Kekroso
3,262 m
Russia
Also known as КекросоAlso known as
Кекросо
- Elevation
- 3,262 m
- Prominence
- 653 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- 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.
AdvisoryReported 18 Sep 2026
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to Russia and notes that consular support is very limited in the North Caucasus.
gov.ukRegulationReported 25 Mar 2024
The FSB Border Directorate for Dagestan reminded visitors in March 2024 that a pass is needed for the 5 km strip along the state border; foreigners' applications take up to 30 working days. Rules may have changed since.
riadagestan.ru
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? 5 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.25)
- ascent 1971 m vs net gain 1380 m (+43%)
- low confidence 0.25
- Dzhoakhor mouth → Kekroso: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 10.8 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Dzhoakhor fork (OSM match off-route), Upper Dzhoakhor cirque (OSM match off-route)
From Salda in the Dzhurmut valley, up the forested Dzhoakhor gorge on a shepherds' path to its upper cirque under the Dzhoakh pass (2,625 m), then an unrecorded final climb of about 600 m on grass, scree and slaty rock to the 3,262 m summit just north of the Azerbaijani border. Grade estimated; reserve and border permits needed.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 19.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,971 m
- −591 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,262 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 10h 11m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 8h 21m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
K. Akhmedkhanov's guidebook describes the approach on its route over the Dzhoakh pass. Below Salda the Dzhoakhor joins the Dzhurmut from the left at 1,771 m. Cross the Dzhurmut by the bridge, go up the right bank of the Dzhoakhor to a ford 1.2 km from the mouth, then follow the path along the floor of the narrowing, wooded valley, crossing the stream occasionally. At the fork, continue up the right bank of the right-hand (orographic) source; several side streams are easily forded. The gentle grassy slope at the head of the upper cirque leads to the broad, flat saddle of the Dzhoakh pass (2,625 m, unclassified) on the Main Caucasus Ridge and the border with Azerbaijan. Akhmedkhanov notes that east of the pass a transverse ridge crosses the watershed and reaches its highest point in Kekroso (he gives 3,258 m), north of the watershed. We found no description of the final ascent. G. Anokhin's guidebook describes steep walls and loose slaty ledges on the southern (Azerbaijani) side; from the Dagestani side, the most likely line is from the upper Dzhoakhor cirque up the western or north-western slopes and ridge, staying north of the border. Expect steep grass, scree and broken slate, and choose the line on the spot. Plan two days with a camp in the upper valley. Descend the same way.
Start
Salda1,882 m
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Salda1,882 m
Cordon of the Tlyaratinsky reserve near the village
- Feature: Dzhoakhor mouth2,253 m
Confluence with the Dzhurmut below Salda; bridge over the Dzhurmut. Coordinates are a point on the river, approximate
- Summit: Kekroso3,262 m
Key Passages
- Fords of the Dzhoakhor and its side streams
- Unrecorded final 600 m from the upper cirque to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 25%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
A 3,262 m summit just north of the Azerbaijani border in Dagestan's Tlyaratinsky reserve, the high point of a transverse ridge east of the Dzhoakh pass. A former triangulation station with sheer slate walls to the south and a long, wild approach from the Dzhurmut valley.
Kekroso (Kek-rossa in old sources) rises on a short ridge that crosses the Main Caucasus Ridge east of the Dzhoakh pass, with its summit about 1 km north of the border between Russia and Azerbaijan. Its southern walls feed the sources of the Belokanchay in Azerbaijan's Zakatala reserve; on the Dagestani side a U-shaped glacial valley lies below the mountain. It served as a station of the 19th-century Caucasus triangulation.
The mountain lies in the Tlyaratinsky federal reserve (zakaznik), more than 80,000 ha of forest, alpine meadows and high lakes managed by the Dagestansky nature reserve, with Dagestan tur, red deer, lynx and bears. The reserve is open to visitors with permits but sees very few, and the whole area is in the Russian border zone.
We found no published ascent from the Dagestani side. The approach up the Dzhoakhor valley is described in an older guidebook; the final 600 m would be exploratory ground of grass, scree and loose slate.
Climbing Notes
Plan two to three days from Tlyarata: by road to Salda, a walk up the Dzhoakhor valley to a camp below the Dzhoakh pass, then the summit and back. Obtain both a permit from the Dagestansky reserve for the Tlyaratinsky zakaznik and a border-zone pass from the FSB Border Directorate for Dagestan before you go, and carry your passport. The reserve recommends hiring local escorts. Navigation skills and confidence on steep, loose ground are essential; stay on the Russian side of the border. Check current travel advice for Russia before going.
History
Kekroso was used as a trigonometric station for the Caucasus triangulation and appears as 'Kek-rossa' in the Brockhaus and Efron encyclopaedia.
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: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Deep snow; high water in the valleys
- May
- Snowmelt; fords difficult
- Jun
- Late snow in the cirque
- Jul
- Afternoon thunderstorms common
- Aug
- Usually the best month
- Sep
- Stable weather; cold nights
- Oct
- Early snow possible
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Dagestan)Required
The summit is about 1 km from the border with Azerbaijan, inside the 5 km strip where a pass is needed in addition to an identity document. Apply with a copy of your identity document and the application form in person, by post, via Gosuslugi or by email to pu.dagestan@fsb.ru; processing takes up to 15 working days for Russian citizens and up to 30 for foreigners.
riadagestan.ru - Visitor permit for the Tlyaratinsky federal reserve (zakaznik)Required
The Tlyaratinsky zakaznik is administered by the Dagestansky state nature reserve. Visits require a permit from the reserve administration (online application forms exist on Russian protected-area booking portals); we could not confirm the current procedure or fees. Hunting, fishing, wood cutting and collecting plants are prohibited.
- Hut Booking
- No huts; camp in the upper Dzhoakhor valley.
- Rules
- Russian border zone with Azerbaijan: carry your passport and permits; the summit is about 1 km from the state border, which must not be crossed
- Tlyaratinsky federal reserve rules apply (no hunting, fishing, tree cutting, litter or berry and plant collecting)
- Getting There
Tlyarata (district centre)
Makhachkala Uytash (MCX)
- Scheduled minibus or car from Makhachkala to Tlyarata (about 5 hours), then a local driver along the Dzhurmut valley to Salda
- Locals can be hired for transport to the villages and into the mountains
Hazards
- Remoteness
- Rockfall
- Weather
- River crossing
- Exposure