We make our first stop at Lower Blue Lake, one of the most popular place for tourists. It is attractive not only for its unique beauty, but also for its convenient location, close proximity to the highway.

The name of the lake is Tserik-Kol or Cherek-Kel. For a long time, the exact depth of the lake remained a mystery. Even such a famous scuba diver as Jacques Yves Cousteau did not establish it reliably. To date, it is believed that its depth is 360 meters, but not all the crevices by the bathyscaphe can descend, so this is not the final size. In terms of depth, Lower Blue Lake is the second karst lake in the world. Karst is a hole in the rock that looks like a well.

The color of the lake is unusually beautiful and changeable. From soft blue in clear weather to azure. The water surface is calm, as if the lake is frozen. The water is clean, completely transparent, the walls of the lake are visible. The place is full of mysterious and enigmatic beauty.

On the shore of the lake, the locals staged a real market. Here you can buy souvenirs, jewelry, toys made from natural materials, knitted items and much more, which tourists buy with pleasure as a keepsake of the trip.

We will spend an hour on the lake. If desired, we can also organize lunch here. Next, we are driving for the Cherek gorge.

Our way will follow on serpentine, up to a tunnel in the Cherek Gorge. One of the most striking stages of the tour is a walk along the old road, which is carved right into the sheer cliff. It is here that the power of nature and the elements, the power of the river’s work, are clearly felt. After the tunnel, the road to the Zylki fortress begins. A unique fortress leaning against a sheer cliff like some kind of bird’s nest. It is from here that the huge ancient defensive system begins, which was built back in the Middle Ages, the tower of the Balkarovs, Amir Khan, Kurnayat, and other amazing monuments of the past. We will plunge into the times of wars and battles, brave men and traitors, hear many stories and legends about the owners of these places.

Visiting card of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic. The waterfalls, comfortably located in the gorge of the Chegem Gorge, attract many tourists and amaze everyone with their power and beauty. This is an incredibly amazing and rare in its beauty spectacle.

Directly from the sheer cliffs, jets of water are torn off by a raging and noisy stream at high speed. Some shoot out of cracks in the rock, arching in the air, falling down. Others flow in a wide stream from large holes in the rock. Falling from a great height, they break into many tiny splashes, and the sun’s rays form small rainbows in them. In winter, the waterfall freezes and is simply an incredible sight! These are ice pillars, of enormous height, resembling giant candles! Some of them hang over the river with an openwork ice fringe. It’s just amazing!

Chegem waterfalls are beautiful all year round. They always have their own, unique beauty and feature. The gorge has a special microclimate, due to the increased humidity from the waterfalls. Outlandish plants grow on the slopes of the mountains, and the singing of birds only complements the previously unseen mountain landscape.

We will arrive back to Nalchik approximately at 17-00/18-00.