Canyon in the Utrish Nature Reserve

The canyon in the Utrish Nature Reserve is the most interesting natural attraction of these places. It is a giant, absolutely flat, rock fault of the Navagirsky mountain range on the Abrau peninsula. 

The Navagirsky mountain range stretches from Anapa to the villages of Sukko and Abrau-Durso. It is a low-mountain ridge at the easternmost tip of the Caucasus Mountains. Geologists suggest that 2-3 thousand years ago, a strong earthquake occurred in these places. Because of it, the rock split into two parts and one of them slid into the sea, forming a peninsula. Now the Great Utrish village is located on it. 

The rock fault turned out to be very smooth at a distance of more than 1.5 kilometers. Over time, numerous scree stones formed at the foot of the sheer cliff. They hide the half-sheer slope of the mountain. A juniper grove has grown on the other side of the mountain (which has slid into the sea). The entire area around the Canyon is included in the Utrish Nature Reserve. 

To popularize the Canyon route in the Utrish Nature Reserve, guides tell about the legend that Prometheus was chained on its steep slope. The ancient Greeks in the legend of Prometheus did not specify the exact place where he was chained. They wrote only that after Prometheus stole fire from the god Hephaestus and gave it to people, he was "... chained to the rock of the Caucasus Mountains."  

As a result, there are two places in Russia where Prometheus was chained and two places in Georgia. In Russia, these are the Eagle Rocks in Sochi, as well as Mount Fisht on the Main Caucasian Ridge. In Georgia, this is Mount Kazbek in the Daryal Gorge, as well as a small mountain Khvalmi, where the Prometheus Cave is located. 

Guidebooks of all places tell that it is their place that is right, however, it does not matter for tourists on vacation. The Prometheus legend is a great story to attract tourists and develop the resort. The staff of the Utrish Reserve even had the idea to install a sculpture of Prometheus on the steep slope of the Canyon, but it was abandoned. However, this sculpture would look good. It would be visible from anywhere in the Great Utrish village and from the sea.