You can find all the important tour details you would like to know before and after booking tours with us hereunder. Please choose the topic and it will take you to the information:

Trek Difficulty
Insurance
Trek Permits and Fees
Temperatures and Weather
Visa requirements
Accommodation
Food
Spending Money
Equipment List
Leaders and Mountain Guides

Trek Difficulty:

Attaining a relatively high elevation at 5633m or 18,481 feet, Elbrus certainly demands respect for its altitude and we deliberately focus on climbing high each day and sleeping low to facilitate effective acclimatisation. As with any foray to high altitude, it is imperative that expedition members are fit and strong and in good health.

This trip is physically demanding and we cannot overemphasize the importance of physical conditioning. We suggest you begin your training program at least two months prior to departure. While strength is important, endurance training should be your primary focus. Walking up hills and stair climbing are both excellent ways to condition your lower body. Begin slowly, without the weight of a pack, eventually adding weight as you increase your training pace. Take a long hike (4-6 hours) several times with a weighted pack (40-60 lbs.) up and down hills or on small mountains. (Weight your pack with water containers and pour out the water before your descent to minimize knee stress). Supplement this activity with running, cycling, swimming, racquet sports, basketball, etc. for additional aerobic conditioning. If possible, try to take at least two longer hikes of 6-10 hours with at least 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Several days before your departure, rest and drink plenty of water.

Insurance:

All Anatolian Adventures guests are being insured with the TURSAB travel insurance package. Being the member of TURSAB (Turkish Travel Agencies Association), Anatolian Adventures guides or the main office may keep your insurance until the end of tours.

Trek Permits and Fees

Expedition trek members will need to provide 3 passport-photographs for trekking permits and a copy of their passport bio-data page.

Temperatures and weather:

Be prepared for a wide range of temperatures; from freezing nights, to adverse snow and wind conditions, to bright sunshine intensified by the high altitude. This wide fluctuation in temperature makes it important to bring everything on the equipment list.

Visa requirements:

A valid passport (with at least 6 months remaining validity) and a current Russian Visa are required for this trip. Almost all foreign travelers to Russia require a visa. Once your trip has been paid for, confirmed and we have your flight arrival and departure details we will provide the invitation letter necessary to procure your visa to visit Russia. We usually do this four weeks prior to the trip start date. The visa process normally takes approximately 2 weeks, although you can opt for a speedier service by paying a higher fee. You have to send your passport in to your nearest Russian embassy along with the necessary paperwork. Your travel agent or a visa processing service should be able to assist you with this process

Accommodation:

We stay in hotels, lodges and huts for the expedition to avoid the need for tents. So you can simply bring along a sleeping bag and your climbing gear and enjoy the climb!

Food:

Food will be of the highest standard possible, given the remoteness of the situation. Anatolian Adventures provides all of the food while climbing and at huts, but bring along your favorite munchies. We will eat simple but nutritious fare (lots of potatoes, great bread, soups, small portions of meat) at the lodges in the Caucasus. Please inform us if you have any special dietary requirements.

Spending Money:

St. Petersburg and Moscow can be at least as expensive as other European cities. You will not need to have much money, but if you are in the habit of having drinks, buying souvenirs, budget accordingly. $300 for entire trip for the occasional meal or drink and incidental expenses may be enough. Major credit cards are accepted in many places and U.S. currency is easy to spend or convert in the cities. ATM machines in Moscow and St. Petersburg dispense both Russian rubles and US dollars.

In the Caucasus however it is quite different. There is very little to buy there and when you do spend you will need to have currency rather than plastic. Normally groups decide to tip Russian guides and staff at the end of our stay in the Caucasus. We suggest each climber budget $50 to $100 dollars for this. Also, remember that airport taxes and overweight charges are not included. Russia is a place where some small amounts of currency are occasionally needed for fees.

Equipment list

You can download a detailed equipment list from here: http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/files/Mount_Elbrus_Equipment_LIST.pdf

Leaders and Mountain Guides

All Anatolian Adventures professional guides & leaders have at least university degree speaking English. All of the guides, young or experienced more than 25 years, have extensive knowledge about trekking, climbing, safety equipments, first aid and navigation.

2008 TRIP DATES & AVAILABILITY

GROUND PACKAGE FOR MOUNT ELBRUS EXPEDITION
DATES	AVAILABILITY
18 - 25 July 2008	Available
*** This trip can be combined with Ararat Mountain Trek

2008 TRIP PRICES

GROUND PACKAGE FOR MOUNT ELBRUS EXPEDITION
PRICE PER PERSON	1,250 USD
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT	80 USD

BOOKING FORM

To book this adventure, please fill the booking form provided below with payment details and fax to +90 216 418 45 22.

http://www.anatolianadventures.com/eng/about/bookingform.pdf

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Anatolian Adventures is the trademark of HTC Tourism company which is under the laws of Turkish Republic and it accepts your reservations under the following terms and conditions.

1. To book a trip from Anatolian Adventures, you must complete the booking form provided in our website. That form must be completed by a person who is at least 18 years of age. He/she must sign the reservation form, therefore agreeing to the terms set out below.  

2. Your booking will be confirmed on receipt of your deposit of 35% of the price of the holiday/tour/trek. Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to charge the remainder of the cost from the same credit card, which is payable no later than 3 weeks prior to the departure without any further notice. If bookings are made within 3 weeks of departure, payment in full is required on confirmation of the booking.

3. If your balance is not paid at the specified time (unless previously arranged with us in writing) we reserve the right to cancel your booking.  

4. If you cancel your booking, your deposit will not be refunded. However, provided you notify us of your cancellation within 6 weeks before departure, your deposit may be transferred to another tour listed in our website for the next year. The written notification should be done no later than 6 weeks prior to the departure date. Otherwise any direction of deposits for any other services will not be accepted. Any permit fees or advance costs will be deducted from the refunds.  

5. Should you cancel your booking after you have paid for the holiday in full and less than 6 weeks before departure the following charges are applicable (calculated on the day written notification is received by us and expressed as a percentage of the total tour price):  

More than 6 weeks prior to departure: Deposit only
Between 6 to 3 weeks before departure: 60%
Less than 3 weeks before departure: 100%  

6. Should we cancel your holiday, your deposit and any other payments made will be refunded in full. However, if our cancellation is due to 'force majeure' any reasonable expenses we have incurred will be deducted from your refund. (War, civil or political unrest is usually known as force majeure). All refunds and compensation are strictly limited to monies paid to us and we are not liable for any expenses you have incurred as a result of this booking. Anatolian Adventures keeps the right to cancel your holiday /tour service for any reason with written notification no later than 6 weeks prior to the departure date.

7. We reserve the right to alter prices quoted in this web site in the event of external factors beyond our control, e.g. changes in exchange rate or government action etc. Should any price increase exceed 10% of the total cost, you are free to cancel your booking and will obtain a full refund of all monies paid, excluding the permit fees and/or advance costs. Every effort will be made to avoid any increases to the prices shown in this web site.

8. Although we are trying to arrange your hotel room according to your requests, bed type and smoking preferences are not guaranteed.  

9. The tour leader or local ground operator who represents Anatolian Adventures has overriding authority on our tours. By signing our booking form, you agree to do this. If you commit any illegal act on a tour with us or if in the opinion of the tour leader or ground operator your behavior is detrimental to the safety and welfare of the group as a whole you may be asked to leave the tour without any right to refund.

10. Any complaints with regard to our tours must be immediately brought to the attention of the tour leader, ground operators or hotelier so that the necessary action to rectify the matter can be taken. However, if by the end of the tour you still feel you have a valid complaint you must notify the company, in writing, within 7 days of the end of your tour with Anatolian Adventures.  

11. Most of the services we provide are adventure holidays organized mostly in developing countries or regions where lower standards of infrastructure and efficiency often prevail and we can only accept your booking on the understanding that you are aware of the risks involved in this kind of travel. The company cannot be held responsible, unless as a direct result of negligence, of any mishap to you or your property. Route and hotel changes may be necessary and will always be at the discretion of the trek leaders and Anatolian Adventures. They do not constitute an alteration of your holiday and will not be compensated.

12. It is essential that you obtain suitable holiday insurance before joining one of our tours. This must cover you fully against repatriation costs should you become too ill to continue with the tour and must, above all, cover the evacuation of yourself from remote regions, should the need arise. Therefore, we recommend you to use an insurance package with a good coverage.  

13. You are responsible for ensuring all necessary travel documents are in order. Many countries require passports to be valid for at least six months after entry and some do demand special documents for the visa procedures.

14. The responsibility of any airlines used is limited to the carriage of passengers and baggage in accordance with the conditions of their carriage.  

15. On signing the booking form you show your willingness to accept our terms and conditions. On accepting your booking we agree to carry out our obligations to you as defined in our web site.