Charundag
4,080 m
Azerbaijan, Russia
Also known as Çarındağ, Tscharundag, +3Also known as
Çarındağ · Tscharundag · ЧIарун сув · Çarundaq 4080metr · Чарундаг
- Elevation
- 4,080 m
- Prominence
- 644 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
No documented route
We found no published description of an ascent. Any line shown is an outline from maps only — not a route to follow.
Routes
1No documented ascent route — outline from maps only
We found no published description of an ascent. This line only joins features on the map; it is not a route to follow, so there is no GPX download.
Why? 7 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.15)
- 63% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.15
- Kurush → Charynchay confluence: corridor (unreachable; 114 m of gaps, 5.9 km)
- Charynchay confluence → Upper Charynchay: dem (snap_failed, 6.5 km)
- Upper Charynchay → Charundag: dem (snap_failed, 3.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Charun plateau
An outline line from Kurush (about 2,500 m), Russia's southernmost village: west along the tracks into the Chekhychay valley, then south-west up the Charynchay to the Charun glacier and plateau below the Main Caucasus Ridge and on to the border summit. No ascent report was found; line, grade and timing are estimates. FSB border-zone pass required.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 15.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,774 m
- −183 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,080 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 15m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 08m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Charundag stands on the Main Caucasus Ridge, which here forms the Russia–Azerbaijan border, about 3 km north-west of Ragdan and 11 km west of Bazardüzü. On the Russian (Dagestan) side the nearest village is Kurush in Dokuzparinsky district, the usual base for Bazardüzü. OpenStreetMap shows a service road and tracks leading west from Kurush down to the confluence of the Charynchay and the Chekhychay (about 41.269, 47.784), and the Charynchay stream rising south-west towards the ridge under 3 km north-east of the summit. Russian Wikipedia describes the Charun plateau where the Charun glacier meets the crest of the main ridge, and a 6 km canyon cut by a spur of the mountain; the Dokuzparinsky district site notes that the Charun and Ragdan gorges are hard going even in summer. The inferred line follows the tracks from Kurush to the confluence, climbs the Charynchay valley (keeping above the canyon where necessary) to its head, crosses the Charun glacier or its moraines onto the plateau, and finishes along the main ridge to the summit, roughly 1,600 m above Kurush. Expect scree, snowfields and some glacier travel; treat it as a long day from a valley camp. No ascent description, grade or time was found for Charundag. The summit is on the state border and the whole area is inside the 5 km FSB border zone, patrolled by border guards: carry the pass and passport, do not cross onto the Azerbaijani side, and descend the way you came.
Start
Kurush2,489 m
- None; no minibuses run to Kurush, and local UAZ drivers must be arranged in advance
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kurush → Charundag | 15.8 | 1,774 | 183 | 8h 15m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Kurush2,489 m
- Feature: Charynchay confluence2,434 m
Confluence with the Chekhychay; end of the mapped tracks west of Kurush
- Feature: Upper Charynchay2,993 m
Head of the mapped stream below the Charun glacier
- Summit: Charundag4,080 m
Key Passages
- Charynchay valley and canyon
- Charun glacier and plateau
- Main Caucasus Ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 15%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
A 4,080 m summit on the Main Caucasus Ridge, astride the Russia–Azerbaijan border a few kilometres west of Bazardüzü. Glaciated on its north side and almost undocumented as a climb, it lies deep inside the border zones of both countries.
Charundag (Azerbaijani Çarındağ, Lezgian Charun suv) is one of the highest summits of the eastern Greater Caucasus, standing on the main watershed in the chain of peaks west of Bazardüzü and Ragdan. The state border runs over the top: the north side belongs to Dokuzparinsky district of Dagestan, the south side to Azerbaijan. Published heights differ: 4,079.5 m in OpenStreetMap and Russian Wikipedia, about 4,080 m in Azerbaijani names, and 4,019 m in Wikidata.
On the Russian side the Charun glacier reaches the crest of the main ridge at the Charun plateau, and a spur of the mountain encloses the 6 km Charun canyon, with the 5 km Mullar canyon to its west. The gorges are steep and hard to walk even in summer, and the high ground here sits on the boundary between the dry Kura lowland climate and the wetter Caspian slopes, which breeds heavy cloud.
The mountain lies within the Bazardüzü–Shalbuzdag highland wetland complex. The nearest village is Kurush, the southernmost settlement in Russia, the usual starting point for Bazardüzü from the north. We found no account of an ascent of Charundag itself.
Climbing Notes
Treat this as an exploratory glacier ascent. You need to be self-sufficient on scree, snow and small glaciers, with crampons, ice axe and a rope, and confident in navigation in cloud. Acclimatise first; groups heading for Bazardüzü from Kurush usually spend one or two days on lower slopes before summit day.
The practical obstacle is the border. The whole massif is inside the 5 km FSB border zone on the Russian side: you need an individual pass (15–30 days via Gosuslugi), border patrols check documents, and without a pass you will be turned back long before the mountains. Do not cross onto the Azerbaijani side of the ridge. Engaging a Dagestani operator who arranges passes and 4x4 transport to Kurush is the realistic way to attempt it.
Season
Best Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Deep snow; road to Kurush difficult
- Jun
- Heavy snow cover on the upper mountain
- Jul
- Main season with August
- Aug
- Least snow, though snowfields remain
- Sep
- Possible early in the month; colder, early snow
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Dagestan)Required
The Bazardüzü massif, including Kurush, is inside the 5 km border zone. Even Russian citizens need an individual pass, applied for via Gosuslugi 15–30 days ahead; patrols check documents. The operator page read does not cover foreigners.
dagtravel.ru
- Rules
- The summit is on the Russia–Azerbaijan border: do not cross onto the Azerbaijani side
- Border patrols check documents; carry passport and pass at all times
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia
- No huts; camping only
- Getting There
Usukhchay (Dokuzparinsky district centre); Kurush is the trailhead village
Makhachkala (MCX)
- By car from Makhachkala (about 250 km, 5 hours) or Derbent (about 120 km, 3 hours) via Usukhchay, then a steep serpentine to Kurush; a 4x4 is strongly advised
- No minibuses run to Kurush; arrange a local UAZ driver in advance
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Altitude
- Remoteness