Caucasus campsite
The lowest-cost valley option with shared campsite facilities.
USD 710EUR 610 · referenceMOUNT ELBRUS · SOUTH SIDE · 9 DAYS · 2026–2027
9-Day Mount Elbrus Climbing Tour.
Made simple.
A nine-day south-side ascent for first-time climbers. A separate Arrival Pack is available for travellers who only need their arrival arranged: one valley night, the transfer from the airport, visa invitation support, written arrival advice and rescue-service registration support.
5,642 mWest summit
1:3Maximum summit-day guide ratio
9 daysStaged programme with reserve procedure
FIRST ELBRUS ASCENT
One route.
Three ways to stay.
The high-altitude refuge, climbing programme and safety standard stay the same. You choose the level of comfort in the valley: campsite, shared hostel or hotel room.
No mountaineering experience is required. Preparation, suitable health and the ability to follow the guide’s safety decisions are required.
Panda hostel
A shared-room valley option with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
USD 775EUR 665 · referenceSalam / Smile hotel
A private-room valley option, subject to confirmed allocation for the selected date.
USD 820EUR 705 · referenceUSD is the primary international programme price; EUR is a reference. Both are fixed published amounts, not a live currency conversion: this website converts nothing automatically and takes no payment. The written offer fixes the payable amount, currency and payment method before payment.
IN EVERY ASCENT PACKAGE
The bed changes. The route and safety system do not
- Programme leader and mountain guides
- Maximum 1:3 summit-day guide ratio
- Group airport and local programme transfers
- Selected valley accommodation on nights 1–3 and 8
- High-altitude refuge on nights 4–7
- Cable-car sections used by the programme
- Valley breakfasts, plus provisions and a cook working with the group at the refuge
- Group registration, communication, first-aid kit, equipment check and turnaround procedure
SEPARATE OR VARIABLE
Shown before payment, never hidden in the small print
- Personal equipment rental and rental deposits
- Mountaineering insurance
- Optional snowcat service
- Lunches and dinners in the valley
- Flights, visas and travel to Mineralnye Vody
- Personal spending and unplanned extra nights
- National-park entry fee: not included; the current tariff is confirmed separately before payment
First payment15,000 RUB
Only after the office confirms the place, complete price and contract.
Balance10 business days
Due no later than 10 business days before the programme starts.
Website formEnquiry only
Submitting the form does not reserve a place and never triggers a payment.
Cancellation, date transfer and refunds follow the signed contract and Russian law. Local and third-party costs — the national-park fee, equipment rental, the optional snowcat and valley meals — are paid in Russian roubles to their own providers.
Room categories, facilities, meals and final allocations are confirmed in the quote before payment.
PLAN WITH THE FACTS
Four decisions to make before you choose a date
Start with the question that matters to you. Each guide leads back to the same nine-day programme, complete ground budget and enquiry process.
01 · FIRST ASCENT
Is Elbrus suitable for a beginner?
Understand the physical demand, preparation, equipment, altitude and turnaround decisions before booking.
Read the beginner guide → 02 · MAY TO SEPTEMBERWhen should you climb?
Compare the planning differences between early, peak and late season without treating averages as a forecast.
Compare the months → 03 · WRITTEN COVERWhat must your insurance cover?
Check the activity, altitude, territory, rescue and evacuation terms instead of relying on a generic travel-policy label.
Check the insurance guide → 04 · GUIDE ROLEWhat does the mountain guide decide?
See the summit-day 1:3 ratio, guide responsibilities and why a safe turnaround remains part of a professionally run climb.
Understand the guide’s role →ELBRUS ARRIVAL PACK
Land.
Transfer.
Check in.
One valley night, the transfer from the airport, visa invitation support, written arrival advice and rescue-service registration support — arranged before you land.
Primary departure
15:00From Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV), planned for flights scheduled to land by 13:30. We confirm the meeting point and your seat in writing.
EVENING DEPARTURE
19:30Runs from two passengers and only after written confirmation from the office.
Included
One night in the valley, in the accommodation category of the chosen tier
Included
One-way transfer from Mineralnye Vody to the Elbrus valley
Included
Visa invitation support
Included
Written arrival consultation
Included
Rescue-service registration support
The Arrival Pack is a separate enquiry-only product with no published price, and it does not change anything included in the nine-day ascent package. Equipment rental is not part of it. The return journey, extra nights, meals, a private vehicle, the refuge, guiding, the climbing programme, insurance and the visa fee itself are all separate. Visa invitation support is help with the invitation document, not a promise that a visa will be issued, and rescue-service registration support is an administrative step rather than a rescue guarantee. The written offer states the amount, identifies the contractual seller and gives the payment instructions before anything is paid.
Read the complete Arrival Pack guide
International travel, visa and flight planning
The Arrival Pack is an enquiry-only product with three draft tiers and no published price. Sending the form does not confirm a booking and never takes a payment. The written offer states the amount, identifies the contractual seller and gives the payment instructions before anything is paid.
THE NINE-DAY PROGRAMME
Saturday in.
Sunday out.
A staged programme builds altitude gradually and keeps one reserve procedure inside the nine calendar days.
- Day 1 · SatMineralnye Vody to the Elbrus valley
The main group transfer leaves Mineralnye Vody Airport (MRV) at 15:00 and is planned for flights scheduled to land by 13:30. A second group departure at 19:30 runs from two passengers and only after written confirmation from the office. Check-in, team meeting and personal-equipment review.
- Day 2 · SunCheget acclimatisation hike
First acclimatisation walk to roughly 3,000 m: finding a calm pace and checking how you feel.
- Day 3 · MonDevichyi Kosy and the observatory area
Acclimatisation hike to the waterfall and higher, roughly 3,100 m, then back down to the valley. The route and endpoint are adjusted to conditions and the group.
- Day 4 · TueMove to the high-altitude refuge
Cable car up to the shared refuge at about 3,888 m, the same for all three packages. A cook prepares meals for the group at altitude; provisions are included. Refuge check-in and equipment check, plus a short acclimatisation walk if the guide decides conditions allow.
- Day 5 · WedMain acclimatisation climb
Towards the Pastukhov Rocks, roughly 4,700 m. The guide changes the target when weather, snow or participant condition requires it.
- Day 6 · ThuRest and summit preparation
Recovery, equipment, movement order, communication and turnaround rules.
- Day 7 · FriSummit attempt
A night start towards the West summit, 5,642 m. The guide decides whether to continue, based on conditions and the state of the group. Reaching the summit is not guaranteed.
- Day 8 · SatReserve procedure and descent
A repeat attempt for the whole group or a designated operational subgroup is decided by the programme leader. An individual repeat is charged separately, depends on guide availability and conditions, and is not guaranteed. Otherwise we descend to the valley.
- Day 9 · SunReturn transfer
Departure from the valley between 06:30 and 07:00; arrival at MRV by 10:00 is usual, not guaranteed. Book your return flight with a margin, and only after written confirmation from the office.
SAFETY IS NOT A DISCOUNT OPTION
What never gets removed to lower the price.
Qualified guide documents, group registration, communication, a group first-aid kit, personal-equipment checks, turnaround rules and an evacuation procedure. The guide’s decision on weather, timing, route or a participant’s condition is binding and is not cancelled by payment, by the snowcat or by what the group wants.
1:3Maximum participants per summit guide
4 × 15Up to four separate operational groups of up to 15 participants; the summit-day ratio remains no more than 1:3
3Minimum participants to confirm a departure
GUARANTEED SATURDAY STARTS
Choose the trip. Build the full ground budget. Send an enquiry
Every published start runs from Saturday to the following Sunday. 5 starts in 2026 and 22 starts in 2027 are already listed. The office still checks accommodation, current public fees and the written contract before payment.
Starts from 3 participants
No booking deadline is imposed by the website. Actual remaining capacity is confirmed by the office. A start fewer than 10 business days away is marked as a late enquiry: the usual balance timing no longer applies and the office confirms the payment terms.
0129 Aug – 6 Sep 20269 days · south sideLate enquiry — payment timing confirmed by the office
025 Sep – 13 Sep 20269 days · south sideLate enquiry — payment timing confirmed by the office
0312 Sep – 20 Sep 20269 days · south side
0419 Sep – 27 Sep 20269 days · south side
0526 Sep – 4 Oct 20269 days · south side
061 May – 9 May 20279 days · south side
078 May – 16 May 20279 days · south side
0815 May – 23 May 20279 days · south side
Show every published Saturday start
0922 May – 30 May 20279 days · south side
1029 May – 6 Jun 20279 days · south side
115 Jun – 13 Jun 20279 days · south side
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1319 Jun – 27 Jun 20279 days · south side
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153 Jul – 11 Jul 20279 days · south side
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2725 Sep – 3 Oct 20279 days · south side