Salt caves in the Crimea where there are excursions. Holy Dormition Cave Monastery in Bakhchisarai. Bottomless well - Tupsuz-Khosar cave

The beautiful Crimean land is famous for its numerous caves, of which there are about one and a half thousand. And this is not surprising, because most of the peninsula is occupied by mountains: Chatyrdag, Ai-Petri, Dolgorukovskaya yaila and Karabi yaila. A great many secrets are hidden in the mountains of Crimea, interesting legends, every year ufologists and psychics come here in search of the unknown. Local caves and grottoes, with many floors and halls, attract thousands of tourists vacationing on their completely unearthly fabulous underground world: beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, underground rivers, waterfalls and lakes. We invite you to take a trip with us to interesting caves Crimea. To begin with, it is worth saying that a large number of caves have already been studied by professional speleologists, and therefore they are open for tourists to visit, many have even been equipped with stairs and lighting. And yet, on the peninsula there are still a lot of hidden underground grottoes, the most popular among caving lovers. Largely Crimean caves not very long and occupy no more than half a kilometer in length, of course, there are exceptions to the rule. The most interesting and frequently visited caves of the Crimea are: Marble and Emine-Bair-Koba, aka Mamontova, on Mount Chatyr-Dag; Red or Kizil-Koba; Kiik-Koba in the grotto near Zui; Skelskaya; Thousand-headed on Bin-Bash-Koba; Three-eyes and Geophysical on Ai-Petri; MAN; Emine-Bair-Khosar; bottomless well; Soldier and so on. Today we will get acquainted with some of the listed Crimean caves in more detail.

Marble cave on Mount Chatyr-Dag- The Marble Cave is located on the lower plateau of Mount Chatyr-Dag, near the village of Marble, which belongs to the territory of the Simferopol region of Crimea. This cave is a branched labyrinth of horizontal dungeons that were pierced millions of years ago by the waters of the ancient Tethys Ocean. A lot of time has passed, and now the local underground rivers have become shallow, and the Crimean climate has become dry, so water drops inside the Marble Cave flow very slowly, without any hurry. This two-kilometer cave, sixty meters deep, is recognized as one of the most beautiful on the territory of the Crimean peninsula and is open to tourists. She is about eight million years old. As the guides say, the discoverer of this underground miracle was an ordinary shepherd who lost one of the sheep of his flock. This happened in 1987, and Marble has been equipped and open to the public since 1988.

There are well developed excursion routes, but you can’t visit it on your own, because despite the fact that professional scientists are trying to preserve the microclimate of the cave, harmful green algae have begun to appear on the walls of the natural formation, which destroy stalactites and stalagmites. Therefore, the cave is tightly closed with a heavy door in order to somehow preserve and thus conserve this unearthly beauty. Once inside, you realize that you are in a completely unreal world, and everything around is amazing with its incredible charm.

The tour of the Marble Cave starts from the "Fairytale Gallery", where you can admire absolutely amazing figures of mythical creatures, the images of which your fantasy tells you. These miracle inhabitants of the cave were formed by growths in the form of stalactites, stalagmites, stalagnates. For ease of perception, some particularly impressive natural formations have received names: the Master of the Cave, the Minaret. Then the tourists are escorted along the long Tiger Pass, it was so named in a hurry, after the discovery of the remains of some large predatory animal, originally taken for a saber-toothed tiger, the name was immediately fixed, but after an examination in 2002, it was found that it was a cave lion, who fell into the whirlpool of a stormy underground river and could not get out, and they did not begin to rename the corridor. Further, tourists freeze in admiration, entering the largest hall of the dungeon - the Perestroika Hall, which was formed during an earthquake that collapsed the ceiling that separated the second and third floors. The hall, with a length of two hundred and fifty meters and a height of twenty-eight meters, is considered the largest both in the Crimea and throughout Europe. Throughout your journey, the surrounding beauty amazes with its sophistication, among this luxurious chaos generated by sinter formations, you can count hundreds of beautiful stalagnates that appear when stalactites and stalagmites are joined together. The guides are sure to show tourists the most famous stalagnate of the Marble Cave - "The Kiss", these are almost merged growths, between which only ten millimeters are left until they are completely merged. This stalagnate has a sign that if two lovers kiss next to him, then soon they will be married. The Nadezhda Hall is also very interesting, where growths hanging from the ceiling formed graceful carved arches, and the lower ones formed altars shimmering with gold. The Rose Hall is also wonderful, it is named so due to the color of the growths decorating it - soft pink. A place that definitely needs to be photographed is the two-level Balcony Hall, moreover, its upper and lower parts are united by a twelve-meter-high staircase. The next Luster Hall attracts visitors with calm soft lighting, making the surface of the walls as if covered with velvet, passing into the depths of the hall through massive stone outgrowths, you suddenly meet a completely sudden stream of bright light, which is absolutely amazing in this kingdom of darkness and twilight. In the Marble Cave there are also halls that are not yet equipped, they are also magnificent with their original charm: Helictite, Obvalny, Ruslovy, Chocolate. It is worth saying that scientists are intensively equipping and examining all new halls and passages, so completely new routes will gradually appear, where absolutely unfamiliar wonderful underground formations and figures still lurk.

When going on an excursion to the Marble Cave, keep in mind that it is cold there, the temperature does not rise above nine plus degrees, so put something warm on your feet and take care of jackets. But, if you didn’t have outerwear with you, then this will not be a big problem, because at the checkout there is also a rental of jackets for tourists.

The Marble Cave is open all year round from 9 am to 7 pm. Ticket prices are different, they depend on the route you choose and the duration of the tour. approximate price for an hour and a half excursion - seven hundred rubles.

Getting to the Marble Cave on your own is a little difficult, but possible: get on trolleybuses 1, 51 or 52 to the village of Zarechnoye, it is located seventeen kilometers from the city of Simferopol, then buy a ticket and take a bus to the village of Marble, then you have to walk along career eight kilometers, while high-voltage wires will serve as a guide. It is best to purchase an excursion in specialized travel agencies, which are many in neighboring Crimean resorts.

Emine-Bair-Khosar Cave or mammoth cave on Mount Chatyr-Dag - This stunning Crimean cave is located eighteen kilometers from the city of Simferopol. It is worth noting that each cave in the Crimea is individual and attractive in its own way, Emine-Bair-Khosar also has a peculiarity - the unique composition and colors of sinter formations, and also, it has as many as five levels, as if it were a multi-storey building built by mother herself - nature. The lower halls lie at a depth of one hundred and eighty meters, and the upper ones at a depth of thirty meters. The length of the cave is about one and a half kilometers. The cave was found in 1908, but an equipped expedition visited it only two decades later, having studied only one hundred and fifty meters of dungeons. Then, in 1970, a more active study of the cave began, when corridors, halls, huge galleries, several levels, as well as a failed well - “Khosar's Window”, were discovered, its depth reaches sixteen meters, with a diameter of eight meters. This gap is called a window, because through it you can get out. Bones of ancient animals were found in this pit, including an almost complete skeleton of a mammoth, which was missing only the skull and shoulder blades. Scientists have suggested that this animal accidentally fell into the well and could not get out on its own until it was discovered by ancient people who finished off the mammoth, cut off its head and took away the meat that they could separate. This version fully explains the absence of part of the animal's skeleton. The found remains gave rise to the second name for the cave - "Mammoth". Gradually, the water washed the mammoth bones into an internal well, where they were sealed with layers of mud and silt, until cavers found them. The natural underground complex has been open for tourists since 1994.

All twelve chic halls of the cave are striking on the spot with their luxurious beauty, however, tourists are not allowed into all the halls, some of them are completely reserved. On this moment visitors can walk a kilometer along halls and corridors equipped with lights and stairs, and even here they can choose from three options for the proposed tours: - half an hour through the North Gallery; - one hour and twenty minutes for the North Gallery, the Hall of Idols and Kecskemét; - the entire kilometer route is an hour and a half.

During the tour, you have to go down to the very bottom of the cave, because the journey starts from the lower North Gallery. You will see the beautiful Main Hall, as well as the delightful Lake Hall, where there is a natural reservoir, the depth of emerald water in it reaches six meters. The hall of idols, as if assembled from three parts, the height of one of them, fifty meters, is like a modern sixteen-story building, we are talking about the most beautiful part of “Kecskemet”, it attracts with an amazing outgrowth “White Speleologist”, in the form of a volcano formed by stalagmites over many millennia. And also a white wall, with growths of calcite, very similar to a giant organ. Being here, you involuntarily imagine yourself on another planet: without the sun, grass, trees, but with a completely unique own, moreover, self-sufficient world. Dublyansky Hall - amazing place, where earlier the water of the underground lake splashed on two levels, now it has dried up, and the natural pit remains. The hall with the stalagmite “Cap of Monomakh” attracts with its mysteriousness no less.

When visiting the Mammoth Cave, you need to know that the air there is never warmer than five degrees, so you need to dress warmer, although jackets are available for rent. The caves of Emine-Bair-Khosar are open all year round from 9 am to 7 pm.

Getting to the Mammoth Cave is difficult: first on shuttle bus 142 s railway station Simferopol to get to ST Marble, there walk about nine kilometers to the cave itself. Easiest to take organized tour to the cave with transfer.

Emine-Bair-Koba Cave on Mount Chatyr-Dag- This cave is a cavity with three different entrances, which is located on Mount Chatyr-Dag, more precisely on its lower plateau, two and a half kilometers from the village of Marble. The cave is about ten million years old, and it was formed as a result of erosion of limestone stone bowels with water during mountain building processes. Over time, a large cave was formed here with numerous halls and corridors. The peculiarity of this Crimean cave is that throughout the year the temperature here stays at zero degrees Celsius, so the ice in Emine-Bair-Koba never melts. Even ancient people realized that if you store meat inside this cave, then it will not deteriorate, despite the heat outside. Speleologists learned about this when they stumbled upon the remains of such supplies. In the nineteenth century, Count Vorotsov, who built a beautiful one in the Crimea, established mining in this ice cave in order to cool his wines and other products in pantries. The fact that there is such a cave nearby, inside which the ice never melts, he was told by local shepherds, who had noticed it for a long time, grazing their flocks. But scientists began to study this cave only in 1927, until now they have explored only about a kilometer of dungeons.

Tourists can see only two hundred and forty meters of the cave, and then, for unprepared visitors, it is possible to get acquainted with only seven dozen meters of passages and halls, where there is lighting and stairs with railings, and the next one hundred and fifty meters of the dungeon is a place where training for speleologists is held, to get there to a person without experience and equipment is unrealistic.

The entrance to the cave is double, it consists of two funnel-shaped cavities, but there is another arch-shaped cavity nearby. Next, tourists descend the stairs to a depth of thirty-eight meters to the gallery leading to the main hall. There will be ice underfoot, mixed with pebbles and rubble. There is a very nice underground lake below, its depth does not exceed three meters. A little higher there is a small trough-shaped depression, also filled with water.

An excursion to the cave is carried out strictly with a speleologist guide, because it is dangerous to explore this little-known cave on your own. Despite the fact that ordinary visitors have the opportunity to see only seventy meters of the cave, it is worth it, it is very beautiful. The walls are decorated with natural influxes of calcite, hardened in the form of fantasy patterns. This is where you get great photos.

To get to the cave to get into the cave, the easiest way is to use trolleybus route connecting Crimean capital from Alushta, then transfer to the bus going to the village of Marble, and then walk. You can go from Simferopol by bus to the village of Krasnolesye, but then you also need to walk. It’s easier to buy a tour with a transfer, there will already be a paid guide.

Three-Eyed Cave on Mount Ai-Petri- This karst cave, which is three and a half million years old, is located on the Ai-Petri Yaila. The Three-Eyed Cave was named for its three shaft-shaped entrances, similar to the eye sockets of a skull. A huge plus of such entrances is the presence of natural light in the dungeon, but there is also a minus - in winter snow gets through them and at temperatures around zero it almost never melts completely, and with the onset of winter the floor of the cave turns into a real ice rink. This thirty-meter cave is closed for tourists during the cold months of the year, even in summer some of its passages are closed, because there are so many and you can break something by accidentally slipping. After passing through the entrance and passing the tunnel, tourists enter the main hall with a cone-shaped ice stalagmite in the middle.

The uniqueness of the cave is that in its bowels there are both ice and stone sinter formations. Local residents have known about the features of the fact that the cave is icy from the inside for a long time, they even say that when Empress Catherine the Second traveled around the Crimea, it was in Yalta's Three-Eyed Cave that ice was mined to cool her drinks.

The cave was opened for tourists only in 1989. It is small - the area is about six hundred with a small square meters. This dungeon has its own belief: if a tourist throws a copper coin into a non-melting cone in the central part of the Three-Eyed Cave, then he will pay off all troubles and gain good luck.

Entry price: for adults - one hundred and fifty-five rubles, for children - eighty rubles.

You can get to the cave on your own by using the cable car going from the village of Miskhor to Ai-Petri or by hiring a taxi in the Yalta resort and its environs. Of course, you can buy a full tour at any travel agency. By the way, Geophysical and Yalta caves are located nearby on Ai-Petri.

Skelskaya cave near Mount Ai-Petri- Skelskaya cave is considered one of the most beautiful in the Crimea, but unsafe for independent visit tourists, so you can only get there with a guide. It appeared millions of years ago and over many centuries nature itself has decorated its dungeon with bizarre stalactites and stalagmites. The Skelsk cave was discovered only in 1904, but the inhabitants of the village of Skelsk knew about it for a long time, and only at the beginning of the twentieth century, an inquisitive and inquisitive school geography teacher descended into this underground cavity, finding the entrance to the cave in a crack in the rock. After that, archaeologists and speleologists came here to examine the internal contents of the dungeon. To date, the Skelskaya cave has not been fully studied, but the space that scientists have already examined has given great food for thought. Bones of animals that died out centuries ago were found - a saber-toothed tiger, a forest cat, a saiga, and so on, moreover, new levels and hitherto unknown cave cavities were discovered that have yet to be explored and landscaped for tourists to visit.

Only since 2003, a part of the Skelskaya cave has been fully prepared for visitors: lights have been installed, stairs and railings have been installed. The cave stretches for a distance of about seven hundred meters, it has several levels: at the top, the temperature is kept at thirteen degrees, at the bottom - eight degrees.

Those tourists who have visited this cave at least once, even though only five halls are now open for visiting, say that they visited a real underground natural palace, the interior of which resembles fairytale castle from the book cover. There are halls with speaking names: Knight's, Organ, Fireplace, Dolphin, Ghost Hall - they are not named so by chance, but in honor of unusual stone formations created by time, water and chemical salts. The fireplace hall attracts with massive columns that are similar to a real fireplace, only it has a huge size, and after placing the backlight there, the similarity only intensified. The Knights' Hall will surprise visitors with a stalagmite in the form of a figure of a knight in chain mail armed with a spear, as well as a stalagmite similar to the figure of a monk, whose head is covered with a hood. The Hall of Ghosts is famous for its absolutely fantastic blurry forms of stone formations, which is why it was called by such an ephemeral name. The "residents" of the underground castle - Skelskaya cave are mythical characters and animals: a dragon and a phoenix, a dolphin, a monkey, a gopher.

It is worth mentioning the danger again self-guided tour along the cave, as there are many sharp cliffs that communicate with the lower levels. The underground water system is also dangerous, especially in spring, when snow melts in the mountains, and even in autumn, during heavy rains, because the waters fill the cavities of the cave, it overflows and from its exit a swift stream of water rushes, dumping into the river. IN summer time it’s not so dangerous here in terms of water, but you shouldn’t forget about warm clothes, it’s always cold here and it never gets warmer than eight degrees.

You can visit the equipped and open Skelskaya cave in summer from nine in the morning to eight in the evening, in winter - from ten in the morning to six in the evening. The ticket price for an adult is five hundred rubles, for children from five to twelve years old - two hundred and fifty rubles, for children under five years old - free of charge.

You can get to the Skelskaya cave on your own by car, because the road to it is excellent. From the city of Sevastopol, you need to go along the H19 highway to the village of Goncharnoye, then turn left, having reached the village of Orlinoe, turn east and drive through the small villages of Pavlovka and Podgornoye, reach the village of Rodnikovskoye.

You can get to the cave from Yalta by bus: 37, 41, 182, 37a, 41a to the bus station "Fifth kilometer" on the Balaklava highway in the city of Sevastopol, and then take the buses going to the village of Rodnikovskoye, from where you need to walk a kilometer following the signs, leading to the cave.

Kizil-Koba caves or the Red Caves on Dolgorukovskaya Yaila - The Kizil-Koba Cave, formed two and a half million years ago, is a whole complex of underground voids-cavities connected to each other, which, for the fiery red color of the mineral that forms the walls of the dungeons, have another name - "Red Caves". The caves are hidden in the western part of the Dolgorukovskaya yayla, in the Simferopol region, three kilometers from the village of Perevalnoye.

The six-level caves of Kizil-Koba occupy twenty-seven kilometers in length, and sixty-five thousand kilometers in area, therefore they are recognized as the largest in Europe. The lower level goes to a depth of one hundred and forty-five meters, numerous corridors, passages, halls, galleries rise above it, for people who have never been there, this is a complex labyrinth where you can easily get lost and even die.

Red caves are karst, as they were formed by underground river Kizil-Kobinka, whose waters burst to the surface and appear before us in the form of a beautiful Su-Uchkan waterfall. The process of washing out new karst voids is not over, the river continues its centuries-old work, regularly increasing the area of ​​the caves. The underground kingdom of the Red Caves impresses with its beauty, the reddish stone on the walls in the rays of artificial light seems golden, which enhances the already strong impression of visitors from the underground beauties they saw: stalactites, stalagmites of various shapes and sizes, with bizarre tints and shades. There are many charming grottoes, interesting halls - Chinese, Indian, Argentine, as well as underground lakes and waterfalls, stone natural figures Viking, the Master of the cave, giant columns.

In the bowels of the Red Caves, people began to settle in ancient times, but to what people belonged the remains discovered by archaeologists, dated to the seventh century BC, and what kind of culture these people represented, scientists cannot say for sure to this day, therefore they called it "Kizil -Kobinsky. An extremely large number of finds were made here, including weapons, jewelry, household items, and it was stated about these artifacts that the people who created them had a fairly high level of development. Some scientists make assumptions that the people could refer to the Cimmerians, who were forced to hide in the Red Caves from the steppe inhabitants, the warlike Scythians, who were pursuing them.

I would like to talk about the mystical component of this place, because the Crimean caves of Kizil-Koba and the valley around them are, according to psychics, a place of power. There is a geomagnetic fault here and an underground river flows, which attracts otherworldly forces here, which can be seen at night in the form of luminous energy balls moving in the air. It is said that four times a year, during the change of seasons, a luminous ghost of a girl with wings appears near the cave, which the locals call the "Firebird", they say that seeing her is considered a good omen.

Excursion to the Red Caves starts from the main entrance, where there is a stone tower. The road goes along the underground river Kizil-Kobinka, along the giant Middle Halls - Kharanlykh-Kaya, Ilye-Koba, through majestic lakes, waterfalls, water cascades. At the same time, do not forget that the river is underground, and you are walking along an ancient cave, the walls of which are covered with graceful patterned outgrowths of quartzites, along the way you will meet fantasy growths on the floor and ceiling, created by nature itself. In the Red Caves grows the largest eight-meter stalactite in Europe, eight thousand years old.

The tourist group gathers at least five people, if desired, you can order and private tour which will be much more expensive. Don't forget to dress warmly, because the cave is never warmer than nine degrees. This cave has extreme tours for trained and experienced amateur speleologists, when a five-kilometer route goes through galleries and halls that are completely unsuitable for travelers, here you will have to overcome steep, narrow paths, passages in the form of a bottleneck, and also dive into an icy river water in wetsuits with special equipment.

You can get to the Kizil-Koba caves on your own from Simferopol by buses, trolleybuses, minibuses moving in the direction of the cities of Alushta or Yalta, you need to get off in the village of Perevalnoye, and the stop will just be called "Red Caves".

Resting on the Crimean peninsula? Do not miss the opportunity to look into the caves of the Crimea, open to the public. Some of them are so beautiful and unique that they made it to the pages of the Guinness Book of Records.

If you - active tourist, being in the Crimea, did not walk through its mountain dungeons, then such a vacation can be considered incomplete. Well, how can you get around such beauty!? The study of the peninsula has been going on since the 1950s. Many karst dungeons have already been found, which naturally appeared in limestone rocks. One can only guess how many thousands or millions of years it took for rainwater to act on the rock to such an extent.

Currently, speleologists have managed to discover more than 900 underground natural creations. Of course, most of it is, so to speak, “sports interest” - just like that, an unprepared person will not be able to move along them. You will need special knowledge, equipment, equipment. But there are also safe routes on which paths are laid, built viewing platforms, stairs. Everything possible has been done a common person was able to see the natural sights of the Crimea without danger to life.

Where are they located? Most of centered here:

• Ai-Petri,
• Chatyr-Dag,
• Yayly Karabi, Dolgorukovskaya.

The cheapest tickets from Moscow to Simferopol and back

Marble Cave - "world star"

Included in the TOP of the most beautiful in the world. In addition, it is one of the most visited, is a "member" of the International Association of equipped caves.

marble cave

It is located in Chatyr-Dag mountain. There are so many karst dungeons here that it resembles Swiss cheese. We are interested in the Marble Caves, 2 km long (there are several of them, therefore we speak in the plural), discovered in 1987. The history of their discovery is not at all connected with speleological searches. It's just that the shepherd lost a sheep, he went to look for it and accidentally found this miracle of nature. At that time, the find was called "Afghan". But on official version it was discovered by Simferopol speleologists. Experts conducted research and found out that the walls are made of marble-like limestone, and came up with a new name.

There are several levels with halls. On the top - Gallery of fairy tales, from which all underground walks begin. At the entrance you will be met by the "Master of the Mountain" - a huge stalagmite. Along the way, you will see other bizarre formations: Mammoth, Baby Elephant, Frog Princess.

Moving deeper, we find ourselves in the Tiger passage. Here the remains of the beast were found, which resembled a saber-toothed tiger, hence the name "Tiger". True, it later turned out that the bones belonged to a cave lion, but they decided not to change this “name”.

To get to the lower level, we return to the Gallery of Fairy Tales. Here, too, not everything is available for tourists. It is only possible to visit the Luster, Pink, Theater, Vernadsky and Hope Halls.

How to get there: by bus or car, Simferopol area. Choose scheduled bus to s. Marble, then 8 km on foot to the lower plateau. By car, we drive along the Simferopol - highway, turn off at the sign “s. Marble".

• Gal. fairy tales - the cost is 350 rubles, 30 minutes.
• Gal. fairy tales - Pearl Lakes - cost 400 rubles, 50 min.
• Gal. fairy tales - Tiger move - cost 450 rubles, 1 hour.
• all routes - cost 500 rubles, 1 hour 20 minutes.

Children under 5 years old - free of charge, up to 12 years old - half the ticket price for an adult.

It's cold inside, even in summer about +9 degrees. You need to take warm clothes with you. Jackets can be rented on site (10 rubles).

Schedule: from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., without breaks and days off, site onixtour.com.ua. Schedule subject to change due to inclement weather weather conditions. In summer, you can get here only in a group accompanied by a guide. IN winter time personalized service possible.

Kizil-Koba or Red Caves: the longest in Crimea

They are located on the slope of Dolgorukovskaya Yayla. Their walls are painted with iron oxide, so they have a rich red color. Kizil-Koba stretched for 25 km, the highest vault is 145 m. A river flows along the bottom, which at the exit turns into the Su-Uchkhan waterfall. Kizil-Koba has three separate entrances.

red caves

Excursions pass through the Griboedov Gallery, Indian, Argentine, Chinese, Academic Halls. In them you will see unique creations of nature, among which it is worth noting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Weeping Dwarf, the cave Master.

Usually the inspection ends at the first passage (siphon), flooded with water. Then the extreme begins - swimming in a wetsuit, the water temperature is not higher than +10 degrees, the air temperature is about +11. Having overcome the siphons, you can get to the North Harbor, see the Gallery of Fairy Tales, an eight-meter stalactite, a 20-meter-high Pink Jet waterfall.

The local places are attracted by another "chip" - the Viking Village. It is located on 6 hectares of land next to Kizil-Koba and is completely identical to the borg (large medieval city) Vikings. A walk through the village lasts 1.5 hours. During this time, you will get acquainted with the life of the Vikings, medieval crafts, you can buy a ready-made souvenir or make it yourself.

Village opening hours: from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Price for an adult is 450 rubles, for children 300 rubles. The purchase of an entrance ticket entitles you to be in the park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you wish, you can become a member of the evening program with interactive entertainment, buffet, filming. Such a pleasure will cost adults 2400 rubles, children 2000 rubles.

The fabulous valley of the Red Caves is a place where you can have a great rest after the tour. This is a landscape and recreational park, on the territory of which gazebos, barbecues, and playgrounds are equipped. Here you can ride on a fabulous train, on horseback, look into the zoo corner. The list of services is impressive, you can get acquainted with it at skazka-lrp.ru.

How to get there: by trolleybus or minibus we go to the village of Perevalnoye (Simferopol district), the stop "Pervalnoe-2", the landmark is the football field. Further along the asphalt road we go to the village. Krasnopeshchernoe (3 km). Then, along the dirt road above the bed of the Kizilkobinka river, another half an hour of travel and we are there.

The cost will depend on the chosen route:

• basic - price 400 rubles. adults, 200 rub. children 6-14 years old,
• extreme - price 4000 rubles,
• jacket rental - price 10 rubles.

Job: daily from 9:00 to 19:00. Detailed information can be found on the official website kizilkoba.ru.

Skelskaya cave with Foros fortress and Swallow's nest

S. Rodnikovoe, Baidarskaya Valley - it is here, on the Kara-Dag mountain (there are several Kara-Dags on the peninsula!), that the Skelskaya cave is located. The entrance to it is from the side of the Karadag forest. The walls are made of marble limestone. There are 3 levels, but two are available for inspection. Only speleologists have access to the lower one, since it is almost completely filled with water.

The main feature is bizarre stalagmites: phoenix, Foros fortress, bird home, as well as several unique sites:

• Fireplace Hall - it flaunts an influx in the form of a fireplace.
• Knightly - a staircase from Kaminnoye leads to it, a huge stalagmite "Knight with a spear" 7 m high was formed here.

How to get there: by bus from Sevastopol to the village. Spring. It will take about 1 hour to drive. When you arrive in the village, follow the signs.

Job: every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Now the visit is temporarily suspended due to the re-registration of documents. The opening time, new prices can be found on the official website speleotur.com.

A visit before the closing of the cave cost 300 rubles.

Emine-Bair-Khosar or Mammoth Cave in Crimea

It is located near the Marble, stretched for 1460 m. Initially, a vertical well 16 m long led here. Today, the entrance is a 12 m tunnel running along the river bed.

mammoth cave

Bones of a cave bear, mammoths, woolly rhinoceros were found here. These findings formed the basis of the museum of paleontology. That is where the inspection begins. It is followed by the Main Hall, height 42 m. Then the tourists go to the Dublyansky Hall with a two-tiered lake (to the left), the Throne Hall (to the right) with figures in the form stone flower, Caps of Monomakh.

During the tour of the upper levels, you will see underground lakes, the Hall of Idols with stalagmite formations in the form of statues of ancient gods. Having overcome the tunnel of 28 m, you can return to the Dublyansky Hall. Destinations- Kecskemét with various sintered figures, Organ Hall.

How to get there: from any resort we take a course to p. Marble or Krasnolesye (Simferopol region). Then we walk 8 km along the dirt road.

Job: daily from 9 am to 7 pm, onixtour.com.ua.

The cost of the tour depends on the chosen direction:

, "Coral",

We invite you to virtual walk in the Crimean caves:

We talked about the most popular Crimean caves that are open to the public. It will be no less interesting to visit Ice, Lake, Snake Cave and dozens of other natural creations. The Crimean peninsula is beautiful both on the ground and underground, do not miss the opportunity to see it from all sides in all its glory!

Emine-Bair-Koba - the ancient cave of Chatyr-Dag

Emine-Bair-Koba cave is located near the famous Crimean village of Marble. Sometimes you can hear the name Three-eyes, which arose due to three exits, 2 of which resemble a nostril in shape, which gave life to another name. The grotto became widely known in 1927, when a scientific article about it appeared in the journal Krym.

It is proved that the Emine-Bair-Koba cave was formed due to mountain river, which flowed through Chatyr-Dag more than 10 million years ago. Now only cavities remained from it, thoroughly washed out by powerful water flows.

For excursion groups and individual visitors, access is possible only 70 meters deep into the cave. Professionals can go further and see another 140 meters of underground beauty, but you will need special equipment. Apart from safety rods, rope handrails and low lighting, there is nothing there.

Usually tourists are shown 2 halls, which are located near the main entrance on 2 levels. Sinter formations are similar to corals. Somewhere you can see pebbles. Speleologists are still trying to figure out how she got there.

Below is a catalog where you can choose and book excursions to the caves of Crimea

Red Caves - Kizil-Koba

More than 27 kilometers of beauty offers to see the Kizil-Koba cave. It was formed about 2.5 million years ago. During this time, even an ancient man managed to settle there. Historians have proven that this happened 70 thousand years ago. You can also find the name "Red Caves". It appeared due to the reddish tint of the deposits and several entrances providing access to each of the 6 levels.

The Kizil-Koba cave is located near the village of Perevalnoye, Simferopol region. Inside you can see the mountain river Kizilkobinka, whose waters serve to fill the Su-Uchkhan waterfall. The miraculous sculptures-stalagmites are impressive: the Master, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Dwarf.

It never gets hot in the cave labyrinths: the temperature is +10 degrees all the time, so you need to dress warmly, because the tour usually lasts an hour. Tourists are guided along a route half a kilometer long. It is also possible to order an extreme tour, which will take about 6 hours. To overcome this path, you will need special suits and equipment.

Skelskaya - four-tiered cave

At the beginning of the last century, a grandiose discovery was made near the village of Skelya near Sevastopol: a local teacher accidentally discovered a huge underground cavity, which later received the name Skelskaya cave. Access to its bowels was not opened immediately, but only after half a century. During this time, smooth paths, steps and lighting appeared there, which was a prerequisite for accepting tourists.

The length of the passages is almost 700 meters, while the total area of ​​the cave is 1500 square meters. m. Halls and galleries are located on 4 tiers. Their height is so great that it made it possible to make 3 viewing platforms. From there you can admire the overall picture, which is made up of sinter formations and huge stalagmites. Particularly impressive is the "Knight", whose height exceeds 7 meters. Watch an interesting video tour of the sights:

If you are going to visit the Skelskaya cave in the Crimea, you should prepare for the fact that it is very damp and cold inside. The temperature is kept at around 12 degrees all year round. Tours here last about 50 minutes, so you need to take warm clothes with you.

Geophysical - a cave with a luminescent glow

On the territory of the Yalta mountain forest nature reserve on Mount Ai-Petri is Geophysical Cave, which was opened to tourists only in 2009. It was here that the luminescence of the formations was first noted: due to the fact that they contain manganese and copper, when light from the flash hits, the growths and influxes begin to glow with shades of green, yellow and blue.

To get into the halls of the cave, you will have to overcome a 28-meter spiral staircase, which is located in a vertical shaft 60 meters deep. The grotto has a length of 140 meters. You need to be prepared for the fact that the temperature inside will be about 10 degrees.

Below, complex galleries and halls open up before the tourist. Zhemchuzhny surprises with numerous pointed formations on the walls and vault, which have a pleasant green color. A geophysical cave in the Crimea attracts travelers who want to look at a 6-meter stalactite. That's great rarity. Also in one of the halls there is a bizarre sinter formation very similar to a tiered wedding cake.

Many stalactites, united with stalagmites, turned into stalagnates. Due to the peculiarities of the breed, they acquired a yellow-mustard color. At the bottom of the cave there is even small lake with clean water.

Yalta - cave with stone jellyfish

The Ai-Petri mountain range contains many cavities, but not every one of them has been fully explored. More recently, at the end of the 20th century, the Yalta cave was discovered. And the first tourist went there only in 2007, when the conditions for receiving visitors were created. There are 2 rooms inside. For ordinary people, there is only access to the main gallery. The second, which is at the lower level, requires special training and equipment.

The entrance to the dungeon is very convenient: the steps go very shallow. Usually the tour lasts 25 minutes: the area of ​​​​the equipped area is only 180 meters, so this time is enough to take a close look at everything. The arch is decorated with pasta stalactites of different lengths and thicknesses, and stone jellyfish flaunt on the walls. Special lighting creates a sense of magic.

Three-Eyes - Ice Cave

There are many different grottoes and cavities on Mount Ai-Petri. Three-eyed cave is one of the most famous and visited. It is named so because of the presence of three cavities that resemble the eye sockets, however, empty. To get inside, you have to overcome a long staircase leading to the bottom.

You can also find the name Ice Cave. It was given because of the huge snowdrift that formed in the main hall. Over the years, the snow turned into ice, some of which was taken out to be used as a cold accumulator. With its help, food and wine were cooled, located in the cellars of Count Vorontsov.

The main hall of the Three-Eyed Cave occupies 150 sq. m. Walls and vaults consist of rock layers and sand-colored sinter formations. There are also ice stalactites that grow at high speed. The grotto is equipped for tourists. There is lighting and comfortable handrails. The only difference is that it is very cold there. Going on an excursion to ice cave You should bring warm clothes with you.

Iograph - cave-temple

The southern side of Mount Ai-Petri is known for the natural monument of Crimea located there. Iograph Cave has long been used for Christian worship. In a spacious hall measuring 18x10 meters, a temple was equipped with an altar, icons and lamps, where believers gathered.

Nearest locality- Yalta, so tourists heading to the Ai-Petrinsky plateau have the opportunity to visit this attraction. Not far from the entrance rises the Poklonny cross. There was a time when the grotto fell into disrepair - an accumulation of garbage appeared there and even cattle were brought in to wait out the midday heat. But in the 90s of the last century, the group caring people she put the cave in order - they took out the rubbish, icons appeared on the walls.

Cave Iograph in Crimea refers to karst formations. Initially, water accumulated in the cavity, but then the rock parted. So the entrance appeared, and the liquid left the tank. Inside there are recesses in which cave pearls were found. The walls are decorated with stalactites, and in one sinter formation, the outlines of a human face are clearly visible.

Bottomless well - Tupsuz-Khosar cave

Not far from the village of Marble, which is located between Simferopol and Alushta, there is an amazing underground cavity in the mountain Chatyr-Dag. It attracts those wishing to penetrate hard-to-reach places and discover something new in the Crimea. The Bottomless Well Cave is a real treasure trove with natural pearls and 10-meter icicles on the walls.

Grotto Tyupsyuz-Khosar (this is his middle name) is available only to people with special training and equipment. And although you can go down the stairs a little there, you won’t be able to reach the bottom without protective equipment. The lowest point of the cave is at a depth of 195 meters. From the main shaft there are 3 horizontal tunnels. At the end of the last century, a well with 2 halls was found there.

Cave The bottomless well has the shape of a jug, expanding towards the bottom. Its "walls" are dotted with various cavities-pockets. Snow drifts can be seen there all year round. Snow, getting inside, is perfectly preserved. At the bottom point, a 15-meter snowdrift even formed.

The grotto is famous for its abundance of cave pearls. And although visually it looks like a sea one, it is formed with the help of ordinary calcite, which is layered on grains of sand. Its diameter can reach 3 cm. Once cavers managed to find more than 15 thousand of these pearls.

Snake - cave of sacrifices

Not far from Simferopol, near the village of Chistenkoe, there is an unusual karst formation - Snake Cave. Its name is rather symbolic, because there are no reptiles in these places. And they called it that because of the long, narrow and winding passages, which have some similarities with snake holes.

This is a three-story cave, over 300 meters long. The lower tier is rich in crystalline calcites, which in the light of lanterns begin to play with different colors. Unlike other caves, not a single sinter formation can be found here - stalactites and other growths cannot form here. Too dry and warm.

During the study of the cave, fragments of dishes and many animal bones were found. Thanks to this, it was concluded that the Serpent's Cave in the Crimea was used as a place where sacrificial rites were performed.

It's pretty quiet there now. And if you take a few powerful lanterns with you, you can admire the unusual tunnels and bends. You just need to be prepared for the fact that on the way you can meet a tiny bat with a big name - a big horseshoe. Fortunately, she does not pose a threat.

Big Buzluk - Ice Well

The east of Crimea is famous for the most interesting and huge Karabi-Yayla mountain range. It is of interest due to the huge number of various karst formations. One of them is the Big Buzluk cave. The nearest settlement is the village of Generalskoye, from where excursions usually start.

The grotto is a vertical 20-meter funnel that descends 81 meters. You can't get there without equipment. Its length is not more than 160 meters. The second name of the cave is Ice well. Inside you can see ice growths, stalactites and columns. The temperature stays around 0 degrees.

A couple of centuries ago, the Big Buzluk cave in the Crimea was used as a cold store. Livestock breeders stored sheep carcasses there, destined for sale to Europe. Researchers have proven that the age of ice in certain places exceeds 50 years. For the Crimea, this is a rarity.

Despite the abundance of ice and snow, at the bottom of the cave, in a kind of well, you can see a small underground river. Due to the constant movement, the water in it never freezes.

Binbash-Koba - Thousand-Headed Cave

The Binbash-Koba cave is one of the least visited places in Crimea - 2 centuries ago, many human bones and skulls were found in it. This fact contributed to the emergence of another name - the Thousand-Headed. Now there is no trace left of the remains. They were barbarously plundered. People did not hesitate to take with them cave stalactites, which were cut down with a special hatchet. And for the heritage left "memorable" inscriptions on the walls.

The Binbash-Koba cave is located in the lower part of the Chatyrdag plateau, not far from the village of Marble. The entrance to this grotto is rather inconspicuous and resembles an ordinary crevice. But, after going a little inside, you can get into a huge hall 7 meters high. The total length of the passages is just over 100 meters. Everyone can go there - admission is free.

The peculiarity of this grotto is in a special shade of sinter formations. In appearance, it resembles soot, which is obtained after a fire. It is still not known whether the cave was really set on fire, according to the legend, or whether it was a special reaction of the rock to oxygen. Black stalactites and influxes look gloomy, but you should not be afraid - this is just a special, unlike other karst cavity.

Grotto Shaitan-Koba - the dwelling of an ancient man

Not far from the village of Skalistoye, Bakhchisaray district, the river Bodrak flows, on the right bank of which there is a mysterious cave Shaitan-Koba. In the Crimea, it is of particular value: in the 30s of the last century, a parking lot was discovered there. ancient man. Upon closer examination, it became clear that people lived there in the Paleolithic era.

The size of the cave is small. It goes into the rock for 4 meters, gradually narrowing. The height is only 2 meters, and the total area does not exceed 28 square meters. m. Archaeological excavations yielded colossal results: the cultural layer 30 cm deep contained tens of thousands of things valuable for science, which were once used by primitive people. These were flint tools (about 25 thousand) and bones of birds and animals that were hunted in those days - magpies, donkeys, mammoths, bison, arctic foxes and others.

The Shaitan-Koba cave is translated from the Crimean Tatar as “devilish”, but there is nothing frightening or mystical in it. The picturesque surroundings attract no less than the ancient grotto, so people often visit here. tourist groups accompanied by tour guides.

What impressions will give excursions to the caves?

Acquainted with wonderful world, which is carefully kept in the caves of the Crimea, unforgettable pictures created by the forces of nature will remain in your memory. Stone flowers, jellyfish, stalagmites impress with their different shapes and sizes, unusual colors and age. Tourists return to some of the caves more than once to inspect every corner more carefully.

You can get into many caves of the Crimea throughout the year. According to statistics, in the off-season there is a slight decrease in tourist activity and you can walk through the underground labyrinths as part of a small excursion group. But there are also grottoes that are closed for the winter. Therefore, before visiting, it is advisable to clarify the work schedule of the ticket office and guides.

Fortunately, there is no need to pay for the opportunity to see many Crimean caves. The main thing is to try to preserve natural resources and not leave traces of being in them, so as not to disrupt the natural course of events.

Rest in Crimea would be incomplete without visiting amazing caves. Since the 50s of the XX century, speleologists have been exploring the Crimean peninsula, rich in underground spaces created in the earth's crust.

On the peninsula, there are many natural karst cavities that have appeared in limestone rocks. Rain water slowly but surely destroyed rocks and mines appeared. nature created underworld over millions of years.

Today in the Crimea there are more than 900 caves, wells and mines. Most of them are sports, not sightseeing, i.e. only people with special training and special equipment can visit them. But there are also caves equipped for visiting. Speleologists have developed safe ones, equipped them with paths, stairs, viewpoints. All conditions have been created so that tourists can see the beauty of underground life. Some of the caves are listed in the Crimean Guinness Book of Records.

marble cave

Among the Crimean mountains, the Chatyr-Dag massif stands out. This is in the Turkic language, and in Russian - "tent-mountain". The mountain is dotted with karst formations, caves, mines and wells, for which it was nicknamed Swiss cheese. not only the most popular, but also world famous. And relatively young, it was explored and discovered in 1987.

Water for many centuries undermined the marble-like limestone rocks, and as a result, a cave was formed. It's always cold here, like in the Snow Kingdom. The temperature, equal to 9 degrees, is constantly kept at the same level. Due to almost absolute humidity, it is always damp here.

At the entrance of tourists, the “Master” is waiting for tourists, as cavers politely call a huge stalagmite. Small stalactites grow above it. For a year they increase by several microns. Someday they will unite and become a stalagnate, but this will not happen very soon.

Sinter formations in the cave are centuries-old “works” of calcium carbonate, which creates bizarre stone sculptures on the walls. The names of the cave halls are speaking. The landslide was so named because the ceilings separating the halls once collapsed. In the Palace Hall sits the king and queen, as well as their retinue. The clay hall is notable for the fact that its floor is covered with clay. You can get from Simferopol to the village. Marble towards Alushta. The cost of visiting is 450 rubles for an adult ticket and 225 rubles. children's.

Kizil-Koba or Red Cave

Kizil Koba or Red Cave is the largest cave system peninsulas of Crimea. More than 2.5 million years ago, it was formed by the Kizilkobinka River, which passes through the cave and turns into the Su-Uchkhan waterfall. The cave is called Red because iron oxide is present in the rocks. That is why reddish tones prevail in the area.

- these are 6 tiers, galleries 135 m deep and 230 m3 in volume. The length of the cave is 26 km, and this is not the limit, because the river tirelessly washes out new ponors, resulting in galleries, shafts, narrow corridors and spacious halls. Nine water siphons block the way, and only experienced speleologists can get here.

In 1989, the first excursion was held in the Red Cave, and since then everyone can visit it and overcome the half-kilometer route. The Indian, Chinese, Argentinean and Academic halls amaze with their grandiosity.

Once A.S. visited the cave. Griboedov, and in honor of this, the main route was called the Griboedov Gallery. The path is dotted with cascades, lakes and waterfalls, which form an underground river. Stalactites, stalagmites, columns and draperies adorn the underground galleries, creating a unique entourage. For extreme tourists there is a special route. They are offered to put on equipment and overcome the path from 2 to 5 km along the flooded galleries. Those who venture on such a journey will open many halls and passages that are unattainable for ordinary tourists. You can get there by trolleybus from Simferopol to the village of Perevalnoe. The cost of visiting the cave is 300 rubles for an adult ticket and 150 rubles. children's.

Cave "Emine-Bair-Khosar"

On the slope of Mount Chatyr-Dag there is a beautiful cave Emine-Bair-Khosar. If you translate the name, you get "a well on a slope near an oak."

The cave is more than 10 million years old, but for a long time tourists did not have the opportunity to get there, because the entrance was not equipped. Then only specially trained people could go down the vertical well. In 1994, cavers made a convenient horizontal route in the form of a tunnel, and since then the cave has been opened to the public. The tunnel leads to dozens of galleries and halls. An underground kingdom with luxurious decoration opens up to the eye. Sintered columns of amazing shape, beautiful crystals and carolite flowers, bath niches, wells and even a waterfall made of stone.

There is a stunning underground lake in the Main Hall. Hall of Idols "inhabited" fairy tale characters formed by stalagmites. The walls are decorated with stains of different shades. In the "Treasury" room, you can find "jewels" if you look closely. The Kecskemét hall is notable for the fact that it is equipped with an acoustic system, and the music sounds very melodious and mysterious. In the hall of Viktor Dublyansky (karst scientist) there is a two-story dehydrated calcite lake. The walls and vault of the Pink Grotto have a pleasant pink color due to the iron salts contained in the water. These and many more rooms are open to the public. The cost of visiting the cave is 450 adult tickets and 225 rubles. children's.

Thousand-Headed Cave (Chatyr-Dag)

Binbash-Koba - A thousand-headed cave, if translated from the Turkic language. Its location is the Lower Chatyr-Dag Yayla. The length of the cave is a little more than a hundred meters. The first people who visited the cave, and it was in the middle of the 19th century, found many human bones and skulls in it. These finds turned into souvenirs that were eagerly snapped up by tourists. Why were there so many remains in the cave?

According to , the nomads attacked the locals, and they took refuge from the Varangians in a long-discovered cave. They took food and essentials with them, but there was no water. At night, a girl from the tribe went with jugs for water. Water, splashing, irrigated the path, and soon flowers grew on it. The nomads instantly figured out where the fugitives were hiding, and wanted to take them prisoner. But the locals did not give up. Then the nomads lit a large fire at the entrance, and the people inside died because they could not get out.

There is another explanation for the name, and it is easier to believe in it. The horizontal entrance-portal of the cave leads to a wide platform, then it narrows and passes into a huge hall, where there are an abundance of stalactites and stalagmites. Quiet place for the burial of the dead. It is possible that people from local tribes were buried here earlier. Skulls of fully formed adults were found in the cave.

Cave Iograph (Ai-Petri Yayla)

Crimean mountains stretched for 160 km, occupying the southern and southeastern parts of the peninsula. Among them is the Ai-Petri Yayla, and in its slope is the Iograph Cave. Once it did not exist, but there was a natural mine where groundwater flowed. The rock, unable to withstand the load, cracked. Water rushed out in a powerful stream and formed a small entrance on the mountain slope. This is how the Iograf Cave appeared. It consists of great hall and a few twisty moves. The entrance to the cave is masked by limestone cliffs.

In the VIII-IX centuries, Crimean Christians, persecuted by the Turks, hid in the cave. Believers created small churches in the mountains. One was in Iograph. Many centuries later, researchers found fragments of an ancient icon with the Face of Jesus Christ, glass and copper ornaments, lamps, and a cross in the cave. When the temple lost its need, the altar was dismantled, and the cave was abandoned, but later it was remembered again. In 1947, the cave was included in the list of Crimean natural monuments. After another 50 years, the temple reopened in the cave. In 2000, a worship cross was installed next to the cave.

Three-Eyed Cave (Ai-Petri)

Soars up, and you find yourself at its upper station Ai-Petri. Then 700 meters on foot, and here it is - the cave "". And it immediately becomes clear why she has such a name. The entrance is divided into 3 parts, resembling eye sockets. Whichever entrance you enter, you will enter a fairy tale.

Inside is a real ice kingdom. A snow cone in the middle of the cave as a symbol of eternal cold. Tourists are surprised when they see him. The snow does not melt even in summer. Even if it is sweltering heat outside, it does not penetrate here. The contrast between the temperatures in the cave and outside is impressive. In a snow cone-shaped snowdrift, tourists leave coins, this has already become local tradition. For luck.

Crimean hunters in ancient times kept their prey in the cave, lowering it down on ropes. Since the cave is constantly cold, the prey did not spoil for a long time. Count Vorontsov was transported ice to the estate, and he used it to cool wine and food. Ice was also delivered to noble people. was not a match for the usual, so it was highly valued among rich people.

It is sad that the miracles created by nature are mercilessly destroyed by man. The Three-eyed Cave suffered the same fate. Please be kind to nature!

Topsyus-Khosar (Bottomless Well)

The cave looks like a deep well, which is why its name is “Bottomless well”. It is also called a mine, which is more like the truth. There is no entrance for ordinary tourists. But people with special equipment are welcome. And then, provided that if there is an experienced caver or a trained athlete nearby. A staircase 17 meters long leads to the mouth of the mine. It is gradually expanding. You need to go down to the very bottom of the mine. In winter, snow sometimes lies here, and glaciers form in spring. Even in summer it is cold here. Snow sometimes does not fall in an even layer, but forms a snow cone up to 10 meters high.

At the bottom of the mine, the journey is just beginning. There are three tunnels from here. South rapidly goes up to 30 meters. There are several halls in the northern passage, which are separated by arches. The passage to the southwest is an ancient channel where an underground stream once ran. Over time, it dried up, and gravel and clay took its place. Speleologists considered this area the most convenient for the formation of a passage. From here you can go to the well, as well as to small halls.

Altyn-Teshik (Golden Hole)

White Rock is notable for the fact that on its western slope there is a cave-grotto Altyn-Teshik. And if you translate this name, you get the "Golden Hole". Archaeologists claim that our ancestors have been here. This is indicated by the found skeleton of a Neanderthal woman with a child who lived in the Golden Hole 150 thousand years ago. The Sarmatian tribes also lived here, leaving behind tamgas - tribal signs. Ancient people took shelter in the cave from the weather, used it as a corral for animals, which was discovered during excavations in the 1960s.

Legend has it that a snake lived in the cave in ancient times. And inside the Golden Hole there was a long tunnel through which one could get to Feodosia.

Archaeologists have discovered mammoth bones and ancient tools in the cave. That the Golden Hole was inhabited is beyond doubt. The cave is located at a height of over half a meter, and it is not easy to get to it. A narrow crumbling path leads to it, on which it is difficult to maneuver. So the cave in the old days could also serve as a protective structure.

The Skelskaya cave can be found in the southwestern part of the Crimea, namely in Sevastopol, the village of Rodnikovoe is located nearby. The groundwater limestone rocks were undermined for a long time, and the upper part of the vault, unable to withstand the load, collapsed. A spacious hall was formed, and calcite sinter formations eventually divided it into several rooms.

Skelskaya cave is divided into several areas. The first of them is the "Fireplace Hall". The influx formed the shape of a fireplace, so there was no need to think about the name for a long time. If you climb the stairs to the second platform, you will see the luxurious Knights' Hall. It is named after the huge 7-meter stalagmite "Knight with a Spear". Sagging and sagging form interesting patterns, as if frost draws on the windows. Here you can see a waterfall, a dragon skull with eyes and fangs, a phoenix bird. Nature works wonders.

Stalactites and stalagmites joined together to form columns decorating the hall. There are also slick curtains and ribs, bath niches. It takes many centuries to create such beauty. Just think about it: in a hundred years only 1 cm of sagging is formed! There is even a castle in the cave. Not real, of course, but formed by influxes, but how cool they look! In the Dolphin Hall there is a stone silhouette of a dolphin jumping out of the water.