Eltyubyu sits in the Chegem Gorge in Kabardino-Balkaria, a deep cut in the northern flank of the Central Caucasus where the Chegem River has carved its way through pale rock and left a long, narrow valley with mountains on both sides. It is a small place, and the nearest proper town is Tyrnyauz, some twenty-four kilometres away, so this is somewhere to arrive with a full tank and a plan. Bylym and Verkhnyaya Balkariya lie in other valleys around.
The road in is among the more dramatic in the region. The Chegem Gorge squeezes in tightly, with cliffs almost touching the road in places and waterfalls tumbling from the rocks after rain. Beyond the gorge, the valley opens into a wide bowl of meadows, with snow peaks standing at the head. The tarmac is narrow and broken in sections, with corners that tighten without warning, and rockfall, livestock and oncoming trucks can all be in the same bend. Ride it slowly, in good light. Late spring through early autumn is the usable season, and a rain-soaked afternoon can bring mud and gravel.
The Balkars, the mountain people of this region, have lived in these valleys for centuries, building stone towers for defence and shelter. The ruins of those towers stand on some slopes, and they give the landscape a human scale that is rare in the high Caucasus. The Balkar people also suffered a bitter chapter in 1944, when they were deported to Central Asia, and were allowed to return in the late 1950s. Many villages in the upper valleys are echoes of that return, and it is worth riding through them with some quiet respect.
The nature is wild. Chegem has famous waterfalls, tumbling over rock faces in the gorge, a sight that draws visitors in summer. Higher up, the meadows are covered in wildflowers, and the air smells of cut grass, sheep and cold stone. Mountain peaks reach well above three thousand metres on the skyline, and in clear weather the contrast between green meadows and white snowfields is striking.
You will find small guesthouses and basic cafes serving Balkar food, such as khychiny, which are flatbreads filled with cheese, potato or meat. Water is plentiful, but fuel is not, so fill in Tyrnyauz or lower down. Bring warm clothing, because the weather turns quickly.