Arabatskaya arrow in the Crimea: features, where to stay and what to see?

For each person, the concept of a perfect holiday is different - someone needs a five-star hotel in the most popular resort, and someone appreciates privacy. If you are in the company of friends saying that you rested on the Arabat Spit, you should not be surprised if you are asked where it is. Perhaps, the relatively low fame of this place is only to his advantage.

A feature of most of the sights of the Crimea is that they all have a very ancient history, stretching back thousands of years very far - even in times of antiquity. The Arabat arrow, in spite of its considerable size, does not have such a story for a very unusual reason - it ... simply did not exist.

Modern scientists have come to the conclusion that a thousand years ago the level of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Sivash Bay, which today are separated by the Arabat arrow, was somewhat higher - so that no land could be observed above the water. These reservoirs began to melt relatively recently, therefore the date of birth of the spit can be considered approximately the XI-XII centuries. Moreover, the initial inconstancy of this formation is indicated by at least the fact that up to the middle of the XVII century there was no Arabatsky arrow on any map of this area.

Theoretically, of course, this spit can be attributed to a little more history - for example, the Bosporus kingdom, which existed on the verge of our era, was interested in the possibility of creating a fortification where today the Arabat arrow connects to the Kerch Peninsula.

At the base of the Arabat Spit, there are remains of a Tatar-Turkish fortress, the exact date of which is unknown. Its appearance here is caused, apparently, by the same reasons why the Arabat Spit began to appear on the maps because the Zaporozhye Cossacks, who traditionally had hostility with the Tatars, managed to sneak into the very rear of the Crimean Khanate and bring their own orders.

To say that Arabatskaya fortress successfully coped with the task, it is impossible - in the years 1668-1771, it was captured three times by the Slavs, and soon it, along with the whole peninsula, was annexed to the Russian Empire.

After that, the Arabat Spit has been featured in history. For example, during the Crimean War in the middle of the nineteenth century, the above-mentioned fortress, already belonging to Russia, showed its best side - its garrison managed to repel the attack of the Anglo-French landing force and did not allow it to pass along the spit. After another 70 years, at the end of the Civil War, through the Arabat Spit and Sivash, the Reds entered the Crimea, which remained the last stronghold of Wrangel and the whole white movement.

To find the Arabat Spit on the map, find the Sea of ​​Azov on it and pay attention to its western coast. There, along the Crimea, you will see another elongated reservoir, separated from the rest of the water area by the thinnest strip of land. This narrow and long braid is the Arabat arrow.

The uniqueness of this natural phenomenon lies in its form, because with an impressive length of about 110 kilometers, its width varies within a very modest 0.5-3 kilometers.

Lake Sivash, located to the west of the Arabat Spit, has an increased salinity, therefore, almost completely devoid of any life, for which it is often called Rotten Lake. As befits a place, not so long ago the former seabed, it is composed mainly of sandstones.

Due to the fact that this narrow strip of land is surrounded on all sides by salty water bodies, there have always been huge problems with drinking water, and therefore there have never been any settlements here - a few pieces are located only at the edges of the spit. At the same time, the abundance of salts led to the fact that several centuries ago the Ukrainian Chumaks arrived here after them, Today, there are excellent conditions for the development of spa tourism.

Externally, the spit looks approximately like a sandy desert with a maximum height of no more than 10 meters above the level of the surrounding water bodies. Throughout its length, the Arabat Spit was overgrown with a thorn, which is also called Arabat. In the second half of the summer, it dries out and forms a tumbleweed.

Along the entire length of the arrow is not that road, but only its likeness, which is here called the "washboard". In fact, this is only the direction on sandstone, indicated by low (5-8 centimeters in height) "sides" at the edges, although experienced tourists say that for a car it is a rather convenient way. There is civilization only in the north, where up to the village of Shooting the coastline is densely built up with camp sites and children's camps, there is a paved road and water supply.

Since 2014, the Arabat Spit is simultaneously in two states. Until known events, it completely belonged to Ukraine, after that its southern part, together with the Crimean peninsula, was annexed to Russia, while the slightly more developed northern part remained in the Kherson region.

Despite the fact that along the entire length of the spit passes the already mentioned “ironing board”, the border here is not represented by any checkpoint. Apparently, it is assumed that because of the huge distance between Strelkov in the north and Salt in the south, it is unlikely that anyone is interested in crossing the border at this place. At the entrance to the arrow across the bridges from Genichesk, Ukrainian border guards may be interested in the purpose of the visit, from the Crimean Salt there are no such restrictions.

Despite the fact that there seems to be no control over the observance of the border, its intersection at this place, without customs procedures, both parties will be regarded as an offense.

The Arabat arrow on both sides of the present border is actually two completely different worlds. About the part that adjoins directly to the Crimea, you can literally say a couple of sentences - almost no tourist infrastructure is there, they go there just for a wild holiday with their own tent, but due to the fact that there are no shops or even fresh water anywhere, without a personal car this is a decent risk.

Recently, some actions are periodically observed aimed at organizing campgrounds and similar amenities on the southern side of the spit, but none of them have yet managed to gain the glory of proven, and most importantly - a permanent place to which you can come at any time. As for organized recreation, it offers only recreation center "Safari" not far from the Arabat fortress, the rest of the structure is already located in Kamenskoye, that is, not directly on the spit.

The conditions in them, on the one hand, are similar, on the other - they are somewhat different, because each locality should be considered separately.

The first when moving from the continent is Genicheskaya Gorka is a small village with a population of about half a thousand people. Because of its convenient position, it was historically the first resort on the spit, because many local recreation centers were built several decades ago.

Tourists should be attentive because Only a few of them survived the overhaul and global upgrade of equipment. Chasing low prices, you can run into the classic Soviet "convenience". There are also several recreational facilities. The cheapest housing can be found in the private sector, but it is usually not located on the first line. Contrary to the very modest size of the village, for tourists there is not so little infrastructure - there is a water park with a dolphinarium, an amusement park, and clubs, not to mention shops and pharmacies. This place is chosen by those who love a noisy and comfortable rest.

Further along the coastline goes Lucky, which is three times more population than Genicheskaya Gorki (one and a half thousand people live here), but it is considered to be a much calmer resort. They come here largely for the treatment of mud, which here are blue cosmetic and black medical.

There is no typical youth infrastructure here, as well as luxury hotels, but there are several recreation centers and children's health camps. As befits a village of this size, and even a resort, the minimum infrastructure in the form of shops and cafes, as well as pharmacies and a market, is present here. In Schastlivtsevo, you are still in the middle of civilization, but already much closer to the wildness of the Arabat Spit.

The one and a half thousandth gunmen is the last - for him for about hundreds of kilometers there will not be a single settlement, down to the tiny Salt, located already at the entrance to the main part of Crimea. Considering that it is rather difficult and expensive to get deep into the Arabat Spit, the Rifle, located at the maximum distance from the “mainland”, can boast tranquility and cleanliness.

Unlike the villages described above and Genichesk himself, The seabed deepens more sharply here, so it is good for swimmers, and local hot springs allow you to improve your health. Here, as nowhere else, it makes sense to apply to the private sector, since recreation facilities and sanatoriums are still there, but there are already relatively few of them. But in these parts there are campgrounds for those who want a “wild” rest, but with minimal amenities.

Taking into account the peculiarities of the geological structure of the Arabat Spit and the fact that it has never really had full-fledged large settlements, it is rather difficult to wait for any sights from this place in the conventional sense of the word. The main local attraction is the very specifics of this place - strips of desert, sandwiched between two sea shores.

Inside a narrow strip of land there are often found hot springs what makes the local nature even more unique - agree that something similar can be seen far from everywhere. In addition, the local conditions are highly valued for the striking privacy of these places, because just imagine: Here you can go so far that the nearest car is from you a few dozen kilometers to go.

If, nevertheless, to talk about the sights as about the creations of human hands, then here they may not be very impressed by the person who saw a lot, but in general they are able to complement the original portrait of this place.

• Arabat fortress, located in the south, near the village of Salt, already mentioned above, and that it can be considered the only real local attraction. Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, according to historical documents it can be determined that these picturesque ruins have already turned at least 350 years old. Particularly interesting is the design of the fortress - in order to additionally protect it from falling cannonballs, it was somewhat drowned in a specially dug ditch, so that it does not rise much above the ground, but it is not dug in it.

• In the middle part of the spit, you can see the traces of Soviet quarries, where at one time they tried to adjust the mining of the shell rock. Industrialists stopped on time, realizing that their activities would with great probability lead to the destruction of the entire Arabat Spit and could provoke an environmental catastrophe in the Sea of ​​Azov. The remaining trenches were decided not to leave idle - a fishery was organized here, which poured water there and began to breed fish there.

• Despite the fact that the Arabat Spit never interested people as a place to live, it was an important strategic point.. Traces of past wars have remained here and in our days. In addition to the same fortress, it is worth mentioning also the line of German bunkers from the Second World War. They are located on the Sivash side.

• The village of Solyanoye, located at the southern tip of the spit, got its name for nothing - here even today a salt extraction plant is functioning, organized according to the principle that has been tested for centuries. Here are the huge "plantations" of shallow containers, where they pour the concentrated Sivash brine. Then the burning Crimean sun is taken over - under its rays the water evaporates, and the salt remains.

• In the vicinity of the village of Strelkovo in the northern part of the spit, you can see how natural gas is produced from the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov. Air bells are an unusual sight, and this is one of the few places where they can be seen from land.

• Near the beginning of the Arabat Bay from the water one can see the remains of several sunken ships. It is difficult to say at once what time these remains are, but nowadays they are periodically used by the military as targets for working out basic skills. Directly behind the teachings, you are unlikely to be allowed to observe, but even on any other day this sight seems quite interesting.

Considering the scale of the Arabat Spit and its isolated position, it will only be possible to get to the spit from the south, from the Crimean peninsula, or from the north, from the side of Genichesk via bridges.

Both options are good in their own way, since the southern part is more wild and isolated, and the northern part is better organized in terms of infrastructure. At the same time, neither there nor there, of course, there are neither airfields, nor a railway, although in the northern part it was partially in Soviet times. It turns out that you can get here either by personal transport or public transport - but only to the outskirts of the spit.

Getting to the Arabat Spit from the side of the Crimean Peninsula is not so easy - there are no large cities in the immediate vicinity of it, and there is only the village of Solyanoye with a population of less than 100 in it, which does not contribute to the development of public transport. From here (and in winter, probably, only from neighboring Kamensky) a bus goes to Feodosia, which is 52 kilometers away. It is somewhat easier to get to Theodosia itself - for example, if you flew by plane to Simferopol Airport, you can get both by direct flight from the terminal and with a transfer in Simferopol itself.

An alternative option, especially convenient for those who arrived in the Crimea on the Crimean bridge on their own car - to get to Solyany on their own. From Kerch, located at the exit from the bridge across the strait, to Salt of 98 kilometers, they can be overcome in 1.5-2 hours. If you would like to see remote areas of the Arabat Spit or simply find a truly secluded place to rest, this option seems to be optimal, since along the spit, we recall, public transport does not go.

In the northern part of the spit there are four settlements at once (Genicheskaya Gorka, Priozernoe, Schastlivtsevo and Strelkovoe) and a huge amount of tourist infrastructure, because the transport communication here is somewhat better developed - to Strelkovoi, the latter, there is even a paved road lined with plates from the dismantled airfield.

The buses from Kherson, the regional center located far on the continent, go there twice a day, they also go through the Genichesk regional center, which has a direct bus connection to settlements in other regions of Ukraine. In summer, the number of flights from the district center increases many times. In addition, it is easy to get to Genichesk from the neighboring Novoalekseevka, which today is the terminal station for several passenger trains of Ukrainian railways connecting the region with the rest of Ukraine.

For information on where to stop and what to see on the Arbat Arrow in the Crimea, see the following video.