Dombai: High Mountains, Glaciers, and Teberda National Park

• The Teberda National Park spans elevations from 1,260 to 4,047 meters; about 85 percent of its area lies above 2,000 meters.
• At 4,046 meters, Dombai-Ulgen is the highest peak in the Teberda area.
• Forests, alpine meadows, rocky landscapes, and glaciers occur in succession at different elevations.
• The Amanauz flows through a gorge and joins the Teberda.
• The Teberda Nature Reserve was established in 1936 and converted into a national park in 2021.

Habitats change considerably with altitude: mountain forests lie below the upper mountain zones, followed by subalpine and alpine meadows; at higher elevations come rock, snowfields, and glaciers. According to the park, about 85 percent of its area lies above 2,000 meters. Dombai-Ulgen reaches 4,046 meters, and Belalakaya 3,861 meters.

The park attributes the area's present-day landforms to geological processes, past glaciation, and erosion by water and avalanches. Rivers are fed by snow and glaciers, forming rapids and waterfalls on steep slopes. There are 109 glaciers across the park, including the Arkhyz area. Meltwater feeds, among other rivers, the Teberda, Dombai-Ulgen, Amanauz, and Alibek.

The Amanauz is also a distinctive feature of the local landscape: the national park describes the river and the glacier of the same name as the source of the main stream running through the Dombai clearing. The stream flows for about three kilometers through a gorge, joins tributaries, and empties into the Teberda. Among the surrounding peaks named by the park are Amanauz-Bashi, Dzhuguturluchat, Sufruju, and Belalakaya.

According to the national park, the region's conservation history dates back to a forestry service in Teberda and a protected resort zone established in 1925. The nature reserve was officially established on March 5, 1936. As mass tourism expanded in the 1950s, pressure on natural systems also increased; according to the park, new restrictions were introduced in 1980. On August 16, 2021, the former Teberda Biosphere Reserve was granted national park status.

Dombai is in the Russian Caucasus. Elbrus is another distinct high-mountain destination.

You can choose accommodation based on its location and your planned day trips.

How large is the Alibek Glacier?

The Alibek Glacier in the Dombai area is listed as 3.7 kilometers long and covering 4.5 square kilometers.