Arabat arrow in Crimea: features, where to stay and what to see?

Every person has a different concept of an ideal vacation - someone needs a five-star hotel in the most popular resort, and someone appreciates privacy. If you, in the company of friends, say that you had a rest on the Arabat Spit, you should not be very surprised if they ask you again where it is. Perhaps, the relatively low popularity of this place is only good for him.

A feature of most of the Crimea's attractions is that they all have a very ancient history, going back thousands of years very far - even in antiquity. The Arabat arrow, despite its significant size, does not have such a history for a very unusual reason - it ... simply did not exist.

Modern scientists came to the conclusion that a thousand years ago the level of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Sivash Bay, which today are separated by the Arabat arrow, was somewhat higher - so much so that no land could be observed above the water. These reservoirs began to shallow relatively recently, therefore, the date of birth of the spit can be considered approximately XI-XII century. Moreover, the initial inconsistency of this formation is indicated at least by the fact that until the middle of the 17th century there was no Arabat arrow on any map of this area.

Theoretically, of course, a little more history can be attributed to this spit - for example, the Bosporus kingdom, which existed on the verge of our era, was interested in the possibility of creating a fortification where today the Arabat arrow joins the Kerch Peninsula.

At the base of the Arabat Spit, the remains of a Tatar-Turkish fortress have been preserved, the exact date of the construction of which is unknown. Its appearance here is apparently caused by the same reasons why the Arabat arrow began to appear on the maps - because the Zaporozhye Cossacks, traditionally at war with the Tatars, managed to sneak unnoticed into the rear of the Crimean Khanate and send their orders.

It cannot be said that the Arabat fortress successfully coped with the task - in the years 1668-1771, it was captured by the Slavs three times, and soon it, along with the entire peninsula, was annexed to the Russian Empire.

After that, the Arabat arrow figured more than once in history. For example, during the Crimean War in the middle of the century before last, the above-mentioned fortress, already belonging to Russia, showed its best side - its garrison managed to repel the attack of the Anglo-French landing and did not allow it to pass along the spit. After another 70 years, at the end of the Civil War, the Reds entered the Crimea, which remained the last stronghold of Wrangel and the entire white movement, through the Arabat arrow and Sivash.

To find the Arabat arrow on the map, look for the Sea of ​​Azov on it and pay attention to its western coast. There, along the Crimea, you will see another elongated reservoir, separated from the rest of the water area by the thinnest strip of land. This narrow and long braid is the Arabat arrow.

The uniqueness of this natural phenomenon lies in its form, because with an impressive length of about 110 kilometers, its width ranges from a very modest 0.5-3 kilometers.

Lake Sivash, located to the west of the Arabat Spit, has increased salinity, therefore, it is practically completely devoid of any life, for which it is often called the Rotten Lake. As befits a place, not so long ago, the former seabed, it is built mainly of sandstones.

Due to the fact that this narrow strip of land is surrounded on all sides by salt water bodies, there have always been huge problems with drinking water, and therefore there have never been settlements here - a few are located only along the edges of the spit. At the same time, the abundance of salts led to the fact that several centuries ago, Ukrainian Chumaks arrived here for them, and today there are excellent conditions for the development of balneological tourism.

Outwardly, the spit looks like a sandy desert with a maximum height of no more than 10 meters above the level of the surrounding water bodies. Throughout its length, the Arabat arrow is overgrown with a thorn, which is also called the Arabat arrow. In the second half of summer, it dries up and forms a tumbleweed.

Along the entire length of the arrow there is not exactly a road, but only its semblance, which is usually called a "washboard" here. In fact, it is only the direction on the sandstone, marked by low (5-8 centimeters in height) "sides" at the edges, although experienced tourists say that for a car this is a fairly convenient path. There is civilization only in the north, where the coastline to the village of Strelkovoye is densely built up with tourist centers and children's camps, there is a paved road and a water supply system.

Since 2014, the Arabat Spit has been in two states simultaneously. Before the known events, it completely belonged to Ukraine, after which its southern part, together with the Crimean peninsula, was annexed to Russia, while the slightly more developed northern part remained part of the Kherson region.

Despite the fact that the already mentioned road "ironing board" runs along the entire length of the spit, the border here is not represented by any checkpoint. Apparently, it is assumed that due to the huge distance between Strelkovo in the north and Solyany in the south, crossing the border in this place is unlikely to interest anyone. When entering the spit across the bridges from the Genichesk side, Ukrainian border guards may be interested in the purpose of the visit; from the Crimean Solyanoy side, there are no such restrictions.

Despite the fact that there seems to be no control over the observance of the border, its crossing at this place, without going through customs procedures, both parties will be regarded as an offense.

The Arabat arrow on both sides of the current border is, in fact, two completely different worlds. The part that adjoins the Crimea directly can be said literally in a couple of sentences - There is practically no tourist infrastructure there, they go there just for the sake of wild recreation with their own tent, but due to the fact that there are no shops or even fresh water anywhere, this is a decent risk without a personal car.

Recently, periodically, there have been some actions aimed at organizing campgrounds and similar amenities on the southern side of the spit, but none of them has yet managed to gain fame as a proven, and most importantly, a permanent place where you can come at any time. As for organized recreation, it is offered only by recreation center "Safari" not far from the Arabat fortress, the rest of the structure is already located in Kamenskoye, that is, not directly on the spit.

The conditions in them, on the one hand, are similar, on the other, they are somewhat different, therefore each settlement should be considered separately.

The first when moving from the side of the continent is Genicheskaya Gorka is a small village with a population of about half a thousand people. Due to its convenient location, it was historically the first resort on the spit, because many local recreation centers were built several decades ago.

The tourist should be careful as only a few of them have undergone major overhauls and global technology upgrades. Chasing low prices, you can run into classic Soviet "conveniences". There are also several wellness complexes here. The cheapest housing can be found in the private sector, but it is usually not located on the first line. Despite the very modest size of the village, There is not so little infrastructure for tourists - there is a water park with a dolphinarium, an amusement park, and clubs, not to mention shops and pharmacies. It is this settlement that is chosen by those who love a noisy and comfortable rest.

Further along the coastline goes Schastlivtsevo, which in terms of population is three times larger than Genicheskaya Gorka (one and a half thousand people live here), but is considered a much quieter resort. People come here mainly for the treatment with mud, which are blue cosmetic and black medicinal.

There is no typical youth infrastructure, as well as luxury hotels, but there are several recreation centers and children's health camps. As befits a village of this size, and even a resort one, there is a minimal infrastructure in the form of shops and cafes, as well as pharmacies and a market. In Schastlivtsevo you are still in the midst of civilization, but you are already much closer to the savagery of the Arabat arrow.

The 1,500th Rifle is located last - beyond it, for about a hundred kilometers, there will not be a single settlement, up to the tiny Solyanoye, located already at the entrance to the main part of Crimea.Considering that it is quite difficult and expensive to get into the depths of the Arabat Spit, Strelkovoye, located at the maximum distance from the "mainland", boasts tranquility and cleanliness.

Unlike the villages described above and Genichesk himself, the seabed here deepens more sharply, therefore it is well suited for swimmers, and the local hot springs allow you to improve your health. Here, like nowhere else, it makes sense to turn to the private sector, since there are still recreation centers and sanatoriums here, but there are already relatively few of them. But in these parts there are campsites for those who want a "wild" holiday, but with minimal amenities.

Considering the peculiarities of the geological structure of the Arabat Spit and the fact that there have never really been full-fledged large settlements on it, it is rather difficult to expect any sights from this place in the generally accepted sense of the word. The main local attraction is the very specificity of this place - a strip of desert sandwiched between two sea shores.

Inside a narrow strip of land, there are often hot thermal springs, which makes the local nature even more unique - you must admit that something like this can not be seen everywhere. In addition, the local conditions are highly valued for the amazing privacy of these places, because just imagine: here you can drive so far that the nearest car is a few tens of kilometers away from you.

If, nevertheless, we talk about the sights as the creations of human hands, then they here, perhaps, will not greatly impress a person who has seen a lot, but in general they are able to complement the original portrait of this place.

• Arabat fortress, located in the very south, near the village of Solyanoye, already mentioned above, and it is she who can be considered the only real local attraction. Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, historical documents indicate that these picturesque ruins are at least 350 years old. The structure of the fortress is especially interesting - in order to additionally protect it from cannonballs, it was drowned somewhat in a specially dug ditch so that it would not rise too high above the ground, but at the same time it was not dug into it.

• In the middle part of the spit, you can see traces of Soviet quarries, where at one time they tried to establish the extraction of shell rock. The industrialists stopped in time, realizing that their activities would most likely lead to the destruction of the entire Arabat arrow and could provoke an environmental disaster in the Sea of ​​Azov. It was customary not to leave the remaining pits without work - a fish farm was organized here, which filled it with water and began to breed fish there.

• Despite the fact that the Arabat arrow was never interested in people as a place for permanent residence, it was an important strategic point... Here and in our days there are traces of past wars. In addition to all the same fortress, it is worth mentioning the line of German bunkers from the Second World War. They are located on the side of the Sivash.

• The village of Solyanoye, located at the southern end of the spit, got its name for a reason - even today there is a salt production plant here, organized according to the principle proven for centuries. There are huge "plantations" of shallow containers, where concentrated Sivash brine is poured. Then the burning Crimean sun gets down to business - under its rays the water evaporates, but the salt remains.

• In the vicinity of the village of Strelkovoye in the northern part of the spit, you can see how natural gas is being extracted from the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov. The air bells are an unusual sight and one of the few places where they can be observed from land.

• Near the beginning of the Arabat Gulf, the remains of several sunken ships can be seen from the water. It is difficult to tell right away from what time these remains are, but nowadays they are periodically used by the military as targets for practicing basic skills. You are unlikely to be allowed to observe the teachings directly, but even on any other day this sight seems quite interesting.

Given the scale of the Arabat Spit and its isolated position, it will be possible to get to the spit itself only from the south, from the side of the Crimean peninsula, or from the north, from the side of Genichesk through the bridges.

Both options are good in their own way, since the southern part is more wild and isolated, and the northern one is better organized in terms of infrastructure. At the same time, neither there nor there, of course, there are no airfields or a railway, although in the northern part it was partially in Soviet times. It turns out that you can get here either by personal transport, or by public transport - but only to the outskirts of the spit.

It's not so easy to get to the Arabat Spit from the Crimean Peninsula - in the immediate vicinity of it there are no large cities, and on it itself there is only the village of Solyanoye with a population of less than 100 people, which does not contribute to the development of public transport. From here (and in winter, probably only from the neighboring Kamenskoye), there is a bus to Feodosia, which is 52 kilometers away. It is somewhat easier to get to Feodosia itself - for example, if you flew by plane to Simferopol airport, then you can get either by direct flight from the airport or with a transfer in Simferopol itself.

An alternative option, especially convenient for those who arrived in Crimea via the Crimean bridge in their own car, is to get to Solyanoy on their own. From Kerch, located at the exit from the bridge across the strait, 98 kilometers to Solyanoye, you can overcome them in 1.5-2 hours. If you would like to see the remote parts of the Arabat Spit or just find a truly secluded place to relax, this option seems to be optimal, because Let us remind you that there is no public transport along the spit.

In the northern part of the spit, there are four settlements at once (Genicheskaya Gorka, Priozernoye, Schastlivtsevo and Strelkovoye) and a huge amount of tourist infrastructure, so transport links are developed here somewhat better - to Strelkovoye, located last, there is even a paved road lined with slabs from the dismantled airfield.

Buses also go there twice a day from Kherson - a regional center located far on the continent, they also go through the regional center of Genichesk, which has a direct bus connection with settlements in other regions of Ukraine. In summer, the number of flights from the regional center increases many times. In addition, Genichesk is easily accessible from neighboring Novoalekseevka, which today is the terminal station for several passenger trains of Ukrainian railways connecting the region with the rest of Ukraine.

About where to stop and what to see on the Arbat Spit in Crimea, see the next video.