The Golden Gate Rock is a local attraction of Koktebel - a small resort town in the east of Crimea. Every year, many vacationers come here who spend their holidays here, but few of them know about the Golden Gate, more precisely, about the history of this place, about what legends exist and much more. Well, that would have to be fixed.
Description and where is
As mentioned above, the Golden Gate is located in the Crimea, in Koktebel, not far from the Kara-Dag mountain range. Some tourists who first arrived in Crimea often think that this is some kind of historical and architectural structure, like the Arc de Triomphe or something similar, because the name is quite consistent, but no. The object has a completely natural origin. Once it was a solid rock, but winds and waves over many centuries made a through hole in it, thereby turning it into an arch, under which boats and just vacationers swim.
The Golden Gate rock in Koktebel has a height of about 15 meters and a width of 6 meters, and it got the prefix "golden" because of its natural material - yellow balsamite, which shines slightly in very bright sunshine.
How to get there
In order to get to the Golden Gate rock in Koktebel, you must first get into the city itself. There are only two ways to do this: by car or by bus. Now in more detail about each of them.
Personal transport
By private transport, mainly Crimeans from other settlements or tourists from the Kerch ferry crossing get there .
So, to get to Koktebel from Kerch, you need to go onto the E97 road, it is also M17. It is easy to do. From the crossing, you should go straight to the intersection with the intersection of ul. Kirov. Then you will need to turn onto the street. Marshal Eremenko, and leave from her on the street. Gorky and further on to the M17 highway, which will lead to Koktebel itself. The total travel time will be approximately 1 hour 45 minutes or slightly less.
For greater convenience, it is recommended to use a navigation system or map.
As for the road from other places, for example from Simferopol, you can get here by following the P23 road. In time it will take no more than 2, and maybe less, hours.
Bus
Another equally effective way to get to Koktebel is by bus. Departures from Simferopol are regular, the only thing when the tourist season is drawing to a close is the number of flights drops significantly, but you can always get to Feodosia, and from there to Koktebel. Of course, not too comfortable, but still.
If we talk about a trip from Kerch, then the situation here is a little worse. Of direct flights to Koktebel, only 1 bus runs, and then at 9:30 in the morning. In all other cases, you have to move with a transfer in Feodosia, which, again, is extremely inconvenient.
That, in fact, is all that relates to travel to Koktebel. Further along the Golden Gate course.
Golden Gate Road
Now, after arriving at the place, it's time to tell how to get to the Golden Gate in Koktebel. The attraction is located on the territory of the Karadag Natural Reserve. There are several ways to get there:
- on foot;
- as part of the tour;
- by car.
Looking ahead, I would like to note the following fact - even though there are several options, all of them ultimately come together in one.
On foot or by car
To get from Koktebel to the Golden Gate, you will need to go no less - a little more than 6 km. Of course, the path can be significantly reduced if you use the services of a regular or regular taxi, which will take you to the entrance to the Karadag Nature Reserve. There you will need to buy an entrance ticket, which costs 300 rubles, and join one of the tourist groups.
Yes, unfortunately, it will not be possible to independently enter the territory, only as part of a walking tour, but more on that below.
If we talk about how to drive to the Golden Gate in Koktebel by car, then everything is absolutely the same as in the previous version. The only thing that can be done is to get to the entrance, where in the future a ticket for visiting the reserve is purchased. Entry in a personal car is strictly prohibited.
Walking tours
So, after the entrance ticket to the reserve is purchased, you will need to join any tourist group. There are always people here, so there will definitely not be any problems with the waiting time. By the way, the entire walking route is about 7 km or a little more, and also requires a little physical preparation, since there are both slopes and climbs. Everything is complicated by the fact that it is very hot in the summer, even in the early hours. It is recommended to take a sufficient amount of water with you.
On the way, you can admire beautiful landscapes and gorgeous views of the cliffs of Kara-Dag, while listening to the guide’s stories about these places. Honestly, one of the main disadvantages of any excursion is limited in everything, that is, you need to move only strictly along the route to meet the allotted time frame. Fortunately, during halts and small parking you can wander around the neighborhood yourself. Well, okay, now is not about that.
The tour itself is very exciting, and for one such "sunset" you can completely fill out the tourist album. The places here are very beautiful, and from some points, they are magnificent at all.
After about half the route, a small parking lot is organized, just in the place where you can see the sea and the very Golden Gate. At first it may seem that you cannot go down to them, but if you just take a good look, the paved path will immediately catch your eye.
The descent is quite normal and does not cause difficulties. Naturally, one should not talk about the intention to go down, because this is prohibited within the framework of the tour.
In general, the main goal has been achieved. Further travel is also quite interesting and allows you to make many more gorgeous shots, but you need to move on.
Sea tour
A boat trip is one of the most popular excursions by sea to the Golden Gate in Koktebel. Such a trip lasts, as a rule, 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours, it all depends on the place of departure. A ticket is not too expensive - 600 rubles, but depending on many details, such as the size of the vessel, its class, etc., the price can vary up to 1200 rubles. and higher.
The route begins either from the pier in Koktebel, or from the nearest town of Kurortnoye. As you progress, the guide talks about the history of these places and introduces you to some of the sights that are clearly visible from the sea. Here, for example, one of these is the rock of the Devil's finger, or Shaitan Barmak.
During the walk, it does not look as spectacular as from the sea. By the way, when you go near this place, equipment (telephones or cameras) may fail! You can also see the rock Sail, the roaring grotto, the lighthouse rock and the Serpentine Falls.
The culmination will be the Golden Gate Arch, under which the boat will sail. At this moment, usually people make a wish and throw a coin so that it hits the rock and falls into the sea. Unfortunately, not all sightseeing boats pass under the arch, so this question needs to be clarified in advance. After the Golden Gate, tourists are given some time (10-15 minutes) to swim in the sea, after which the boat turns and goes back.
On this sea excursion ends.
Legend
Well, in conclusion, I would like to tell the legend of the Golden Gate in Koktebel. Crimea, in general, is famous for its legends about various places, so this attraction was no exception. The legend is connected, naturally, with the other world.
Initially, the rock was called Shaitan-Kapu, which can be translated as "damn gate" or "gate of the devil." The legend says that once a fisherman returned home on his boat, but a rising storm threw him ashore, and the ship scattered into chips when it hit the rocks. Then the fisherman had no choice but to make a deal with the devil himself.
The condition was simple - to swim under the same arch. The fisherman agreed and immediately did it, as a result of which he immediately lost 20 years of his life. From that moment, the locals tried not to get close to the gates, so as not to bring disaster upon themselves.
And that’s all. Have a nice trip!