Strawberry Sea

Group gathering in Simferopol at the railway station (11:00). Transfer to the village of Zemlyanichnoye (an hour and a half). Hundreds of years ago, the descendants of the formidable nomads of the Goths and Alans settled here. In honor of the latter, the area was subsequently named Ortalan. And the river along which we will begin our climb into the mountains is called Indol, probably in honor of the road to India - the Great Silk Road that passed through these parts. Discussing the mysteries of history, we will quietly gain 400 meters of altitude and, past the ruins of an ancient bridge, we will finally jump out onto the Main Ridge (of the Crimean Mountains) near the Maski Pass. The beech forest recedes, and in the gaps the sea can already be seen - still distant, but very real. We spend the night in a birch grove (Ai-Serez tourist camp).

The Orta-Syrt ridge is one of my favorite places in Crimea. This narrow ridge is picturesque in itself and is an excellent viewing platform. There are no trees blocking the view. There is the sea (ahead), deep valleys and high mountains (to the right and left). We go lower and lower, angles are constantly changing, perspectives are opening up - the camera is working continuously. At the end of the ridge there is a small sunny waterfall - why not cool off?

Then everything is simple - we cross the highway, pass the village of Veseloye and stop for the night in Kutlak Bay right on the beach.

 Karaul-Oba fascinates with its beauty - the trail goes around cozy coves, climbs between fancy warm rocks, staggers from side to side, intoxicated by the thick aroma of juniper. They say that there is an unusual energy here, that thousands of years ago there was a mysterious settlement of the Taurians. Yes, the ancients knew where to settle.

After a short rest, we continue our journey through the “branded” places - Tsarsky Beach, Chaliapin’s Grotto, Golitsyn’s Trail. Almost inevitable is repeated swimming in the sea and no less repeated photographing against the background. Very photogenic places.

By 15:00 we will finish on the New World embankment. End of the route. Some stay to sunbathe, others take a minibus to Sudak to transfer to a bus to Simferopol. When purchasing return tickets, please note that you will get to the Simferopol railway station no earlier than 18:00.