Ghost Valley

Crimea, 6-day medium complexity trekking tour, 58-km long. Price: EUR 200.

This is one of the most beautiful and mysterious routes in Crimea. Over one week you will see such Crimean wonders as the Valley of Ghosts, solution caves, waterfalls, and medieval ruins. You will observe picturesque mountain sceneries. Each day of the trip will bring you new impressions: beech wood, shady gorges, fantastic rocks, plateaus covered with multiple sinkholes. If you have never been in Crimean Mountains, do not hesitate to choose this tour.

Simferopol – Emine Bair Khosar cave – Chatyr-Dah plateau – Ghost Valley – South Demerdzhy peak – Khapkhal gorge – Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall – Karabi plateau – Rybachye village

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1. Chatyr-Dah plateau, Emine-Bair-Khosar cave, Myslyvsky rock shelter

Group members meet at Simferopol railway station and are transferred to the trek start in Perevalne village. Then we start ascending the lower plateau of the Chatyr-Dah mountain group. Here we visit the Emine-Bair-Khosar show cave. The group spends a night under a huge rock shelter.

Day 2. Upper plateau of Chatyr-Dah, Anhar-Burun and Eklizi-Burun peaks

After leaving the camp we will cross the Chatyr-Dah lower plateau covered with multiple sinkholes and caves. After 500 meters of uphill hiking we will reach one of the highest peaks of Crimea – Eklizi-Burun peak, which is 1527-meter high. From that point we will enjoy the view of seacoast and will start hiking down the south slope. We will set up a camp near Kutuzovske Lake not far from sequoia forest.

Day 3. Anharsky pass, Funa fortress ruins, South Demerdzhy peak, Valley of Ghosts

It will take us an hour to get to the Anharsky pass (752 meters). Then we will walk through beech wood and wild alpine gardens and reach the ruins of the Funa medieval fortress. (Here you can order and enjoy a horse ride). After the lunch we will ascend the South Demerdzhy with a stone sphinx on its top. During uphill hiking we will pass through the stone chaos of huge boulders and famous Valley of Ghosts (a garden of bizarre rock pillars). Rock shadows come to life in the light of sunset and look like ghosts standing around. We will spend a night at Dzhurla campsite in a birch wood.

Day 4. North Demerdzhy plateau, Khapkhal gorge, Dzhur-Dzhur waterfall

After leaving the Dzhurla gorge we will get to the South Demerdzhy plateau. Walking on the plateau’s trail is quite comfortable. The scenery will please the eye with white sharp rocks, fantastic dead wood, and titanic panorama of the Khapkhal Gorge. After lunchtime we will start hiking downhill to the wild depths of Khapkhal. Fallen trees, bracken thicket, multiple waterfall cascades will make you feel a part of a real adventure. We will camp on the riverside near Dzhur-Dzhur, which is the most full-flowing waterfall in Crimea.

Day 5. Karabi-Yayla plateau, mountain lake

After a long, but shady (which is important in Crimea), uphill hike we will reach the top of the Karabi plateau. Here you will see a kind of moon landscape created by multiple sinkholes and steppe grass waving in the wind. From the top of Karabi-Yayla you will also see the Black Sea coast from Novy Svit town to the Bear Mountain. After a while we will walk down to the Nefan-Uzen spring, from where we will continue hiking along the rocky wall of Karabi towards a mountain lake, where we will make an overnight stop in the midst of vineries.

Day 6. Towards the sea!

We will hike downhill along the Tuakska ravine and vineries to Rybachye village on the seacoast. You can take a minibus there to get to the train station in Simferopol. Or you may put up a tent on the beach and enjoy the sea for a while.

Usually we get to the seacoast by 1 p.m., so you can get to Simferopol at about 4 p.m. If you are planning to leave the same day we advise you to choose the train departing after 6 p.m. so that you can take your time to enjoy the sea and are not afraid to miss your train.

Map of the Ghost Valley trekking tour

Camping sites are indicated by characters. Green dots indicate the places of interest.

Tour cost: EUR 200

Our tours are payable in cash at the end of the tour.

The tour price includes: three meals a day, guide services, registration at the mountain rescue service, and medical insurance.

The tour price does not include: equipment rental, entrance fee to the Emine-Bair-Khosar cave (UAH 50) and other paid places of interests (about UAH 20), transfer from the trek end to the train station (about UAH 25).

Read more about our discounts and terms of payment.

Important Note!

This trekking route is autonomous. The group carries all necessary stuff (tents, food provisions) in the backpacks. The tour itinerary is flexible (the guide can change the route, if necessary). Our key goal is to enjoy every step we take.