Park of lions "Taigan" in Crimea: description and excursions

Everyone who passes along the Simferopol-Kerch highway (Feodosia, Old Crimea, Sudak) through Belogorsk sees a huge banner inviting to the Taigan safari park. For many, this is how they get to know the park of lions. And someone specifically seeks information, having heard rave reviews about this place. Well, we offer you to get to know this animal reserve and a wonderful vacation spot for children and adults in Crimea.

On the territory of more than 30 hectares of Crimean picturesque lands, the first lion park in Europe is located. In the foothills, not far from the Taigan reservoir, this unique place was created over several years. Oleg Zubkov, the founder of the park, collected animals for 5 years in his lion's nursery, acquiring them in Russian, Ukrainian, and European zoos. Relations were established with the Republic of South Africa, from where they brought unique white lions. More in the CIS they are not in any zoo.

But the uniqueness of this place is that not all animals are in familiar enclosures: African and white lions, Bengal and Ussuri tigers, leopards and black leopards, jaguars, cougars, that is, all felines move almost freely over a large area under the supervision of guards and safari park employees. In total there are about 500 individuals, including 2 prides of lions (50 animals) and about 40 tigers.

Giraffes and camels, roe deer and zebras also feel at ease here. On the territory there is also a regular zoo with aviaries, where other representatives of flora and fauna live. Of course, this is not the largest animal nursery in the world and Europe, but 1,500 inhabitants live in very comfortable conditions.And visitors from special bridges of two meters height and kilometer length are free to observe the life of animals.

Recently, the Belogorsky court ruled on the prohibition of direct contact with lions and other predatory cats, but from this the park does not cease to be interesting to visitors. It is worth noting that tourists themselves create dangerous situations, despite all the warnings of the employees of the lion park (animals become aggressive, smelling alcohol).

The park is very young It opened in 2012 thanks to the entrepreneur Oleg Zubkov. But back in 2006, he, then a professional naval officer, bought the territory of an abandoned military base near Belogorsk. Then work began on the arrangement and selection of animals. Since that time, he is not only the director of Taigan, but also the state of emergency Yalta Zoo Skazka.

Like many, Oleg Alekseevich had and still has to win his many interesting ideas. Among these - contact communication with dangerous predators. But those who decided on this, as well as those who just watched as the owner and other visitors communicate with lions and tigers, talk about it with enthusiasm, surprise and trepidation. It is for these emotions that people go to the Taigan safari park.

During its short period of existence, Taigan stopped operating for a while (from December 10, 2015 to April 22, 2016). The reason is a conflict with officials. The land question remains unresolved. And Zubkov, in addition to burning issues of keeping animals, has to solve a lot of legal problems. But as he wrote on his blog: “It took much more time to fight for the Yalta Fairy Tale”. And here it’s 4 years. ”

The easiest way to get to the park will be for those who travel by their own vehicles or who come with an excursion group. You can book an excursion in absolutely any tourist place in Crimea. For an independent trip, you need to know that the park is located on the Simferopol-Feodosiya highway. Geographic coordinators for the navigator: 45.036049, 34.563718. Do not be surprised at the address indicated (Belogorsk city, Lavandovaya St., 1): the park is actually outside the city limits, without disturbing the townspeople with the loud sounds of savannah life.

By public transport from Simferopol can be reached in several ways.

• The route route from the railway station "Simferopol-Feodosia (Kerch)" to turn into a safari park. From the turn to the park itself you can call a taxi, the cost of the order is 150 rubles. If you wish, you can walk - from the turn to the park about 3 km.
• Take the same bus to Belogorsk bus station and take a taxi from there.
• From Vostochnaya bus station in Simferopol, flights depart for Zelenogorsk (via Belogorsk). From the stop "Park Taigan" will have to walk about half a kilometer.
• You can also take a taxi from the airport of the Crimean capital. It will cost 1,500 rubles.
• From Feodosia you need to navigate by carriage to the village of Aleksandrovka. The park is located almost in the middle between Alexandrovka and Belogorsk. You can walk 2.5 km on foot or call a taxi from the park.

With the widespread use of the Internet, it is easy to find a point of interest on a map. Also, do not forget that the language can bring not only to Kiev, but also to other beautiful and interesting places, including the Taigan. One has only to ask the ticket offices of the bus stations correctly and warn the bus driver about the stop in advance.

When purchasing an entrance ticket, each guest is handed a plan diagram, where all the structural divisions of Taigan are indicated.

Safari Park is the place where the main characters of the lion park live. You can watch them from the pedestrian paths. But you should always remember that these cats are living creatures that do not walk on the order of tourists.They live their lives: early in the morning or late in the evening, when the heat subsides, they walk and frolic with each other; in the daytime they often lie in the shade of trees or take a leisurely stroll. Nobody bothers them with their lives, the territory allows them not to fight for every piece of land.

Here, in the safari zone, you can look at waterfowl, get acquainted with monkeys and crocodiles. Here at the pond you can relax and eat. And also look at the whole "Taigan" and the district from the Ferris wheel. On the way back, it's time to take a picture with the kids: cubs and other kittens. With such a cat, it’s not a shame to take a picture of the adult head of the family, and the daughter is not dangerous.

Returning to the main entrance, go straight through the park area. Almost immediately in the alley you will meet a hotel. And this is a very thoughtful decision: the owners are sure that you can appreciate all the beauty and get a full set of emotions from the park only when you watch animals late at night or early in the morning, when you listen to birds at night, when you hear the sounds of the night savannah and imagine a real safari. In addition to the hotel, there are several cafes and a swimming pool for visitors on site.

The next item is the Bird House. Swans and peacocks, pelicans and parrots, pheasants and bustards live in this pavilion. Penguins cool in the pool, and pink flamingos proudly march on the shore. And here you can meet the steppe eagle and black neck, ostrich and carrier pigeon.

Behind the House of Birds of Children, a children's zoo awaits with mini-pigs and wild boars, capuchins and hamadrilles, a zebu and Scottish bulls.

Your baby wants to pet or take pictures with animals - welcome to Grandma’s patio. It is very close to the children's zoo. And here you can get acquainted with kids, big goats and pigs of all sizes.

If you rested, you can go to the stationary zoo. Here are just a few examples that you can meet here: bears, wolves, giraffes, foxes, camels, bison, mule and donkey, alpaca and Scottish cow, fallow deer and mouflon, raccoons of different species, monkeys of different families, rabbits, porcupines, wallaby and skunks. Somewhere around the Taigan iguanas and turtles, monitor lizards and crocodiles, anacondas and pythons roam. But do not be afraid: they are all, of course, under supervision.

The structure of the park includes units that provide a comfortable stay for animals, staff and guests. In addition to the named hotels and cafes, there are trays where you can buy pet food. You can get advice from sellers about how to feed this or that inhabitant of the zoo. Guests can bring refreshments with them. But there are feeding rules posted in prominent places that must be observed so that the animals do not get sick.

In memory of the tour you can buy souvenirs. There are trays of ice cream and water. For emergency cases there is a medical center. There is also a helipad for excursions over the park.

The Taigan Lion Park offers many services. But you need to keep in mind that payment is made only in cash: there is no ATM or terminal in the territory. So, the prices for visiting the park:

• Children under 3 years old pass with parents for free.
• From 3 to 10 years - on a ticket that costs 500 rubles.
• Over 10 years old - for a ticket of 1000 rubles.
• In winter, Crimeans can get a 50% discount. To obtain it, you need a passport indicating the place of registration and a birth certificate of the child. Original documents required.
• 50% discount for birthday. Now on the site of the park "Taigan" this discount is not mentioned.

The ticket price does not depend on the time spent in the park. It should be remembered that it can change, so you need to specify the exact amount immediately before the visit.

For a fee, you can use the following services.

• In a special enclosure, you can take pictures with kids - kittens for 500 rubles on your camera. This service is very popular. But still you need to be careful when photographing playful kittens with small children.
• For 2000 rubles, you can take a lion cub or tiger cub for half an hour to those who live in a park hotel.
• The cheapest tour is by train. You can, without stopping, go round the park, and then purposefully go to some of its zones. Ticket price - 50 rubles.
• But it’s much more interesting to ride a cycle rickshaw. This is an individual transport with individual stops. You will be delivered to where you want. And for only 200 rubles.
• An excursion on an electric car can be different: sightseeing and quick (150 rubles per person) - there will be several short stops with a story about what the electric car is passing by. You can rent an electric car with a driver for 3-12 people. A car for 3 people will cost 400 rubles, in a 9-seater payment per person - 100 rubles, in a 12-seater - 150 rubles.
• Here you can rent a regular car without a driver. The price is indicated per hour of rental: 3-seater car - 2,000 rubles, 9-seater car - 3,500 rubles, 12-seater car - 4,500 rubles.
• The park has 2 helicopters. The site offers tours to Robinson Raven I. It is recommended that the price of the walk be checked with the administrator. But for reference, we indicate the prices of last year: a group of up to 3 passengers per hour of the tour will pay 5000 rubles. The beauty of the flight is that you can see not only the park, but also the surrounding area, including the rich nature of Crimea.
• Due to the unusual atmosphere, the newlyweds choose the park as the venue for their wedding ceremony. And this is a wonderful decision: there is a huge hall with 300 seats for a banquet, walks on electric cars and a train, a ferris wheel and attractions, again - helicopters. There is a hotel where guests who do not want to leave early can stay. And most importantly - nature, animals and birds.
• For enterprises and organizations, the park administration is ready to rent conference rooms. There are several of them, there are larger and smaller rooms.

Unfortunately, an exclusive walk accompanied by Oleg Zubkov for exploring the big lions is now unavailable, but perhaps this issue will be resolved in the near future. Park employees are doing everything for this. Those who were fortunate enough to take part in such a walk describe it as the most vivid impression in life.

If you are interested in the park, we inform you that in the summer, he works from 8 to 20 hours (ticket offices work from 8 to 19 hours). In winter, the park receives visitors from 8 to 16 hours. It is worth staying for a night or a couple of days.

Since Safari Park is a private property, it is easier to negotiate discounts on group tours here. You can ask your questions to the park secretary, administrator or write to e-mail.

It often happens that the most accurate and truthful description of the monument, events, sights can be gleaned from the reviews of those who visited the place. The reviews of excursionists studied for the reader of this article can be divided into two parts: directly on the work of the park and on the work of Oleg Zubkov.

Almost 100% of those who left feedback on independent sites, positively comment on the Taigan Safari Park. A lot of people write that they were initially very scared of ticket prices, excursions, additional services. But when they saw all this with their own eyes, they understood where the money was going. All animals are well-groomed and well-fed, lions walk freely in the park. The park itself is very green and clean. This is really a place of rest in which the creators feel.

Those who decided to take an exclusive walk with O. Zubkov admit that they learned much more information about animals, and most importantly, received indescribable emotions.They admire the relationship of the zoo director with their pets. In his presence, the animals behave perfectly and really resemble big and affectionate cats.

Young parents note that an excursion to the Taigan Park is the best gift for a child for his birthday or just that. But pay attention that due to the large territory the child can quickly get tired. Therefore, you either need to determine the exact route in advance, or stay overnight in a hotel.

Some guests in the reviews compare Taigan with a safari park in Gelendzhik. And this comparison, in their opinion, is in favor of the Crimean reserve.

Also, those who visited the park describe their impressions not only from communication with animals, but also from other attractions. It's nice to just walk in the park, there are a lot of sculptures, beautiful gazebos, exhibitions. The museum in front of the White Lion Cafe houses an exposition of sculptures made of trees that once grew on this territory.

Answering the questions of those who are just going to visit Taigan, the park's excursionists write in their reviews that there is no need to be afraid of a large crowd of people. Even if there are a lot of cars and buses at the entrance, then inside the park people are scattered across a large territory and do not interfere with each other.

Almost all guests write that 3-4 hours for such a large park is very small. Therefore, you should either go here on your own and not depend on the sightseeing bus, or consider your own route. And you should definitely take care of the hotel amenities: carrots, chopped cabbage, apples, herbs, corn - these vegetables are better to bring with you. In the park for animals you can buy nuts, crackers, cookies.

Reviews about feeding lions are different: on the one hand, at this time you can see more lions; on the other hand, not everyone can enjoy the sight of the process of eating raw meat and bones by lions.

Also, visitors to the official website of the Taigan Safari Park and just viewers of a specialized resource thank you for videos about the park. According to their reviews, it was such short stories that prompted a trip to this amazing place.

There are a lot of such reviews on the Internet. Many say that this place was created for families with children. Yes, most of the guests call high prices a disadvantage. But absolutely everyone says that they understand why prices are high - good care of animals requires large investments.

It is worth noting that Oleg Alekseevich Zubkov himself became a close person for many visitors in spirit and belief. This is what they write about in their reviews. This is a true fighter for his pets. His animals treat him like little kittens, with whom you can and can play, talk, pet them. O. Zubkov “found” $ 10 million for the creation of this park, and continues to seek funds to acquire new animals and improve the conditions already available.

The respect of those who met this man is immense, despite the fact that he is in constant opposition to the bureaucratic system.