Chatyr-Dag in Crimea: what is this mountain famous for and how to get there?

Crimea is rich in natural attractions. Mount Chatyr-Dag is popular with tourists for the splendor of the opening landscapes and the variety of caves.

Chatyr-Dag is located in Crimea near the Simferopol-Alushta highway, the exact location is the village of Mramornoye. Translated from the Crimean Tatar - "tent mountain", since Chatyr is translated as "tent", and Dag is "mountain". The mountain consists of 2 plateaus: lower (northern) and upper (southern). The lower slopes gently slope down to the northern side, which is covered with steppe grass. At the southern end (near the steep slope), the lower plateau is covered with beech forests and juniper glades. There are many hiking trails and several beautiful caves. There is a yew grove on the eastern side of the lower plateau.

The upper plateau of the mountain range has the shape of a giant bowl, on its rim the highest peaks are marked on the map. Everything here is covered with alpine meadows, the slopes are very steep and offer several routes for multi-day climbing.

The height of the highest peak, Eklizi-Burun, is 1527 m above sea level.

It cannot be said that Chatyr-Dag is a mountain, rather, an array that stands alone is therefore allocated. Its length is 10 kilometers to the south, and 4.5 kilometers to the east from the west. According to the geologists who conducted research here, the massif, when the mountains of the Crimea were just forming, represented a single whole with them. Chatyr-Dag separated under the influence of rivers and erosion.

The structure consists of two types of rock.At the bottom there is a harder one that can withstand the onset of water - silt and sandstone. Loose limestone lies on the surface and covers an area of ​​1 kilometer in height. It was sandstone that became the reason why there are so many caves on Chatyr-Dag, where ancient people even settled in the Neolithic era, and there is indisputable evidence of this in the form of archaeological finds.

There is also another name given to the flat mountain by the Greeks - Trebizond. In translation, this word means "mountain-table". When the Turkic-speaking population arrived and settled in this place, they did not radically change anything, they simply transported it in their own way and it turned out to be a “tent-mountain”.

There are many hiking trails to reach the attraction. If it’s too difficult, they thought of a good dirt road, along which many people get to Chatyr-Dag by car. The track has been preserved since the times when a military base worked here; today, numerous hikes are organized here or people come by car.

To get from Yalta and Alushta to the mountain is first by public transport, which moves to Simferopol, then towards Yalta, where you will have to get off at the Angarsk Pass stop after 1.5 hours. From the road there is a small forest road that reaches the tourist base with the same name. It is from here that the path upward starts. When approaching the fork, you will need to turn left. After a few minutes of the way, the power line will be visible, behind it again the fork. Now the road goes off to the right.

Once at Bukovaya Polyana, you need to go to a marked path with marks that show the way. If you need to stock up on water, then you should do it in the spring here. The trail will get steeper and steeper until you find yourself on a plateau. There are additional signs with which you can easily get to the tourist centers and caves.

This is not the only trail that can lead to the mountain. You can move through Zarechnoye, then cross the village of Mramornoye, then only through the forest, but this road takes much more time, since public transport does not often go to settlements.

Having your own transport makes the task easier. The roads here are well-worn, well-sprinkled with gravel, wide enough for the driver to feel comfortable. You can drive up the mountain when there is no snow.

At the top of the mountain, the climate is very similar to that of St. Petersburg. It is not uncommon to encounter strong winds here. At the very top, snow persists until early May. Below, the mountainous climate is moderately warm and rather humid; the higher, the cooler. For every 100 meters upwards, there is a decrease in air temperature by 0.6 C. That is why the average annual indicator is + 7 C below, but at the top only + 4 C.

Here, about 1000 mm of precipitation falls per year, and 40% of them are snow. In winter, northeastern winds prevail here, so sometimes the temperature can drop to -32 C, and this must be taken into account. The falling snow does not constantly lie on the plateau, but all because sometimes warm southerly winds begin to blow here. If you want to go skiing, then you should find out the situation in advance. The best time for skiing is the second decade of November, in March-April the snow begins to melt, so there is too little of it.

A blizzard is the worst thing here, so in winter it is better not to appear on the mountain or to be as prepared as possible for the storm. Spring begins in mid-March when the air temperature begins to increase rapidly. The number of clouds in the sky decreases, green grass and the first flowers appear. If in spring there is a sharp rise in temperature, then in summer its growth slows down and stops at around 16-17 C. Already at the end of August, the heat again becomes less, by the end of September the sky is again covered with gray clouds.

The first snow falls in November, the cover is about 13 centimeters thick. You need to understand that climatic conditions may differ in different parts of the plateau. Where there are gorges, light practically does not penetrate, respectively, and the air warms up minimally, in open glades it is a little lighter and warmer. It is colder here in spring than in autumn.

The flora of the area is very rich, on the upper level there are:

• beech;
• hornbeam;
• oak;
• Pine;
• ash;
• maple.

Sometimes in the gorges one can find single bushes of berry yew. In fact, there are many fruit plants in this area, including pear, apple, dogwood and even cherry. You can find dense thickets of dogwood. But forests are not everywhere, the lower part of the slope remains treeless, while at the top there are practically no bushes. But on the whole mountain there is a lot of meadow-steppe grass.

As for the representatives of the animal world, it is no less diverse here. Deer is one of the largest mammals that live in these places. In winter, when food becomes scarce, these animals descend to the foot of the mountain, rarely go to the top. There are also many foxes with a bright, even fiery color and an attractive silver pattern. Its main habitat is rock crevices and small caves.

It is much more difficult to spot martens, of which there are many, but this animal behaves more cautiously. Badgers also live on the mountain, which do not hibernate, but perfectly find food for themselves even under the thickness of the snow. A squirrel was brought here from the Altai Territory. Today it is very common because it has something to eat here. When visiting the numerous caves, do not forget about the bats living inside. In winter, they sleep, sitting upside down inside, and with the onset of spring they begin to fatten.

Mount Chatyr-Dag is famous for its mountain peak Eklizi-Burun and numerous caves that lie under the upper and lower plateaus. Ishach's path leads to some of them. The most famous are the Marble Cave and Emine-Bair-Khosar. The marble cave, 68 meters deep and almost 2 km long, is a local landmark, inside which there are strangely shaped stalactites and stalagmites named after various animals, fairy-tale characters and even buildings such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Due to its uniqueness, the Marble Cave has become famous all over the world. Cavers consider it one of the five most beautiful on the planet and one of the 7 natural wonders of Crimea. In 1992, she was included in the International Association of Equipped Caves. In 1987, a team of speleologists from Simferopol discovered a grotto with a complex system of halls and galleries between Bin Bash-Koba and Suuk-Koba.

The new cave is located at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level. It was called marble (originally the name "Afghan" was also used), due to the fact that it was formed by marble limestone. In 1988, the Onyx Tour Center for Speleological Tourism organized excursion tours, laid concrete paths, and provided lighting.

Another cave - Emine-Bair-Khosar spirals down to a depth of 120 meters. Inside it are jade-like stalagmites and crystal flowers. This cave is notable for having a beautiful lake. According to legend, Emine threw herself to the bottom of a cave after her lover was killed by her father's family.

Vyalova Cave is located in the lower plateau of Chatyr-Dag Mountain. It is equipped with a vertical entrance 31 m deep, which gradually (at a depth of about 16 m) turns into a steep, almost vertical shaft.The total depth is 124 meters. Named after the Russian speleologist Vyalov. In addition, on the slopes of the mountain there is the Vyalova cave system, consisting of three objects located on the lower plateau.

See below about Chatyr-Dag mountain in Crimea.