights cost from 25 thousand rubles, for 7 nights - from 35 thousand. There are very few offers, so hurry up to book.
View of Dombay from the Amanauz gorge. 
Observation deck over the Chuchkhur waterfalls. Prices for lifts in Dombai in 2019
There are different lifts in Dombai: old Soviet cable cars, a brand new complex (gondola and chair) and a pendulum cable car... The maximum height that you can climb on the cable car is 3168 meters. The work starts at 8:30 and ends at 16: 00-16: 30.
Lift prices new complex in Dombai in 2019: 1 rise - 500 rubles, so it is more profitable to buy a pass for several lines at once (1 rise for 3 lines costs 1050 rubles), or a ski pass for one or several days. A lift pass for 1 day costs 1600 rubles, 2 days - 2840, 3 - 3910 rubles. There are benefits for children and the elderly, sometimes there are promotions and discounts.
Here are the prices for new lifts in Dombai in 2019 in the table:
| Climbs | Price, rub.) |
| Cashier in the first stage | |
| 1 ascent by gondola (1590-2277 m) - 1st stage | 500 |
| 1 gondola lift and 6-seater lift (1590-3008 m) - 1st + 2nd stages | 850 |
| 1st ascent - 1 + 2 + 3rd stages (1590-3168 m) | 1050 |
| 1300 | |
| Cashier on the second stage | |
| 1 climb on a six-seater lift (2277-3008 m) - 2nd stage | 500 |
| 1 lift on a six-seat and four-seat lift (2277-3168 m) - 2nd and 3rd stages | 700 |
| Half day (before 13:00 or after 13:00) | 1000 |
| 1 day | 1100 |
Prices for a ski pass in Dombai in 2019 for a new lift (rubles):
Screenshot from the site dombaj.ru. 
We chose the old soviet lift because of the obvious advantages: excellent visibility and a share of extreme (the chairs breathe in vain, creak, there is not always protection). Cost - 250 rubles per person for one line (round trip), that is, 1000 rubles for all ascents and descents. We were a little unlucky, and on that day there was a planned power outage in the village, so all the cable cars were running on generators, and during the ascent on the first stage, we generally hung halfway. Ascent up to 3002 meters, further to the top you can easily climb on foot.
Is there some more "Yugoslavka" - double-chairlift, which duplicates the fifth stage of the Soviet lift, but the terminal station is just below the 5th. Price - 100 rubles for an adult, 150 - for a child under 13 years old, a ticket for 1 day - 500 rubles.
On the pendulum cable car there are 2 red carriages, which can accommodate up to 35 people each. They go to the slope of Mussa-Achitara. The cost for tourists is 300 rubles, for skiers - 200, for children under 10 years old - 150, and for children under 5 years old - free.
Soviet cable car in Dombai. 
Hiking to the top of Mussa-Achitara - the climb will be about 100 meters. You can climb in 15-20 minutes. 
View from the top of Mussa-Achitara. Prices for equipment rental in Dombai
We saw a lot of signs with advertisements for equipment rental both in the village itself and at cable car stations, so you don't have to worry about it. It also costs nothing to rent equipment at a hotel - almost every hotel is engaged in such a business.
Thus, you can go on vacation to Dombay light. Prices for equipment rental in 2019 are as follows: a standard set (sticks, boots, skis or snowboard) costs from 500 rubles per day, glasses - from 200 rubles, gloves - from 150, overalls - from 250 rubles. Security deposit - passport or money.
Instructor services usually cost from 1,500 rubles per hour.
Cafe at an altitude of 3000 meters. 
View from the top of Mount Mussa-Achitara, which can be reached by lifts from Dombay. Prices for food in Dombai in cafes and shops
The prices for food in Dombai in summer and winter are almost the same and depend on the level of the establishment. You can save a little on a trip to Dombay by choosing a hotel with breakfast included, which we did - we highly recommend the hotel. We lived there for 5 days. Breakfasts are served very hearty, varied, there is always a main course (for example, we had porridge, khychins, buckwheat with sausage, dumplings, omelet), tea and pastries.
Prices in cafes and restaurants Dombai in 2019:
- River and lake trout - from 250 rubles per serving (usually one big fish).
- Khychins - from 130-200 apiece. You can't guess with them: there are small ones with scanty filling, and sometimes such that even two of them at a time cannot master.
- Mountain-style meat and Karachai-style meat - from 250 rubles.
- A teapot of mountain tea with honey or jam - from 150 rubles per 0.5 liter.
- Lagman and shurpa - 150-250 rubles per serving (lagman can be quite spicy).
You can eat in a cafe for 500-1000 rubles for two. The Metelitsa cafe on the main street offers business lunches for 300-350 rubles. There are also many cafes and restaurants at the cable car stations, the cost of food there is higher.
Our hike to the Alibek glacier. Take a thermos of hot tea and a snack on every trip. Grocery prices in stores Dombai as in small provincial shops. Some products, mainly fruits, are overpriced by about 20%:
- Tangerines (kg) - from 130 rubles.
- Kefir and milk (1 l) - from 70 rubles.
- Lavash - from 20 rubles.
- Khychins (pcs) - from 100 rubles.
- Baklava (kg) - 350 rubles.
- The cheapest wine (from the Krasnodar Territory) - from 250 rubles.
- Abkhazian wines - from 400-500 rubles.
Gonachkhir gorge in the vicinity of Dombai. Excursions, entertainment, routes
There is no shortage of excursions and entertainment - rest in Dombai is very diverse. Prices in 2019:
- aTV rental - about 2000 rubles;
- guide services - from 1000 rubles per group;
- fishing - from 500 rubles per person;
- horseback riding tours - from 1000 rubles per ride per day.
There is one caveat: if you are going to explore the surroundings, you will have to issue a pass to the border zone - the village is surrounded by Teberdinsky biosphere reserve, in addition, the border with Abkhazia passes nearby. Previously, it had to be done in advance (2-3 days) in Cherkessk, but now you can get it directly from the forester on the route for free. We did it in just 5 minutes, you need to have your passport with you and fill out a form.
Ivan-tea fields on the way to the Chuchkhur glacier. All routes in the reserve are paid. Here are the prices for the most popular attractions:
- Chuchkhur Falls - 150 rubles per person;
- amanauz gorge, to the Devil's mill and Sofrudzhinsky waterfall - 100 rubles;
- gonachkhir gorge - 150 rubles per person;
- Alibek glacier and waterfall - 100 rubles per person.
The Chuchkhur Glacier is located a few kilometers from the waterfalls. 
There are many bears in the vicinity of Dombai, but, according to the locals, they are neither aggressive nor dangerous. We found this bear footprint on the Toguzkelbashi mountain. We recently moved from Central Russia to the Stavropol Territory, namely, to the Caucasian Mineral Waters. After all the nearest cities were explored, we set to work on the neighboring republics. Kabardino-Balkaria beckoned with the highest mountain in Europe - Elbrus, but after reading reviews on the Internet, we decided to first visit Karachay-Cherkessia and the popular ski resort Dombay. It was too early to go skiing and snowboarding, so the trip turned out to be a sightseeing tour.
The time of our little trip is November 2017. We managed to assess and calculate all the weather surprises. This is the very case when in one day you can walk on the grass, fall into a snowdrift, bask in the sun and get lost in the fog. But first things first.
Road to Dombay by car
The length of the route from the city of Pyatigorsk to Dombai is 220 km one way. Yandex Navigator offers two possible ways:
- Through Kislovodsk, bypassing the city of Cherkessk.This route shorter (190 kilometers), but the bypass through the mountain villages of Upper and Lower Mara is a rather dangerous and steep serpentine. This path is for those who love extreme sports and are confident in their abilities and car. We warn you that in winter the road is practically not cleaned there, which only increases the likelihood of dangerous situations.
- Through Cherkessk and Karchaevsk. We chose this particular route, since the difference of 30 kilometers did not scare us much, and nerve cells, as they say, do not recover.
The quality of the roads must be given credit. The coating is perfectly even, bright markings are applied, there are no unpleasant surprises. You only need to be careful with the cameras on the road - there are a lot of them all the way. Separately, it should be noted locality Caucasian. There are cameras "shooting in the back".
Gasoline prices are unpleasantly surprising. The difference with the Central Federal District is approximately 5 rubles:
There are many representatives of order on the roads. Perhaps this is due to the peculiarities of the Caucasian region. We counted four stationary posts, and all of us were stopped to check documents. The main reasons for stopping are a truck and a "non-local region". Checks are carried out adequately, tourists are treated loyally and without unnecessary remarks.
The main view outside the window is the fields, in the summer sunflowers and corn are grown here, and now the snow outside the city is already in a dense layer.
No sooner had we reached Cherkessk than we were attacked by such a thick fog that we had to drop the speed to 40 kilometers per hour, the visibility was practically zero. We could not see the city, and we were driving along the ring road.
This situation continued after Karachaevsk, but the closer we got to the mountains, the better the weather became.
Such metamorphoses took place literally in half an hour, and instead of a heavy gray sky the sun came out.
Further, the path ran through rare, small and remote villages, where people live mainly thanks to agriculture. It is not uncommon for cows, being on a free range, to simply block the roadway. They are quite cute and friendly, respond to car horns and disperse quickly.
There are also horses grazing freely in the open spaces.
And even rune donkeys that you can pet.
The landscapes of the foothill region are striking in their scope and beauty.
Dombay attractions
Translated from the Circassian language, Dombay means "killed bison". Previously, these regions were densely populated with these animals, but on this moment they survived only on the territory of the Teberda nature reserve.
The ski resort itself is located at the foot of the Main Caucasian Range. From the main square - Dombai glade - opens beautiful view to the main mountain peaks Sufruju's Tooth ("Tiger's Fang"), Ine Peak ("Needle") and Belalakaya. They are the main local attractions.
Besides the unique nature reserve, Dombay is popular ski resort... The length of the tracks is almost 6 kilometers. Numerous equipment rentals are open for beginners; in many, you can hire an instructor. In winter, there is a very large flow of tourists and athletes, but in November everything is just beginning.
For those who do not ski or snowboard, simply take the lift and take in the breathtaking views of the ridge.
The cable car itself consists of three phases. The height of the third stage is 3168 meters. Unfortunately, during our visit, technical work was underway and the third station was closed. Judging by the reviews, the landscape there is simply fantastic. But we were not upset, because the view from the second stage (height 2277 meters) was magnificent.
It should be noted that the rise to the second stage takes place in modern closed booths. The ascent to the next steps is carried out on a chair lift.
Prices for the rise are democratic. If you are planning a long vacation, you can purchase a subscription for several days. There is a system of benefits for children and pensioners.
There is a huge market downstairs in the main clearing. Here you can buy souvenirs, gifts, handmade knitwear and much more.
The huge selection of mountain tea dazzles the eyes. If you believe the grandmothers-sellers, this tea is collected and dried right here, on Dombai. It is beneficial for the immune system and helps prevent disease.
Homemade jam from barberry, dogwood, linden, sea buckthorn and even spruce cones beckons with its appetizing appearance. The price is pleasant - only 100 rubles per can. There is also a huge selection of honey. In general, it is impossible to leave here without shopping.
We should also tell you about the cafe. There are a lot of them here: for every taste and color. The menu is varied, mainly Caucasian and Circassian dishes. You should definitely try khychiny - this is a large but thin flat cake with a filling, reminiscent of closed pancakes. They are served hot with a lump of butter. Your choice of filling: with herbs and cheese, with meat, potatoes and cheese. We were never able to choose one - we took all three.
The most delicious was with herbs and cheese, in the photo it is green. The teapot contains local mountain tea. The tea turned out to be very aromatic, moderately herbal and tasty. The huge, incomprehensible roll turned out to be a dessert - sugar brushwood. Such a snack for three cost 1,300 rubles. In this regard, Dombay is a little expensive, the average price of a khychin is 300 rubles. In the same Pyatigorsk, they cost around 180 rubles.
Another interesting attraction of Dombai is the abandoned hotel of the USSR times called "Amanauz". According to the project of Soviet architects, the hotel should stand on a rotating platform that would rotate at the speed of the sun. Thus, the view from the window of hotel guests should change throughout the day.
Dombay is a mountainous area in Karachay-Cherkessia in the Kuban basin in the North Caucasus (Russia). The southern border of Dombai is the Main Caucasian ridge. Highest point - Dombai-Yolgen (Dombai-Ulgen) peak, 4046 meters high.
You can get to Dombay by plane to Mineralnye Vody, as well as by train to the stations Nevinnomyssk or Cherkessk. From the airport and railway stations, special routes run to the Dombay resort. From here in a straight line 65 km to the top of Elbrus and 65 km to the Black Sea coast.
Resort facilities: heli-skiing, freeride, for snowboarders - halfpipe and fun park. The resort has ski equipment and equipment rental, and a ski school with experienced instructors. Large selection of hotels, hotels and boarding houses.
The ski area is located at an altitude of 1800-3200 m
Maximum elevation difference 1400 m
Trails: the length of trails of varying degrees of difficulty is more than 20 km, including 1 green, 2 blue, and 2 red. In the vicinity of Dombay there are excellent off-piste skiing opportunities.
Lifts: 8 cable cars, a pendulum lift, a gondola lift, 7 drag lifts from 200 to 600 m long, as well as a complex of three new cable cars.
The ski season in Dombai lasts from December 20 to April 15. The thickness of the snow cover in some places reaches 3 meters.
In summera large number of excursion routes on the territory of the Teberda Nature Reserve to the majestic natural monuments included in the list World heritage UNESCO. Popular activities in Dombai include hiking, Nordic walking, mountain biking, you can rent an all-terrain vehicle with a driver, or go on a horseback route. The mountain is also very popular among climbers. IN recent times descents along the Teberda river are very popular. Lovers beach holiday will be able to relax on the shores of mountain lakes. In summer, crystal clear melt water saturated with minerals has rejuvenating and healing properties, and warms up to a temperature of 20⁰С.
| History: | The word “dombay” means “bison” in Karachai: once upon a time, whole herds of mighty giants roamed the Dombay forests. Since 1997, the resort has annually hosted one of the main events of Russian snowboarding - international festival and the Dombay Flammable Camp snowboard. Both in winter and in summer, Dombayskaya Polyana often becomes the venue for Russian championships and cups in extreme species sports. |
| Entertainment: | Dombay - very popular resort with a developed infrastructure. In addition to downhill slopes, there are ski trails, toboggan runs, trails for hiking, descents in a zorba ball, ice rink and paragliding, you can visit sports complex, swimming pools, saunas and baths. On the territory of the town and near the ski lifts, there is a large number of restaurants and cafes for every taste and price category. Here you will be served popular dishes of Circassian cuisine: the famous Dombai khychins, mante and delicious barbecue. The diet also includes traditional soups, salads and other delicious dishes. |
Attractions in Dombay
The Dombay settlement is located on the territory of the Teberda Nature Reserve. The main attractions of the region are natural: Sofrudzhinsky, Alibeksky, Chuchkhursky waterfalls, Baduk, Azgek and Murudzhinsky lakes, Semenov-Bashi and Mussa-Achitara ridges.
The second largest Alibek glacier in the Teberda valley, 9 km from the Dombai glade.
Dombay: Visa and Border
For citizens of Ukraine to enter the territory Russian Federation visa and registration are not required if the period of stay is no more than 90 days. At the border, it is enough to present an internal or foreign passport and fill out a migration card.
If the period of stay of a citizen of Ukraine on the territory of the Russian Federation is more than 3 days, you need to become migration registrationwithin three working days after the arrival of a citizen of Ukraine in the Russian Federation. All procedures for migration registration are carried out by the receiving party; the citizen of Ukraine himself does not need to contact any organization and waste time. Upon arrival at the place of stay, show the receiving party your passport and migration card, which is filled in upon entering the Russian Federation. In this case, the withdrawal of the passport and migration card is not allowed. The receiving party, on the basis of the documents presented by a foreign citizen, fills out a special form for notification of the arrival of a foreign citizen at the place of stay. Further, the receiving party within one day submits the specified form, a copy of the passport of a foreign citizen and a migration card to the territorial body of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) directly or sends it by mail. For migration registration, a state duty is charged in the amount of 2 rubles for each day of stay, but not more than 200 rubles. (According to the changes introduced by the Federal Law of December 27, 2009 No. 374-FZ in Article 45 of Part I and in Chapter 25.3 of Part II of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Article 333.28, Clause 1, Clause 20), the state fee is paid by the receiving party ...
The presence of the detachable part of the Notification with the affixed mark in the possession of a foreign citizen confirms its registration with migration registration.
The host: Russian citizens, foreign citizens permanently residing in the Russian Federation or stateless persons (with a residence permit), legal entities, their branches or representative offices where the foreign citizen actually lives (is) or works. When checking into a hotel, the host is the hotel administration, which within one day notifies the territorial body of the FMS about the arrival of a foreign citizen, and also performs all the necessary actions related to the registration of foreign citizens and is responsible for compliance with the established rules of stay.
Just in case, on the official website of the FMS, you need to find out the address of the branch, address and contact phone number.
Registration procedure upon arrival in Russia for a period longer than three days Ukrainian citizens (or tourists with other citizenship) independently:
1. In any post office, get the FMS notification form about registration with migration registration (hereinafter referred to as the notification form) or download it from the official website and fill it out.
2. Make copies of your migration card (filled out in the carriage or at the airport), pages of your passport (passport) with a photo (and pages in your passport with a border crossing mark by border guards).
3. With any citizen of the Russian Federation (host party) who has a passport with a local permanent residence permit, go to the post office and send the completed notification form and copies to the district office of the FMS by registered mail. For the services of receiving the Notification in the post office, a corresponding fee is charged in the amount of 180 rubles. If there is no host, contact any police station in your place of stay for help.
4. Make a copy of the postal receipt and keep it with you along with the detachable part (original) of the notification form, migration card and passport - all this is proof that you are registered with the migration authorities.
5. Return the original postal receipt (immediately) and (on the day of departure from the Russian Federation) the detachable part of the notification form to the receiving party. The receiving party must send the detachable part to the FMS after your departure.
In order to avoid unpleasant situations (a copy of a postal receipt may look unreliable and raise doubts among police officers), after arriving in Ukraine, you can send the receiving party the original of the detachable part of the notification form, having previously written down its address.
The presence of photocopies of the passport, migration card and detachable part of the Notification in case of their loss or any other unforeseen circumstances will help to prove the presence of documents and compliance with the rules of migration registration.
Customs regulations:
You can import into Russia without a declaration and without paying customs duties:
- goods worth not more than 65,000 rubles. and weighing no more than 35 kg;
- cash (currency, securities, traveler's checks) for an amount not exceeding 10,000 USD;
- sturgeon caviar (in original packaging) - no more than 250 g;
- for persons over 21: no more than 2 liters of alcoholic beverages;
- for persons over 18 years old: no more than 200 pcs. cigarettes / 50 pcs. cigars / 100 pcs. cigarillos / 0.25 kg of tobacco (it is also allowed to import only one type of product: no more than 400 cigarettes / 100 cigars / 0.5 kg of tobacco);
When entering Russia, you must pay customs duties:
if you import goods worth more than 65,000 rubles. (but less than 650,000 rubles) or more than 35 kg (but less than 200 kg). Customs duties will amount to 30% of the cost of excess goods, but not less than 4 euros per 1 kg.
