Famous seafarers Greeks actively settled the shores of the Black Sea. But they did not go deep into the mainland. They heard that there are high mountains there, but they did not imagine the size of this mountainous country, stretching for a thousand kilometers with hundreds of peaks and glaciers. We went there to make a trip ALONG THE MAIN CAUCASIAN RIDGE. North Ossetia is located in the very center of the Caucasus. In Ossetia, there are many free-standing towers. They were built mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, during the time of feudal fragmentation. Each noble family built its own castle. The section of the ridge in neighboring Kabardino-Balkaria is the highest in the mountains. Here is the highest peak of the Caucasus, and of all Europe, Elbrus. The nature of the mountain gorges is protected by the Elbrus National Park. On the other slope of Elbrus, a people related to the Balkars lives - the Karachays. One of the most popular Russian resorts, Teberda, is located in Karachay-Cherkessia. This is one of the most picturesque places in the Caucasus. Behind the so-called Colchis gates, the subtropical zone begins. Not far from the city of Sochi, in the valley of the Khosta River, there is the only yew-boxwood grove in the world. Relic plants survived the ice age in this secluded corner. This grove is millions of years old.