Crimea is an amazing place. Nature shakes him. Arriving there to relax, you will never be able to remain indifferent - such beauties, such bewitching views open to the eye. It is impossible to describe all the charms of Crimea in one article, so we will focus only on one, and this is an amazing Belbek valley.
Briefly about the place
The Belbek Valley is a natural monument in accordance with a government decree dating back to 1975. It is located on the way from Bakhchisaray to the south, along the highway leading to Yalta. It belongs to the Bakhchisarai region, so the weather in the Belbek valley is the same as in Bakhchisarai. In addition to villages and towns there are many different objects that every self-respecting tourist should see.
Canyon
In the Belbek valley in the Crimea, the first thing that catches your eye is the Belbek canyon, which is also called the Belbek or Albat gate. This is a small section between the village of Kuybyshevo and the village of Tankovoye, on which the valley of the Belbek River narrows. The length of the entire canyon does not exceed five kilometers, and the width starts from three hundred meters.
It is believed that before the Belbek River was much more full than now. After all, it not only lay through the mountains, but also formed a wide bottom with the help of sedimentary rocks deposited by the waters. The canyon, surrounded by mountains, from ancient times began to attract people. It appeared here due to the fact that a split occurred in the chalky limestones of the Crimean Mountains, and the process of water erosion began in it. The canyon is very important for geology, because it makes it possible to study the stratigraphy (that is, the approximate geological age) of the geological rocks there, specifically the Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene.
What is Belbek
Obviously, its name Belbek Valley (see photo in the article) was named after the Belbek River, which flows here. However, it is not possible to understand what exactly this word means, and to this day there is no consensus on this. According to some reports, in translation from the Turkic language “belbek” means “strong back”; according to other information, this word can be translated as “a big passage”. Another version is “bubbles on the water” (but this is already from the ancient Aryan). In general, there are many options, but as far as they are true, it is unlikely that someone will answer completely.
Nature
Everything is beautiful in the Belbek valley! Firstly, there are amazing cliffs. One of them, by the way, stretching over the Belbek River, is called the Crocodile.
This is a kind of watchman, the totem of the aforementioned place. Why a crocodile? Because with its appearance, the mountain is very much like a crocodile with a long tail. However, she also has an official name - Arman-Kaya. In general, the cliffs of the Belbek Valley are very often used by filmmakers to shoot films. Often it is here that Wild West scenes are filmed.
It is here, in this Crimean valley, that an incredible natural creation is located - a relict yew forest, which is rightfully considered to be its highlight, pride. Many species of plants and animals grow and live here, which you will not find anywhere else at all (they are called endemic).
What's interesting in Belbek valley
Someone might think: “Well, the valley and the valley! What is so surprising! ” As they say, this is so, but not so. Amazing in the valley near the Belbek River mass, and there is something to see here.
- Firstly, it is an impressive nature. As elsewhere in the Crimea, however.
- Secondly, in the Belbek Valley, the sites of ancient settlers have been preserved, having examined which you can touch their history. According to scientists, these sites are no less than forty thousand years old!
Ancient camps, however, are not the only representatives of antiquity that can be admired in the Crimean valley. So, for example, it is worth visiting a cave monastery called Chelter-Koba - a place very famous in a tourist environment. Its other name is the monastery of Theodore Stratilates. It is located on Cape Ai-Todor (it is interesting that a cape with the same name is also located near the famous "Swallow's Nest"), or rather, in its slopes.
A monastery appeared there, according to archaeologists, back in the ninth century and flourished for a long time, but after the Ottoman invasion it was destroyed, abandoned and was deserted for more than five hundred years. Only at the beginning of this century, restoration work began here, since 2004 the monastery of Theodore Stratilates is considered officially reopened. In addition to the cave temple itself, the source located on its territory is of interest.
Nearby is Cape Kule-Burun, which the locals call Iron (in fact, in form, it resembles it). To climb it, there are three ways (and it is certainly worth doing it, if only because the view from the top opens up amazing): by jeep, horseback or on foot. The last option is the hardest because the slide is pretty steep. However, it is precisely on foot ascent upon you that the old Crimean fortress, or rather its ruins, suddenly “emerges”.
This is a medieval Syuyrensky fortress. Previously, local landowners, feudal lords, and winemakers lived here. The fortress existed until the Ottomans appeared on this territory, and the exact year of its creation is unknown, but all scientists say that this happened before the tenth century. By the way, the road to the fortress passes through the same relict forest, already mentioned above.
Viewpoint
You can see all the beauties of the Belbek Valley, and indeed, see its entirety from an observation deck located near the village of Tankovoe. It is not difficult to find it if you approach the village from the side of Bakhchisarai. The view from there opens truly bewitching!
Where to stay
There are many settlements in the Belbek Valley, large and small. Consequently, the issue of living is not an acute issue here. Of course, far from every village has a shelter for tourists, but nevertheless, finding it is not a problem.
One of the most comfortable among the estates and hotels in the Belbek Valley, according to reviews, is the Inkomsport Hotel. It is designed for 70 residents and provides double, triple and quadruple rooms, as well as suites. A banquet hall, a bar, a sauna, a golf course, several different sports halls, four football fields, a barbecue area - all this and much more can be obtained for use when staying in this complex. The cost of living varies and depends on the type of room, as well as the season. For example, a double room costs about one and a half thousand a day.
This is not the only opportunity to stay in the Belbek Valley. Near the village of Sokolinogo, for example, there is a guest house in which you can choose one, two or three rooms for two, three or four people. Each room has Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV. Also on the territory of the guest house guests are available an outdoor pool, a bar, a relaxation area, sports grounds, a bathhouse, a gazebo.
There, in Sokolin, there is a hotel-estate "Kutler", the average cost of a room per day in which ranges from two to two with a few thousand rubles. The estate is located just seventeen kilometers from the famous Ai-Petri Mountain. In addition to standard services, hotel guests can enjoy horse riding, camping, fishing and Ofuro's bathhouse (a Japanese bathhouse that positively affects human health is a rectangular wooden box).
In Mnogorechye there is another guest house with the uncomplicated name Belbek. The rooms offer stunning views of the Crimean mountains, guests are invited to visit a Russian bath, in winter they ride UAZ on the snow-capped mountains. You can stop at the recreation center "Highlander", which, in addition to all other services, also offers entertainment such as fishing and shooting gallery. In general, there really is plenty to choose from.
How to get there
Getting to the Belbek Valley is easy. It runs public transport from Sevastopol and Bakhchisarai.
You can also use your own car, but in this case it is better to leave Bakhchisarai - closer (only 14-15 kilometers, while from Sevastopol - about forty-five). Travel time takes only fifteen to twenty minutes.
Reviews about the rest near the Belbek river
Reviews of tourists about holidays in the Belbek valley of Crimea are full of enthusiastic words. Everyone agrees that this is a unique place that impresses and fascinates with its beauty. Some, having been in the Belbek Valley for the first time, return there again and again, and even spend their honeymoon there, preferring Crimean beauties to all kinds of "Turkey, Egypt and Thailand." The only negative tourists say the lack of well-developed infrastructure, but who knows, perhaps in the future this issue will change for the better.
Anyway, if you are going to Crimea, take a couple of days to explore the Belbek valley, and you will not be disappointed.