All about Cape Aya in Crimea

Crimea is a wonderful land with picturesque landscapes and warm sea. There is unlimited space for any kind of recreation: mountains, hiking routes, beaches, historical tours. On the peninsula there are many interesting places for both single tourists and for couples with children. One of these is the reserve Cape Aya.

The rocky protrusion stretches across the sea for about 15 kilometers. Imagine a ridge of mountains and picturesque green valleys with relict pines - this is Aya. Here, monuments of nature are bordered by steep cliffs, karst craters and hard-to-reach beaches.

Cape Aya in the Crimea is a protected area, you can not touch the plants and make fires in the wrong places. In addition, tourists who are spoiled by the All inclusive system will not find luxury hotels and services here.

The ridge of rocks on the peninsula has several high peaks: Kokiya-Kai, Juniper Cape, Kush-Kai. The height of the mountains here ranges from 500 meters above sea level. The highest point is Kokiya-Kai (559 m). There are good tourist routes of varying difficulty here, both for beginners and professionals.

On the map of the peninsula, you can see that the closest village to Cape Aya is Balaklava.

Cape Aya has a lot of attractions in addition to beautiful views and mountains, not without reason this place is called “the lost world”. Here you can see a large number of flowers and plants listed in the Red Book. To tear them, naturally, is forbidden, as well as to walk on them. Also there are a large number of rare animals and insects. In the water area there are sharks and dolphins of three species, many crabs.

Hiking in the mountains will bring great aesthetic pleasure. These places will definitely want to capture the memory. They are beautiful in any weather, so you should carry a camera with you.

In addition, there are many ancient buildings: temples and monasteries. Sights can also be attributed Laspi Baywhere the site of primitive man has been preserved since the Neolithic times. The bay itself and grottoes are popular among holidaymakers.

This amazing place with untouched wildlife annually attracts more and more tourists from different countries and cities. If you do not want to spend your entire vacation here, then you can take a tour in Balaclava and sail here by boat or a small ship. Only it will turn out to be rather long, since it is impossible to see all the sights in 1 hour.

You can get to the reserve by car or bus from Sevastopol or Balaklava (about 8 km). But transport can only get to the turn on Aya, then you have to walk a short distance. The entry of any vehicles into the territory of the cape is prohibited, as it is a protected area.

You can also get here by sea: from Balaklava to Cape about 30 minutes of travel on a small private skiff. Ships go here all the time, you can rent a yacht or a boat or find a free captain. In the summer, they are here around the clock.

For the device with an overnight stay there are several options.

• You can relax here in a specially equipped tent camp, where you have everything you need: campfire sites, trash cans, tents and places for them, tables and benches, a field kitchen.
• You can spend the night by renting a room in one of the private houses in the villages near the Cape. They are within walking distance of the reserve, no more than 5 kilometers from the sea. There are quite inexpensive housing, there are shops and cafes.
• On the coastline there are numerous recreation centers, where you can also rent a room for one or several people. Housing prices are much higher than in the private sector and townships.

As for excursions, you can visit some of the sights on your own, but it is better to use the services of guides and choose a group study tour, especially if you are relaxing in these places for the first time. It should be remembered that unknown routes on the cape can be dangerous due to sheer cliffs, landslides and seismic activity. therefore if you go to the mountains, only with a guide.

You can visit the cape at any time of the year, but most beautiful, of course, in the summer. In the warm season there is a comfortable temperature: in the daytime up to +29, at night up to +20. It rarely rains, as a rule, they end quickly. Cape weather can be changeable, but always well tolerated.

It is not recommended to go to the open sea by yourself in boats or small vessels, as a storm or storm may suddenly begin, which is not uncommon in these places.

The most famous and most difficult beach on Cape Aya is beach "Lost World". It can be reached by sea, by agreeing with the captain of a skiff, or on foot. By your turn, you must first reach the Chembalo fortress, then go out onto a wide, well-trodden path and walk along the coast to the very last beach. There you will need to go around a couple of rocks, and then you will find yourself in a small closed area. Here, soft fine sand, limestone millennial stones and almost no people.

Beach "Fig" - Another interesting and more crowded place. The name was given to him by the rock, which is next, in form resembling an exotic fruit. Also here are the ancient ruins of the monastery almost at the top of the mountain Ilyas-Kaya.

In addition to the beach "Lost World" on the cape there are other places for swimming and recreation. The water temperature is comfortable, you can sunbathe on large smooth boulders. Pebble beaches dominate here.

You will learn about the beauty of the bay "Fig" from the video below.