Above the Sea
Along the entire southern coast the mountains rise like a solid wall above the sea and the famous beaches. This is the so-called Main Ridge of the Crimean mountains. And the finest way to see all the resorts of Crimea's Southern Coast from Yalta to Balaklava - without going broke - is to walk above them along the rocky cliffs and yailas of the Main Ridge. Believe me, from up high all these resorts are perhaps even more appealing than up close. And the azure harbours can only be seen from here.
RouteRoute map
Open the map →The GPS track is not digitised yet, the line is approximate (by key points).
Along the trailWhat you will see
Day by dayItinerary
1 Day 1. Simferopol, Yalta, Uchansu waterfall, Taraktash trail.
Meeting in Simferopol between 10 and 11 am at the railway station. From Simferopol the group moves to Yalta, and from there to the beginning of the route - to the Uchansu waterfall. This is the end of transport - further only on foot. We have a rather fun climb ahead along the Taraktash trail. She climbs onto the Ai-Petri plateau, hiding behind a jagged stone wall studded with picturesque southern pines. Taraktash (Turkic - stone fence) is a creation of nature, but on the plateau the man-made Long Walls await us - although not so picturesque, but very mysterious creations of the ancient inhabitants of Crimea. We will spend the night in a forest near the Ai-Petri pass with a stunning view of Yalta at night.
2 Day 2. Ai-Petri battlements, At-Bash mountain, Besh-Tekne basin.
We are about to visit the most popular peak of Crimea - Ai Petri. Around it there is a real oriental bazaar, with teahouses, pilaf, camels and trained bears. Most visitors to Ai-Petri stop there. We will try not to waste time, quickly pass the noisy crowds of vacationers and rush west along the very edge of the plateau. Far below, Alupka and Simeiz are sweltering in the heat, and driven by the fresh mountain wind we ascend Mount At-Bash. Immediately behind it is the Besh-Tekne basin - a unique place with many springs and a tiny mountain swamp with real mountain frogs. On the slopes of the basin, on one of the many terraces, we will watch the sunset and spend the night.
3 Day 3. Kastropol Wall, Devil's Staircase,
Continuing our way along the edge of the Ai-Petrinskaya Yayla, we will not only admire the dizzying views from the steep cliffs of the Kastropol rock wall, but also seep through the jungle entwined with vines, the real Crimean jungle. And in the evening we will go to the famous Devil's Staircase - a steep path hidden among the rocks. It’s hard to even imagine that the road we came on was laid by the ancient Romans. But they were far from the first to blaze this path connecting the coast with the interior of the peninsula. In order to thoroughly think through the problems of ancient logistics, we will set up our camp not far from this historical pass (Shaitan-Merdven) and, if desired, walk up and down the Devil’s Staircase.
4 Day 4. Foros Church, Baydar Gate, Laspi, .
In the morning we will walk along the battlements of the Foros Kant - a real Mecca for rock climbers and battlement climbers. However, all these risky guys will still be climbing far below when we cross the southern slope and approach the Foros Church, nestled right above the cliff. A little higher you can see the Baydar Gate - another ancient pass from which our path around the southernmost tip of Crimea begins. Having crossed the next ridge, we will find ourselves directly above Laspi Bay, where we will spend the night. It will be “over the sea”, but not at his place :)
5 Day 5. Mount Kush-Kaya, Cape Aya, Ayazma tract.
Today we have a very intense program - we must cross to the other side of Cape Aya. At the beginning of the day we will cross the Sevastopol-Yalta highway and find ourselves on an old Turkish road winding through the thicket of the forest. From there we will begin our journey to the top of Mount Kush-Kaya, which dominates the entire bay. On the mountain, in addition to excellent views, there are the ruins of the Church of St. Elias. Moving deeper into Cape Aya we will come across many abandoned military installations. Once upon a time, the secret anti-ship missile system Sotka was located here. Dilapidated bunkers, launch pads, and looted radar complexes are buried in the southern greenery. And somewhere below, under a steep cliff, nestled the Lost World - the most inaccessible beach in Crimea. For our overnight stay, we will choose a less hidden place - the Ayazma tract or Inzhir beach (this is already on the other side of Cape Aya).
6 Day 6. Barrel of Death, Chembalo Fortress, Balaklava, Sevastopol
If by the last day of the hike we get completely lazy or are in a hurry to catch the train, then a boat can pick us up right from the beach and take us to Balaklava. If we want to walk some more, then after refreshing ourselves in the sea we will gain altitude again, for the last time on this trip. From the top of Mount Asceti (the same one on which the Barrel of Death is located), we will move to the neighboring Fortress Mountain. From the ruins of the Genoese fortress of Chembalo, a wonderful panorama of Balaklava Bay opens up - the final point on our route.
The hike ends at the Balaklava embankment. From here you can easily get to Sevastopol (numerous buses and minibuses) or, if you have some free time, visit the museum - a submarine base located in the thickness of a huge mountain. If you need to go to Simferopol, then you can get there by 19:00.
DetailsIncluded
- 🍽Three meals a day on the route
- 🧭Instructor services
- •Registration in the control and rescue service
- 🎒Equipment rental
- •Visiting paid recreational facilities (Taraktash, Ai-Petri teeth, Ayazma) and foresters' fees
- 🚐Journey
- 🛡Medical insurance
Trip conditions
1. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the route. 2. The peculiarity of this route is the minimum of sudden changes in altitude. At the very beginning we climb the ridge and until the last day we walk along it slowly descending to sea level. It sounds relaxing, but the route is more difficult than easy. I highly recommend reading the article about features of the route “Over the Sea”.
ReviewsTraveller reviews
And here we are over the sea! It becomes clear why the organizers came up with the idea of building such a route. The beauty and grandeur of landscapes cannot be conveyed by any means of communication.
A clear pattern of sleep and wakefulness, eating, unique landscapes of amazing beauty, sea air 24 hours a day for 6 days in a row, sunbathing, swimming, communication and games with a cheerful company of like-minded people did their positive work: I was rested! I felt different: strong and yet happy...
We arrived at Roman-Kosh (1545m) just on the second day. The views from there are amazing! For this reason, it was already worth going along the “Over the Sea” route.
A little about the group - our group turned out to be very friendly, we quickly found a common language. So we just relaxed and enjoyed the conversation.
I didn’t expect SUCH difficulties, but the aftertaste is still pleasant. I became stronger, more resilient, looked at myself from the outside, and reevaluated relationships with people who were not strangers to me. After finishing, I was exhausted but inspired. I think this is not my last trip.
Separately, I would like to note the merits of our instructor, guide and, I hope, new friend Sasha Arkhipov. Traveling with him was easy and pleasant. This man guided us, took care of us, prepared food, distracted us and entertained us with fascinating stories about the mountains and much more. In general, with him “both through fire and water.”
