Zhiguli Mountains

The Volga at Samara makes an enormous loop, the Samarskaya Luka, running east then doubling back west around a block of hills that rise to 381 metres at Nablyudatel - modest, but the only real relief for a very long way in either direction, and steep enough to be called mountains locally. The hills are Carboniferous and Permian limestone, and their significance is biological: during the Pleistocene glaciations the Zhiguli were never covered by ice or drowned, so they acted as a refuge, and they hold relict and endemic plant species that survive nowhere else, several dozen of them. The Zhigulyovsky nature reserve protects the core with restricted access; the Samarskaya Luka national park surrounds it and takes visitors, with the Molodetsky Kurgan and Strelnaya viewpoints over the river, caves, forest trails and villages. The loop is a classic multi-day boat and cycle route.

What you actually see

• The Volga loop - the river running east and doubling back around the hills.
• The refuge flora - relict and endemic plants that survived the glaciations here.
• The viewpoints - Molodetsky Kurgan and Strelnaya above the river.
• The two protections - a strict reserve core inside a national park.

When to go

May to September; autumn colour in the forest is good. A day for the viewpoints, several for the loop by boat or bike.

Honest expectations

The reserve core is closed to general visitors and only the park is open. Summer heat on the open slopes is severe and there is little water. Ticks carrying encephalitis are a real risk from April to July. Viewpoint access roads charge and get busy at weekends.

Nearby

Samara is across the river; Togliatti is at the northern end of the loop.