Hiking along the Valley of the Small Dukka River to the Small Dukka Lakes is very popular in Arkhyz. For most of the route, the climb is quite gentle. The river meanders between the mountains and beautiful views open up from every turn. The ultimate goal of the hike is three small lakes located at an altitude of 2,450 meters above sea level.
The Small Dukka River originates in Lake Fish. This lake, as well as the Arkasar Lake located above it, is fed by the waters of melting glaciers in the Arkhyz mountains. In the mountain valley, the Small Dukka River merges with the Big Dukka River. After the confluence, the river is simply called "Dukka" and after a few kilometers flows into the Arkhyz River. There is another popular route in Arkhyz on the Big Dukka River: to the Seven-colored Lake.
A hike along the Small Dukka River to the lakes can be started from the place where it flows into the Arkhyz River. A bridge has been built over the confluence of the rivers and you can come here by private car or taxi from the village of Arkhyz. It is impossible to drive a ordinary car further. If you park here, the distance to the Small Dukka Lakes will be 8.5 kilometers with an altitude of 690 meters (from 1765 m to 2455 m). For such a hike, you need to plan the whole day from early morning.
If you want to shorten the way, then in the village of Arkhyz you can contact the drivers of SUVs. They will take you to kosh (shepherd`s gazebo) for 7 thousand rubles and take you back in a few hours. In this case, the distance from Kosh to the Small Dukka Lakes will be 4.2 kilometers.
In the lower part of the valley of the Small Dukka River, there are quite tall trees, and the mountains have gentle slopes. With the climb, the mountains become rocky, and the trees first become lower. The subalpine zone begins, where flowers, grass and rhododendrons grow. Here the ascent on the trail becomes steeper. There are many low waterfalls and rifts between boulders on the Small Dukka River. At this part, the river and the surrounding mountains look the most picturesque.
At the final stage of the route along the valley of the Small Dukka River, the climb increases. The trail becomes like a mountain serpentine. On the southern slopes of the mountains, you can see huge thickets of rhododendrons. They bloom in June, when the lakes are free of snow and ice, but hiking along the trail in early summer is difficult, since this time is quite damp here.
