Legendary Caucasus self-drive vacations

AdventureComfortown vehicle Online Experience

Adventure Tour-
4×4 self-drive holidays

Rent UAZ Bukhanka 4×4 campers vans in Georgia or Dagestan

Discover the most remote attractions in the Caucasus with our fully equipped off-road campers. Where the road ends for others, your journey truly begins. We’ve prepared for you the most incredible places to camp in the beautiful wilderness. Ignite campfires under the stars and enjoy your individual holiday off the beaten path. Our English-speaking friends in their remote villages warmly welcome you as their guest. A unique and highly authentic journey where you get to know the people of the Caucasus on a very personal level.

We recommend 10-25 days for your adventure tour.

About the car
We rent classic Soviet-designed UAZ minibuses (still in production today). Thanks to a modern engine, disk brakes, ABS and power steering they drive very much like an ordinary car.

There is plenty of living room in the back, which fits a comfortable bed for two, fridge, fully equipped kitchen, and plenty of storage for your belongings. All vans come with stationary heating, so you will always be warm and comfortable.

Your safety is paramount for us, we start every tour with off-road driving training and introduce you to all gear and equipment on board. You will then start very well prepared in your unique holidays.

Prices & booking

Individually planned adventure trip for two people in a fully equipped 4×4 camper van. All meetings with our local friends and workshops already included.

14 days and longer
November – March → 104 Euro / day
April – October → 157 Euro / day

Less than 14 days
November – March → 115 Euro / day
April – October → 174 Euro / day

10% discount for bookings of multiple cars

Minimum booking duration is 5 days.

Please use our booking calendar to calculate the exact price of your tour.

Adventure Tour Example - 10 days

Day 1

We pick you up from the airport, introduce you to car and equipment and do off-road driving training. Together we finalize the details of your individual route before you start your unique journey.

Day 2 to 5
Driving scenic mountain roads, you pass magnificent Sulak Canyon, the magical waterfall cave Saltinski and explore Gamsutel, the Russian “Machu Picchu”. Visit some of our Dagestani friends in their sleepy mountain villages and enjoy their hospitality and local food. You will have plenty of opportunities to camp in beautiful spots in the wild.

Day 6 and 7
You will reach the coast in the south of Dagestan and visit the ancient city of Derbent. Then you to discover the wild Caspian Sea coast, camp on wonderful wild beaches.

Day 8 to 10

You are now driving to the southernmost tip, deep into the spectacular mountain scenery of the Caucasus where the highest village in Europe is located at 2560m. Enjoy the incredible mountain panoramas, visit thermal baths and follow forgotten paths to long-abandoned ghost villages.

When you return your car to say goodbye – we’ll make sure you are well fed before we drop you off at the airport again.

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about 1050 km in total

What is included in this Tour?
  • UAZ 4×4 Camper (unlimited kilometres)
  • car insurance
  • off-road driving training
  • individual route configuration
  • English self-drive guidebook and maps
  • SIM card (unlimited internet)
  • transport from/to airport
  • 24/7 assistance
  • 4×4 recovery equipment
  • fridge + kitchen equipment
  • comfortable mattress, pillows
What should you bring?
For Dagestan, please bring an international driving licence.

Everything else, the complete camping gear including kitchen equipment, as well as sleeping bags, pillows, etc. are provided by us.

 

Adventure Tour with children?
You are very welcome to explore Dagestan as a family.

Our 4×4 campers can be equipped with seats for 1-3 children
(You can get child seats from us at no extra charge)

We have two children ourselves and have gained quite a lot of experience travelling by UAZ camper as a family over the years. If you have questions, please write us or call via WhatsApp +7 937 3324 835.

We will be happy to assist you.
Can I really camp wild everywhere?
Yes, driving and camping on public land is widely allowed in the Caucasus

You can easily set up camp and light a fire in a beautiful spot. Wild camping is actually quite common here and a popular way to relax and enjoy the wonders of nature with friends and family.

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 Dagestan (only July and August)

 Terms and Conditions

DAGESTAN Adventure Tours are scheduled for July and August 2024.More details here.
For the rest of the year, our Adventure Tours will be based in GEORGIA.

Comfort Tours-
Self-drive vacations with accommodation

 

We offer these tours only in Dagestan.

For visitors looking to discover the wonders of Dagestan by rental car but prefer to stay in guesthouses and hotels.
Following our custom made guidebook and self-drive map you easily find all great attractions in Dagestan. On your journey, we will introduce you to local people who are happy to welcome visitors from abroad and show you their unique culture.

We recommend 7-20 days for your Comfort Tour.
Tip: Booking 6-8 months in advance would be ideal as the best accommodations in the mountains are very popular and must be reserved well ahead

Your accomodation
Ethno Guesthouses
Spending the night in one of the lovingly restored traditional-style guest houses is like travelling back in time to the previous century.

With local families
Experience the famous Dagestani hospitality at local families who rent guest rooms to travelers.

Hotels
We have selected smaller, family-owned hotels for you where you will be excellently looked after.

Prices & booking
  • February to November → 148 Euro/day per person
  • Discounts for groups of 3 & 4 guests and longer tours

To calculate your tour, please scroll down to the booking calendar.

Comfort Tour example - 7 days

2 guests: € 1032.5 p.p. 3 guests: € 910 p.p. 4 guests: € 812 p.p. 

Day 1 (~60km)
We pick you up from the airport and together discuss all details of your journey. Enjoy a magnificent sunset from the mighty “Barkhan” sand dune before checking into your hotel in the evening.

Day 2 (~150km)
You visit Sulak, the deepest canyon in Europe. Additionally, to the most popular viewpoints, we will also show you some less known but even more spectacular places at the edge of the canyon. You’ll stay tonight in a hotel in the town of Buynaksk.

Day 3 (~100km)
Today you’ll try the unique local woodworking and in a master class in the village of Untsukul.

Then we organized for you an English-speaking guide for the great museum in Khunzakh. In the evening visit the famous Tobot waterfall and tonight you’ll be staying with a friendly family who rent guest rooms to visitors.

Day 4 (~50km)
A beautiful panoramic leads down the mountains. You best spend the morning in old Khahib and visit its ancient watchtower, recently restored by UNESCO. In the afternoon you change a few kilometres over to old Goor, built directly on a rugged cliff edge – wonderful photo opportunities. In a small guesthouse nearby you’ll spend today’s night.

Day 5 (~85km)
Visit the famous Karadakh Gorge early in the morning and Gamsutl, Russia’s “Machu Picchu”, you will see just next. Then travel back 200 years and check out the unique “Ethnosakl” A wonderfully restored ancient house,  best described as a museum you can live in. Your host will be happy to provide you with traditional clothing for some unique photographs and you’ll stay today directly in the guestroom at Ethnosakl.

Day 6 (~200km)
You visit the famous Salta waterfall – a unique place. When the water splashes from the cave ceiling while mixing with the sunbeams an extraordinary atmosphere is created.

You cross the mountains back to the coast and will in the evening explore Derbent, the oldest city in Russia where you stay at a small family-run hotel.

Day 7 (~110km)
An English speaking guide introduces you to the most interesting corners and the colourful markets of Derbent.  One last drive takes you along ancient trading routes to the airport where you return your car and say farewell to Dagestan, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

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about 750km in total

 

What should you bring?
  • international drivers license
What is included in this Tour?
  • Rental car
  • Transfer from and to airport
  • All overnight stays with breakfast
  • English self-drive guidebook & special map
  • Local SIM card with unlimited internet
  • Master class woodworking
  • Lunch with local families
  • English-speaking museum guide
  • English-speaking tour in Derbent
  • Photos in traditional costumes
Comfort Tour with children?

Families are welcome, you get child seats from us at no extra charge.
We have two children ourselves and have already gained a bit of experience as a travelling family. If you have any questions, just write us or call us via WhatsApp +7 937 3324 835.
We will be happy to assist you.

 

 

 

Comfort Tours are bookable in July and August 2024.
On these tours you will visit DAGESTAN.

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 Terms and Conditions

Dagestan with your own vehicle

You are of course also very welcome to travel our unique region with your vehicle. We would be happy to create an individual route for you to see the most beautiful places in our homeland. Organize meetings with our English speaking friends in their mountain villages, plan interactive workshops and other cultural and culinary highlights for you on your trip.
Take a vacation from travelling
We ourselves drove around Africa and know that overlanding can sometimes be demanding and tiring.

We are most happy to spoil you with a real holiday in Dagestan, where you don’t have to worry about anything. We prepare your individual itinerary, custom-tailored for you and your vehicle. You will explore the region and meet our English-speaking local local friends, completely relaxed and in the most authentic way.

Why plan my Dagestan trip with you?
We are the Dagestan self-drive experts!

To prepare for you the most beautiful routes, the most exciting encounters and unique attractions, we have driven over 15 000km, explored practically every corner of Dagestan and established countless contacts with local hosts.

We are happy to share our vast local knowledge and prepare your individual itinerary for you to get the most out of your time spent in Dagestan.

Example: 14 days Dagestan in your vehicle.
Example for Travellers on the Way from Georgia to Kazakhstan (with 4×4 Off-Road Vehicles, Vans, or Expedition Trucks)

Border Crossing from Georgia, Purchasing a Local SIM Card, Currency Exchange at the Bank, and Journey to Dagestan

Day 1: Visit a huge, faithfully reconstructed Caucasian village. Drive through beautiful mountain roads and pass remote villages.

Day 2: Explore a traditional Urbetch mill, where nuts and seeds are being roasted over an open fire for centuries and then milled between water-powered stones according to old family recipes.

Day 3: In the mountains, you’ll find a place where salty water springs from the rocks. Some villagers still cook salt over wood fires here, as it was done in ancient times to gain salt for food preservation. For visitors with sturdy 4×4 vehicles, we have a special highlight: a unique campsite right on a nearly 1000m steep cliff edge with a unique panorama of the surrounding valleys.

Day 4: Visit some of our friends in their mountain village. Enjoy traditional tea with mountain herbs as they demonstrate the craftsmanship and skills passed down from their ancestors. You can even try yourself placing ornaments on wooden vases and bowls.

Day 5: Today, you’ll witness some beautiful natural spectacles, including one of the most impressive waterfalls in the North Caucasus. For 4×4 enthusiasts, there’s a beautiful overnight spot nearby, high above the clouds.

Day 6: Explore abandoned ghost villages deep in the mountains.

Day 7: The legendary cave waterfall is best visited around noon, when sunlight mixes with water droplets, creating a particularly beautiful atmosphere. Visit a friend of ours who operates a hands-on museum. He has faithfully restored and furnished an old house, showing you how people lived in the Caucasus 150 years ago.

Day 8: Explore a place famous for its pottery. Before metal and plastic became widespread, a large part of the kitchenware in Dagestan, and even the water piping systems, were made from clay. The pottery is still traditionally finished in small ovens heated with dried dung. You’re welcome to visit a friend of ours, a renowned master potter, and try your hand at the small traditional potter’s wheels.

Day 9: A friend who is an English teacher and silversmith will show you the craft for which his hometown is famous. You’re invited to stay for dinner with his family and enjoy local cuisine and hospitality.

Day 10: Today, you’ll visit a 1000-year-old mosque, one of the first built in Dagestan. The mountain village where it stands has long been abandoned, but the massive pillars and the carefully covered roof with large stone slabs will likely endure for many more centuries. Next, head to the Caspian Sea, where the famous Ekranoplan awaits your visit. There are some unique highlights here, including a hot spring that can be ignited due to the abundance of natural gas bubbling to the surface with the water.

Day 11: Derbent is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The ancient Persian Empire left its mark here, and many world religions have passed through. A friend of ours will guide you through her hometown, providing first-hand insights into the details and history of Derbent.

Day 12: Beautiful beach sections await you. Experienced 4×4 drivers can deflate their tires a bit and explore the dunes. Stand right by the Caspian Sea, enjoying the nature and wildlife around you.

Day 13: Climb the famous Balkhar dune and then head to the majestic Sulak Canyon. We have some hidden gems tailored to your vehicle here, where you can explore and enjoy the canyon, circling eagles, and the beautiful panorama all to yourselves.

Day 14: Today, you’ll visit the second, slightly more touristy part of the canyon. Here, you can cross the gorge on a suspension bridge and walk right between the rock walls.

Then your journey continues towards Kazakhstan.

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Total distance in Dagestan: approximately 1100 km

Costs: around 400-450 euros (everything described above, meetings, workshops, tours, meals, etc., are already included).

Which vehicles are suitable?
It doesn’t matter if you are travelling in an expedition truck, a minibus or a motorcycle. We plan each route individually according to your wishes, season, travel duration and of course adapted to your vehicle.

Questions? Get in touch with us.

Services and costs
Our services

  • Individual travel itinerary tailored to your preferences, your vehicle, and the season
  • Our custom-made self-drive handbook and map
  • Personal meeting at the beginning of the journey to discuss the final details of your route (also possible via video conference)
  • Timely application for required border permits or national park permits for certain locations
  • 24/7 assistance during the journey via phone
  • All workshops and meetings with local hosts, dinner invitations, guided tours, etc., already include.

This journey is planned individually for you, expect around 30-40 euros per day.

Interested? Get in touch!

Online Experience Virtual Caucasus 

An online presentation journey that takes you to the most interesting places in Georgia and Dagestan, you will learn about the rich culture, history and the local kitchen of the region.  Finally, you can visit the Caucasus directly from your couch.

This tour takes about 1 hour and will be held in English.

When is the next virtual journey planned?
Please subscribe to our monthly E-mail newsletter and you will receive an invitation for upcoming Online Experiences automatically.
How do I join the Online Experience?
You only need a computer (or mobile phone) and the internet.
We use the free video conference software Zoom to connect for a guided virtual tour around Dagestan.

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