Markotkh mountain ridge rises above the Gelendzhik city. Directly along the coast stretches a low mountain ridge Tuaptakh. These two ranges are part of the Caucasus mountains, and thanks to them, you can see many beautiful natural attractions in the vicinity of Gelendzhik.
The Markotkh mountain range runs parallel to the south of the Main Caucasus Range. Both ranges start near Anapa, but there they are more like rocky hills. In the region of Gelendzhik, the ridges are already similar to mountains, but still not high. In total, the Main Caucasus Range stretches for 1,100 km until Dagestan. The highest mountain in the Caucasus is Elbrus (5642 m), and there are 7 mountains in the Caucasus Range that exceed 5000 m in height.
The surroundings of the Markotkh ridge can be viewed in the Olymp Park, which is located on a rocky ridge directly above Gelendzhik. There is a Ferris wheel, that you can clearly see the surroundings of Novorossiysk and Arkhipo-Osipovka. The highest peaks in these places are Sovkhoznaya mountain (717 m) near Kabardinka, and Sugarloaf mountain (558 m) near Novorossiysk.
The Markotkh range consists of marl. It is a rock based on dolomite, limestone and clay. It can be of different colors depending on which mineral predominates in its composition. There are also many Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. In many places, marl has the structure of slabs.
In the vicinity of Gelendzhik, the low Tuaptakh range stretches along the Black Sea coast, which is also part of the Caucasus Mountain range. Here the structure of marl slabs is better visible. Sailing from the resort village of Divnomorskoe from the ship you can clearly see the rocky coast with a height of more than a hundred meters. Absolutely smooth and vertical rock of the ridge Tuaptakh consists of slabs of white marl, since it is dominated by chalk.
You can see these rocks up close by visiting the place the Big Blue. Here, at an altitude of more than a hundred meters, you can approach the cliff and admire the beauty of the coast, overgrown with Pitsunda’s pines. Even more noticeable is the structure of marl slabs in the area of the village of Praskoveyevka. Here you can see the wonderful natural monument Sail Rock. It broke off from the rock behind it, but it did not fall into the sea like the other slabs, but remained standing, jutting out into the sea. Its height reaches 25 meters, width-20 meters, and thickness is only 1 meter.
