Red caves in Crimea: attractions and location

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

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

If you prefer an active holiday, rather than just spending time on a lounger by the quietly splashing 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 the Crimea, a couple of tens of kilometers from Simferopol, the capital of the Crimean peninsula. Kizil-Koba means “red” and goes 26 km deep into the earth. Most of this formation, consisting of numerous underground grottoes, has not yet been studied by scientists and lovers of underground descent, but, as you know, the unknown always attracts a lot of curious people.

The history of Kizil-Koba began as early as 70 thousand years ago.

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

For a long time, our ancestors mined refractory clay in 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. A well-known poet, diplomat A. S. Griboedov also came here. Travelers descended into uncharted 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 riddles of the cave.

The red cave got its name because of the reddish-brown shade of limestones of the Upper Jurassic period. The largest hall available for excursions is the blue font hall, whose height reaches 145 meters, so it is completely impossible to see it, the area of ​​the real inspection of the cave reaches only 500 meters, but what appears 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 river flows deep into the water, so the arches of some halls border the water level. Such sites, in some places completely gone 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 river flows, and the second floor is equipped with special flooring for tourists.

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

• In almost an hour you can get acquainted with the beauties of several rooms: “Academic”, “Indian”, “Argentinean”. The lakes formed by the course of the river in the grottoes amaze with mystery. Huge stalactites, the height of the most impressive of which is 8 meters, underground currents, bizarre changes in rock formations - all this is part of an unforgettable excursion, which will be carried out by experienced guides for those who wish.

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

This tour lasts about three hours, and the costumes will be provided by the organizers. First you will overcome a siphon, a natural obstacle 1.5 meters long. This is easy to do even for an inexperienced tourist, then you need to swim a distance of 100 meters along the underground river. Although at first only such cavers could go through such an unusual route, professionals are cave explorers.

For extreme people there they will pull a special cable, for which you can hold hands, reaching the hall of the "Northern Harbor". Then you have to overcome the path littered with blocks of stone, making your way through the natural rubble. The part of the cave that opens after this path literally strikes with its multicolor: leaky formations of different shapes and colors will not leave anyone indifferent. Pristine beauty conquers lovers of secrets and discoveries, for a long time people could not get here, so there is something to see. Such a trip can be made by anyone who has already reached the age of 16 and knows how to swim.

According to scientists, today the cave dungeon continues to grow due to the fact that underground river washes new cave arches.

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

It is on its shores that curious tourists will be able to take a walk during an excursion, wander around underground waterfalls, and see unsafe underground wells. Away from the vaults of the cave resemble various figures. Some of them - “The crying gnome” or “The owner of the cave” are shrouded in the secret of various legends and myths. It is sad that some interesting exhibits were ruthlessly destroyed by vandals. But today, the final point of the excursion is the highlight of the dungeon - the beautiful twenty-meter pink jets waterfall.

Photographing the "interior" of the cave during the tour is not prohibited, however, you can do this during a stop.

Vacationers must be invited to visit several mysterious Kizil-Koba caves: Haranlykh-Kobu, Pigeon, Chamomile.

Going on this mysterious journey, be sure to bring warm clothes - the dungeon is pretty cool, during the year the temperature here does not rise above 9 degrees.

A journey through a mysterious mountain is not limited to mysterious descents under the earth - after exiting the cave, tourists are invited to go down to the Tufa site with bubbling springs. Water gets here from one of the underground lakes, located a little higher in the mountain range. True, the sources disappear if the water level in the lake decreases.

In the process of “squeezing” water from the earth, which occurs due to the release of calcareous tuff, carbon dioxide disappears and the chemical balance is disturbed. Organic residues are washed with water, leaving voids behind. Scientists call this formation an underground river monument. Right next to it is the majestic and picturesque 25-meter waterfall Su-Uchhan.

It is from the Tufa site that tourists enjoy an amazing view: peak of Pakhkal-Kaya mountain, or “Bald Ivan” (as the locals call it), which served as an observation post for the Crimean partisans during the Great Patriotic War, 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 ​​pleasure awaits travelers in the surroundings of the mysterious mountain. The two-kilometer way through the colorful places to the cave lies through the specialized camping “Fairytale Valley of the Red Caves”. Do not want to go on foot - at your service is a train that will give you a lift for 50 rubles to the stopping place.

“Fairy Valley” is a modern landscape and recreational park, a place of rest for numerous tourists. It is in the well-equipped arbors located on its territory that you can appreciate all the charms of the unique Crimean nature.

On the territory of the recreation center "Fairy Cave" there is a lot of fascinating. 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 previously stocked up meat for barbecue, then you can cook it yourself on the barbecue facilities available here. Especially surprising are the numerous shell figurines placed throughout the territory of the gnomes, animals and even the Statue of Liberty.

For local, aromatic and healthy honey lovers, local fighters offer a huge selection of beekeeping products. It is interesting that in the local apiary you can not only enjoy honey, but also get wellness procedures: sleep sessions on bee hives. Quite unusual and most useful.

Children will certainly be interested in horseback riding in the vicinity of the base, and experienced guides will offer adults specialized routes through partisan movements. Here, lovers can get riding lessons.

Sports enthusiasts can try their hand, competing on a golf course. Extreme sportsmen can pretty famously ride on Crimean off-road jeeps. For fans of reasonable speed, vacation organizers will offer driving on electric cars in 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 arbors, some of them are more like the buildings of the ancient Vikings. Small houses where you can stay for the night 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 over the weekend and get some fresh Crimean air. Calendar holidays are often held here, and more recently, the Viking movie park was built nearby, where the famous Viking movie was filmed. If you didn’t have time to examine all the charms of the Crimean riddle of Kizil-Koba, then there are many hotels twenty kilometers from the “Fairytale Valley” that are ready to receive guests for any period of time.

Red Cave is located near Simferopol, in the area with. Perevalnogo. If you travel without your own transport, then from the railway station of the Crimean capital every 20 minutes shuttle buses "Simferopol-Perevalnoe".

You can also get on trolleybuses following 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-mentioned camping "Fairy Valley".

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

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

An overview of the cave from the inside see below.