Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp

Arriving in the Adyr-Su Gorge, most tourists stop at the Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp. Here you can not only put up a tent, but also stay in more comfortable conditions. However, you should remember that comfort is a philosophical concept. In the Ullu-Tau mountaineering camp there are climbers who constantly train on the slopes of the mountains. For them, living in Spartan conditions is not a problem. 

The Ullu-Tau mountaineering camp was established in 1936. It is located at an altitude of 2360 meters. Before that, in the gorge of the Adyr-Su River, the largest mountaineering camp was Dzhaylyk. It had comfortable winter buildings, a stadium and even a tennis court. It was located at the foot of the Gorge of the Kullumkol River. In 1983, a powerful mudflow descended from the upper reaches of this gorge. It destroyed the Dzhailyk camp. 

In the Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp there are several houses where climbers live in rooms of several people. The toilet and washbasins are located outside. There is also an Instructor building with toilets on each floor. It has several double and several quadruple rooms. In the same building there is a dining room where you can order three meals a day. There is a cafe on the territory of the camp, but it does not work regularly. There are many places around the buildings of the mountaineering camp where you can put up a tent. 

Previously, there were two border outposts in the gorge of the Adyr-Su River. This is due to the possibility to pass through the passes of the Great Caucasian Ridge from the Adyr-Su Gorge to Georgia. These passes are covered with glaciers and are accessible only to climbers, but the rules of border protection oblige you to get a pass to the border zone.  

In recent years, the border outpost behind the Doctor`s Pass has been removed and now you can walk through most of the Adyr-Su Gorge without obtaining a pass to the border zone. However, if you want to go to the Glade of Desires, and most tourists come here for this, then you need to get a pass from the staff of the Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp. To do this, you only need a Russian passport. The pass is issued in a few minutes. For foreign citizens, registration of a pass must be done in advance in the FSB of Russia. 

The Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp is located 11 kilometers from the Doctor`s Pass. The climb over these 11 kilometers is 720 meters (from 1640 m to 2360 m). The main climb is on the 8-kilometer stretch to the New Dzhailyk mountaineering camp. After that, the road leaves the pine forest to a spacious valley surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. 

Some climbers believe that the road from the Doctor`s Pass to the Ullu-Tau mountaineering camp can be walked in 2-3 hours. On a flat surface, this would be quite realistic, but given such a significant climb, it will take much longer to cross on foot. If you do not want to walk this distance, then in the Ullu-Tau Mountaineering camp you can order a cross-country car to the upper station of the lift. This service is quite expensive. 

If you have your own car, then you can easily take the lift to the Doctor`s Pass and then drive to the mountaineering camp. The dirt road is very rocky in some places, but in dry time it is passable for absolutely all cars. If the road is wet, then there may be difficulties for cars with low suspension.