Ice and Stones

After meeting the group at the Simferopol station (usually around 11 am), we will move to the village of Perevalnoye and begin the ascent (on foot) to the lower Chatyr-Dag plateau. At first, the forest around will look completely autumn-like: magical red leaves and black trunks in a mystical fog. But with every meter of ascent, winter will take its toll. Having climbed onto the snow-covered plateau, we will warm up for a short time (an hour and a half) in the equipped cave Emine-Bair-Khosar (it’s +5°C there) and go to the Hunting Grotto for the night. In case of terrible bad weather, you can make your life a little easier and spend the night in the warmth at the speleologists’ base.

In the morning, it will take several hours to cross the lower plateau dotted with karst sinkholes and open forests and end up at the foot of Mount Eklizi-Burun. A little effort (40 minutes) and we are at the top (1527 meters). Far below are Alushta and the sea, which looks quite summery. We also need to get down quickly - in winter it gets dark early, and if a snowstorm starts, then for us personally, night will come at noon. Only after taking refuge in a dense forest, at the tourist site “Beech Glade”, will we relax a little. By the way, there is a forest around, which means there will be a Big Fire to dry your feet.

At the very beginning of the day, having accelerated on the descent, we will pass the Angarsk Pass, where ski slopes are located in winter, and again we will begin the ascent. Past Kudryavaya Marya and Bald Ivan (such mountains) to a wonderful viewpoint above the MAN glade. Here it finally becomes clear that Chatyrdag is left far behind and we are already on another mountain range. The majestic Demerdzhi hangs right above us, promising a fun continuation of the hike. Along the Gray Hair Trail to the breathtaking cliffs of Corona and further - to the main tourist site of the mountainous Crimea - Dzhurla. In winter it is quiet and secluded, but, just like in summer, you will have to do a lot of running around for firewood.

Before leaving Dzhurla, we will make a one and a half hour radial hike (without backpacks) to the top of South Demerdzhi - admire the Valley of Ghosts from above. The next stage is a forced march through the snow-covered expanses of Northern Demerdzhi. The road there is not difficult and in a couple of hours we will be in the upper reaches of the Khapkhal gorge. This time we won’t go down, we’ll just admire the dizzying cliffs and sharp tusks of the rocks. Having gone around the gorge and finding ourselves on the next plateau (Tyrka), we will quickly cross it and go down to spend the night in the beech forest near the Sulukh-Oba spring.

Today the program includes exploration of the upper Karabi plateau. Let's start with Mount Kara-Tau. From there you can clearly see the expanses of lower Karabi - endless karst sinkholes, rare trees, a lonely weather station. And to look towards the sea we will have to make our way through the forest separating us from Takya-Tepe. We will descend through the Likon pass so that on the approaches to the Nefan-Uzen spring we can admire the impregnable Karabi wall from the most advantageous angle. The snow-covered cliffs in the rays of the setting sun are truly impressive and it’s hard to believe that just an hour ago we were up there.

The last day's program is simple and straightforward - we head down to the sea. Through the terraced hills of the foothills, through deserted vineyards, to the coast. There, in Rybachye, a minibus, a grocery store and salty drops of the winter sea await us.

Simferopol is only two hours away. By 18:00 we are back at the train station.