All about Cape Meganom in Crimea

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

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

Since the ancient Greeks were the first developed people who lived in the vicinity, the main legends about the origin of this place are connected with them. The main version, of course, is very specific, and it doesn’t really have a fun beach holiday - the gates to Hades, the kingdom of the dead, are supposedly located somewhere here.

There is, however, a more gallant legend, although also associated with the kingdom of the departed. Anyone familiar with the legends of Odysseus' adventures knows that one of the most difficult trials for him was a meeting with the one-eyed monster Cyclops, who almost ate him.There are stories that Odysseus was captured by Cyclops precisely in the vicinity of Meganom, and the very caves where he lived and through which he went down to Hades are caves of neighboring Karadag.

For those who are inclined to shrug off old fables, a more modern story can be told: they say that the Soviet military searched here for the so-called places of power, or, in a more scientific language, studied local magnetic anomalies. Of course, they will not share their discoveries with tourists, but the fact is that two military units nearby have been preserved so far - thanks, at least they let them to the cape.

Naturally, in places covered by such legends, there must definitely 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. Believe in these stories, of course, not all, but this adds a touch of color to the area.

The word "Megan" itself is of Greek origin and is translated as "a 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, east of it - if you look at the map - it is a peninsula protruding into the sea in the direction of Koktebel, Feodosiya and Kerch. Administratively, this plot of land refers specifically to Sudak, and occupies about 20 square kilometers. The boundaries of the Meganom peninsula are determined by Alchak mountain (from the west), the Bugasskaya river (in the east) and the Tokluk-Syrt ridge (in the north).

Although there is a subtropical climate near Meganom, to look for palm trees in vain here - 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 stretched as much as 16 kilometers.

Despite the fact that in the interior of Crimea there are enough regions with extremely dry steppe, it is the coastal Meganom that is considered one of the most arid. The vegetation here is rather poor, but the peninsula is open to all winds, which is intensively used by man thanks to the construction of wind power stations. 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 Hellenes chose Meganom in order to arrange their entrance here to the kingdom of the dead. Like it or not, this particular place in terms of climate can be called the most lifeless and deserted among all those that were located near ancient Greek policies. Here you are actually in the desert, because even neighboring Sudak, with its arid and sunny climate, seems like a tropical paradise compared to Meganom.

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

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

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

Somewhere nearby, a local record was 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, one must 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 your own tent, but then be prepared that there will be nothing like a tourist infrastructure nearby.

For those who still want to stay on Meganom, interesting may be several organized campsites and a two-star Ilgeri hotel on the coast of Capsel Bay. Too many tourists do not like this option, because it is still not even a village, because they prefer to rent housing in nearby settlements.

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

The main local advantage is the availability of not only interesting infrastructure, including antiquities, and housing for every taste from the private sector to decent hotels, but also proximity to Meganom itself. The distance by road to the very edge of the peninsula is estimated at 16 kilometers, but because of the nature 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 closest settlements to the Megan Peninsula are Almond, Bogatovka, Sunny Valley and Coastal. Here you need to understand that it all depends on the purpose of your arrival, because if you look along the roads, the first two villages are located at about the same distance as Sudak, and the last two are even further away.

Since in many ways the area on Cape Meganom is deserted, there are no outstanding sights here - apparently, the creepy legends about this place themselves scared away those who could theoretically settle here. For this reason, perhaps the only architectural object that is worth a look is local lighthouse. Actually, it is usually they who are oriented to it, since it is located near the cape itself, and a relatively decent road leads to it.

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

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

As for the internal sections of the peninsula, remote from the coast, there is nothing very interesting here - the terrain here is partially deserted, partially mountainous or hilly, so you can come here except for the “Martian” landscapes, but nothing more.

Despite the fact that there are no full-fledged villages on the peninsula itself, tourists still gravitate here - someone is attracted to privacy, 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 is even amazing how the entire coast in this place has not yet been built up with hotels, because the numerous small bays of Meganom are very cozy and invite to soak up their small pebbles.

The great advantage of being located on the Meganom Peninsula is that it extends quite far into the sea, therefore it is convenient to observe both sunrises and sunsets from its territory. For many people, to see how the daylight emerges from the sea waters or sets in them is the dream of a lifetime, and here you can see both of them 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 surrounding area is relatively quiet, there is no abundance of swimming and scaring underwater inhabitants of people. Due to this, the inhabitants of the sea remain relatively undeterred, and you can look at them from a close distance.

Some vacationers prefer to watch fish not under water, in their natural habitat, but in an already caught form. Contrary to the general solitude of this place, it is not a reserve, because fishing is allowed here. In neighboring settlements, you can negotiate with the locals about going to sea by boat or a small boat - it will turn out to enjoy the beautiful scenery 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, in the summer season, meditation classes with real yogis are constantly held.

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

It turns out that for starters you need to get at least to Sudak, but this is somewhat easier. If you have your own car and leave from the Krymsky bridge, information 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, will be useful. In this case, you need to go along the highway "Tauris" to Feodosia, and then - further to Sudak.

If you know where to park the car in a car camp or plan to drop onto 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 on time.

Moreover, 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 to Simferopol by both direct and direct bus services, and there are routes both from the Kurortnaya bus station-2 and directly from the airport terminal. If you go from the bus station, the travel time will be about 2 hours, the ticket price ranges from 286 to 366 rubles.

On the features of rest on Cape Meganom see below.