Gunib is a mountain village on a high plateau in central Dagestan, at about 1,500 metres, and it is one of those places where a single event made it famous. In 1859, Imam Shamil, the leader of the long Caucasian resistance against the Russian Empire, made his last stand on this mountain. After decades of fighting, he and his remaining followers were surrounded, and he surrendered here to Prince Baryatinsky, who commanded the Russian forces. A memorial and a viewing platform on the site mark the place, and a gazebo is said to be where the surrender took place.
The landscape is spectacular, a world of gorges, bare ridges and terraced slopes. Gunib sits on a flat-topped mountain with sheer cliffs on three sides, a natural fortress, with a suspension bridge across the Kara-Koysu gorge. Birch and juniper trees grow on the plateau, and the air is clean, cool and quiet, with a view across the valleys to ranges in every direction. In autumn, the slopes turn gold and red, and the nights are cold.
The roads in Dagestan are demanding. They twist along cliffsides and through tunnels carved in rock, with steep drops, narrow lanes and few barriers. The surface can be rough, and rockfalls and mud are common after rain. Traffic is a mix of old cars, trucks, minibuses and livestock, and the local style of driving is fast and assertive, with horns used constantly. Villages such as Gimri, the birthplace of Shamil, and Chokh, a stone village perched on a hill, are reached by narrow roads that need slow riding. Summer is the best season, though afternoons can be hot in the valleys.
Gunib is small, with a shop or two and a guesthouse, and fuel is limited. The nearest larger places are Gergebil, about sixteen kilometres away, and Khadzhalmakhi, where there are stations and shops, so fill the tank there. Food is simple and good, with khinkal, boiled dumplings served with meat and garlic sauce, and chudu, thin flatbreads filled with meat or herbs. Tea is served in generous quantities.
Check the security situation and local advice before you travel, as conditions in parts of the North Caucasus can change. A respectful, modest approach to the villages goes a long way, and hospitality can be remarkable.