Valley of the Terek River in the Daryal gorge

The valley of the Terek River in the Daryal gorge is one of the most beautiful places. The river originates in the Trusovsky Gorge and flows from the northern slope of the Caucasian Ridge into the valleys of North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya and Dagestan. The Terek River flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of the Terek River reaches 623 kilometers. 

The source of the Terek River is located in the glacier of Mount Zilga-Hoh at an altitude of 2713 meters. The height of the Zilga-Hoh mountain itself reaches 3853 meters. In this place there is a mountain pass Truso (height 3150m), so the gorge is called Trusovsky. The Terek River in the Trusovsky gorge is a rapid stream. Many other streams flow into it from the surrounding slopes, and the Mnaisidon River flows from the glaciers of Mount Kazbek. After the confluence of these two rivers, the Terek flows through the Daryal Gorge. 

After the village of Kobi, the Valley of the Terek River looks large-scale. At this point, the Daryal Gorge is very wide.  There are places for farming, and for grazing sheep and cows. There are several settlements on both banks of the Terek River: Kanobi, Hurtisi, Phelshe, Goristsikhe, Sioni, Garbani, Arsha, Achoti, Pansheti. This territory of the Terek River Valley in the Daryal Gorge has been declared a Kazbegi National Park.  

The largest settlement in the Terek River Valley is Stepantsminda (formerly Kazbegi). Here the most beautiful mountain of Georgia Kazbek and the Monastery of the Holy Trinity Gergeti rise above the river. The village of Stepantsminda is a mountain resort, where there are many trails for trekking. 

Near Stepantsminda, two large rivers flow into the Terek, and its bed becomes very wide, about 150 meters. In spring, the turbulent Terek River flows along this entire width, but in summer it dries up, and the river flows along a wide rocky bed in several streams. 

To the north of Stepantsminda, the Terek riverbed remains wide, and the mountain valley narrows. Then the mountains close into a narrow canyon. From a geographical point of view, only this canyon with a length of 12 km is called the Daryal Gorge, but nowadays the entire passage in the Central Caucasus with a length of 170 kilometers is called the Daryal Gorge.  

In some places of the Terek River Valley, bas-reliefs are engraved on the mountains, and crosses are installed in many places. One of the crosses is located on a rock near the village of Tsdo. There is a small observation deck with a beautiful view of the Terek River Valley. An even more famous cross is located near the exit of the Daryal Canyon. The poet Lermontov dedicated a poem to it.