Kogotl'
3,809 m
Russia
Also known as КоготльAlso known as
Коготль
- Elevation
- 3,809 m
- Prominence
- 632 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1A pathless walk from the village of Khonokh (about 2,000 m): up the Bochokh valley to a shepherds' camp at about 2,450 m, then west up the east slope beside a cascading waterfall to a subsidiary ridge at 3,100–3,200 m and along it, finally on stony slopes of about 45°, to the summit. About 1,800 m of ascent, usually over two days.
About 100% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.4
- Khonokh → Kogotl': dem (snap_failed, 7.7 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Kogotl east-slope ridge, Bochokh shepherds' camp (OSM match off-route)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 7.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,071 m
- −253 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,809 m
- Time Up
- 8h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 57m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Khonokh, which stands at a fork of valleys, follow the track and path south-west up the Bochokh valley past summer pastures to a shepherds' camp at about 2,450 m, a good place to pitch a tent. In the reverse direction the guidebook route down from the Ilyankhevi (Shaitli) pass crosses the Bochokh at about 2,320 m, level with the fourth spur of Kogotl. About an hour above the camp, at roughly 2,620 m, turn right (west) and climb the east slope of the mountain beside a multi-step waterfall (about 30 minutes, with five or so steps), to reach a subsidiary ridge at 3,100–3,200 m. Follow this ridge west towards the summit. Above about 3,400–3,500 m the grass gives out and the slope steepens to about 45° on stones and, early or late in the season, snow; the summit (3,809 m) is a rounded top on the multi-peaked Kogotl ridge, the highest point of the Khema range system. There is no marked path. Descend the same way. The east slope gets the morning sun and clears of fresh snow quickly; in poor visibility the many spurs and gullies make navigation difficult.
Start
Khonokh1,990 m
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Khonokh1,990 m
- Summit: Kogotl'3,809 m
Key Passages
- Waterfall steps on the east slope (about 2,620–3,100 m)
- Steep stony upper slope above 3,400 m
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
A rounded 3,809 m summit at the head of the Bochokh valley above the village of Khonokh in Dagestan's Tsumadinsky district, the highest point of the multi-peaked Kogotl spur and of the Khema range system west of the Bogos massif. A long, pathless but non-technical ascent.
Kogotl' rises at the western end of the Bogos mountain system in highland Dagestan, on a multi-peaked northern spur of Gari (3,576 m); the Akhmedkhanov guidebook calls it the highest point of the whole Khema range system. Its glacier feeds a stream that drops over a 50 m rock step into the Kemeor gorge on the west, while the east side falls to the Bochokh valley above the village of Khonokh.
The ascent from Khonokh follows the Bochokh valley to the summer sheep pastures and then climbs the east slope beside a cascading waterfall to a subsidiary ridge, which leads to the summit; the upper part is steep stony ground with patches of snow. Views take in the glaciated Bogos range, Chimis and Bochek to the east and the lakes Netse and Ederaso nearby.
Kogotl' is very rarely climbed and almost undocumented; the regional 'Tsumada' sports-tourism festival included it as one of its two summit objectives for the first time in August 2025.
Climbing Notes
Plan two days: walk up from Khonokh and camp in the Bochokh valley (shepherds graze large flocks there in summer), then climb about 1,350 m to the summit and return. Navigation is the main difficulty: there is no marked path, and the upper slope reaches about 45° on loose stones and snow. Carry a GPS track, an ice axe and microspikes if there is fresh snow, and be ready for summer snowfalls at camp level. Respect local customs in Khonokh and the shepherds' camps. Check current travel advice for Dagestan before going.
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: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Deep snow
- May
- Snow on the upper slopes
- Jun
- Late snow above 3,000 m
- Jul
- Summer pastures occupied; fresh snowfalls still possible
- Aug
- Best conditions; festival ascent in August 2025
- Sep
- Colder; early snow possible
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Getting There
Agvali (Tsumadinsky district centre); Makhachkala is the regional capital
Makhachkala Uytash (MCX)
- By road from Makhachkala into the Tsumadinsky district and on a dirt road to Khonokh (about 2,000 m)
Hazards
- Remoteness
- Weather
- Rockfall