All about rocks Kush-Kaya in Crimea

The Crimean peninsula has long been one of the favorite places for climbers. Of course, there is no Mont Blanc or Everest, but the local mountains are very diverse and allow you to train in any conditions. However, people without special training can also enjoy the mountains of the Crimea - hiking tours are widespread, and one of the most popular routes is the ascent to the peaks of Kush-Kai.

The peculiarity of the Crimean mountains is that vertices-namesakes are considered to be quite common here. The same happened with Kush-Kaya - this name is immediately carried by 3 elevations, erected by Mother Nature at a distance from each other, namely:

• above the Laspi valley;

• on Babugan-Yayle;

• near the top of the Falcon (in the New World).

Some Crimeans also mistakenly add to this list the elevation of the Cat, which is in Simeiz, although this is fundamentally wrong, since its Crimean-Tatar name is heard more like Kosh-Kai. Kush-kaya means “bird's mountain”. Most likely, such a definition is associated with a characteristic feature of such peaks - they are located near the sea coast and represent a place of “halt” for flocks of migratory birds heading for hot countries.

These mountains are relatively evenly distributed in the territory of Crimea - in the east, as well as in the southeast and southern part of Crimea relative to its center. The height of the peaks is different. The highest is Babukanskaya Kush-Kaya - 1339 m, just below the mountain near Laspi - its height is 664 m, and the top of the Sokol rock rises to 476 m.

All these places are popular for visiting travelers - they offer amazingly beautiful views of the coastline, the Black Sea and the Crimean Mountains. Climbing trails of varying degrees of difficulty — from 1B to 5A — have also been laid on Kush-kaya in Sokol and Laspi. Let us dwell on the description of each of the mountains.

The most picturesque, in general opinion, is the one that is located near Sudak, on the territory of the New World. It is considered a symbol of the village, and it is most often that it is imprinted on the photo. This peak is called Falcon. On the upper plateau of the rock leads a narrow rocky path, originating from the Devil's Finger.

Kush-Kaya on Babugan-Yayla looks a little like the human ear, as if listening to the dimensional sound of the sea waves. You can get to it by a simple path leading from Paragilmen, for this you will not need any special mountaineering training and professional equipment. It is quite possible to climb and descend to this peak in one light day.

The most famous was Kush-Kaya near Laspi Bay, it has average dimensions, but it faces its sea with its sheer wall, so the place became the main platform for training and mountaineering competitions. In 2013, the place was shrouded in an ominous secret - then a message appeared about the mysterious disappearance of a tourist from the slope, her body was never found.

Versions were put forward the most unusual - here they also mentioned aliens on flying saucers, who took away the girl for experiments, and the criminal online community that issued a difficult task - to climb to the top. They also mentioned the mobile phone of the missing - allegedly something was taken on it, which ultimately led to the death of the tourist.

In a word, there were many assumptions, but experienced climbers unanimously declared that the girl herself was to blame for the incident. It is not necessary in the beach shoes to climb steep stone slopes, where there are many slippery boulders. Unfortunately, accidents with such unfortunate climbers happen in any mountains. Nevertheless, the body was never found, so the legend only acquired new details, and everyone found his version explaining the mysterious disappearance of the tourist.

It is best for fans of mountain tourism to pay attention to Kush-Kai at Laspi Bay - due to the peculiarities of the landscape for climbers and climbers, there are many opportunities to hone their sporting skills. There are several tracks of varying degrees of complexity, so everyone can choose the right one based on their physical abilities and level of training. Most often, climbers are engaged on the rock of the lower belt, but it should be noted that Professionals are a special “fraternity” within which all organizational issues and safety aspects are resolved fairly quickly.

For beginners, it is better to choose a route leading along the Great Sevastopol Trail - it represents a rather long section of the excursion route, in which Kush Kai is only one section of the long route. The trail originates in Sevastopol, it is best to get to it from the Laspi Pass. There are numerous signs here, so getting lost will be almost impossible. Nevertheless, even this seemingly elementary way requires comfortable sports shoes, best sneakers, and good physical shape.

The tourist route passes by a small hunting farm. Wild animals live here in the pen - local people even joke that this high net protects not animals from people, but vice versa. On the way to the top, you can also see the ruins of an ancient building with a large wooden cross.

According to the official version, here are the remains of the Cathedral of St. Elias, which was erected in the Middle Ages, so the cross was erected here. But there are skeptics who believe that the composition of the coupling solution directly indicates that the structure is much more modern - most likely, it used to represent the military guard post in the fleet.

The top of Kush-Kaya over Laspi Bay has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful, with a beautiful view of the amazing scenic spots - Cape Aya, as well as the Batiliman tract and the bay itself. These landscapes are considered to be among the most fascinating in the entire Crimean peninsula. Many vacationers even come to these places for a couple of days with tents, so there is a camping near the foot, where you can always get water and dry wood.

From the summit of Kush-Kaya, you can walk along a narrow path to Aya Cape, where a military unit was located during Soviet times — the journey there takes about an hour. Only three decades ago, there were household outbuildings and barracks, and now there are only ruins.

In the more distant period - 600-700 years ago, Aiyar was located on Ayia, its walls were fairly well preserved, but the military in the last century demolished rocks for stones, which they later used for construction needs. Immediately behind Cape Aya there is an amazing view - the 400-meter cliffs of reddish limestone seem to fall, bristling with the sharp corners of their landslides.

Further the path goes past the line of cliffs for Balaklava itself. If you start from Kush-Kaya in the morning, by the evening it is quite possible to walk along the Balaklava embankment.But keep in mind that dThe orog is very cunning here, it branches out and often goes to the side of a cliff. Without knowing the paths and not having any skills in orienteering, you should not decide on such a transition, but if the desire to overcome the route does not leave you, hire an experienced guide.

For information on which route is better for hiking on the Kush-Kaya cliff in the Crimea, see the following video.