Overview of the Karalar Natural Park in Crimea

Traveling is the pursuit of endorphins, new experiences and inspiration. There is a saying: "When you go out for a walk, you go for it with one person, and you come a little different." What can we say about full-fledged travel, which is sometimes the best way to reboot. And you don't always need to go to places with a high influx of tourists and a top line in the ranking of the most popular travel destinations.

There are areas, zones, territories that many have never heard of, but once they find themselves there, they fall in love with them with all their hearts. And this definition perfectly describes the Karalar Natural Park.

To get to the regional landscape park, you need to come to the north of the Kerch Peninsula, in the eastern part of Crimea. The reserve is located not far from old Kerch, and if you are already resting there or have come to the city for "event" tourism, find an opportunity to visit the reserve too. It is very easy and convenient to get from Kerch by car. Organized excursions to this place are not provided, but this is more a plus than a minus.

Karalar Park is a good nature reserve for solo or family trips. Many people go there to be alone with their thoughts, to do a psychological reboot. The territory is the best suited for this - the landscapes are calm, lyrical, cinematic. You will not be charged for visiting the park. Apparently, until centralized excursions are organized, it will not exist.

Meanwhile, even if we assume that the place can be visited by bus, there will be little sense in this, and half of the beauty of the reserve is simply not to be seen. Because the car is the only good option. You can, of course, take public transport or take a taxi to the village of Kurortnoye, but then only on foot. But not everyone can walk on foot, because it is 21 km, stretching along the coast.

Plan a route in advance using the navigator, google map. By the way, when you zoom in on the map, you will see a kind of announcement of a future trip - it's hard not to notice how many bays the Karalar Park includes.

It does not fit into my head, but for several decades the territory of the current reserve was a training ground for military tests. For 50 years, weapons of wide destruction have been tested in these beautiful, unique places. Almost immediately after the Great Patriotic War, a training ground was formed and lasted the entire arms race. But there is no need to fear: there were no explosions here, in fact the test site belonged to the Bagerovsky military airfield, and there, according to available information, they were engaged in degassing and decontamination of aircraft.

However, terrible things have not passed the natural park. The airfield was closed in the early 70s, while the landfill became a nuclear burial ground where radioactive contaminated equipment and machinery were buried (and in addition another 6 thousand tons of soil contaminated with harmful substances). And only in 1998, the local authorities realized the mistake: they finally appreciated the unique nature and allocated an area of ​​5900 hectares, which became the base of the reserve zone.

It became a regional landscape complex in 2007, then expanded by another 900 hectares. For the fourth year already, Karalar Park has been considered a protected reserve of regional significance.

In addition to the territory on land, the reserve also includes 360 hectares of the Azov water area. The reserve includes almost the entire northern part of the Kerch Peninsula. The place is not just picturesque: hills, plains, rocks, quarries, rivers, lakes, and beautiful beaches make up one common natural zone.

There were also some historically significant objects here.: for example, the remains of ancient settlements (Bronze Age) were included in the natural landmark. Of course, to someone they will seem nothing more than a heap of stones, but an educated and knowledgeable person can give a real assessment of these stones.

In the northwest, the reserve is washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov, its coastline is characterized by a rocky structure - not the most rapid ledges, deep cliffs and sharp peaks. The rock formations seem to be riddled with grottoes, old quarries. Deep into the Kerch peninsula, the steppe leaves, which shocks the eye of the traveler, especially in spring. This season it can boast of impressive vegetation, rare species of flowers.

In the east of the reserve you will see Chokrak lake, which is distant from the Sea of ​​Azov by a narrow embankment. The lake is one of the largest reservoirs of its type in Crimea. Further - Osovinsky steppe massif, a place of solitude, very conducive to philosophizing, rethinking your life. Some tourists compare it to the end of the world: so the steppe seems mysteriously lifeless.

In the south of the park there is a large-scale Artesian tract. And all this diversity in one area. Fans of the so-called civilized recreation with beaches packed with sunbathers, attractions and other entertainment establishments are unlikely to like the lonely, visible desolation of the Karalar Natural Park, stretched in eternity. But this place, figuratively speaking, is not for "a wide, but for a deep spectator."

It's great if you manage to be here in the spring. In summer, the steppe is dusty, gray, seemingly dried up from the merciless sun. Spring is another matter.In the season of awakening, everything here blooms and smells sweet. Here you can see rare birds listed in the Red Book. And the flowers here are not scarce in their variety. What are the famous Crimean tulips that you will not find anywhere similar!

This is what attracts tourists in the first place. Yes, it's hard to forget the pink flowering swell that surrounds Chokrak Lake. It is salineros, a plant accustomed to living on the shores of salt lakes and seas. But still, the desolation of the coasts, which line up in some kind of endless, sad and grandiose broken line, you will probably still dream about it. Behind Lake Chokrak, the road ascends to a plateau, along which you can move along the coast. Very beautiful landscapes open up after the first bend in the road.

It is interesting that initially planning the route, from the maps, the navigator, you will learn that the road along the route takes only an hour. But you will definitely not meet an hour! You will definitely want to stand there, take a picture here, sit here, and in that place pick up a bag full of shells, of which there are billions.

Each bay that opens up to your eyes is beautiful in its own way. And what are their names: Fox, Pontonnaya, Lilac, Shelkovichnaya, Lady, Monkey. But the most famous bays in the park are General and Shirokaya.

One of the most interesting is Barynya Bay. She is the Bay of Nefertiti, she is the Deva rock. From a distance, the rock looks like a girlish silhouette. Someone sees Assol waiting for her prince, someone is a sad widow who has lost her beloved in the depths of the sea, someone is a lonely wanderer. You can come up with your own version: the place is conducive to creative thinking and romanticizing what you see.

In some bays, it is theoretically possible to go down by car, but the exit will not be easy. Therefore, it is better to walk. There are gazebos on the territory of some bays. I would like to sit in them with thermoses and delicious pastries, but a squally wind can disrupt your plans.

When it seems that there will be no end to the beaches and bays, as well as your immersion in yourself and dialogue with nature, signs of civilization begin to be seen. The navigator will show that after driving through a large area, you got to the village of Zolotoe. And it lives up to its name, especially if the weather plays along - golden sand, sunlight poured along the coast, quickly replaces a little gloomy ascetic beaches.

Indeed, one can hear such a definition from tourists. Perhaps it is worth explaining this by the hypnotic self-sufficiency of the place - not disturbed today by human activity, noise, bustle of the territory, general detachment with internal orderliness, the rule of the elements, and not the "crown of nature." Someone compared Karalar Park with the best of the proposed psychotherapy tools.

Even if you are visiting this place with a small company, you will get the impression that nature is talking to you personally. People even advise to come here during periods of reflection, making responsible decisions. They refer to the fact that certain gravitational forces, the forces of the elements, have a good effect on a person's intuition, and he chooses the right decision. It is definitely worth visiting the Karalar Park for those who:

• loves traveling with a sense of solitude, silent conversation with nature;
• loves the rapid change of natural objects - lake, sea, steppe, bays;
• loves to walk along romantic coastlines, blown by the sea breeze, rustling shells underfoot;
• I have long wanted to admire the steppe vegetation.

For a video review of the Karalar Natural Park from the air, see the following video.