High in the Teberda valley, where the road from Karachayevsk up to Dombay crosses a narrow stretch of gorge, the Gonachkhir River comes in from the west, carrying meltwater from the glaciers along the main Caucasus ridge. Here the old Military Sukhumi Road, built in the nineteenth century to link the North Caucasus with the Black Sea coast, branches off up the Gonachkhir valley toward the Klukhor Pass and the border with Abkhazia. The pass, at roughly 2,780 metres, saw fierce fighting in 1942, when German mountain troops reached the passes and were driven back.
The landscape is classic Caucasus. Steep slopes of spruce, fir and pine rise on both sides, with granite crags and snow-streaked peaks above, and the river roars over boulders far below the road. The Teberda Nature Reserve protects much of the surrounding land, home to bears, chamois, lynx and the West Caucasian tur, a wild mountain goat. In spring, the meadows are covered in wildflowers; in autumn, the beech and birch turn gold against the dark conifers, and the first snow dusts the peaks.
As the finish of a ride up from Teberda toward Dombay, this is a dramatic end. The road climbs steadily through the valley, with tight bends, steep gradients, and some narrow sections where rockfalls and landslides are common after heavy rain. The surface is generally paved, but can be rough and broken in places, and you will share it with buses, taxis and minibuses ferrying tourists up and down. Beyond the junction, the road toward the Klukhor Pass becomes rougher and passes into a border zone, so check rules and permits before heading further.
At the junction itself you will find little beyond a roadside stall. Teberda, a small resort town a short ride down the valley, has fuel, shops and simple cafes, and Karachayevsk, further down, has more. Dombay, a few kilometres up the valley, is a ski resort with hotels, restaurants and cable cars that run in summer too. Stop for a while at the junction, listen to the river, look up at the peaks, and feel the scale of the mountains around you; this is one of the great valleys of the Caucasus.