Crimea is an amazing place. Nature amazes him. Arriving there to rest, you will never be able to remain indifferent - such beauties, such bewitching views open up to the eye. It is impossible to describe all the charms of Crimea in one article, so we will focus on only one, and this is the amazing Belbek Valley.
About the place
The Belbek Valley is a natural monument according to the order of the government from 1975. Located on the way from Bakhchisaray to the south, along the highway leading to Y alta. It belongs to the Bakhchisarai region, so the weather in the Belbek valley is the same as in Bakhchisarai. In addition to villages and towns, there are many different objects that every self-respecting tourist should see.
Canyon
In the Belbek Valley in Crimea, the first thing that catches your eye is the Belbek Canyon, which is also called the Belbek or Albat Gates. This is a small area between the village of Kuibyshevo and the village of Tankovoe, where the valley of the Belbek river narrows. The length of the entire canyon does not exceed five kilometers, and the width starts from three hundred meters.
There is an opinion that before the Belbek River was much more full-flowing than now. After all, it not only lay through the mountains, but also formed a wide bottom with the help of sedimentary rocks deposited by the waters. The canyon, surrounded by mountains, has been attracting people since ancient times. It appeared here due to the fact that a split occurred in the Cretaceous limestones of the Crimean Mountains, and the process of water erosion began in it. The canyon is very important for geology, because it makes it possible to study the stratigraphy (that is, the approximate geological age) of the geological rocks present there, specifically the Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene.
What is Belbek
Obviously, the Belbek Valley got its name (see photo in the article) by the name of the Belbek River, which flows here. However, it is not possible to understand what exactly this word means, and to this day there is no consensus on this. According to some sources, translated from the Turkic language "belbek" means "strong back"; according to other information, this word can be translated as “big passage”. Another version is “bubbles on the water” (but this is from ancient Aryan). In general, there are many options, but how true they are, hardly anyone will answer one hundred percent.
Nature
Everything is beautiful in the Belbek Valley! First, there are amazing rocks. One of them, by the way, stretching over the Belbek River, is called "Crocodile".
This is a kind of watchman, the totem of the above place. Why crocodile? Because the appearance of the mountain is very muchresembles a crocodile with a long tail. However, she also has an official name - Arman-Kaya. In general, the rocks of the Belbek Valley are very often used by filmmakers for filming films. This is often where the Wild West scenes are filmed.
It is here, in this Crimean valley, that an incredible natural creation is located - a relic yew forest, which is rightfully considered its highlight, pride. Many species of plants and animals grow and live here, which you will not find anywhere else at all (they are called endemic).
What is interesting in the Belbek Valley
Someone might think: “Well, valley and valley! What's so amazing about it! As they say, this is true, but not true. There are a lot of amazing things in the valley near the Belbek River, and there is something to see here.
- First of all, this is an impressive nature. As elsewhere in Crimea, however.
- Secondly, the sites of ancient settlers have been preserved in the Belbek Valley, having examined them, you can touch their history. According to scientists, these sites are at least forty thousand years old!
Ancient camps, however, are not the only representatives of antiquity that you can admire in the Crimean valley. So, for example, it is worth visiting a cave monastery called Chelter-Koba - a place very famous in the tourist environment. Its other name is the monastery of Theodore Stratilates. It is located on Cape Ai-Todor (it is interesting that there is a cape with the same name near the famous "Swallow's Nest"),rather, in its slopes.
A monastery appeared there, according to archaeologists, back in the ninth century and flourished for a long time, but after the Ottoman invasion it was destroyed, abandoned and was in ruins for more than five hundred years. Only at the beginning of this century, restoration work began here, since 2004 the monastery of Theodore Stratilates has been officially reopened. In addition to the cave temple itself, the source located on its territory is also of interest.
Nearby is Cape Kule-Burun, which the locals call Iron (it actually resembles it in shape). To climb it, there are three ways (and it is certainly worth doing, if only because the view from the top is amazing): by jeeps, on horseback or on foot. The last option is the hardest, because the slide is quite steep. However, it is precisely when climbing on foot that an ancient Crimean fortress suddenly, unexpectedly “emerges” on you, or rather, its ruins.
This is a medieval Syuyren fortress. Previously, local landowners, feudal lords, and winemakers lived here. The fortress existed until the appearance of the Ottomans in this territory, and the exact year of its creation is unknown, but all scholars say that this happened before the tenth century. By the way, the road to the fortress passes through the same relic forest, already mentioned above.
Observation deck
You can see all the beauties of the Belbek Valley, and indeed, you can view it in its entirety from an observation deck located near the village of Tankovoe. It's easy to find herif you drive up to the village from Bakhchisaray. The view from there is truly breathtaking!
Where to stay
There are many settlements, large and small, in the Belbek Valley. Therefore, the issue of accommodation is not acute here. Of course, not every village has a shelter for tourists, but nevertheless, finding one is not a problem.
One of the most comfortable among the estates and hotels in the Belbek Valley, according to reviews, is the Inkomsport hotel. It is designed for 70 residents and provides double, triple and quadruple rooms, as well as suites. A banquet hall, a bar, a sauna, a golf course, several different sports halls, four football fields, a barbecue area - all this and much more can be obtained by staying in this complex. The cost of living is different and depends on the type of room, as well as the season. For example, a double room costs about one and a half thousand per day.
This is not the only opportunity to live in the Belbek Valley. Near the village of Sokolinoe, for example, there is a guest house where you can choose a one-, two- or three-room suite for two, three or four people. Each room has Wi-Fi, air conditioning, TV. Also on the territory of the guest house guests have access to an outdoor pool, a bar, a recreation area, sports grounds, a sauna, a gazebo.
In the same place, in Sokolinoye, there is a hotel-estate "Kutler", the average cost of a room per day in which ranges from two to two thousand rubles. The homestead is only seventeen kilometers away.from the famous mountain Ai-Petri. In addition to standard services, hotel guests can enjoy horseback riding, camping, fishing and the Ofuro bath (a Japanese bath, which has a positive effect on human he alth, is a rectangular wooden box).
In Mnogorechye there is another guest house with the uncomplicated name "Belbek". The rooms offer stunning views of the Crimean Mountains, guests are offered to visit a Russian bath, in winter they ride an UAZ car through the snow-capped mountains. You can also stay at the recreation center "Highlander", where, in addition to all other services, such entertainments as fishing and a shooting gallery are available. In general, there really is plenty to choose from.
How to get there
Getting into the Belbek Valley is not difficult. Public transport runs here from both Sevastopol and Bakhchisarai.
You can also use your own car, but in this case it is better to leave from Bakhchisarai - closer (only 14-15 kilometers, while from Sevastopol - about forty-five). Travel time will only take fifteen to twenty minutes.
Reviews about holidays near the Belbek River
Reviews of tourists about the rest in the Belbek Valley of Crimea are replete with enthusiastic words. Everyone agrees that this is a unique place that impresses and fascinates with its beauty. Some, having visited the Belbek Valley for the first time, return there again and again, and even spend their honeymoon there, preferring the Crimean beauties to all sorts of "Turkeys, Egypts and Thailands". The only disadvantage tourists call the lack of a well-developed infrastructure,but who knows, maybe in the future this issue will change for the better.
Be that as it may, if you are going to the Crimea, set aside a couple of days to explore the Belbek Valley, and you will not be disappointed.
