Tsakhvoa
3,346 m
Russia
Also known as Monte Tsajvoa, Cachvoa, +1Also known as
Monte Tsajvoa · Cachvoa · Цахвоа
- Elevation
- 3,346 m
- Prominence
- 1,080 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 18 Sep 2026
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to Russia because of the war in Ukraine; its ability to help British nationals is very limited.
gov.uk
Routes
1Sources differ: 1B (Russian mountaineering/tourist category) (nunataka.ru guided-tour page)
The usual ascent of the highest point of Krasnodar Krai, deep in the Caucasus Reserve: from Krasnaya Polyana over the Aishkha (Aishkho) ridge into the Malaya Laba and Bezymyanka valleys, then up the pathless Ulitka stream through forest, a rock step and two cirques to a final rise and a narrow rocky summit. Three to five days on foot.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 30.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,492 m
- −1,133 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,346 m
- Time Up
- 17h 42m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 14h 34m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Tsakhvoa stands at the northern end of the Gertsen ridge, far from any road, between the Malaya Laba, Tsakhvoa and Bezymyanka rivers. The approach from the Krasnaya Polyana side crosses the Aishkha ridge: either by the Aishkha pass on the reserve's eco-tourist route 8 from the Pslukh cordon down to the Malaya Laba and the mouth of the Bezymyanka, or, as a 2017 party did, by the higher Aishkho-4 pass (about 2,500 m) and a pathless descent through tall herbs, bear-trodden forest and a 300 m rock step (riegel) into the Bezymyanka valley. The old Tsakhvoa shelter, a small hut with bunks and a stove, stands in the meadows on the right bank of the Bezymyanka. From the Bezymyanka the route climbs very steep fir and then pine forest on remnants of an old path, crosses the Ulitka stream to its left bank and scrambles up beside it, in places on steep rock where the stream emerges from a cliff (the most awkward section, especially in descent or in the dark). Above are alpine meadows without water until a seeping spring at about 2,600 m, then two moraine-strewn cirques with snowfields at the head of the Ulitka and the upper southern cirque directly below the summit. The final rise takes a little over an hour; the summit itself is sharp and cramped, with drops on all sides and the largest glacier of Krasnodar Krai on the north face. Guided groups camp at the 'Green bivouac' high on the Gertsen ridge and make a radial summit push. Descend the same way. The 2017 party needed about nine and a half hours from its camp by the Bezymyanka to the top and was benighted on the descent; over three days it covered 58 km with about 4,600 m of ascent.
Start
Pslukh cordon987 m
- Train or bus from Adler to Krasnaya Polyana or Esto-Sadok; then 4WD transfer up the Pslukh road towards the Pslukh cordon
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Pslukh cordon987 m
Reserve cordon and border post on the Pslukh river above Krasnaya Polyana; end point of reserve route 8
- Col: Aishkha pass2,403 m
On the Aishkha ridge (route 8); a 2017 party used the higher Aishkho-4 pass instead
- Hut: Приют Цахвоа1,752 m
Small unstaffed shelter with bunks and a stove
- Summit: Цахвоа3,346 m
Key Passages
- Aishkha ridge crossing
- Fords of the Bezymyanka
- Steep forest above the Bezymyanka
- Rock step beside the Ulitka stream
- Final rise from the south cirque
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 45%Overview
Tsakhvoa (3,346 m) is the highest point of Krasnodar Krai, a sharp rock summit at the northern end of the Gertsen ridge in the heart of the Caucasus Reserve, with the region's largest glacier on its north face. Technically easy (1B), it is a remote three- to five-day trek with pathless sections and strict reserve rules.
Tsakhvoa rises at the northern end of the Gertsen ridge, a 14 km side ridge of the Main Caucasus Ridge, between the Malaya Laba, Tsakhvoa and Bezymyanka rivers in the Mostovsky district. It lies within the Caucasus State Biosphere Reserve, about 25 km east of Krasnaya Polyana. On its northern slopes a glacier descends steep rock in three narrow tongues; the south side is a series of cirques at the head of the Ulitka stream above the Bezymyanka valley. For a long time Akaragvarta, on the same ridge, was thought to be the highest point of the region, until surveys in the 1970s showed it to be some 200 m lower.
The ascent is a long wilderness trek rather than a climb: a crossing of the Aishkha ridge, the wild Malaya Laba and Bezymyanka valleys with fords and bears, then a steep pathless ascent through forest, a rock step and boulder cirques to a narrow summit. There is no infrastructure apart from the old Tsakhvoa shelter in the Bezymyanka meadows.
Access is the main difficulty. The whole area is in the Caucasus Reserve, where visitors may only follow approved eco-tourist routes and camp at designated sites; route 8 over the Aishkha pass passes the mouth of the Bezymyanka, but the summit is not on any open route.
Climbing Notes
No technical climbing, but you need good fitness for 1,300–1,500 m days with heavy packs, experience of pathless steep terrain and river fords, and confidence on loose rock and snowfields. A helmet and ice axe are advisable. Plan three days as a minimum for a fast party, and five to seven days at a sensible pace with a high camp and a weather reserve. Nights can be below freezing in July; bears are common. Before going, obtain the reserve's permission for the exact route including the summit, check whether a border-zone pass is needed, and register the route with EMERCOM at least 10 working days in advance.
History
According to a 2017 account, the first recorded ascent was made in 1984 by a group of tourists from Maikop; climbers visited regularly afterwards, until the area was designated a quiet zone of the reserve. The same author estimated five to ten groups a season in 2017.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; reserve routes closed
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Avalanche season
- May
- Deep snow; reserve routes not yet open
- Jun
- Reserve routes open as passes clear; snow in the cirques
- Jul
- Best period; frost possible at night
- Aug
- Best period
- Sep
- Stable weather, cold nights
- Oct
- Reserve season usually ends late October; early snow
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Caucasus State Biosphere Reserve passRequired
Every visitor to the reserve needs a pass naming the route, radial exits and overnight sites. Route 8 'Through the Aishkha pass to the Black Sea' (Chernorechye cordon – Malaya Laba – Aishkha pass – Pslukh cordon) passes the Bezymyanka mouth; the Tsakhvoa summit and the Ulitka valley are not on the list of open eco-tourist routes, so ask the reserve's tourism department for permission before planning an ascent.
kavkazzapoved.ru - Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate, Sochi)Optional
The reserve requires a border pass for its routes 9 and 11 near the Abkhazian border (not needed by Sochi residents; preparation from 15 working days). A 2017 ascent report states that Tsakhvoa is in the border zone and that the climbers carried passes; the Pslukh road has a border post. Check with the Sochi border detachment.
kavkazzapoved.ru
- Hut Booking
- No bookable huts. The Tsakhvoa shelter in the Bezymyanka valley is a basic unstaffed hut.
- Fees
- Reserve visit and overnight fees apply on eco-tourist routes; buy tickets online or at reserve offices (Adler office, Psebai, Esto-Sadok)
- Rules
- Leaving an approved route or overstaying the dates on the pass is an administrative offence; camping only at sites named in the pass
- No fires outside designated places, no collecting plants, no fishing or hunting
- Inform EMERCOM of the route no later than 10 working days before setting out
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia
- Getting There
Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi)
Sochi (AER)
- Train or bus from Adler to Krasnaya Polyana or Esto-Sadok, then 4WD up the Pslukh valley road to the Pslukh cordon or the Aishkho meadows
- From the north: road via Psebai to the Chernorechye cordon, start of reserve route 8 up the Malaya Laba
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- River crossing
- Remoteness
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,752 m
Приют ЦахвоаHutUnstaffed