All about Cape Meganom in Crimea

The vast majority of Crimean resorts are cities or small villages, but Cape Meganom is unique in this regard - everyone knows about this place as a place for recreation, but there is no village or city here. Meganom as a tourist area is not entirely correct to call a cape - one really exists, but they go to rest on a small peninsula, on which there are four capes at once: in addition to the one of the same name, also Rybachy, Bugas and Tolsty. People often come here for peace of mind, and if you are looking for it, you are definitely here.

Like other natural sites, the real history of the origin of Cape Meganom is directly related to geology and physics, but the locals prefer to tell visitors more beautiful legends. Considering that Crimea at different times belonged to completely different civilizations, the stories about Cape Meganom are also completely different.

Since the first developed people who lived in the vicinity were the ancient Greeks, the main legends about the origin of this place are associated with them. The main version, of course, is very specific, and is not very conducive to a fun beach holiday - supposedly, somewhere there is a gate to Hades, the kingdom of the dead.

There is, however, a more gallant legend, albeit also associated with the kingdom of the dead. Those who are familiar with the legends about the adventures of Odysseus know that one of the most difficult tests for him was a meeting with the one-eyed monster Cyclops, who almost ate him.There are stories that Odysseus was captured by the Cyclops in the vicinity of Meganom, and the very caves where he lived and through which he descended to Hades are the caves of the neighboring Karadag.

For those who are inclined to dismiss old fables, a more modern story can be told: they say that the Soviet military were looking for so-called places of power here, or, in more scientific terms, they studied local magnetic anomalies. They, of course, will not share their discoveries with tourists, but the fact is that two military units nearby have survived to this day - thanks, at least they are allowed to enter the cape.

Naturally, in places covered with such legends, there must be more chilling tourist horror stories, and they really are. They say that nearby you can see sunken ghost ships, and "ordinary" ghosts, and even the silhouette of a lamb, which is clearly visible on the edge of the cliff on a bright night. Of course, not everyone believes in these stories, but it adds color to the area.

The word “meganom” itself is of Greek origin and is translated as “large, spacious pasture”, although in other sources you can find an alternative translation like “our (common) home”.

If we talk about the location of Meganom, then It is located relatively close to Sudak, to the east of it - if you look on the map - it is a peninsula protruding into the sea in the direction of Koktebel, Feodosia and Kerch. In administrative terms, this piece of land belongs specifically to Sudak, and occupies about 20 square kilometers. The boundaries of the large Meganom Peninsula are determined by Mount Alchak (from the west), the Bugas River (in the east) and the Tokluk-Syrt ridge (in the north).

Despite the fact that the subtropical climate reigns near Meganom, looking for palm trees here is in vain - the desert climate reigns here, and the landscape corresponds to it. Most of the peninsula is occupied by mountains (mainly in the east) and hills (in the west), but on three sides there is the sea - the coastline stretches for as much as 16 kilometers.

Despite the fact that in the inner Crimea there are enough regions with extremely dry steppe, it is the seaside Meganom that is considered one of the driest. The vegetation here is rather poor, but the peninsula is open to all winds, which is intensively used by humans thanks to the construction of wind farms. With the local flora and fauna, everything is much more diverse and interesting - there are dozens of living species listed in the Red Book.

Honestly, it is not surprising that the Greeks chose Meganom to locate their entrance to the kingdom of the dead here. Whatever one may say, it is this place in terms of climate that can be called the most lifeless and deserted among all those that were located near the ancient Greek city-states. Here you are actually in the desert, because even the neighboring Sudak with its arid and sunny climate seems like a tropical paradise compared to Meganom.

Let's compare the main indicators: if in Yalta 609 mm of precipitation falls per year, then in Sudak - only 318 mm, and even less on Cape Meganom. If Pike perch is rather windy with average gusts of 4 m / s, then squalls are even more noticeable on Meganom - the peninsula is open to the sea from almost all sides, and with vegetation slowing down hurricanes, it did not work out very well here.

But this place should appeal to beach lovers, because the sun shines in Sudak and its environs for 2350 hours a year - this is 100 hours more than in the famous Yalta. Cloudy days, of which there are not too many here, fall mainly in the cold half of the year.

In summer, this is one of the hottest places in Crimea - at the height of a July or August sunny day, mercury in thermometers sometimes reaches 40 degrees. The climate here is not really subtropical yet, therefore, although as an exception, in winter there may be bitter frosts up to 20 degrees below zero. But in summer, the water near the coast of Meganom warms up quite quickly, and even its average daily temperature in July-August does not drop below 22 degrees.

Somewhere nearby, a local record was also recorded, when the water warmed up to 33 degrees. All this makes the local swimming season one of the longest on the Crimean peninsula: it is estimated at 135-140 days, and it lasts from early June to mid-October.

Going to rest on Cape Meganom, you need to take into account the fact that there are no settlements on it. If you like a "wild" vacation, then this may not be a problem for you - you can choose any part of the coast you like and put up your own tent, but then be prepared that there will be nothing similar to the tourist infrastructure nearby.

For those who still want to dwell on Meganom, it can be interesting several organized campings and a two-star hotel "Ilgeri" on the coast of the Kapsel bay. Too many tourists do not like this option, since it is still not even a village, so they prefer to rent an apartment in nearby settlements.

In this regard, Sudak is best suited for short-term excursions. - this is not quite the nearest settlement, but it is a relatively large city that claims to be a local center of tourism.

The main local advantage is the presence of not only interesting infrastructure, including ancient monuments, and housing for every taste, from the private sector to decent hotels, but also the proximity to Meganom itself. The distance by road to the very edge of the peninsula is estimated at 16 kilometers, but due to the peculiarities of the route, do not expect to overcome it very quickly - you will have to spend a good half hour.

On various resources on the Internet, you can see that the settlements closest to the Megan Peninsula are Mindalnoye, Bogatovka, Solnechnaya Dolina and Pribrezhnoye. Here you need to understand that everything depends on the purpose of your arrival, because if you look along the roads, the first two villages are located approximately at the same distance as Sudak, and the last two are even further away.

Since the area at Cape Meganom is largely deserted, there are no outstanding sights here - apparently, the eerie legends about this place themselves scared away those who could theoretically settle here. For this reason, almost the only architectural object worth seeing is local lighthouse... Actually, it is usually on him that they are guided, since it is located at the very cape, and a relatively decent road leads to it.

If suddenly you consider yourself to be informals and people with the maximum breadth of views, it may make sense to go to the beach in Fox Bay. This place is interesting for nudists, hippies and other informal people who come here, so for many guests it would be a unique experience.

At the same time, most of the organized entertainment, of which there are relatively few, is worth looking for on the coast of the Kapsel Bay. This is the only relatively civilized place on the entire peninsula - at least in the summer, there are enough tourists here and several campgrounds open.The beaches here are also pretty good, so for those who want to relax directly on the territory of the peninsula, this particular place should be of particular interest.

As for the inland sections of the peninsula, remote from the coast, there is nothing very interesting here - the terrain here is partly deserted, partly mountainous or hilly, so you can come here only for the "Martian" landscapes, but nothing more.

Despite the fact that there are no full-fledged villages on the peninsula itself, tourists are still drawn here - someone is attracted by the solitude, someone is interested in the esoteric and supernatural features of this place. Megan is often called a place of power, here you can allegedly be saturated with healing energy, and for this, they say, even an ordinary beach vacation is suitable. It's even surprising how the entire coast in this place is still not built up with hotels, because the numerous small coves of Meganom are very cozy and invite you to soak up their small pebbles.

The big advantage of being located on the Meganom Peninsula is that it juts out quite far into the sea, therefore it is convenient to observe both sunrises and sunsets from its territory. For many people it is a lifelong dream to see a daylight emerge from sea waters or sit in them, but here you can see both in one day! Such phenomena are described as an event of incredible beauty, and it is possible that a significant part of tourists come here precisely for this.

Besides, Meganom is interesting for those who are fond of diving. The surroundings are relatively quiet, there is no abundance of people swimming and scaring away underwater inhabitants. Due to this, the inhabitants of the sea remain relatively unafraid, and can be viewed at close range.

Some vacationers prefer to observe fish not under water, in their natural habitat, but in an already caught form. Despite the general seclusion of this place, It is not a nature reserve, therefore fishing is allowed here. In neighboring settlements, you can negotiate with the locals about going out to sea by boat or small boat - this is how you can admire the beautiful landscapes and try to fish in the best traditions of a real seaside fisherman.

If you went for esotericism, then pay special attention to the so-called temple of the sun. Here, at the tantric altar of the Shaivists, during the summer season, meditation classes with real yogis are constantly held.

Due to the fact that Cape Meganom is not a popular resort or even a village, it is not yet so easy to get there. On the map, it is found between Sudak and Feodosia, much closer to the first, but there are no direct public transport routes here - buses only go through the aforementioned Almond and Bogatovka towards Koktebel and the same Feodosia, and will take you, say, half the way.

It turns out that first you need to get at least to Sudak, but this is somewhat easier. If you have your own car and leave from the Crimean bridge, it will be useful to know that the distance from Kerch, located at the exit from the bridge, to Cape Meganom, is 156 kilometers, which can be covered in 2.5-3 hours. In this case, you need to go along the Tavrida highway to Feodosia, and then further to Sudak.

If you know where to park your car at the campsite or plan to hop on the cape itself on the way to other resorts, you do not need to get to Sudak - before it you will need to turn left in time.

At the same time, most tourists from afar arrive on the Crimean Peninsula through the airport of Simferopol. As a relatively large city by local standards, Sudak is connected with Simferopol by both passing and direct bus routes, and there are routes both from the Kurortnaya bus station-2 and directly from the airport. If you go from the bus station, the travel time will be about 2 hours, the ticket price ranges from 286 to 366 rubles.

See below for details of recreation at Cape Meganom.