Mount Ai-Petri in Crimea: where is it located and what kind of entertainment is it?

Only once having visited Mount Ai-Petri, which is located not far from the Big Yalta of the Crimean peninsula, you understand that this is the place where you want to return to enjoy the sense of peace that the mountains and the wind give to touch the clouds; to find yourself in beautiful caves, admire nature and breathe. Breathe the air of freedom and extreme, Crimean wine and real barbecue, admire the Black Sea, Yalta or the clouds.

More than 180 million years ago, on the site of this mountain complex, the sea was raging, at the bottom of which volcanoes lived their lives. The sea has already receded, but the remains of those volcanoes can still be seen today near Foros. And Ai-Petri turned into the battlements of limestone, in which over millions of years shellfish and algae, hiding in corals, have grown. In 1947, these sharp mountain peaks were officially recognized as a natural monument.

Today, the ridge of the Crimean Mountains has several yailas - in translation from Turkish “plateau”. This is the name of the plateau with fertile soil, which is located in a rocky area. Ai-Petrinskaya Yaila is a mountain range, the area of ​​which is more than 300 km2, stretching along the southern coast of Crimea. The limestone teeth of four large and several small peaks, blown by the winds, washed by precipitation, destroyed by time, hide in themselves 218 caves and more than a thousand karst wells.

In this way, Ai-Petri is not a free-standing mountain, but the longest complex of hills with an extensive plateau. The highest point in this yayl is Mount Roka - 1347 m. Beden-Kir (Quail Mountain) - the second highest, 1320 m. The height of Ai-Petri, by the name of which the whole complex is named, is 1234 m above sea level.

The history of the appearance of people in this area begins in primitive times.This is evidenced by archaeological finds found on the western slope of the Quail Mountain. But the harsh climate, high humidity made people come down from the mountains. In the Middle Ages, here (according to legend) the monastery of St. Peter appeared - this is how it is translated into Russian from the Greek "Ai-Petri". It is believed that the remains of this monastery are now preserved on top.

But this is one of the theories of the origin of the name. There is another, more romantic and sad, that makes you think about male selflessness (or recklessness) and female indecision (or rationality).

The story is how old the world is, praised by Shakespeare: loving people were not allowed to marry. And in protest, the young decided to drop off the mountain peak. But the path to death was too narrow, you could only go one at a time. Peter, the hero of our story, took the first step and crashed far below. And the girl, whose name was not preserved, could not decide on this last step in her life and only sat on the edge, lamenting "Ay Peter!"

For a long time, local residents grazed cattle on the plateau, but now Ai-Petri is part of the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve, grazing is prohibited. If you look at the mountains from the sea in this place, it seems that these are not separate peaks, but a medieval castle surrounded by fortress walls.

In the 19th century, for 30 years, engineer, colonel of the Russian army S. I. Shishko led the construction of a mountain serpentine, which eventually connected the mountain peak with Yalta, and the city with Simferopol. The work was completed in 1894. Having appreciated the merits of the engineer, Emperor Alexander II, who oversaw the construction, ordered to name the "distinctive rock the Shishko rock."

In 1895, a meteorological station was founded here. Later, two more stations were built: in the tracts Ai-Dmitry and Besh-Tekne. Now tourists, seeing in the distance white domes of silver color, consider that these are the very weather stations, but this is not so. The property of the military, interpreted as an object of air defense, comes into view.

Even before the 1917 revolution, these places were popular among the wealthy population, including the imperial family. There was a hotel and there was trade. Those wishing to appreciate the beauty of the place climbed the mountain on foot.

In the second half of the 20th century, a cable car was built, which begins almost under Ai-Petri, in the village of Miskhor, and ends in the village of Okhotnichye. And this cable car attracts no less than the mountains themselves.

The cable car works all year round, but, naturally, in the summer there is a huge number of people who want to use this transport. It should be borne in mind that organized excursion groups are out of turn, and this is a huge plus. Sightseers are invited to the closed trailers, where for 15 to 20 minutes you can stand while standing admiring Big Yalta, grape fields, the sea and rocks.

There are 3 stops on the road: Miskhor at 86 m above sea level; at an altitude of 304 m at the Sosnovy Bor station, tourists move to other trailers. The distance between these two stations is 1310 m. And then the upper section of the road is 1670 meters long to the Ai-Petri station.

The last meters of the road it seems that the cabs are sharply accelerating and tend to crash into the mountain. That's because at this moment the cars go at an angle of 46 degrees. For people who rarely have the opportunity to throw adrenaline, this trip may seem extreme. With a strong wind, the cars swing, the transition from one support to another is accompanied by sharp shocks and creaks of metal, but you should not be afraid of this.

Of course, there are accidents on the cable car, but they are not connected with a cliff or other difficult situations: in emergency situations, passengers have to wait time while standing in the trailer (there are no seats in them). And in the usual routes, a lot depends on the sightseers (it is important that there are no alarmists in the trailer) and the guide, who can reduce the degree of anxiety by distraction by the beautiful nature and interesting stories.

Also, tourists can be advised to use aero-sticks, sour candies during the ascent, and after leaving the booth, yawn widely to get rid of stuffiness in the ears. But having tuned in advance and made a supply of candies, know the main thing - inexpressible beauty awaits you. And she will be the main emotion.

With the advent of the cable car, the flow of tourists has made this plateau the most iconic place in the Crimea. But there are many who want to climb the mountain on foot or by car. Overview of the cableway see below.

So, regardless of the method of ascending a plateau (by cable car, car, sightseeing or on foot), you will find yourself in the area of ​​Okhotnichye village, where you will find all kinds of souvenirs, sheep’s products, a cafe with Crimean Tatars national cuisine and just delicious food as well as wine. Speaking about this side of the tour, it is worth noting that:

• after 2017, the number of outlets decreased significantly for reasons not related to tourism;
• if you are on a mountain with a tourist group, the guide will purposefully lead you to lunch at a certain cafe, not advising you to go to the others; this does not mean that there is danger in the rest, so it is up to you to decide whether or not to go with the group;
• as a rule, they will offer wine tasting and purchase: if you want to get rid of extra money, you can buy wine and woolen things here, but it’s much cheaper to do it below; and yet - not a single southerner will ever buy wine in a cardboard box, because it is a wine powder diluted with alcohol;
• unfortunately, the service in this place is very primitive, and the place is completely unattractive, so it’s better to go to the observation deck away from the malls;
• even if the air temperature is below 30, then you must take warm clothes to the mountain and you just need (!) non-slip shoes - even if you are lucky with the weather and there is no fog or rain, it’s very easy to slip on the stones; if you rose without warm clothes, then all this can be purchased here.

And you can overcome part of the descent of the zip line, but not in the trailer, but in the open air, fastened with a carabiner to the rope. See more about this later.

In the northeast, guests can admire the relict yew grove, where you can touch the millennial yew berry. There are several sites from which the entire coast stretches in front of you: Yalta, Vorontsov Palace, Swallow's Nest. In particularly clear weather, you can even consider another famous mountain of Crimea - Ayu-Dag. The unusually beautiful views make some sightseers lose caution and get too close to the cliffs.

Of course, these places were created in order to capture them on a camera, camcorder or smartphone. This is a necessary thing on such an excursion, but hats that are not fixed on the head, and umbrellas are useless things (too strong winds quickly deal with them). The most interesting photos are obtained on the suspension bridge. Not everyone can venture one step into the sky (even with insurance), and this trip is valuable.

In the village you will be offered to ride ATVs and jeeps, take a horse ride and even get to know camels. Indeed, it is worth to appreciate the mountain landscape and get to know better the flora and fauna of Ai-Petri. Indeed, among the trees and other plants in the oak, juniper, beech-hornbeam, and pine forests there are many endemic species (growing only here): Pontic needle, strawberry tree, jasmine shrub, Crimean bindweed, Crimean pine, Dubrovnik Yaylinsky.

In the reserve, mammals (37 species), birds (113 species), reptiles (11 species), amphibians (4 species) were recorded. Tour guides proudly say that the waters located in the bowels of the massif supply a significant part of Crimea.

Walking along the natural paths, you can see not only rare, but also unusual trees. For example, the famous drunk grove, consisting of pine trees of different species, is the result of landslides and endless winds on a mountain slope. Also during the tour you will definitely be shown a pine tree - an airplane that has spread its branches - wings.

Farther away from human eyes are meadows that do not even make sense to compare with alpine meadows, because only on the Ai-Petrinskaya Yail can you find an amazing floral picture painted by lilies of the valley and violets, crocuses and snowdrops, peonies and orchids.

Those who climbed the mountain by cable car can go down on foot or by car. After driving away from the summit just a little, after 5 minutes you will see a pointer to the Silver arbor, which was built on the occasion of the completion of the horse-drawn road to the top of the mountain at the end of the 19th century. The gazebo is installed over a cliff, at the very extreme point of Pendikyul Mountain. The view under your feet once again confirms that you came here not in vain. This is one of the best panoramic places.

After 15-20 minutes of descent from the Silver Arbor, right behind the large restaurant, you will find another natural wonder - the largest waterfall in Crimea and one of the largest in Europe - Wuchang-Su. It is difficult to feel in the summer, since at this time there is very little water in it. But in the spring, the sound of falling water is heard for several kilometers. That is why the Türks called it Flying Water - Uchan-Su.

Indeed, water from a height of 99 meters cannot drain, it flies, makes noise, breaking on stones. In winter, water flows turn into long icicles and growths, and between them, thin streams of living water break through, sparkling in the sun.

This place is loved by amateur climbers. The waterfall has its own talisman - a sculpture of an eagle. This place has the cleanest air and amazing atmosphere, but not in the summer, when Uchun-Su practically dries up.

Another stop is at Turtle Lake. Yes, on Ai-Petri, red-eared turtles have their own home. It is small, but no less interesting. To go around the lake and try to find the turtles, enough 20-30 minutes. This is a very beautiful place, but the presence in it of people who do not know that used bottles and wrappers need to be taken with them is very noticeable.

For those who climbed the mountain for more than two hours, they will definitely like the Grand Canyon, which nature itself created to separate the Ai-Petrinskaya Yayla from the Boyka mountain range. This fault is 3.5 km long and has an average depth of 320 m (but there are places reaching up to 600 m). The width of the canyon is also impressive - 187 m at its widest point (3 m at its narrowest). The Auzun-Uzen River will be a satellite of tourists along the bottom of the canyon.

A special humid cool microclimate has developed here, which created a surprisingly diverse flora. It is here that the orchids mentioned above hide.Tourists enjoy beautiful waterfalls and lakes, masterpieces of nature from marble limestone and cold baths. Those who decide to enter the most famous The bath of youth can consider himself very healthy, because the temperature there does not exceed 11 degrees.

But no less than connoisseurs of natural beauty attract caves. Rock, Pearl, Cascade, Crystal, Geophysical declared local monuments. But only a few of them are open for visiting. The most popular are Geophysical, Yalta and Three-eyed, because only these caves are equipped for visiting inexperienced tourists.

The geophysical was discovered by cavers only in 1971. Today you can get into it through a vertical 28-meter staircase into the mine - a well, which goes into a 100-meter horizontal gallery. Complex wells of rare beauty, underground halls with stalactites, stalagmites and stalagnates. And in time immemorial, there was a channel of an underground stream.

Yalta was opened recently - in 1997. After 10 years, an excursion route was created here so that you can safely enjoy the views of stalactites and stalagmites, sag and stone flowers. Tourists - non-cavers are allowed in only one room. And below, through a 40-meter well, with special equipment you can get into another room.

Three-eyed got its name for 3 holes - the entrance. But this cave is also called a “refrigerator” because the temperature here does not rise above 4 degrees Celsius. Thanks to this property, in ancient times, hunters kept their supplies here, and Count Vorontsov ordered ice blocks to be delivered to his palace for the preservation of their products. Three-eyed has been known for 200 years. Its total depth is 38 meters. But in 1990, a route was equipped for visiting to a depth of 25 m. The entrance to the cave is 700 meters from the highest point of the cable car. Inside, you can observe a 6-meter snowy melting mountain, stalactites with stalagmites and an ice rink.

In winter, Ai-Petri also remains attractive for tourists. At the top, ski rental shops and 6 runs await you. The 120-meter deep Frog - for beginners, a baby lift for children, ski lifts, instructors who will help you master skiing - all these are good attempts to make a ski resort out of this mountain complex. This is facilitated by other routes of varying degrees of difficulty.

• Kichkine 320 m long - for beginners. There are lifts, experienced instructors and the opportunity to relax in between the slopes.
• Laboratory differs not in length but in complexity. The disadvantage of this route is work not on schedule, but by prior arrangement. Yes, and you can get there only on a snowmobile. But this is a good place for professional training.
• 26 kilometer - This is a 600-meter track without lifts. It is popular for its length and relative safety.
• 27 kilometer loved by professionals for a kilometer length.
• Snowpark - A modern, well-equipped track with ski lifts, places of rest and a cafe.

A common lack of relaxation in Crimea is not the highest level of service. But gradually Crimeans will be able to overcome this problem, and in place of, for example, the Ai-Petrinsky mountain range, a real ski resort will grow, and in the place of temporary outlets beautiful places of trade, cafes, and sanitary areas will appear. So, Mount Ai-Petri will continue to show its beauty.

When going to the mountains, you always need to remember that the top is always colder. For instance, on Ai-Petri, the difference with the coast is 7 degrees, in July the average air temperature there is 17 degrees Celsius. But the peculiarity of this complex is not this, but the wind. During the development of the mountain, they twice tried to install wind generators, but they were demolished by the wind, and these are multi-ton structures.This place is famous for the highest wind speed recorded in the world - 50 m / s.

But this is not just gusts of wind, it is a constant state of nature: in 1949, for 125 days, a wind of 15 m / s was blowing here, and similar records are frequent here. That is why, before planning a lift on a cable car, find out if it works - because of strong winds it can be closed.

In addition, climbing Ai-Petri, we look forward to a beautiful panoramic view. But the guides themselves say that if this happened, then a miracle happened, because 2/3 days a year fog is observed here, that is, you can only see the head of the clouds. There is also 1.5 times more rainfall here than in Yalta - 1052 mm.

In winter, the weather can also be very different. It is a snowy place with raging snowstorms. Experienced tourists recommend buying a balaclava (special forces cap) and ski goggles with tinted windows.

The climate of Ai-Petri is so peculiar that in different years in the same months, the average daily temperature can vary greatly.

The warmest month is July, sometimes August, and very rarely June. On average, the temperature in the middle of summer is 15.6 degrees, the maximum figure is fixed at +32 degrees. And February is recognized as the coldest with its average temperature of 3.8 degrees below zero.

Snow falls on the mountains in early October, and melts in early May. But there were years when snow fell in July, September or December.

Coordinates of the top point of the cableway (Okhotnichye village) on the map: 44.451652, 34.060232. This is where not only the cable car, but also public transport. It can also be reached by car. But not all year round. In winter, the road transport service politely but persistently turns you back, because not every experienced driver is able to take transport to the top of the mountain due to the winter serpentine. The road is often littered with snow, but it is regularly cleaned for the free movement of Crimeans and guests - skiers.

Leaving your car from Yalta, you need to turn onto the South Coast highway, which goes towards Sevastopol. At the Bakhchisarai turn, a road sign for Ai-Petri is installed. There is also information on whether the road is open. Next, you need to follow the signs at low speed: this is a serpentine road with a huge number of sharp turns.

To get there by public transport, you can use one of the options:

• to go to the Yalta bus station, where to look for the departure point of routes No. 102 or 107 to Miskhor;
• get to the Yalta clothing market, and then take bus number 132 in the direction of the mountains; the trip takes about 40 minutes on a serpentine to Miskhor;
• from the bus station use private minibuses that will take you directly to the top of the mountain - they do not have a schedule, but there is a loud voice that they invite to the mountain;
• many choose the beginning of the route the sanatorium “Uzbekistan” (no need to go to the bus station), and already there they catch a ride on the mountain or regular buses to Miskhor.

Each way to get to the top has its pros and cons. In an organized group, it is important to keep up with the transport and the guide, but here you will go on a cable car without a line. On a personal car, the main thing is to park the car without conflict with the local parking tycoons in Miskhor. It’s easier to get to the top in a personal car, but then there will be no way to test your nervous system on the cable car.Hiking is not accessible to everyone because of health and a long climb, but the real beauty can be seen just like that - slowly.

Ai-Petri is a magnet that attracts itself again and again, invites you to see something else new and no less beautiful.

See more about the foot climb on Ai-Petri.