Trekking in Crimea. Balaklava Coves of Azure

The route passes on the territory of Crimea.
During the rest, we will live in a cozy hotel near the sea and make walking tours light on the most interesting sights of Western Crimea!
We are waiting for walks near the Black Sea, along the most picturesque bays of Balaklava and Fiolenta. We will visit the Bakhchisarai Palace, built in the oriental style, walk around the ancient city of Chersonese, taste Crimean wines ;
And, of course, we will see the unique cave cities lost in the mountains. They were built in the V-VII centuries. directly in the rocks, on a huge mountain plateau. A long time ago, residents of cities for one reason or another left them. Over time, the ruins of these settlements were overgrown with shrub and only parts of the walls and numerous caves remained in sight, giving travelers reason to call these ashes “cave cities”!
During our tour we will see the cave towns of Mangup, Eski-Kermen and Chufut-Kale.

The route is recommended for beginners and parents with children.

Travel area: Crimea, Sevastopol.
Type of rest: accommodation in a hotel, walking lightly.
Cost: 21,800 rubles.

Travel dates for 2020 (7 days)
May 02-08
May 9-15

Route thread: Simferopol - Kalamita Fortress, cave monastery, wine shop "Inkerman" • Bakhchisarai, Khan's Palace, rock Holy Dormition Monastery, cave city Chufut-Kale • Balaklava, Ayazma tract, Ingir beach • cave towns Eski-Kermen and Mangup-Kale • Kalani Ridge (Wing of the Dragon), Temple of the Sun • Cape Fiolent Chersonese - Simferopol.

Day 1

12:00 - gathering of the group at the airport of Simferopol (on the square in front of the airport).
Transfer by bus to Sevastopol (2 hours).

Kalamita fortress, cave monastery, branded wine shop "Inkerman".
Inkerman is a small town in the Sevastopol area. Here in the VII-IX centuries was founded the cave monastery of St. Clementius. The ground buildings of the monastery are very spectacularly attached to the Monastery Rock, and all the interior rooms are cut into the rocks.
On the plateau above the monastery there are spectacular ruins of the medieval Byzantine fortress of Kalamita.
Also, the city of Inkerman is famous for its winery, where vintage, aged, ordinary and young wines are created. On the way we will stop at the wine shop ;
Clothing and shoes for the tour on the first day: cap, T-shirt, trousers, sandals or sneakers. With you in the backpack: camera, drinking water.
Active part of the route: 1.4 km, height difference of 20-50 m, route duration of 2 hours.

Settlement in a guest house.

Day 2

The city of Bakhchisarai, the Khan's Palace, the rocky Holy Assumption Monastery, the cave city of Chufut-Kale.
Khan's Palace was built as a family residence of the Giray dynasty - rulers of the Crimean Khanate. This is a real city in the city: there are mosques, baths, harem and many fountains. All buildings in the palace are built in oriental style, decorated with magnificent paintings, and colored stained glass windows adorn the windows.
The most mysterious part of the Khan's Palace is considered a harem. Its entrance is decorated with fine, floral carvings. In the harem lived four wives khan =)
We will definitely visit all the most interesting corners of the palace and see how the Crimean Khans lived in the XVI century!

After the excursion to the palace, transfer to the Maryam Dere gorge. It was here in ancient times that the beautiful Holy Assumption Monastery was carved into the rock.
At the entrance to the monastery there are many memorable engravings of the places visited by the monks. There are also colorful rock icons and a large, stone guardian angel.

Then we go to Chufut-Kala, our first cave city!
Chufut Kale is one of the best preserved cave towns. There are many carved caves, some of which form real underground apartments! Be sure to walk through these apartments, see the beautiful Karaite prayer houses and the stone mausoleum of the daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. And also admire the picturesque gorges from excellent viewing platforms!
The active part of the route: 9.8 km, the height difference of 270-50 m, the duration of the route is 7 hours.

Day 3

Balaklava, Ayazma tract, Ingir beach.
Balaklava is a suburb of Sevastopol, which boasts some of the most beautiful beaches. These places are very loved by tourists with tents, and they, believe me, know a lot about this!
Balaklava and Injir Beach is a real paradise on earth, decorated with huge Stankevich pines and juniper! Even on the hottest day, a pleasant shade reigns in these places, and a coniferous smell hovers in the air. Here is a long, 2-kilometer coastline with cozy bays. The color of the water is just a tourist’s dream: bright, deep, emerald and dark blue! Take the paint, sit down and paint, so picturesque places!
From the village of Reserve, we will go down to the Ayazma tract, walk along cozy bays, relax on the sea shore and along the path with beautiful observation platforms we will go to the town of Balaklava.
The active part of the passage along the route: 12.7 km, the height difference of 400-20-360-30 m, the duration of the route is 6-7 hours.

Day 4

Cave towns of Eski-Kermen and Mangup-Kale.
Eski Kermen Cave Town.
Eski is one of the most romantic cave towns! There are many caves with view windows of very interesting shape, a deep well and even a cave temple with colored frescoes.
Eski is a favorite city of cinemas, there were filmed the films “9 Company”, “The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta” and “Finist the Clear Falcon”.
The active part of the route: 3.6 km, the height difference of 280-340 m, the duration of the route is 2 hours.

After visiting Eski Kermen, we will make a small move and find ourselves near Mangup Lake. According to legend, at the very bottom of the lake, there are countless treasures.
Admire the lake and go to one of the most mysterious places of our campaign - the Grand Duchy of Feodoro and the cave city of Mangup-Kale.
Mangup is the largest cave city, an area of about 300 hectares! It is deservedly called the “place of power”, here you can often meet mysterious treasure seekers, brooding monks or yogis who froze in the lotus position over the abyss.
We will go down to the caves of Mangup, taste the water from its springs, visit the excavations of the ancient palace and listen to stories about the mysterious past of this cave city.
The active part of the route: 7.5 km, the height difference of 190-490 m, the duration of the route is 4-5 hours.

Day 5

Kalani-Kai Ridge, Temple of the Sun.
The route to the Kalani-Kai Ridge is beautiful at any time of the year! Kalanikh-Kaya is a precipitous rock ridge, hence its second name - Dragon Wing.
First, we will overcome a simple climb and immediately get to a beautiful viewing platform on the top of Azhder-Kanat - in front of us lie the bays of Laspi and Batiliman, Mount Kush-Kaya and a silver thread bends the Yalta-Sevastopol highway. Behind us is a beautiful view of the village rear and the huge Chernorechenskoye reservoir.
After admiring the view and taking the first of many photos along this route, we continue our journey along the ridge. After 1.5 km, the trail leads us to the top of the ridge - Mount Kalani-Kaya, its height is 623 meters!
When the sea is in front of us, the height feels sharper and brighter! Then we go down a gentle descent through the coniferous forest to the observation deck. Here we are waiting for a beautiful view of Mount Ilyas-Kaya, famous for the fact that the Greeks built a Christian monastery of St. Elijah on top of the mountain.
Above the tops of the forest rise, as if petals, seven stones, which are called "sugar heads" and one stone in the center - the central altar stone. This legendary place in the Crimea is the Temple of the Sun. You can talk a lot about this place, but it is better to visit it and feel its mysterious energy. Through the deciduous forest we go to the Temple of the Sun. Not tired of a walk can "run" to the top of the no less legendary Ilyas-Kai. Charging with energy and having lunch, we descend through the deciduous forest to the waiting transport.
The active part of the route: 15.9 km, the height difference of 310-540 m, the duration of the route is 6-7 hours.

Day 6

Cape Fiolent.
Today we walk along the juniper and pistachio trails at Cape Fiolent.
Fiolent translates as "Tiger Cape." This is a place with turquoise water, cozy coves, springs, beating right on the beaches, and tent towns.
Standing on the edge of a 100-meter cliff, we will admire the panorama of steep cliffs, capes and begin the descent to the sea.
The soft, mountainous rock of Fiolenta is subject to weathering and washing out by currents, so here unique outlines of rocks, coastline and underwater part are formed. Our way goes along the tent camps, down to the beaches, goes up to small observation decks.
When the path is over, and the rocks become impassable, we go back, but do not rise to the point where our route began, and go on! Here we are waiting for "Entrance to Paradise" - a place very different in vegetation and comfort from the whole cape! Ahead are views of the charming Alexandra Bay and Cape Crocodile. On the next Cape Vineyard are the ruins of a medieval Christian church and a beautiful view of Cape Lermontov. But even this is not all in our walk today - the monastery caves are ahead. They are shallow, but at sunset they get fascinating golden photos!
The active part of the route: 6.1 km, the height difference of 140-30-140 m, the duration of the route is 5-6 hours.

Day 7

The city of Chersonese.
The ancient city of Chersonese is one of the wonders of Sevastopol!
Long ago, in the first century AD, in these places there was a real, big city with its own houses, streets. Galleys from Byzantium, Rome moored to the sea shores and the locals conducted a brisk trade.
To this day, the city has been partially preserved: we will also be able to walk along its stony streets, see the forge, winery and admire the magnificent columns.
In Chersonesos, excavations are constantly carried out, beautiful dishes, jewelry and amphorae are found here, which are presented in the local museum.
Active part of the route: 2.1 km, height difference of 10-20 m, route duration 2 hours.

Eviction from the guest house.
Transfer by minibus to Simferopol.
16:00-16:30 – arrival at the bus station and at the airport of Simferopol.
Return tickets should be purchased for transport departing from Simferopol after 18:00.

Depending on weather conditions, physical condition of participants and other factors, excursion routes can be changed.

• Transport crossings along the route by minibus.
• Accommodation in Sevastopol in the guest house "Tsarskoye Selo" or a guest house of a similar class: double, triple rooms. In each room comfort (shower, toilet), TV, Wi-Fi.
• Two meals a day. Ready breakfasts (day 2-7) are served at the hotel on a comprehensive menu (the menu is not individual!), lunch - dry rations during the day in the mountains (day 2-6).
• Rental of group equipment: boilers, gas burners (for making tea for lunch in the mountains), group first aid kit.
• Entrance tickets to excursion centers and ecological trails.
• Conductor-instructor services

The price does not include:

• Transportation costs to the beginning of the route and back (Simferopol).
• Meals: dinner. The cost of dinner in a cafe: 250-350 rubles.
• Insurance (optional)
• Supplement for single accommodation in the hotel room.