All about Cape Meganom in Crimea

The absolute majority of the Crimean resorts are cities or small villages, but Cape Meganom is unique in this regard - everyone knows about this place as a leisure destination, but there is no village or city here. Meganom as a tourist area is not quite correct to call the cape - it really does exist, but they go to rest on a small peninsula, on which there are four capes at once: in addition to the eponymous one, also Rybachy, Bugas and Tolstoy. They often come here for peace of mind, and if you are looking for it, you are definitely here.

Like other natural objects, the real history of the origin of Cape Meganom is directly related to geology and physics, but local people prefer to tell visitors more beautiful legends. Given that the Crimea at different times belonged to completely different civilizations, the stories about Cape Meganom also exist completely different.

Since the first developed people who lived in the area were the ancient Greeks, the main legends about the origin of this place are associated with them. The basic version, of course, is very specific, and is not very convenient for a fun beach holiday - supposedly somewhere there are gates to Hades, the realm of the dead.

There is, however, a more gallant legend, though also associated with the kingdom of the departed. Anyone familiar with the legends of the adventures of Odyssey, he knows that one of the most difficult challenges for him was a meeting with the one-eyed monster Cyclops, who almost ate it. There are stories that Odysseus was captured by Cyclops in the vicinity of Meganom, and the very caves where he lived and through which he descended into Hades are the caves of neighboring Karadag.

For those who are inclined to dismiss ancient tales, you can tell a more modern story: they say, the Soviet military was looking for so-called places of power, or, to put it in more scientific terms, they studied local magnetic anomalies. Of course, they will not share their discoveries with tourists, but the fact is that the two military units nearby have survived so far - thanks, at least they are allowed to the cape.

Naturally, in places covered with such legends, there must be more chilling tourist horror stories, and they really are. They say that nearby you can see the sunken ghost ships, and "ordinary" ghosts, and even the silhouette of a lamb, which is clearly visible on the edge of a cliff on a bright night. Believe in these stories, of course, not all, but the color of the area it adds.

The word “Megane” itself is of Greek origin and is translated as “a large, spacious pasture”, although in other sources you can find an alternative translation such as “our (common) house”.

If we talk about the location of Meganom, then it is located relatively close to Sudak, to the east of it - if you look on the map - it is a peninsula jutting out into the sea in the direction of Koktebel, Feodosia and Kerch. In administrative terms, this plot of land belongs specifically to Sudak, and occupies about 20 square kilometers. The boundaries of the large peninsula Meganom are determined by the Alchak mountain (from the west), the Bugasskaya river (in the east) and the Tokluk-Syrt ridge (in the north).

Despite the fact that there is a subtropical climate near Meganom, to search here for palm trees in vain - here the desert climate reigns, and the landscape corresponds to it. Most of the peninsula is occupied by mountains (mainly in the east) and hills (in the west), but on three sides there is the sea - coastline stretched for as much as 16 kilometers.

Despite the fact that in the inner Crimea there are enough regions with extremely dry steppe, it is the seaside Meganom that is considered one of the most arid. The vegetation here is quite poor, but the peninsula is open to all winds, which is intensively used by man due to the construction of wind power plants. With the local flora and fauna, everything is much more diverse and interesting - there are dozens of live species listed in the Red Book.

Honestly, it is not surprising that the Greeks chose Meganom to locate their entry into the realm of the dead here. Anyway, this place in terms of climate can be called the most lifeless and deserted among all those that were located near the ancient Greek policies. Here you are actually in the desert, because even neighboring Sudak with its arid and sunny climate seems like a tropical paradise compared to Meganom.

Let us compare the main indicators: if in Yalta there is 609 mm of precipitation per year, then in Sudak it is only 318 mm, and even less on Megan Cape. If Sudak is rather windy with average gusts of 4 m / s, then squalls are even more noticeable on Meganom - the peninsula is open to the sea almost from all sides, and the vegetation slowing down hurricanes is not very well formed here.

But this place should appeal to beach lovers, because the sun in Sudak and its surroundings shines 2350 hours a year - this is 100 hours more than that of the famous Yalta. Cloudy days, of which there are not too many here, fall mainly in the cold half of the year.

In the summer, this is one of the hottest places in the Crimea - in the midst of a July or August sunny day, mercury in thermometers sometimes approaches the mark of 40 degrees. The truly subtropical climate is not yet here, because, although as an exception, in the winter there are severe frosts up to 20 degrees below zero. But in the summer, the water off the coast of Meganom warms up pretty quickly, and even its average daily temperature in July-August does not fall below 22 degrees.

Somewhere nearby, a local record was recorded, when the water warmed up to 33 degrees. All this makes the local swimming season one of the longest on the Crimean peninsula: it is estimated at 135-140 days, and it stretches from early June to mid-October.

Going to rest on Cape Meganom, you need to take into account the fact that there are no settlements on it. If you like “wild” rest, then it may not be a problem for you - you can choose any part of the coast you like and put up your own tent, but then be prepared that there will not be anything like a tourist infrastructure nearby.

For those who still want to stay exactly on Meganom, interesting can be several organized campgrounds and a two-star hotel “Ilgeri” on the coast of Kapsel Bay. Too many tourists don’t like this option, because it’s not even a village anyway, so they prefer to rent a house in nearby settlements.

In this regard, Sudak is best suited for short excursions. - this is not exactly the nearest settlement, but it is a relatively large city, claiming to be the local center of tourism.

The main local advantage is the presence of not only curious infrastructure, including ancient monuments, and housing for every taste from the private sector to decent hotels, but also proximity to Meganom itself. The distance by road to the very edge of the peninsula is estimated at 16 kilometers, but due to the nature of the route, do not expect to overcome it very quickly - you will have to spend a good half hour.

On various resources on the Internet you can see that the closest to the Meganom Peninsula settlements are Almond, Bogatovka, Sunny Valley and Coastal. Here you need to understand that everything depends on the purpose of your arrival, since, if you look along the roads, the first two villages are located at about the same distance as Sudak, and the last two are even further.

Since in many respects the area on Cape Meganom is deserted, there are no outstanding sights here - apparently, the eerie legends themselves about this place have frightened off those who could theoretically live here. For this reason, perhaps the only architectural object that is worth seeing is local lighthouse. Actually, usually it is precisely him that is oriented, since it is located near the cape itself, and a relatively decent road leads to it.

If suddenly you consider yourself to be informal and people with the maximum breadth of views, it may be worth going to the beach in Fox Bay. This place is interesting for the nudists, hippies and other informally thinking people who come here, so for many guests it would be a unique experience.

At the same time, most of the organized entertainment, which is relatively small, is to be found on the coast of Kapsel Bay. This is the only relatively civilized place on the whole peninsula - at least in summer there are plenty of tourists and several campgrounds open. With the beaches here, too, things are pretty good, because for those who want to relax directly on the territory of the peninsula, this particular place should be of particular interest.

As for the inner parts of the peninsula, remote from the coast, there is nothing very interesting here - the terrain here is partly deserted, partly mountainous or hilly, therefore it is possible to come here except for the “Martian” landscapes, but no more.

Despite the fact that there are no full-fledged settlements on the peninsula itself, tourists are still drawn here - it is privacy that attracts someone, someone is interested in the esoteric and supernatural features of this place. Meganom is often called a place of power, here you can supposedly be fed with healing energy, and for this, they say, even an ordinary beach holiday is suitable. It is even surprising how the entire coast in this place is still not built up with hotels, because the numerous small coves of Meganom are very cozy and invite you to soak up their small pebbles.

The great advantage of the location on the Meganom Peninsula is that it goes quite far into the sea, because from its territory it is convenient to watch both sunrises and sunsets. For many people, seeing how the daylight appears from the sea or sits in them is a lifelong dream, and here you can see both in one day! Such phenomena are described as an event of incredible beauty, and it is possible that a significant portion of tourists come here just for this.

Besides, Meganom is interesting for those who enjoy diving. The neighborhood is relatively quiet, there is no abundance of swimmers and frightening underwater inhabitants of people.Due to this, the inhabitants of the sea remain relatively intimidated, and they can be viewed at close range.

Some vacationers prefer to observe the fish not under water, in their natural habitat, but in the already caught form. Contrary to the total privacy of this place, it is not a nature reserve because fishing is allowed here. In neighboring settlements, you can agree with the locals about going out to sea by boat or small boat - this is how it will turn out to admire beautiful landscapes, and try to catch fish in the best traditions of a real seaside fisherman.

If you went for esoteric, then pay special attention to the so-called temple of the sun. Here, at the Shivist tantric altar, in the summer season, meditation classes with real yogis are constantly held.

Due to the fact that Cape Meganom is not a popular resort, or at least a village, to get to it is not so easy. On the map, it is found between Sudak and Theodosia, much closer to the first one, but there are no direct public transport flights here - buses only go through the mentioned Almond and Bogatovka towards Koktebel and the same Theodosia, and will take you, say, half the way.

So, first you need to get at least in Sudak, but this is somewhat easier. If you have your own car and drive out from the side of the Crimean bridge, the information that from Kerch, located at the exit from the bridge, to Cape Meganom is 156 kilometers, which can be covered in 2.5-3 hours, will be useful. In this case, you have to go along the highway "Tavrida" to Feodosia, and then - further to Sudak.

If you know where to put the car in a campground or plan to jump on the Cape itself on the way to other resorts, you don’t need to get to Sudak - in front of it you will need to turn left in time.

Moreover, most of the tourists from far away arrive on the Crimean peninsula through the airport of Simferopol. As a relatively large city by local standards, Sudak is connected with Simferopol by both passing and direct bus flights, and there are routes both from the bus station 2 “Kurortnaya” and directly from the terminal. If you drive from the bus station, travel time will be about 2 hours, the ticket price ranges from 286 to 366 rubles.

On the features of the rest on Cape Meganom, see below.