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RussiaStone Bowl an is it worth to visit
Stone Bowl in the Samara region - a tract near the village of Shiryaevo, in which the holy spring of Nicholas the Wonderworker is located. Part of Zhiguli nature reserve and Samara Luka National Park. This is one of the most popular tourist places in the Samara region, which is visited all year round. Especially many people come here during religious holidays, because it is popular not only among tourists, but also among believers, among pilgrims.
The spring got its name because of the rounded cup-shaped extension of the Shiryaevsky ravine, which forms a kind of stone bowl in which the source is located. The very existence of a spring here is surprising, since local rocks consist exclusively of limestone, which absorbs precipitation and does not allow springs to form. The water of the spring is considered curative and consecrated, and nearby is the chapel and bathhouse of St. Nicholas.
The source is located simultaneously on the territory of the Zhiguli Reserve and Samara Luka National Park therefore, his visit is paid. A hiking route leads to the source, or rather as many as two, since you can get here from two places: from the village of Sunny Polyana or the village of Shiryaevo. If you choose a longer route from the village of Shiryaevo, on the way you can visit the conditional cave "Bear grotto" (bear grotto on the map). This is a small depression in the rock, eroded by water. It is strictly forbidden to go off the trail, since this is the territory of the Reserve.
When you get to the source, you can relax on the bench, have a snack, but it is forbidden to make noise and drink alcohol, since this is a holy place. You can drink water from the spring and take it with you, so do not forget the containers. There is also a bathhouse, where water is supplied from the spring.
🕐 Working hours: in summer from 8:00 to 20:00; in winter from 8:00 to 17:00.
💵 Entrance fee / tickets price: 50 rubles, preschoolers-free of charge. The fee is paid at the entrance to one of the tourist routes, or at the headquarters of the Reserve in the village of Shiryaevo (Zavodskaya STR., 4). after payment, a ticket/tour is issued.
🚶 How to get there: The stone bowl and Nikolsky spring are located on the territory of the Zhiguli nature reserve and the Samara Luka National Park about 150 kilometers by road from Samara, and 75 from Togliatti (stone bowl on the map. There are two routes to the tract: from the village of Sunny Polyana and the village of Shiryaevo. From the village of Shiryaevo to the holy spring is about 8 kilometers, but in good weather you can get by car almost to the source itself. From Sunny Glade about 3 kilometers. You can visit both independently (by private transport, buses, riverboats) and with an excursion. Self-visit is not difficult, because there are signs everywhere.
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By car
By private car you can get to the village of Sunny Polyana, leave the car there in the parking lot for 50 rubles or near the entrance right on the street, and then continue on foot (3 kilometers). The route is not difficult, but time-consuming, you will have to go up for a long time, and then go down, back as well.
Another option is get to Shiryaevo village, pay for the entrance to the hiking trail in the pavilion at the entrance to the village, and then go along the dirt road almost to the source. The road is not very good, but rather very bad: after the rains it will be problematic to drive a car, you need a full-fledged SUV. Also from the village of Shiryaevo you can walk, but the distance is almost 8 kilometers.
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By public transport
You can get there by bus or by riverboat, having completed the last section of the route on foot (see how to get there by car). The village of Shiryaevo can be reached by water transport from the pier of Samara or Togliatti (the cost is 100 and 350 rubles, the journey is two and a half hours or 40 minutes depending on the ship), or by bus with a transfer in the city of Zhigulevsk. There is also water transport to Sunny Polyana, but only from Samara (the cost is 110 rubles, three hours on the way), or by bus also through the city of Zhigulevsk. Exact information about the schedule and departure points can be found on the website Yandex. schedules
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Excursions
Excursions are offered in travel agencies Togliatti and Samara, as a rule, include visits to several places of the Reserve. Private excursions are also offered in the villages of Sunny Polyana and Shiryaevo right on the pier. True, in fact, these are not excursions, but just a private taxi (usually UAZ), on which you will be taken closer to the source without any excursion escort. The cost of such excursions is 500 rubles per person.
And we also advise you to see ready-made excursions around Samara, with which it will be much more interesting to get acquainted with the city. You can find and Book Group or individual excursions around Samara from local residents on these verified sites with reviews: