White rock (Crimea) for the modern man is like the Wild West. It is full of mysteries of ancient times, secrets and is on the peninsula one of the most unusual, mysterious and attractive places. It is located near the city of Belogorsk. There are almost no crowds of tourists here, so this area retains its charm; it has not yet been spoiled by the benefits of civilization. In addition, the White Rock for beach lovers is of no interest.
First impression of the mountain
This is good, because the beauty provided to us by nature can be quickly destroyed. This is rarely found in the world, and this is a real miracle of Crimea. If you are in these places, you need to admire them, only then it will be clear that the peninsula is not only beaches and the sea. Its typical landscapes reminiscent of the Wild West really liked the cinematographs and many films of Soviet times were shot here, such as “A Man from the Capuchin Boulevard”, “A Headless Horseman” and others.
The action of all the paintings took place among the wonderful landscapes surrounding this place.
Crimean Tatars call this amazing natural wonder Ak-Kai, which translates as “white rock”. Crimea is very decorated with this beauty, which in reality has such a color, especially when viewed from afar. Although there is nothing strange here, since the rock consists of limestone. When the sun shines on it, in front of us is a real bewitching sight.
Stunning views - a reason for hiking and more
It is advisable to walk through the entire territory of Ak-Kae, to visit inside one of the caves belonging to the Paleolithic period. You will not regret it, because from it a stunning view opens up in the neighborhood. By the way, walking is not the only way to travel and get acquainted with this unique miracle of the nature of Crimea. You can go on a study of these places on a horse.
In this case, there will be much more impressions, since you will feel like a hero of Soviet films shot here.
White Rock (Crimea) is worth a visit to these places. It is far enough away from the noisy and crowded cities, it will give you the opportunity to visit the background of the Crimean unique nature, see amazing landscapes, and enjoy its charm firsthand.
White rock (Crimea), how to get to this wonderful place
It's time to tell you how to visit these places. It is advisable to first get to Simferopol. There are several ways: from Russia and Ukraine. We will not consider this. We believe that you are already in the capital of Crimea. If the path is not planned on your own car, then from Simferopol we go by any minibus, following in the direction of the city of Belogorsk.
The best guide for you will be the village of Vishnoe. When you go out to its outskirts, you will immediately find yourself near the snow-white, wonderful rocks. Now you know how to get to the White Rock (Crimea). Address: Belogorsky district, the village of the same name. It is, of course, low, only 325 meters, but it’s worth looking at a neighbor of the village of the same name. For lovers of history: until 1948 it was called Ak-Kaya.
More detailed cliff location
There are people who are not satisfied with this wording of the address. They are not local, and this does not mean anything to them. There is a special explanation for them where the White Rock is located in Crimea. Its location - 50 kilometers from Simferopol and five - from the highway from the capital of the republic to Feodosia. You need to drive through the city of Belogorsk somewhere around one kilometer to the north-east, and then four kilometers to the village of Belaya Skala. He is at its very foot. Now, probably, everyone will understand well where the local celebrity is located. It remains only to indicate that it rises directly above the valley of the local river Biyuk-Karasu. The height difference between the top of the cliff and the valley is one hundred meters.
Rock origin
A very interesting question - where did this unusual beauty come from and how? It was obtained as a result of weathering and erosion of Paleogene and Cretaceous sandstones and limestones. This process is an example of a well-known kuest relief. The weathering of the mountain in the upper part created oval niches, grottoes, and pillars.
Below, weathering products are constantly accumulating - erosion hollows, bulk blocks, scree. Some plants inhibit erosion in some places. This is a thicket of meadowsweet and rose hips. All this contributes to the beauty of the monument White Rock (Crimea). The photos posted here convey only part of this magnificence.
The history of this cultural monument, excavations
In the sixties and seventies of the last century, at the foot of the rock, on its northern side, the Crimean Paleontology Expedition excavated twenty sites of a man of the primitive Mousterian era. Found a lot of silicon spikes, scrapers, knives. Near them were found a sufficient number of various bony remains of the disappeared fauna of the peninsula: onager, wild horse, primeval bull, saiga, red deer, giant cave bear, mammoth and others. During excavations, a fragment of the skull of a Neanderthal, an adult, and later the remains of a child of the same time were first found here.
The reason is the favorable territory of the White Rock (Crimea) object for housing: river water, many sheds and grottoes, deposits of the necessary flint. Even a high precipice brought benefits - it was ideally suited for hunting many animals. Already in our era, in the first centuries, Sarmatians lived here in a cave. According to some assumptions, it then served as a sanctuary, a kind of temple. Tamgas were found - signs belonging to the clans of that time, which were carved in stone and this confirmed the ownership of these territories.
Scythian mounds, caves and place of execution
Many mounds are located on a plateau. At the foot of the cliff in the Middle Ages lived Shirin, the leader of one of the rich Tatar clans. Access to the upper cave is very difficult, since the entrance to it is located at a distance of 52 meters from the sole in the form of a circle-shaped hole and 49 meters from the edge of the cliff. There are three legends dedicated to Altyn-Teshik:
- This cave is the den of a serpent who was a werewolf. He abducted a handsome man in the area and brought them here.
- This cave stretches very far - to Feodosia.
- Here the robbers hid a chest of gold.
On the rock, an older clan was elected; here Murza, dissatisfied with the khan of Crimea, gathered. In the Middle Ages, Ak-Kaya was a famous place of execution. In the eyes of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, who sometimes visited here, they threw prisoners off a cliff in order to make the hetman pay the ransom on time. The headquarters of Suvorov was here in 1777. In 1783, the Crimean aristocracy here took the oath of loyalty to Russia.
What are these places now
If you are a lover of ancient attractions, come to Belogorsk (Crimea). The white rock will enchant you with its beauty. Although, if you get close enough, it will be seen that the wall of this giant is not white, but has a cream shade. Immediately you will notice a large number of caves and grottoes. In their darkness, one can imagine many dark tunnels that go into the darkness of the dungeons. But in reality, most often they are small cavities. The white rock has a slightly “overhanging” overhang, under which relief patterns stretch.
They look like honeycombs, some kind of outlandish. They are sometimes called weathering honeycombs, formed as a result of rock bombardment by rock particles - sand, which is carried by the wind. The wind, which blows here from the west, has not only formed small cellular shapes, it has created round windows, grottoes, various niches, as well as columns, and they have been supporting the upper tier for many years. The “roof” is covered by the entire kilometer of rock by a weathering belt - horizontal, about a meter wide. The cones of talus from crushed stone, which are well cut by erosive furrows and potholes, cover the bottom of the rock. On them in places there are blocks of huge limestone. It is recommended to climb the rock in the late afternoon: soft lighting, not hot, the distances open for observation. If you want to explore all the holes, go along the path located in the west of the cliff. And do not forget to shoot, shoot and shoot all the time. Numerous photographs will remind you of this tour.
Entertainment for outdoor enthusiasts
If you are tired of a relaxing holiday, and you want to cheer yourself up well, then for courageous tourists there are organized jumping from the White Rock (Crimea), carried out from a height of 120 meters. Since only 20 jumps are possible per day, a preliminary appointment is required: the activities of the club are active recreation club “Adrenaline”. Jumping is done with a rope, the first - for 1200 rubles, the subsequent - for 900. If you wish, you can climb a rock for 180 rubles on a horse.
The program is very active, including camping and gatherings around a friendly bonfire. Its price includes a video-photo reportage for memory, then everything is laid out on VKontakte. Those who dare to jump are awarded a certificate. Safety is guaranteed, and there are a lot of impressions of 80 meters of free fall.
Fishing at the White Cliff
As we already reported, not far from the cliff, the local river Biyuk-Karasu flows. It organized one of the best fishing in the Crimea. White Rock is a great landmark for this. The area of the reservoir is 4.8 hectares. The pond is equipped in the Belogorsky district, the village of Ukrainka. To get to it, you need to go along the Feodosia highway from Simferopol to the village of Zuya, it's about 18 kilometers, then turn left to the desired settlement (another eight kilometers). Here for carp fishing there is a special reservoir, fishing is carried out according to the catch-let-go rule.
You can catch grass carp, silver carp, carp - Hungarian, mirror and scaly. You can stay in equipped houses. That is, those who did not set out to swim at sea will be satisfied with how they spent their vacation.