Canyons of Crimea

The group gathers around 10 am in Simferopol at the railway station, food is distributed there, instructions are given and an introduction to the instructor takes place. Transfer to the starting point (Alsu village near Sevastopol) is carried out by minibus (1 hour) or by regular trains and buses (3 hours) at the choice of the group.

In Alsou there is not only one of the entrances to the Black River canyon, but also the remains of an underground military strategic command post (object No. 221). Endless tunnels go deep into the monolithic rock. Armed with flashlights, we explore one of the central streets of this underground city.

After this, we will move on to exploring the Black River Canyon itself. Depending on the weather and water level, we will walk along the right or left bank, along the lower (along the water) or upper path. On the first day of the hike you shouldn’t “overload”, so soon we will stop for the night at one of the tourist sites.

The most intense part of the journey begins. The trail either flies up over the river or descends to the water itself, where a real jungle rages on a narrow strip of water. Several times you will have to wade the river (it’s a little deeper than knee-deep) or walk clinging to the rocks. The terrain is so rugged that our speed of movement is unlikely to exceed 1 km/h. But now the gorge widens, the river flow calms down - we emerge from the Chernorechensky canyon.

In front of us lies the wide Baydar Valley, a significant part of which is occupied by a huge reservoir with a cape in the middle. We again have a choice to go around the reservoir on foot or... No, not to swim across it on horseback on backpacks, but to use a bus to get closer to the Skelskaya cave.

This is an equipped cave (with lighting, steps and a guide) with a very beautiful underground lake. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that we will get there, since the working schedule of the cave is extremely unpredictable.

But what will definitely happen is an overnight stay. Today we will be located near the next “our” canyon - Uzundzhi.

Having climbed the Uzundzha canyon (there is less water here than in Chernorechensky, but the height gain is greater) we will find ourselves in a huge forest. These shady beech forests have been protected for several centuries. We will pass several forestry cordons founded under Catherine II. Near one of them - the Tea House (a wonderful place with an old abandoned orchard and semi-wild pigs) there is a small cave where the headquarters of the partisan movement was located during the war.

Towards evening we will go out to Barskaya Polyana. This is a tourist site with an excellent panoramic view of the Belbek River valley, the main ridge of the Crimean Mountains and the Boyka massif separated from it by the Grand Canyon. Beauty...

As an additional bonus, there is the Danilcha-Koba cave, where we will go to get water for dinner and breakfast.

After basking in the rays of the morning sun, we will begin our descent from Barskaya Polyana to the valley of the Kokozka River. We will walk exclusively through eagle places (from Eagle Flying Mountain to Eagle Flying Rock). Below, one of the tributaries of the Kokozka, the Sary-Uzen, will delight us with a whole range of water attractions. First - Yusupov Lake with a picturesque semicircular wall. The water from it fills a wide network of pearl cascades and at the end breaks down into the Silver Streams waterfall, under which there is a small through cave.

A little more forest and the main one begins - the Grand Canyon of Crimea. We will walk along its bottom to the Bath of Youth, and then, depending on our mood and weather, we will continue along the bottom or climb to the side of the canyon (only 300 meters in height). The path along the bottom is a real obstacle course with crossings, walking on logs and other joys of life in a narrow gorge (in some places up to 2 meters wide).

The upper trail is more suitable for spring or rainy weather, when a rushing river flows along the bottom. By choosing it, we get an excellent view of the canyon from above, and a much simpler road (albeit with a climb).

In any case, we will spend the night on the other side of the Grand Canyon, at the Bash-Dere parking lot.

We say goodbye to canyons and lowlands. This morning, a long climb to the Ai-Petri plateau will begin. The climb is not at all difficult, but rather tedious. In such places, a player stuck in your ears helps a lot, or vice versa - start communicating, arrange a game of Danetki or other entertainment on the go so that a restless head does not interfere with your legs.

The forest ends, the climb ends - we are on Bald Mountain, the northern outpost of the Ai-Petri plateau. From here it’s a stone’s throw to the snow-white space eggs of Mount Bedene-Kyr (this is a radar installation, not an observatory, as many people think).

Now we have a vast field of possibilities before us. You can rush headlong to the battlements of Ai-Petri (there are people, a teahouse, Tatar pilaf and other temptations). Or you can bypass crowded places (fortunately the plateau is wide) and go west to At-Bash, or east to the partisan camp of Kosh. There are enough attractions and stunning views (rocks, sea, white ships, lights of Yalta) for everyone.

We will go down along the Taraktash trail. Through a crevice similar to an ancient fortress wall, through a fragrant southern pine forest, it leads to the highest waterfall in Crimea - Uchan-Su. From here it is very close to Yalta - the main resort of Crimea. There is a second option for descending from Ai-Petri - a cable car. It will come in handy in case of bad weather.

We will be in Yalta no earlier than 16:00. It will take another 2 hours to get to Simferopol. That is, you will be there by 18:00.