Mount Dyultydag
4,127 m
Russia
Also known as Djultydag, Dyultydag, +3Also known as
Djultydag · Dyultydag · დიულთიდაღი · Diultydag · Дюльтыдаг
- Elevation
- 4,127 m
- Prominence
- 1,834 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Burshi → Mount Dyultydag: straight line 14177 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Burshi → Mount Dyultydag: sustained 46° > 40° on a straight line
- danger scan: Burshi → Mount Dyultydag: straight line dips 107 m below both ends
- last routed vertex 14177 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 100% straight-line fallback
- ascent 3521 m is 1.9× the net gain 1852 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.2
Sources differ: Medium (operator rating for the whole 3–5 day trek) (Походы по Кавказу) · 1Б (Russian classification, west ridge; easiest classified route) (Russian route classifier via alpinist.biz) · 2А (Russian classification, north-east ridge and north-east buttress) (Russian route classifier via alpinist.biz)
A 3–5 day trek from the Lak district: about 20 km one way up the Kazikumukh Koisu headwaters from the mouth of the Burshi river to a camp on the Nukkura stream, then a summit day of about 1,000 m on steep, rocky slopes that keep clear of the north-side glaciers. No technical gear needed in a snow-free August.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 14.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +3,521 m
- −1,670 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,127 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 16h 51m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 14h 23m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The route starts in the Lak district, where the Burshi river joins the Kazikumukh Koisu near the village of Burshi. A path follows the Koisu upstream towards its sources below the Dyultydag glaciers; one operator gives about 20 km one way and almost 2,000 m of total ascent, with repeated fords of mountain streams. Parties camp on the Nukkura stream below the north-east side of the mountain. On summit day you leave the camp with light packs and gain about 1,000 m. The glaciers on the northern slopes (the largest is the Yatmichaar glacier) stay to one side; the ground is steep, rocky and loose and needs care. A local climber's photo caption describes the ascent by the north-east buttress, and the summit carries cairns built by local climbers. The operator says that in high summer the top can be reached without specialist mountaineering equipment, and that beginners should go only once the mountain is free of snow, usually in August, and with an experienced guide. Descend the same way to the Nukkura camp and walk out to Burshi the next day. Allow a spare day or two for weather. An alternative exit crosses the Lakazani pass (3,447 m) on the Dyultydag ridge into the Dyultychay valley in Rutul district. One party that attempted the mountain in October 2021 ran out of daylight 100 m below the top and spent half the night descending, so start early.
Start
Burshi2,276 m
- None to the trailhead; group trips travel by road from Makhachkala to Kumukh and continue by 4x4
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Burshi2,276 m
Village in the Lak district; the path starts at the mouth of the Burshi river
- Summit: Mount Dyultydag4,127 m
Key Passages
- Stream fords in the Kazikumukh Koisu headwaters
- Steep rocky slopes of the north-east buttress
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%Overview
At 4,127 m the highest point of the Dyultydag range, an ultra-prominent summit in the heart of highland Dagestan. Reached on a 3–5 day trek from the Lak district, with a final 1,000 m climb on steep, rocky slopes beside small north-facing glaciers.
Dyultydag is the culminating summit of the Dyultydag range, part of the Side (Bokovoy) Range of the eastern Greater Caucasus in Dagestan. With about 1,834 m of prominence it is one of the most independent mountains in the region. The ridge divides the headwaters of the Kazikumukh Koisu from the left tributaries of the Samur, and its summit lies near the boundary of the Lak and Charodinsky districts, about 15 km north of the Azerbaijani border. Archib in Charodinsky district and Burshi in Lak district are the nearest villages.
The range carries about 6 km² of glaciers, mostly on the northern slopes; the largest is the Yatmichaar glacier. The normal approach comes from the north, up the Kazikumukh Koisu valley from Burshi, and avoids the ice. The ground is steep, rocky and loose, and the mountain is often in cloud.
Very few people climb it. Local enthusiasts have built cairns on the top, and a handful of Dagestani trekking operators offer it, sometimes combined with the neighbouring Babaku (Pabaku) and Bishiney. Expect shepherds' huts and flocks in the valleys in summer and nobody at all higher up.
Climbing Notes
This is a long trek with one demanding summit day rather than a technical climb. You need fitness for several days carrying camping gear, about 1,000 m of steep, loose ascent on the top day, and confidence on rough ground. Snow lingers on the upper slopes until late July; in a snow-free August an operator says no specialist equipment is needed, but carry an ice axe and crampons earlier in the season.
Typical itinerary: drive from Makhachkala to Kumukh and on by 4x4 to Burshi; day 1 walk up the Kazikumukh Koisu to a camp on the Nukkura stream; day 2 summit and back to camp; day 3 walk out, plus one or two spare days for weather. A local guide is strongly advised: there are no huts, no waymarking, no mountain rescue presence and patchy mobile coverage, and local knowledge helps with fords, shepherds and document checks.
History
The Russian route classifier records routes by S. Gadzhiev's party in 1941 (1Б by the west ridge), which is the earliest ascent we found; later classified lines are the north-east ridge (A. Sayapin, 1978), the north-east buttress (K. Dorro, 1994) and the east ridge (2Б, K. Dorro, 1995). A Dagestan State Pedagogical University expedition reached the Lakazani pass in 2012 but was turned back from the summit ridge by wind. Local climbers reported ascents in August 2014 and left summit cairns and a sign.
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
- Snow and high rivers
- May
- Snow on the upper mountain; meltwater fords
- Jun
- Snow on the upper slopes; high streams
- Jul
- Best from the second half of July
- Aug
- Usually snow-free; most settled weather
- Sep
- Good in the first half; colder nights
- Oct
- Short days and early snow; a 2021 party ran out of daylight
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Guided group treks from Makhachkala are sold as packages including transport, meals, group gear and guide
- Rules
- A Dagestani operator states that no pass is needed for the approach from Burshi (Lak district). The south side of the ridge lies in Rutul district, which borders Azerbaijan; check the current FSB border-zone limits (FSB order No. 325 of 8 August 2024) before descending south
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia
- No huts; camping only
- Getting There
Kumukh (Lak district centre); Burshi is the trailhead village
Makhachkala (MCX)
- By road from Makhachkala to Kumukh; group trips switch to 4x4 vehicles there for the rough roads into the upper valleys
- We found no public transport to Burshi
Hazards
- Rockfall
- River crossing
- Weather
- Altitude
- Remoteness