Caucasus & Iran · climb
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Reviewed by Blake Penson, Expedition Advisor. Two decades in the mountains, the Seven Summits, two Everest expeditions.
Last reviewed 9 October 2026
Ordered by each guide's verified reviews on Elbrus: the star rating, adjusted so one or two reviews, or only old ones, count for less than many recent ones. Ties go to the guide with more reviews on Elbrus. ERTI reflects a company's trustworthiness, reputation and ratings across the industry, and more. Out of 5, built from reviews we verify and many other factors. Not a rating for this place. Prices not updated in over a year are marked. These are starting prices, not quotes.
ERTI 4.61 overall
Based in United Kingdom
★ 4.9 · 4 reviews on Elbrus
Last review: Mar 2021
Price: No recent price listed
ERTI 3.79 overall
Based in United States
★ 4.7 · 3 reviews on Elbrus
Last review: Sep 2019
Price: No recent price listed
ERTI 4.39 overall · Unclaimed
Based in United States
★ 4.6 · 2 reviews on Elbrus
Last review: Mar 2019
Price: No recent price listed
ERTI 3.61 overall · Unclaimed
★ 4.5 · 2 reviews on Elbrus
Last review: Feb 2024
Price: No recent price listed
| # | Operator | Stars here | Reviews | Latest review | From price | Safety | Value | Food | Team spirit | Camps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 360 Expeditions | 4.9★ | 4 | March 2021 | – | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 2 | Beyond Red Square | 4.7★ | 3 | September 2019 | – | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| 3 | IMG International Mountain Guides Unclaimed | 4.6★ | 2 | March 2019 | – | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| 4 | Pilgrim Tours Unclaimed | 4.5★ | 2 | February 2024 | – | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
Counted by matching keywords in the 11 reviews for this route; a review counts once per theme.
Pro guides who run trips here but have no reviews for Elbrus yet.
ERTI 4.90 overall
Based in United States
ERTI 4.82 overall
Based in New Zealand
First recorded ascent of East Summit (5,621m) by Khillar Khachirov in 1829. West Summit (5,642m, higher) first climbed in 1874. Highest peak in Europe and one of the Seven Summits. Soviet-era cable car system makes it the most accessible of the Seven Summits.
South Route/Normal Route (5-7 days): Most popular, uses cable cars and Barrels Huts at 3,900m. North Route (6-8 days): More remote and challenging approach from north side. Traverse (7-10 days): Combines ascent from one side with descent to other. Cross Route: Technical variation via Achi-Su glacier.
Weather: During the summer, temperatures typically average at 22°C in the valley. At the summit, expect anything between 5°C and -25°C.Peak Climbing Season: June - September, Best Time to Visit: , Average Expedition Length 10-14 Days
Russian Ruble (RUB) is the official currency. USD and EUR can be exchanged in Mineralnye Vody or Terskol. ATMs available in Terskol village. Credit cards accepted at major hotels. Cable car passes and hut reservations payable in rubles.
Official: Russian. Regional: Balkar, Karachay languages spoken by local mountain communities. English is limited - basic Russian or a translator is helpful. Guides usually speak some English. Cyrillic alphabet used throughout.
Pilgrim Tours (Unclaimed)
Elbrus · Rated 4.8/5 · Reviewed
Had an amazing time with a very professional crew. Extremely knowledgeable and safety oriented. Lodgings and food were exactly as expected. Great value.
By Verified Reviewer
360 Expeditions
Elbrus · Rated 4.8/5 · Reviewed
From the minute the team met up at Heathrow I knew this exped was going to be awesome! This was my fourth trip with 360 Expeditions and I have trusted them implicitly since my first exped with them to provide an awesome team, an awesome guide and crew, an awesome experience, and…
By Lucy N.
360 Expeditions
Elbrus · Rated 4.8/5 · Reviewed
What a blast this trip was! Including off road jeep safari, a huge traverse summit day, summit day 2, a night out Russian style and experiencing PistonBully and Skimobiles on the 'other side'. Its great to be able to get a big mountain feel on a trip that only need a week's…
By Matthew M.
360 Expeditions
Elbrus · Rated 5/5 · Reviewed
I have used 360 for numerous major expeditions and all have been fabulous. This particular one is a great trip because its relatively short in duration but gives access to a completely different culture and this north south traverse gives a beautiful few days ahead of a…
By Mike L.
360 Expeditions
Elbrus · Rated 5/5 · Reviewed
I have travelled with 360 Expeditions before. When I wanted my next test 360 Expeditions were my first choice. I have used several guides with the company before but when I heard that Rolfe was leading this trip I jumped at the chance to join, and trained hard. Pre trip…
By Paul M.
Pilgrim Tours (Unclaimed)
Elbrus · Rated 4.2/5 · Reviewed
Great value trip, nice guides This isn't luxury so have marked the food and logistics down a bit but these guys know what they are doing and run a cost effective safe expedition.
By Verified Reviewer
Beyond Red Square
Elbrus · Rated 5/5 · Reviewed
Thank you Andrew & Beyond Red Square team for helping make our Elbrus experience exceptional. We researched several of the other tour companies who were offering a similar package and went with Andrew and his team based on a significantly better value & personal service. We saw…
By Ted &.
Beyond Red Square
Elbrus · Rated 4.6/5 · Reviewed
I had a great experience with Beyond the Red Square. I searched for some time before going with them but was not disappointed. My experience started with Andrew. If you have interest, have a chat over Skype with him just to gather information. Chatting with him was a key for me…
By Nick
Beyond Red Square
Elbrus · Rated 4.6/5 · Reviewed
We gave Andrew at Beyond Red Square a tough task in helping us get to the top of Mt. Elbrus, fly to St. Petersburg, and then take a train to Moscow. He did so without any complaints or delays via hundreds of emails. All of our guides, cars, interpreters, etc. were all on time.…
By Jason B.
IMG International Mountain Guides (Unclaimed)
Elbrus · Rated 4.6/5 · Reviewed
This was the last of my 7 Summits quest... and it was an auspicious expedition. IMG handled the logistics very nicely, and guiding by Mike, Sasha, and Igor was great--attention to detail, always totally safe even when conditions were hairy, and everyone had a great time. On this…
By Paul P.
Rating: the average star rating of the guide's verified reviews for Elbrus, with the number of reviews. Order: by those reviews: the star rating, adjusted so one or two reviews, or only old ones, count for less than many recent ones; ties go to the guide with more reviews on Elbrus. Unclaimed: the company has not claimed its ExpedReview profile. Prices: starting prices set by each operator, with the date they were last updated. Each guide sets prices in their own currency. Prices not updated in over a year are marked. Every review is checked by our team before it's published, and guides cannot pay for a better rating.
Technical essentials picked for glaciated mountaineering. Recommended by our expert team.
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The ranking is built from verified client reviews for Elbrus, and recent reviews count more.
The ERTI badge beside each name is a company-wide score out of 5, built from reviews we verify and many other factors. It is not a rating for this route.
Last updated 25 February 2024 (newest review or price update for this route).
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As of 20 October 2026, 4 operators have 11 verified client reviews for Elbrus on ExpedReview.
360 Expeditions is ranked first, with 4.9★ from 4 reviews (latest March 2021). The ranking is built from verified client reviews for Elbrus, and recent reviews count more.
Every review is checked by hand by our team before it's published. Critical reviews stay up, and paying ExpedReview never changes the ranking.
The latest verified review for Elbrus is from February 2024.