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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The Grand Canyon of Crimea is a natural landmark unique to the Crimean Peninsula, the longest and deepest canyon of Crimea. Its maximum depth reaches 320 meters, and its length is 3.5 kilometers. For a longer distance it is quite wide, but in some places the rocks taper to 3 meters. At the bottom of the gorge flows the mountain river Kokkozka, which formed the canyon, "cutting" for millions of years in soft limestone rocks a deep passage for its waters.
For tourists, the Grand Canyon of the Crimea provides an opportunity to walk along the equipped tourist eco-trail along the bottom along the riverbed. The route is simple and can be overcome in 2-4 hours. For safety and convenience, there are route maps, signs, markers, bridges for crossing the river, stairs and steps, places of rest. Along the way you will be able to enjoy the beauties of nature; take beautiful photos; swim in very refreshing water. You will also find several separate attractions here:
- Postal oak is a large rock oak, through which tourists used to pass notes with greetings and wishes to each other for fun. In 1981, the oak was "killed" by lightning, but the place remained.
- The source of Pania is a powerful source of water, pours its waters into the river.
- Yablonevy ford is a small backwater into which the current brings apples in autumn.
- Blue lake or lake of love – it is believed that bathing in it gives the power of love.
The final point of the journey is the so–called Bath of youth or Karagol. This is a natural pool or cauldron with a depth of 5 meters, washed by the forces of water in the rock. Tourists usually stop here to relax and swim in very invigorating cool water, the temperature of which does not rise above 11 degrees even in summer.
After the Bath of Youth, the official tourist route ends, but the gorge itself does not end. Then you can walk along the river for another one and a half to two kilometers along a difficult unmarked path, sometimes wading and over rocks. We recommend going here only with local guides, or if you have personal experience of such hikes. In places, it will be really difficult and slow to get through, and therefore it is worth laying another 2-4 hours for these one and a half to two kilometers and the return trip. And, of course, you will need good shoes, drinking water, and a means of communication for safety.
There is another unofficial version of the route – a passage along the upper part of the canyon. The branch to this trail is located at the Post Oak, and will take you up over the canyon cliff, and not along the bottom along the river. On this route you will have stunning views of the canyon, but you will pass beautiful places on the river and will not be able to swim in its cool water. This route is used, among other things, for multi-day camping trips.
Many guidebooks on the Internet describe the Grand Canyon of Crimea as a place of incredible beauty. We are not at all against this opinion, but we believe that the tourist attractiveness of the canyon is greatly exaggerated. If you have completed one-day hiking trails on eco-trails in the North Caucasus (in Dombay, Arkhyz, Elbrus region, Dagestan, Adygea), in the mountain resorts of the Krasnodar Territory (Krasnaya Polyana, Mezmai, Guamka), then nothing You won't see anything stunning here. There are no waterfalls, but only water slides; there are no stunning views of snow-capped mountain peaks and valleys; the trail is crowded with tourists and resembles a walk through the forest on a day off. Therefore, our opinion is that it is not necessary to go solely for the sake of the canyon on the other side of the peninsula, because after a visit you may be visited by a slight disappointment. But if you are vacationing nearby, for example, at one of the resorts of Bolshaya Yalta, in Bakhchisarai, Sevastopol, and have your own transport, then why not go. Well, it also makes sense to stop by the canyon if you visit the mountain Ai-Petri.
How to visit the Crimean Canyon – practical information
And now let's tell you more about the route. On the websites and in the reviews you can find different opinions about its complexity, ranging from such that it is a climbing route and preparation is needed here, and to such that it is just an easy walk through the forest. In fact, the truth is somewhere in between. Of course, this is not a climbing route, equipment and special shoes will not be required here, as well as special training. But you shouldn't be too frivolous and go here in beach slippers either.
Depending on the starting point (there are two entrances to start the route), you will have to walk six kilometers to the end of the way at the Bath of Youth and back. For an average physically healthy person, it will take two hours, taking into account a short rest by the bath and short stops along the way. The route is calmly overcome by children and the elderly. There are no difficult areas where you have to climb rocks at all. There are several places where you need to jump over streams and climb over fallen trees, but there are fewer and fewer of them, since the trail is being equipped every year. If you get tired, you can take a breather, there are even benches in the most picturesque places for this. Well, if you have trekking poles, they will come in handy here.
As for shoes and clothes, nothing special is required to complete the official route: any sneakers and any clothes for the season will do. But in spring and summer, ticks are very active here, so if possible, wear light and maximally closed clothes. After returning from the route, do a self-inspection and mutual inspection from ticks in the booths specially installed for this purpose at the beginning of the route. Do not forget to carefully check clothes, not just skin and hair.
The route is conditionally circular: you can enter through one entrance (entrance on the map), go to the end, and exit through another entrance (entrance on the map). Actually, that's exactly what we recommend doing, because that's how you can see everything here. There is a little less than a kilometer between the entrances on the asphalt road, so you can easily park the car at one entrance, exit through another and go back to the car on the way. Navigation here is very simple, it is difficult to get lost. In addition, the canyon is very popular and there are always a lot of people here, so even if you don't know where to go, just go where everyone is going.
🕐 Working hours
around the clock, attend strictly during the day. The most beautiful time of the year is spring, when nature in the canyon blooms with exuberant colors. In spring, due to an increase in the river level, the canyon may be closed completely or partially for tourists to visit.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Grand Canyon of Crimea is located on the road between Yalta and Bakhchisarai through Ai-Petri Mountain about 40 kilometers from both cities (Grand Canyon on the map). There is no public transport here, and therefore you can only get there yourself on your own transport or with excursions that are offered from the nearby resorts of Yalta, Alushta, Sevastopol and Yevpatoria. As a rule, these are excursions to Ai-Petri Mountain, and along the way it includes a visit to the Grand Canyon. You can book such excursions online:
- 📷 Excursions to the Grand Canyon from Alushta to tripster.ru
- 📷 Excursions to the Grand Canyon from Yevpatoria to tripster.ru
- 📷 Excursions to the Grand Canyon from Yalta to tripster.ru
- 📷 Excursions to the Grand Canyon from Sevastopol to tripster.ru
You can also find guided tours with reviews on the website Sputnik8.ru
And now in more detail about how to get here on your own on your own transport. An asphalt and very winding serpentine road in very poor condition leads here. It feels like it hasn't been repaired since the Soviet era. Along the way, you will be greeted by road signs that the road from Bakhchisarai to Yalta via Ai-Petri is closed, and that "Travel is prohibited, except for off-road vehicles". But in fact, the road is open most of the year, and in summer you can get here by any car, you just need to drive with extreme caution the last kilometers before the canyon. Carefully and slowly drive through deep potholes in the asphalt and skip oncoming cars that do the same, and then you will get there without any problems.
At the point where one of the entrances to the official route is located, there is a tourist market selling honey, jam and other local products, there is a parking lot. Usually there is no free space on it, but you can drive further down the road and find parking places on the side of the road. In the middle of summer, in good weather, you may need to drive almost a kilometer to find a free suitable place, since there is almost no roadside here, but in any case, you can always find a place to park your car.
Please note that some navigators, including yandex.navigator, persistently consider this road closed all year round. If you put a waypoint in the wrong place to set a route, Yandex.navigator can set a route far around, for example, from Yalta not through Ai-Petri, but through Bakhchisarai. So be careful and put the end point in a place on the road a few kilometers before the canyon, and then the route will be set correctly.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaclava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: