Strizhament in Kochubeyevsky District: Stone Landscape and Steppe

In Kochubeyevsky District, Mount Strizhament brings natural features to the fore. It reaches 831 metres above sea level; on its northern slope, the Strizhament protected area contains the regional natural monument “Kamenny Khaos.” The strip, strewn with large stones, is up to 200 metres wide and about one kilometre long. Rather than a single boulder, an extensive stony area defines the slope.

Summit flora, beech forest and hiking trail

A meadow steppe lies on the summit of Strizhament. A 2016 description lists more than 200 plant species there, including rare species recorded in the Red Book. Examples include Gesner’s tulip, the net-leaved gladiolus, the narrow-leaved peony, spring pheasant’s eye, the peach-leaved bellflower, the beautiful crocus and the beautiful telekia. Species counts and classifications may change. Alongside the stony northern-slope landscape, the diversity of the summit flora thus emerges as a second natural theme.

Beech forests grow in the upper part of the Tyomnaya Balka ravine and are considered Russia’s easternmost beech forest massif. This means that the natural attractions of Kochubeyevsky District can be distinguished by different features: rock formations, plant diversity and beech forest.

The Strizhament regional nature reserve was established for an indefinite period. It extends into Starodvortsovsky Selsovet in Kochubeyevsky District and Temnolessky Selsovet in Shpakovsky District. The scope of the protected area should therefore be distinguished from that of the individual natural monument “Kamenny Khaos” on the northern slope.

In July 2026, members of the “Pervotsvet” young naturalists’ club from Kochubeyevsky District went on a hike along the ecological trail on Mount Strizhament.

More destinations in Stavropol Krai

The wider destination of Stavropol Krai also has its own natural and cultural attractions in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. On the southern outskirts of Kislovodsk, Lermontov Rock lies in the Olkhovka Gorge, near the settlement of Narzanny. Since 1961, it has been a regional natural monument and one of the sites of the Mikhail Lermontov State Museum Reserve. The Narzan Gallery is in central Kislovodsk, at the entrance to the spa park. The 19th-century building is an architectural monument and a cultural heritage site of federal significance.

Mount Mashuk lies almost in the centre of Pyatigorsk. At the mountain’s western foot, the duel between Mikhail Lermontov and Nikolai Martynov took place in 1841. Russia’s first monument to Lermontov was unveiled in Pyatigorsk in 1889. These places complement the natural attractions of Kochubeyevsky District with a distinct cultural and historical focus in Stavropol Krai.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Kochubeyevsky District, you can first consider what you would like your stay to focus on: nature at Strizhament, or a visit to the Lermontov sites in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk as well. Families can discuss these different interests together and tailor their search to the things they would like to discover on holiday.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Predgornyy rayon, Novoalexandrovsky District, Kislovodsk, Petrovskiy rayon, Budennovskiy rayon, Mineralnye Vody, Predgorny District, Pyatigorsk.

Back to the main travel overview: Stavropol Krai.