Description and location of Mount Demerdzhi in Crimea

Tourist routes in the Crimean mountains are very popular among tourists. It is no secret that many vacationers are absolutely sure that traveling is much more interesting than just lying on the beach. One of the most popular routes is a hike to Mount Demerdzhi.

The Demerdzhi massif is a real geological mystery, here you can find truly ancient stone boulders, whose age is 800 million years. It is in this place that you can see unique objects - stone mushrooms, the specifics of the formation of which can only be explained by the erosion of glacial deposits, although geologists say that icing did not affect this part of the Crimean peninsula. Demerdzhi is fraught with many mysteries, in the whole Crimea you will no longer meet such natural phenomena.

Demerdzhi is located immediately behind the Angara Pass and stands out sharply against the background of the surrounding landscape. The mountain extends 35 km from south to north and stretches 55 km in the direction from the eastern to the western. The array is conditionally divided into two main parts:

• north - almost treeless surface, vegetation is extremely rare here, the height of the mountain range is 1359 m;
• south - has a height of 1239 m and is a real treasury of the Crimean mountains; from its plateau, a pretty picturesque view of the valley of the resort town of Alushta, the cities of Sudak and Babugan opens, from here you can see the sea coast and the steep slopes of the mountain Karabi.

Here, next to the stones, waterfalls and caves adjoin, and the flora of the area is truly mesmerizing. The plant world is very rich, at the foot of the mountain, the land pleases the eye, abundant in flowers and shrubs, which delight with their bright colors from the very first spring days until late autumn. On the slopes of Demerdzhi among the steppe grasses, you can find islands of beech, hornbeam and pine trees. The Jur-Jur waterfall, which is considered one of the most full-flowing in the entire peninsula, is also widely known.

Tourists will not remain indifferent to the unique phenomenon of the mountain - To the ghost broker - when a person stands at the very top, in foggy weather the sun behind his back creates an unusual optical effect and you can see your own shadow in the clouds. Moreover, it reaches a truly gigantic size and is sometimes surrounded by colored circles.

You can talk about Demerdzhi endlessly, but you cannot convey the fullness of emotions and impressions with words - therefore it is best to go there and see with your own eyes all the luxury and power of this place.

If you are on the way to Mount Demerdzhi not from Alushta, but from more remote corners of the Crimea, it makes sense to stop for the night in the village of Radiant. In this case, you can devote a fascinating tour all day, and the driver, if you are in your own car, will be able to relax in front of the road back. However, in the Demerdzhi area there is one, but a very big problem with the hotels - there are none, not one. However, this is not a reason to be upset - local residents offer rooms in guest houses. Considered the most popular Demerdge Houselocated on the outskirts of the village.

Another good option is to stop in the guest house "Mountain Antavia". The rooms here are the simplest, but they have everything to calmly spend the night and restore strength after a long trip in the mountains. It offers a shared kitchen and terrace, as well as a children's corner and a small gym. Among other places where you can fully relax, tourists are called equestrian club "Golden Horseshoe", recreation center "Valley of Ghosts", as well as guest houses Highway 38 and Guest House Black Horse.

Demerdzhi is one of the sights of Crimea, which has overgrown with many secrets and mysteries, with most of them connected with the Valley of Ghosts. There is a legend according to which once a century ago an entire army fell in this place, which came to the local blacksmith for help (in translation from the Crimean Tatar language, Demerdzhi means precisely “blacksmith”). Old-timers say that the restless souls of fallen soldiers still roam the mountains and scare travelers.

In the Valley of Ghosts you can find hundreds of stone pillars of various heights, for thousands and even millions of years of their existence, stones under the influence of wind, sun and precipitation took quite bizarre shapes and began to resemble gigantic fantastic creatures, the outlines of which blur at dusk, it seems as if ghosts came out from their graves.

Many tourists, especially the older ones, are very interested to see with their own eyes the places where famous Soviet film masterpieces were filmed. Here and now you can trace the route of Shurik from the legendary “Caucasian captive”.

The stone on which the main character of the film danced by Natalia Varley was one of the most popular places. In memory of it, every visitor must take a photo. It was in Demerdzhi that the “Fifteen-year-old captain”, beloved by all schoolchildren of the USSR era, was filmed, and already in the 1990s, Sergey Zhigunov chose this area for the film adaptation of the novel “Hearts of Three,” since the whole place looks so much like the Caribbean Mountains.

In the mountain range there are quite unusual miraculous sculptures, which even got their own name. For example, one of the rocks from a great distance resembles a bust of a large and, without a doubt, majestic woman, so the locals nicknamed her Catherine the Second, however, if you approach her, she will more like a sphinx guarding Egyptian tombs.

Stone mushrooms became an undoubted landmark of the area - earthy rocks of various heights, the top of which is crowned with a stone slab, the so-called hat. Scientists have proven that mushrooms grow from year to year and sometimes even new ones appear. There are several picturesque grottoes in the mountain, their total number reaches 15, but only one is open for free access - MAN Cave. Access to all others is possible. only with climbing skills.

Without a doubt, every tourist needs to visit Funa fortress, built in the Middle Ages. In the past, her mission was to protect the borders of the small state of Theodoro, as well as to protect the trade route along which caravans traveled. At the end of the 15th century, the fort was destroyed, but even today a significant part of its walls and the temple of Theodore Stratilates have been preserved, representing considerable historical interest.

On the way to Demerdzhi near the village of Luchistoe, you can see Kutuzovsky fountain, where a memorial plaque is installed in honor of the famous Russian commander Kutuzov - in this very place, under his leadership, Russian troops repelled the enemy’s attack during the Russo-Turkish war of 1768–1774.

Speaking in the strict sense, Demerdzhi is not a mountain, but a yayla - that is, an ordinary plateau. If you look at the map, you can see that Alushta became the nearest resort city. There are several well-known tourist routes along this mountain range, the following are among the most common:

• from the Angarsk Pass, bypassing Pakhkal-Kai, directly on the Kozyrek rock, then through the saddle straight to the South peak - in this case, you can go through the Ghost Valley directly to Fort Funa; this route allows you to fully enjoy the beauties of the mountainous region;
• from the road to the place where she turns to the village of Luchistoe through the ascent to Funa, bypassing the saddle to the South peaks, through the Ghost Valley straight to Luchistoe;
• the same route, but from the saddle the path turns to the northern part of Demerdzhi and towards Angarsk.

However, this is only a small part of the routes. Each of the paths has parking areas, and on the way there are streams and springs that will facilitate the condition of tired travelers. The easiest way to get to the beginning of the tourist route is by trolley bus. This is not only the fastest, but also the most economical way. So, the road from Simferopol to the Angarsk Pass will cost about 80 rubles, and even less from Alushta. Exit should be at the station Luchistoe.

In conclusion, I would like to give some advice to everyone who decided on an exciting mountain trip.

• There is a long way to go, and the road is far from the asphalt usual for the townspeople, which is why it is very important to stock up on comfortable and practical shoes - best of all with sneakers. For people with sore joints, it is better to choose tracking shoes that will protect the feet from injuries and dislocations.It is advisable to dress in layers, it is better to wear a hat on your head.

• Remember to bring along drinking water and provisions. During the camping trip, you will have nowhere to buy either, and the trip will most likely take a whole day.

• Be sure to grab a small first aid kit. Place all your clothes in a comfortable backpack.

See where the Demerdzhi Mountain in Crimea is in the next video.