Europe's highest peak · 5,642 m
Elbrus South — Private Climb
Your own dates and your own instructor: the comfortable 9-day South climb, one-to-one, with gear rental, hotel and transfers included.
- Duration
- 9 days
- Max altitude
- 5,642 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Group size
- Private · 1 instructor per climber · any date
- Region
- Elbrus
From€3,470/ person
- 4.9 traveller rating
- 95% summit success
- No payment to book
Overview
About this tour
The most popular route up Elbrus — and the one with the highest chance of success — run just for you or your own party, on the dates that suit you. The tour goes ahead from a single participant.
A professional mountaineering instructor stays with you throughout, one instructor per climber. Rental of all mandatory equipment and clothing is included, you sleep in a hotel with individual accommodation in the Elbrus area and in the high-altitude "National Park" hut on the mountain, and we meet you at the airport and drive you back at any time of day.
The programme suits beginners and experienced climbers alike (barring medical contraindications), with no stages carrying a full pack. It is still not a stroll: 5,642 m and an early summit push call for proper preparation.
- Your own dates — the tour runs from one participant
- One instructor per climber for the whole programme
- Rental of all mandatory equipment and clothing included
- Individual airport meeting and transfers at any time of day, plus individual hotel accommodation
- Stepped acclimatisation and a reserve day for weather on the classic South route
Day by day
Itinerary
Weather may change the order of days; your guide always has a reserve plan.
- Day1
Briefing in Pyatigorsk and transfer to the Elbrus region
2,144 mArrive in Pyatigorsk the day before (our office is open for gear checks from 08:00 to 18:00; the night there is not included) or by 10:00 on day 1; we meet you at Mineralnye Vody airport or the station. From 08:00 to 11:00 we do the final gear check and rental at the office (Lenin Square 13, Intourist hotel building), then your instructor gives the briefing at 11:00. We drive 174 km to the Elbrus region (3–3.5 hours; passports may be checked on the way) with a lunch stop at a roadside café. Check in at your individual hotel room in Terskol (2,144 m), stroll to the Narzan Glade and have dinner, then a short evening briefing.
- Day2
First acclimatisation: Mount Cheget
3,050 mYour first outing takes you up Mount Cheget (3,050 m, 4.3 km) for panoramas of the Baksan gorge, Donguz-Orun (4,454 m) and Nakra-Tau (4,277 m). Lunch with a view of Elbrus, then back down by cable car.
- Day3
Second acclimatisation: to the Observatory
3,200 mIn the morning we walk up to the Devichi Kosy waterfall and then higher to the Observatory (3,200 m, 12 km). Your instructor teaches breathing and movement technique for the mountains. You carry only a small daypack with a thermos, a snack and personal items. Back at the hotel by evening.
- Day4
Up to the hut on the slope of Elbrus
3,950 mWe take the cable car up to the high-altitude "National Park" hut on the Elbrus slope — only about 200 m on foot from the station; your luggage rides up on a snowcat or snowmobile. After settling in, a training walk up the snow slope and practice walking in crampons.
Comfort
Accommodation & meals
Individual hotel accommodation in the Elbrus area (Terskol, 2,144 m)
Three nights at the start of the programme in a comfortable hotel near the foot of Elbrus.
High-altitude "National Park" hut (3,950 m)
3–5 nights on the slope of Elbrus, 200 m from the cable-car station. Sleeping bag required (rental included).
Night before in Pyatigorsk (not included)
Hostels from ≈ €8, hotels in every price range and apartments are available near our office; we can help you find one.
Meals
Full board: three meals a day of fresh food from a varied menu, from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on the day you return to Pyatigorsk.
Price details
What's included
Included
- Consultations with our experts at every stage of preparation: programme, gear and clothing
- A professional mountaineering instructor, 1 instructor per participant throughout the tour
- All transfers on the programme
- 3 nights in an individual hotel room in the Elbrus area and 3–5 nights in the high-altitude "National Park" hut
- Full board from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on the return day
- Rental of all mandatory equipment and clothing
- Elbrus National Park entrance fee
- Safety equipment: satellite phone, radios, satellite navigator, first-aid kit, registration with the Emergency Ministry
- Mountaineering oxygen equipment for altitude sickness, and contact with the company doctor by satellite or mobile phone
- All shared equipment: ropes, ice screws and so on
- Cable-car rides on Elbrus (if the cable car is closed, the car transfer to the hut is paid separately, less the cable-car fare)
- Certificate of ascent, long-sleeve Elbrus Expert T-shirt and Elbrus Expert medal
- Official Russian Mountaineering Federation "For climbing Elbrus" badge and climber's logbook entry (if you reach the summit)
- Individual airport or station meeting and transfer to our office, and an individual transfer back at any time of day
- Luggage storage during the tour
Not included
- Flights to Mineralnye Vody (MRV) and back
- Base layers such as fleece, hats, gloves, socks and T-shirts (buy from us or bring your own)
- Snowcat ride on summit night
- The night in Pyatigorsk before the tour
- Elbrus summit permit, if one is reintroduced (none is required at present)
Dates & prices
Choose your date
Small international groups. Booking is free — we confirm details with you before any payment.
No fixed dates yet
We run private departures on request — tell us your dates and group size.
Need other dates or a private group? — we organise departures on request.
Packing list
Required equipment
What to bring for this programme. Most technical items can be rented from us — no need to fly with them.
Equipment
- Mountaineering cramponsRent
- Assault rucksack 35–40 L, at least 70 cm tallRent
- Expedition duffel 100–120 L or large rucksack 85–120 LRent
- Harness + 3 carabiners + safety lanyardsRent
- HeadlampRent
- Sleeping bag, comfort rating −5 to −10 °CRent
- Mountain glasses, protection category 3–4Rent
- Ski goggles, at least category 2Rent
- Insulated overbootsRent
- Thermos, 1–1.2 LRent
Clothing to rent
- Mountaineering boots (single, double or triple)Rent
- Warm hooded down or synthetic jacket that fits over a helmet, rated for winter and high-altitude conditions · For a down jacket: at least 250–300 g of quality down, ideally fill power 700+Rent
- Warm extreme mittensRent
- Warm climbing trousers (fleece-lined softshell)Rent
- Thin softshell trousersRent
Base layers (buy or bring)
- Trekking shoes (summer months)
- Fleece top, Polartec 200–300
- Liner hat that fits under a helmet
- Warm Polartec gloves
- Trekking socks, 2–3 pairs
- Thin socks, 2 pairs
- Buff or balaclava
- Cap or brimmed hat
- Synthetic T-shirts, 2
- Rain cape
Personal items
- Sunscreen SPF 50
- Lip balm
- Compact towel
- Mug, spoon, bowl, knife
- Plastic water bottle
- Power bank, 20,000–30,000 mAh
- Compression bags, 1–2
First-aid kit
- Gauze bandage, roll plaster, antiseptics
- Antiallergic drugs, fever and cold remedies, stomach tablets
- Elastic bandage and haemostatic agents
- Your own medication for any chronic conditions
RentRental of all mandatory equipment and clothing is included in the tour price; you collect and check it at our Pyatigorsk office. Base layers cannot be rented.
Reviews
What our travellers say
FAQ
Good to know
How does the private tour differ from a group departure?
You choose the dates, there is one instructor per climber for the whole tour, the price includes gear rental, individual hotel accommodation and individual transfers at any time of day, and the tour goes ahead from a single participant. The route, acclimatisation plan and reserve day are the same as in the group programme.
Do I need mountaineering experience?
No. The South programme (grade 1B) is built for first-time high-altitude travellers as well as experienced climbers, and you never carry a full pack at altitude. But Elbrus is not a stroll: summit day is 8–10 hours up and 3–4 hours down in cold and wind, so you need good fitness, discipline and proper preparation. Medical contraindications for heavy exertion at altitude rule you out.
How do I get there and where do I stay before the tour?
Fly into Mineralnye Vody (MRV), about 27 km (25 minutes) from our Pyatigorsk office. We meet you at the airport and take you to the office before the tour, and drive you back to the airport (or station) at any time of day afterwards. You can arrive the day before: the office meets participants from 08:00 to 18:00 for the gear check, or on day 1 from 08:00 to 10:00. The night in Pyatigorsk is not included — there are hostels from ≈ €8, hotels in every price range and apartments near the office, and we can help you find one.
How does booking and payment work?
You hold your dates with a booking deposit of ≈ €590, which counts towards the total price; the balance is paid just before the tour. The deposit is non-refundable if you cancel, but it can be transferred to any other tour.
Can I rent the gear?
Yes. The price includes rental of all mandatory equipment and clothing — you pick it up and check it with your instructor at our Pyatigorsk office. Base layers (fleece, hats, gloves, socks, T-shirts and so on) are not rentable: buy them from us or bring your own.

The mountain is waiting
Ready for your summit?
From €3,470 per person. Pick a date now — we confirm everything personally, no payment at this step.