Park of lions "Taigan" in the Crimea: description and excursions

Everyone who drives along the Simferopol-Kerch highway (Feodosiya, Stary Krym, Sudak) through Belogorsk sees a huge banner inviting you to the Taigan Safari Park. For many, this is how they get acquainted with the park of lions. And someone is specifically looking for information, having heard plenty of enthusiastic reviews about this place. Well, we also offer you to get to know this reserve of animals and a wonderful resting place for children and adults in the Crimea.

On the territory of more than 30 hectares of the Crimean scenic lands is located the first in Europe park of lions. In the foothills, near the reservoir "Taigan", for several years created this unique place. Oleg Zubkov, the founder of the park, collected animals for 5 years in his lion's nursery, purchasing them in Russian, Ukrainian, European zoos. Relations were established with the Republic of South Africa, from where they brought unique white lions. More in the CIS they are not in any zoo.

But the uniqueness of this place is that far from all the animals are in the usual enclosures: African and white lions, Bengal and Ussuri tigers, leopards and black leopards, jaguars, cougars, that is, all cats are almost free to move around a large area under the supervision of guards and safari park employees. In total there are about 500 individuals, 2 of them are prides of lions (50 animals) and about 40 tigers.

Giraffes and camels, deer and zebras also feel at ease here. On the territory there is also a usual zoo with open-air cages where other representatives of flora and fauna live. Of course, this is not the largest animal nursery in the world and in Europe, but 1500 inhabitants live in very comfortable conditions. And visitors from special bridges two meters in height and kilometers long can freely observe the life of animals.

Recently, the Belogorsky Court ruled to ban direct contact with lions and other predatory cats, but this does not cease to make the park interesting for visitors. It is worth noting that the tourists themselves create dangerous situations, despite all the warnings of the staff of the park of lions (animals become aggressive, feeling the smell of alcohol).

The park is quite young It opened in 2012 thanks to businessman Oleg Zubkov. But back in 2006, he, then a professional naval officer, bought the territory of an abandoned military base near Belogorsk. Then work began on the arrangement and selection of animals. Since that time, he is not only the director of "Taigan", but also the state of emergency "Yalta zoo" Fairy Tale ".

Like many, Oleg Alekseevich had to and had to win over his many interesting ideas. Among such - contact with dangerous predators. But those who decided on this, as well as those who only watched as the owner himself and other visitors communicate with lions and tigers, with enthusiasm, surprise and trembling tell about it. It is for these emotions that people go to the safari park "Taigan".

For its short period of existence, "Taigan" has already temporarily stopped its work (from December 10, 2015 to April 22, 2016). The reason is a conflict with officials. Still remains unresolved land issue. And Zubkov, in addition to the burning issues of keeping animals, has to solve a lot of legal problems. But as he himself wrote in his blog: “It took much longer to fight for the Yalta“ Fairy Tale ”. And here - 4 years. ”

The easiest way to get to the park will be those who travel on their vehicles or who come with a tour group. Sign up for a tour can be absolutely in any tourist place of the Crimea. For independent travel you need to know that the park is located on the highway Simferopol-Feodosia. Geographic coordinators for the navigator: 45.036049, 34.563718. Do not be surprised at the specified address (Belogorsk, Lavandovaya St., 1): the park is actually outside the city limits, without disturbing the citizens with loud sounds of savanna life.

Public transport from Simferopol can be reached in several ways.

• Cruise route from the railway station "Simferopol-Feodosiya (Kerch)" before turning into a safari park. From the turn to the park itself, you can call a taxi, the cost of the order is 150 rubles. If you wish, you can walk - from the turn to the park about 3 km.
• Take the same bus to the Belogorsky bus station and from there take a taxi.
• From the Eastern bus station of the city of Simferopol depart flights to Zelenogorsk (via Belogorsk). From the stop “Park“ Taigan ”you will have to walk about half a kilometer.
• Also from the airport of the Crimean capital, you can take a taxi. It will cost 1500 rubles.
• From the side of Theodosia you need to be guided by a carriage to the village of Aleksandrovka. The park is located almost in the middle between Alexandrovka and Belogorsk. You can walk 2.5 km or call a taxi from the park.

In terms of the widespread use of the Internet is easy to find a landmark on the map. Also, do not forget that the language can bring not only to Kiev, but also to other beautiful and interesting places, including "Taigan". One has only to ask correctly at the bus station ticket offices and to warn the bus driver about the stop in advance.

When buying an entrance ticket, each guest is handed a plan-scheme, where all structural units of "Taigan" are listed.

Safari Park - a place where the main characters live in the park lions. You can look at them from footpaths. But you should always remember that these cats are living creatures that do not walk on the request of tourists. They live their lives: early in the morning or late in the evening, when the heat subsides, they walk and frolic with each other; in the daytime they often lie in the shade of trees or take a leisurely stroll. No one bothers them to live their lives, the territory allows not to fight for every piece of land.

Here, in the safari zone, you can look at the waterfowl, get acquainted with monkeys and crocodiles. Right here at the pond you can relax and have a snack. And look at the whole "Taigan" and the neighborhood from the Ferris wheel. On the way back it's time to take a picture with the kids: tiger cubs and other kittens. With such a cat, it is not a shame to take a picture of an adult head of the family, and it is not dangerous for a paw - a daughter.

Returning to the main entrance, go straight through the park area. Almost immediately on the alley you will meet the hotel. And this is a very thoughtful decision: the owners are sure that you can appreciate all the beauty and get a full set of emotions from the park when you watch the animals late at night or early in the morning, when you listen to the birds at night when you hear the sounds of the night savanna and present a real safari. In addition to the hotel, there are several cafes and a swimming pool for visitors.

The next item is the House of Birds. In this pavilion live swans and peacocks, pelicans and parrots, pheasants and bustards. Penguins chill in the pool, and pink flamingos proudly walk along the shore. And here you can find a steppe eagle and a black vulture, an ostrich and a carrier pigeon.

Behind the House of Birds, the children are awaited by a children's zoo with mini-piglets and wild boars, capuchins and hamadryas, zebu and Scottish gobies.

Your baby wants to pet or take pictures with animals - welcome to Grandma's yard. He is very close to the children's zoo. And here you can get acquainted with kids, big goats and piglets of all sizes.

If you are rested, you can go to the stationary zoo. Here are just a few examples of whom you can meet here: bears, wolves, giraffes, foxes, camels, bison, mule and donkey, alpaca and Scottish cow, fallow deer and mouflon, raccoons of different species, monkeys of different families, rabbits, porcupines, wallabies and skunks. Somewhere along the "Taigan" iguanas and turtles, monitor lizards and crocodiles, anacondas and pythons roam. But do not be afraid: all of them, of course, under the supervision.

The structure of the park provides for units that provide a comfortable stay of animals, staff and guests. In addition to the names of hotels and cafes, there are trays where you can buy pet food. Sellers can get advice on how to feed one or another inhabitant of the zoo. Guests can bring a treat with them. But there are feeding rules posted in prominent places that must be observed so that animals do not get sick.

In memory of the tour you can buy souvenirs. There are trays of ice cream and water. For emergency cases there is a medical station. And there is also a helipad for excursions over the park.

The park of lions "Taigan" offers many services. But it must be borne in mind that payment is made only in cash: there is no ATM or terminal on the territory. So, the prices for visiting the park:

• Children under 3 years pass with their parents for free.
• From 3 to 10 years - on a ticket that costs 500 rubles.
• Older than 10 years - on a ticket of 1000 rubles.
• In the winter, a 50% discount is available for Crimeans. To obtain it you need a passport with the place of registration and a birth certificate of the child. Original documents required.
• 50% discount for birthday men. Now on the website of the park “Taigan” this discount is not mentioned.

Ticket price does not depend on the time spent in the park. It should be remembered that it can vary, therefore, it is necessary to clarify the exact amount immediately before the visit.

For a fee, you can use the following services.

• In a special aviary, you can take a picture with the kids - kittens for 500 rubles to your camera. This service is very popular. But still you need to be careful when photographing playful kittens with small children.
• For 2000 rubles, you can take a lion cub or a tiger cub to a room for half an hour for those who live in a park hotel.
• The cheapest excursion is by train. You can, without stopping, drive around the park, and then deliberately go to some of his zone. Ticket price - 50 rubles.
• But much more interesting to move on the rickshaw. This is an individual transport with individual stops. You will be taken wherever you want. And only for 200 rubles.
• Excursion on the electric car can be different: survey and fast (150 rubles per person) - there will be several short stops with a story about what the electric car passes by. You can rent an electric car with a driver for 3-12 people. A car for 3 people will cost 400 rubles, in 9-local payment per person - 100 rubles, in 12-local payment - 150 rubles.
• Here you can rent a regular car without a driver. The cost is indicated per rental hour: 3-seater car - 2000 rubles, 9-seater - 3500 rubles, 12-seater - 4500 rubles.
• The park has 2 helicopters. The site offers excursions on Robinson Raven I. It is recommended to check the price of the walk with the administrator. But for a reference point, we indicate the prices of last year: a group of up to 3 passengers per hour of the excursion will pay 5,000 rubles. The beauty of the flight is that it will be possible to see not only the park, but also the surrounding territory, including the richest nature of the Crimea.
• Due to the unusual atmosphere, the newlyweds choose the park as their wedding venue. And this is a wonderful decision: there is a huge hall with 300 seats for a banquet, walks on electric cars and a small train, a ferris wheel and attractions, again - helicopters.There is a hotel where guests can stay if they do not want to leave early. And most importantly - nature, animals and birds.
• For enterprises and organizations, the park administration is ready to lease conference rooms. There are several of them, there are more and less rooms.

Unfortunately, an exclusive walk accompanied by Oleg Zubkov for exploring the big lions is not available now, but perhaps this issue will be resolved soon. Park staff is doing everything for this. Those who are lucky enough to take part in such a walk, describe it as the most vivid impression in life.

If you are interested in the park, we inform you that in the summer, it is open from 8 am to 8 pm (the ticket office is open from 8 am to 7 pm). In winter, the park receives visitors from 8 to 16 hours. It is worth staying overnight or a couple of days.

Since Safari Park is a private property, it is easier to negotiate discounts on group excursions. You can ask your questions to the secretary of the park, the administrator or write to e-mail.

It often happens that the most accurate and truthful description of the monument, events, attractions can be gleaned from the reviews of those who visited the site. Studied reviews for the reader of this article can be divided into two parts: directly about the work of the park and about the work of Oleg Zubkov.

Almost 100% of those who posted reviews on independent websites speak positively about the Taigan Safari Park. Many people write that they were initially very frightened by the prices of tickets, excursions, additional services. But when they saw all this with their own eyes, they understood where the money was going. All animals are well-groomed and well-fed, lions freely walk in the park. The park itself is very green and clean. This is really a place of rest, which feels the soul of the creators.

Those who decided on an exclusive walk with O. Zubkov, admit that they learned much more information about animals, and most importantly - received indescribable emotions. They admire the relationship of the zoo director with their pets. In his presence, the animals behave perfectly and truly resemble large and affectionate cats.

Young parents note that a trip to the “Taigan” park is the best birthday present for a child or just like that. But pay attention that because of the large territory, the child can quickly get tired. Therefore, either you need to determine the exact route in advance, or stay overnight in a hotel.

Some guests compare “Taigan” to a safari park in Gelendzhik. And this comparison, in their opinion, is in favor of the Crimean reserve.

Also, those who visited the park describe their impressions not only of communication with animals, but also of other attractions. It's nice to just walk in the park, there are a lot of sculptures, beautiful arbors, exhibitions. In the museum in front of the cafe "White Lion" is an exhibition of sculptures of trees that once grew on this territory.

Responding to the questions of those who are only going to visit “Taigan”, the park excursionists write in their responses that they should not be afraid of a large gathering of people. Even if at the entrance there are a lot of cars and buses, then inside the park people disperse over a large area and do not interfere with each other.

Almost all the guests write that 3-4 hours for such a large park is very little. Therefore, it is worth it either to go here on your own and not to depend on the tour bus, or to think out your own route. And you should definitely take care of the goodies for animals: carrots, chopped cabbage, apples, greens, corn - these vegetables are better to bring with you. In the park for animals you can buy nuts, crackers, cookies.

Reviews of feeding lions are different: on the one hand, at this time you can see more lions; on the other hand, not everyone can be pleased by the sight of the process of eating raw meat and bones by lions.

Also, the visitors of the official site of the safari park “Taigan” and just the spectators of a specialized resource thank for the videos about the park. According to their reviews, it is such short stories that pushes you to a trip to this amazing place.

There are a lot of such reviews on the Internet. Many say that this place was created for families with children. Yes, most of the guests call high prices a disadvantage. But absolutely everyone says that they understand why prices are high - taking good care of animals requires large investments.

It should be noted that Oleg Alekseevich Zubkov himself became for many visitors a close person in spirit and conviction. That is what they write in their reviews. This is a true fighter for their pets. His beasts treat him like little kittens, with whom you can and can play, talk, stroke them. For the creation of this park, O. Zubkov “found” $ 10 million, and continues to seek funds for acquiring new animals and improving the conditions already available.

Respect for those who met this man is immense, despite the fact that he is in constant opposition to the bureaucratic system.