DESTINATIONS:

Getting there:

There are 5-6 daily flights going from Moscow and 3 morning and 2 afternoon flights a week from St. Petersburg to Mineralnye Vody airport. It is recommended to choose the morning flights, to arrive to Minearlnye Vody as early as possible. The regular ride takes about 4 hours. In the evening time there are more security patrols in the valley, so the transfer would take much longer. If you arrive with the late afternoon flight, it is recommended to stay in Pyatigorsk overnight and depart to Baksan valley in the morning. Pyatigorsk is a lovely place and it offers numerous opportunities for the tourists.

It is recommended to have the pre-arranged transfer to Baksan valley, but if you don't, one can still get a ride at the airport. There are plenty of gipsy cabs there. This is a way to make the living for the locals, so the ride is basically safe, but you should still be extremely careful when you do this. The price for the transfer is 2000-4000 rur (30-70 USD). You may want to share the ride with the other travelers going to the same destination to break the cost.