Road trip in autumn Bashkiria
Tour Dates: October 17 - 24, 2026
For today, January 24, 2026, 6 places from 6 are available on this tour.
Bashkortostan is surprisingly rich in attractions. We already have a winter route around the republic, but while preparing it, it turned out that there are so many interesting things in Bashkiria that it would be enough for two or even three completely different programs. And here is a completely different route, no less exciting. Here you will get acquainted with the history and culture of the Bashkir people during educational programs in museums, and visit many amazing natural attractions: picturesque cliffs and mountain peaks, waterfalls and caves, river gorges and healing springs await us. Amazing Bashkiria will not leave anyone indifferent! Diverse and very vivid impressions are guaranteed to you!
Tour organizer and guide on the route:
VICTORIA SHATALOVA
Professional traveler, organizer of author's tours with years of experience. Has visited countries of the world and regions of Russia. Participant and organizer of many hikes, rafting and climbing trips, including climbing the highest and most dangerous volcano in Eurasia - Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4850 m), skiing trips in the northern and polar Urals, Murmansk region and Kuznetsk Alatau.... Read more
Itinerary day by day:
Ufa
We meet at Ufa airport, choose flights arriving before 12 noon. We will devote the first day of our trip to getting to know the capital of Bashkortostan. We will see the main city attractions, such as the monument to Salavat Yulaev, the Lyalya-Tulip mosque, the Seven Girls fountain, the First Ufa Cathedral Mosque, and enjoy the panorama of the Belaya River from the observation decks. We will visit the National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan, where we will get acquainted with the history of the republic, as well as the culture and life of the peoples inhabiting it. We will also visit the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, famous for its collection of Sarmatian gold mined from burial mounds. Despite its antiquity, the quality and craftsmanship of many of the jewelry pieces can be the envy of the best modern jewelers. We will definitely try the national cuisine in one of the city's restaurants. We will spend the night at a hotel in Ufa.
Ufa - Asha - Minyar - Sim - Idrisovskaya Cave - Tekeyevo - Maloyaz
We get up early, as we have a long road and many sights ahead of us. We leave Ufa and head towards the Yangan-Tau Geopark, the only geopark in the Russian Federation that is a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Our route will partly pass through the Chelyabinsk Region. We will pass through the city of Asha, picturesquely located on the Sim River, where we will climb to the observation deck on Mount Lipovaya to admire the panorama of the city and its surroundings, and then along a very beautiful road passing among the mountains, we will go to the city of Minyar, where we will see the natural monument Red Rock, a picturesque pond in the city center with a rotunda church from the first half of the 19th century on the shore, as well as the beautiful Nikolsky stone railway bridge built in 1930. In the city of Sim, we will make a stop near the pond on the river of the same name. The pond was created in 1761 during the construction of a cast iron smelter and ironworks, from which the city later emerged. In the center of the pond is a limestone rocky mound called Zhukov Shishka, an ecological trail has been laid to the mound, along which we will climb to admire the views. After a short excursion through three cities of the Chelyabinsk region, we find ourselves in the Salavat district of Bashkortostan, on the territory of the Yangan-Tau geopark. Here we will visit the Idrisovskaya cave, located at the very top of a rocky ridge stretching above the Yuryuzan River. The cave is interesting because of the presence of a "balcony" with impressive views of the river. The next item on the program will be a visit to the village of Tekeyevo - the small homeland of the Bashkir national hero Salavat Yulaev. The village itself has not survived to this day, but in its place is the historical and memorial complex "Salauat Ere" ("Land of Salavat"), where we will take a walk, and in the neighboring village of Maloyaz we will visit the Salavat Yulaev and Bashkir Culture Museum. The museum exposition tells about the life and fate of Salavat Yulaev, and also contains traditional household items and clothing of the Bashkir people. We will stay overnight in a hotel in the Yangan-Tau Geopark.
Yangantau - Kurgazak - Laklinskaya Cave - Aisky Fountain - Aisky Cliffs - Tyulyuk
We will visit Mount Yangantau. Its name means "burning mountain" in translation. The uniqueness of Yangantau is that within its boundaries there are five areas where hot gases and steam come out of the depths. This is one of the rare places on the planet where thermal processes not associated with volcanic activity manifest themselves on such a large scale in platform conditions. The properties of Yangantau and their impact on humans interested doctors and scientists. In the spring of 1937, a hospital was opened in this place, and in 1944 a sanatorium was created. Today, "Yangantau" has become a balneological resort. Picturesque views of the Yuryuzan River and its surroundings open up from the sanatorium's terrain cures. We will not have the opportunity to go through all the available hiking routes (they are quite long here), but we will enjoy the views from several observation platforms. We will also visit the Kurgazak mineral spring, flowing from the spurs of the Karatau mountain range on the left bank of the Yuryuzan River. The water of the spring is considered to be healing.
Then we will go further - to the Laklinskaya cave, the largest cave in the north-east of the Republic of Bashkortostan, consisting of three halls of impressive size, connected by corridors. The cave is a habitat for rare bats, perhaps we will be lucky enough to see them. After leaving the cave, we will stop by to look at another interesting attraction located nearby, the Aisky fountain - a gushing artesian source of clean spring water. The fountain is man-made: during the search for minerals - bauxite, they drilled a well on the bank of the Ai River, did not find any minerals, but hit a bed of artesian water, which gushed out under pressure as a fountain. And at the end of the day, another interesting place awaits us on the Ai River - high steep rocky banks, called the Ai Cliffs. The height of the vertical walls is from 50 m to 100 m, they stretch for 2 km in length, and the Ai River in their frame looks very picturesque.
We will spend the night at a tourist center in the village of Tyulyuk, so that the next day we can go to one of the most beautiful peaks of the Ural Mountains - Iremel.
Mount Iremel
We will have a hiking route to the second highest peak of the Southern Urals (1582 m) - Mount Iremel. For comparison, the height of the highest mountain of the Southern Urals - Mount Yamantau - is 1640 meters. That is, the difference between them is only 58 meters. Mount Iremel is part of the natural park of the same name. Climbing the mountain is a popular tourist route, does not present technical difficulty, but will require effort (the distance to the top from the village of Tyulyuk is about 12 km with a gain in altitude of about 1000 m). However, the effort expended is worth it. During the ascent to Iremel, you can get to several climatic zones at once, regardless of the time of year. At first, the path goes through a spruce-fir forest. Upon reaching an altitude of 600 m, the trees become lower, and the tundra begins with a large amount of moss, lichen and juniper. The mountain offers wonderful panoramas, including a view of the highest mountain in the Southern Urals, Yamantau. Having walked around and enjoyed the views, we return to Tyulyuk.
Larkino Gorge - Ufa
Continuing to explore the nature of the surrounding area, we will take a walk in Larkino Gorge along the Tyulyuk River. The gorge was formed when the powerful stream of Tyulyuk met an impassable and no less powerful rock, as a result of which the river turned its bed by 90 degrees. Over time, the water washed out a gorge in the rock, forming a unique natural monument. The beauty of the gorge is added by the surrounding forests. In the evening we return to Ufa, in order to go to another region of the Republic of Bashkortostan the next day.
Chishminsky Mausoleums - Toratau
Since we are already quite familiar with Ufa, we will not linger here. We will go to the Chishminsky district of the republic, where there are two interesting ancient architectural monuments - the mausoleums of Hussein-bek and Tura-khan. The mausoleums were built in the 14th-15th centuries. Hussein-bek is considered the founder of Islam in Bashkiria, the first imam in the territory of modern Bashkortostan. There is no exact information about the personality of Tura-khan, a number of scientists believe that Tura-khan is just the title of one of the rulers. After examining the mausoleums, we will go to the outskirts of the city of Sterlitamak to get acquainted with the Bashkir shikhans - solitary mountains that are the remains of an ancient reef that formed on the bottom of the Permian Sea about 285 million years ago. Once upon a time there was a warm shallow ocean here, and corals, sponges, and bryozoans grew on its bottom — all of this gradually turned into limestone, which is what the shikhans are made of. There are four shikhans in total: Kushtau, Yuraktau, Shakhtau, and Toratau. The latter is the highest and most famous of them (it rises 406 meters above sea level and 280 meters above ground level). The Yurmat tribe (one of the seven ancestral tribes of the Bashkir people), who lived on the territory of the modern Ishimbay district since the 13th century, considered this mountain sacred: celebrations in honor of the main pagan holidays were held here. A path and a metal staircase lead to the mountain, which we will climb to see the surroundings, including other shikhans — Kushtau, Yuraktau, and also a panorama of the city of Sterlitamak. The ascent and descent of the mountain takes about an hour. After the walk we head to a country tourist base, where you can relax and take a steam bath.
Kungurtuy Waterfall - Kuk-Karauk Waterfall - Kalim-Uskan Rock - Kurorta Village - Ukly Kaya Rock - Aktash Rock - Ufa
We set off to explore the natural attractions, including two waterfalls: Kungurtuy, one of the highest in Bashkiria (several cascades totaling 12 meters), and the more modest Kuk-Karauk Waterfall. Not far from the waterfalls is the picturesque Kalim-Uskan Rock, to which we will take a walk. Having seen all the beauties of the surrounding area, we set off to the village of Kurorta, located on the Usolka River. The village is famous for its Krasnousolsky balneological mud resort and the legend of the appearance of the Tabyn Icon of the Mother of God. According to legend, the icon was found on a stone near a salt spring by the monks of the Ascension Hermitage in 1597. After the raid of nomads, the icon disappeared without a trace, but in 1765 it appeared to people again in the same place. Believers moved the icon to the church of the neighboring village of Tabynskoye, and the shrine received its name from it. In honor of the appearance of the icon, the Bogoroditse-Tabynsky Convent was built in the village of Kurorta, and at the very place of the appearance there is a small cave, in the depths of which there is a well and a stone copy of the icon. Krasnousolsky springs are recognized as one of the seven wonders of Bashkortostan, people come here from all over Russia. In addition to mineral springs, the resort also has therapeutic mud and hydrogen sulphide springs, a sanatorium has been built. By the way, the holy springs of the Tabynsky Monastery are also mineral. After walking around the resort village and visiting the monastery, we move on. Two picturesque rocks on the banks of the Zilim River await us. The first one is the Ukly Kaya rock, which is located on the border of the Gafuriysky and Arkhangelsky districts of Bashkiria on the right bank of the Zilim River and is the western border of the Zilim Nature Park. A suspension bridge is thrown across the river to the rock. The second one is the Aktash rock, which is located 4 km downstream. We will visit both rocks, if you want and have time, you can climb the rocks, they offer beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding area. After examining the rocks, we return to Ufa.
We spend the night at a hotel in Ufa.
Home
Transfer to the airport or train station and departure home.
Стоимость тура: € 1099
The tour price includes:
- car transportation all days of the tour, including gasoline and other operating costs;
- accommodation in hotels / guest houses all days of the tour;
- entrance tickets to museums and other tourist attractions specified in the tour program;
- registration of permits to national parks, entry tickets to nature reserves;
- work of the tour organizer, accompanying the group all days of the tour, and resolving all issues that arise 24/7;
- work of drivers;
The tour price does NOT include:
- air or train tickets to Ufa and back;
- accommodation before and after the tour start date;
- meals in cafes and restaurants;
- medical insurance,
- visiting museums and attractions not listed in the tour program;
- expenses of participants related to force majeure circumstances - being late for a flight, due to vehicle breakdowns, etc.;
- other expenses not specified in the "included in the price" section.
This tour is not very difficult and is suitable for almost anyone. Physical activity is moderate, not requiring special skills. Travel by car is not very long (no more than 300 km per day, usually less). However, it is worth noting that during the route we plan to visit a large number of natural attractions that will require a long stay on your feet in the open air, you need to be prepared for long walks, including on rough terrain, possibly including in bad weather. The program includes an ascent to Mount Iremel, which may require moderately good physical fitness, but this ascent is a radial exit, and participation in it is not mandatory.
All overnight stays along the route are comfortable: in hotels, guest houses and tourist centers (accommodation is double by default, single occupancy is possible upon request for an additional fee). Meals are served in cafes and restaurants along the route, ordering from the menu at your own expense, at some tourist centers it is possible to order food or cook your own food from products purchased in the store. The approximate cost of additional food expenses for the entire tour is 20,000 rubles (about 200 Euros)
We are going to Bashkortostan in the middle of autumn, in a beautiful, but far from hot time. The weather during the day at this time of year usually fluctuates between 5 and 10 °C; in the morning and evening there may be zero temperature and frosts down to -5 °C, so you should take care of warm clothes. A warm sweater, windbreaker, insulated (down or similar synthetic) jacket, thermal underwear, thick windproof pants, a hat and gloves are required, since the route involves exploring natural attractions: visiting gorges, rocks, mountains, waterfalls, caves, make sure that the clothes are comfortable, and comfortable shoes are also very important (city shoes will not do, take special trekking shoes: moisture-resistant with a non-slip sole), we also recommend taking trekking poles. We visit many natural attractions, which involves spending a long time outdoors (on the day of climbing Mount Iremel, we will be outdoors all day), so take the choice of clothing very seriously, it really should be warm, and also allow you to take something off or put something on during the day if the temperature rises or falls. Take care of protection from the wind (it is often windy on the tops of mountains and cliffs) and precipitation in the form of both rain and snow. You will also need a small backpack (20-25 l), a thermos for hot water or tea, a headlamp (for visiting caves).
1. If you are interested in this tour, leave a request through the registration form on this page or write to us at WhatsApp, Telegram or by email, we will contact you and answer all your questions.
2. To reserve a place, you must make an advance payment of 30% of the tour cost. The advance payment is made through the website (section Payment) and is refundable 45 days or more before the start of the tour and non-refundable, unfortunately, less than 45 days before the start, if the refund is related to your refusal to participate (for any reason). If the tour does not take place due to our fault, due to the group not being formed, or due to force majeure, the advance payment will be guaranteed to be returned to you in any case.
3. The final payment is made on the first day of the tour. You can pay using the QR code that the tour organizer will provide you, in cash, or through the website.