Red caves in Crimea: attractions and location

Going on a summer vacation, every traveler or just a vacationer is waiting for something extraordinary from the upcoming pastime. Therefore, it is desirable that the long-awaited vacation on the Black Sea coast becomes extraordinary.

Recently, vacation in Crimea is gaining more and more popularity - excellent weather conditions, unforgettable sights attract thousands of tourists.

If you prefer active rest, and not just spending time on a lounger by the quietly lapping waves, then you should definitely visit the mysterious and still unknown cave with the romantic name Kizil-Koba.

One of the largest caves in Europe, which is a fabulous dungeon of six levels, is located in Crimea, a couple of tens of kilometers from Simferopol, the capital of the Crimean peninsula. Kizil-Koba means “red” in translation and goes into the depths of the earth for 26 kilometers. Most of this formation, consisting of numerous underground grottoes, has not yet been studied by scientists and lovers of underground descent, and, as you know, the unknown always attracts a lot of curious people.

The history of Kizil-Kob began 70 thousand years ago.

Scientists have discovered half-dugouts, which served as a cult place for local shamans and priests, which is confirmed by the bones of sacrificial animals and various ceramics found.Later, in the 3rd-4th centuries AD, the Scythian tribes settled here, and in the cave, where the temperature was always low, they kept numerous amphorae with wine.

For a long time, our ancestors mined refractory clay in the Kizil-Koba caves, and already in 1803 the Russian writer Pyotr Sumarokov first described the secrets of the Red Cave and the first tourists began to come here. The famous poet and diplomat A.S. Griboyedov also came here. Travelers descended into unexplored grottoes with candles and torches.

In the 90s of the last century, a 500-meter observation deck was prepared for tourists. Today, crowds of tourists go on an excursion to the deep halls of Kizil-Koba, hoping to see the mysteries of the cave and discover the mysteries of the cave.

The Red Cave got its name from the reddish-brown hue of the limestones of the Upper Jurassic period. The largest hall available for excursions is the hall of the blue font, the height of which reaches 145 meters, so it is completely impossible to see it, the area of ​​real inspection of the cave reaches only 500 meters, but what will appear before the eyes of admiring visitors is quite enough for an unforgettable experience.

It was the water, penetrating into the depths of the natural cave, that created the amazingly shaped grottoes, galleries and halls. The course of the river goes deep into the water, so the vaults of some halls border on the water level. Such areas, in some places completely submerged under water, are called siphons: there are six of them in Kizil-Kobe.

Travelers will be able to see the two lower floors of the cave, on the first of which the waters of the river flow, and the second floor is equipped with special platforms for tourists.

• The first hall of the cavemeeting tourists is the reconstruction of the sanctuary, which was located here many hundreds of years ago. The admiring gaze of tourists will see animal skulls, stone millstones and clay vessels: all of this once belonged to an ancient people who lived on the nearby slopes. The length of the "underground kingdom" is 26 kilometers, the depth of the underground reaches 135 meters.

• In almost an hour you can get acquainted with the beauties of several rooms: "Academic", "Indian", "Argentine". The lakes formed by the course of the river in the grottoes are striking in their mystery. Huge stalactites, the height of the most impressive of which is 8 meters, underground currents, bizarre changes in rocks - all this is part of an unforgettable excursion that experienced guides will lead for those who wish.

• By the way, travelers are offered two types of excursions: basic and extreme, to the siphon part of the Red Cave.

This tour lasts about three hours, and the organizers will provide you with costumes. First, you will overcome the siphon, a natural obstacle of 1.5 meters in length. It is not difficult even for an inexperienced tourist to do this, then you need to swim a distance of 100 meters along an underground river. Although at first such an unusual route could only be passed by speleologists, professionals - cave explorers.

For extreme lovers, a special rope is pulled there, which you can hold on to with your hands, getting to the hall of the "Northern Harbor". Then you have to overcome the path littered with boulders, making your way through the natural rubble. The part of the cave that opens after this path literally strikes with its multicolor: drip formations of different shapes and colors will not leave anyone indifferent.The pristine beauty conquers lovers of secrets and discoveries, people could not get here for a long time, so there is something to see. Anyone who has reached the age of 16 and knows how to swim can make such a trip.

According to scientists, today the underground of the cave continues to grow due to the fact that an underground river washes out the new vaults of the cave.

You can go down to the siphon right from the hall of the sanctuary, the path for tourists is covered with a flooring, since during floods an underground river often floods the tourist route.

It is along its banks that inquisitive tourists will be able to walk during an excursion, wander near underground waterfalls, and see unsafe underground wells. The streaks from the vaults of the cave resemble various figures. Some of them - "Weeping gnome" or "Master of the cave" - ​​shrouded in the mystery of various legends and myths. It is sad that some interesting exhibits were mercilessly destroyed by vandals. But even today, the final point of the excursion is the zest of the dungeon - the most beautiful twenty-meter waterfall "Pink Streams".

Taking pictures of the "interior" of the cave during the excursion is not prohibited, however, you can do this during a stop.

Vacationers will definitely be invited to visit several mysterious Kizil-Koba caves: Kharanlykh-Koba, Golubinaya, Camomile.

Going on this mysterious journey be sure to take warm clothes with you - it is quite cool in the underground, during the year the temperature here does not rise above 9 degrees Celsius.

The journey along the mysterious mountain is not limited to only mysterious descents under the ground - After exiting the cave, excursionists are invited to go down to the Tuff site with bubbling springs. Water gets here from one of the underground lakes, located a little higher in the mountain range. True, the springs disappear if the water level in the lake decreases.

In the process of "squeezing" water out of the ground, which occurs due to the release of limestone tuff, carbon dioxide disappears and the chemical equilibrium is disturbed. Organic residues are washed out with water, leaving voids behind. Scientists call this formation a monument to an underground river. There is also a majestic and picturesque 25-meter Su-Uchkhan waterfall nearby.

It is from the Tuff site that tourists have an amazing view: the top of the mountain Pakhkal-Kaya, or "Bald Ivan" (as the locals call it), which served the Crimean partisans during the Great Patriotic War as an observation point, as well as the ledge of the Chatyr-Dag plateau and the Taz-Tau pyramid.

But not only the secrets of Kizil-Koba attract tourists here. A sea of ​​delights awaits travelers in the vicinity of the mysterious mountain. A two-kilometer path through colorful places to the cave lies through the specialized camping "Fairy Valley of the Red Caves". If you don’t want to go on foot, there is a small train at your service, which will take you for 50 rubles to the place of your stop.

"Fairy Valley" is a modern landscape and recreational park, a resting place for numerous tourists. It is in the perfectly equipped gazebos located on its territory that you can appreciate all the delights of the unique Crimean nature.

On the territory of the recreation center "Fairy Cave" there is a lot of fascinating things. On an area of ​​about 100 hectares, you can settle in your own tent, there are also lakes with different forms of fountains, numerous cafes with aromatic food for every taste. By the way, if you have stocked up on meat for barbecue in advance, then you can cook it yourself on the grills available here. Particularly surprising are the numerous shell-stone figurines, gnomes, animals and even the Statue of Liberty scattered throughout the territory.

For lovers of natural, aromatic and healthy honey, local beekeepers offer a huge selection of beekeeping products. Interestingly, at the local apiary, you can not only eat honey, but also get wellness procedures: sleep sessions on bee hives. Quite unusual and useful as much as possible.

Children will certainly be interested in horseback riding in the vicinity of the base, while experienced guides will offer adults specialized routes through the places of the partisan movement. Lovers can also get riding lessons right there.

Sports lovers can try their hand at competing on the golf course. Extremists will be able to ride quite dashingly on the Crimean off-road in jeeps. For lovers of reasonable speed, the recreation organizers will offer riding on electric cars along the territory of the valley.

Souvenir shops, a small zoo where Vietnamese pigs, foxes, monkeys, goats and other animals live, sports equipment rental - all these services are offered to vacationers. But the most important thing is the opportunity to relax on this wonderful base in comfortable wooden pavilions, some of which look more like the buildings of the ancient Vikings. Small houses where you can stay overnight are equipped with showers and toilets, as well as everything you need for an economy class vacation.

You can relax here at any time of the year - just come for the weekend and breathe in the fresh Crimean air. Calendar holidays are often held here, and recently a Viking movie park was built nearby, where the shooting of the famous film Viking took place. If you have not had time to explore all the delights of the Crimean riddle of Kizil-Koba, then twenty kilometers from the "Fairy Valley" there are many hotels that are ready to receive guests for any period of time.

The Red Cave is located near Simferopol, in the area with. Perevalny. If you are traveling without your own transport, then from the railway station of the Crimean capital, route taxis "Simferopol-Perevalnoye" run every 20 minutes.

You can get there by trolleybuses going to Alushta or Yalta. You need to get to the stop "Stadium" or "Perevalnoe - 2". It is three kilometers from the cave itself. You need to get to it through the above-described "Fairy Valley" camping.

By car, you will have to drive about 25 kilometers along the Yalta highway from Simferopol.

The unique archaeological site Kizil-Koba must be included in the proposed route of any vacationer in Crimea, otherwise your “Crimean” history will be incomplete.

See below for an overview of the cave from the inside.