Novy Svet is one of the most beautiful resorts in Crimea, and the Golitsyn Trail is the most famous attraction of this resort. It can even be called one of the most beautiful routes in the Crimea, accessible to all people. The Golitsyn Trail is laid along the seashore along three bays: Green, Blue and Azure. The length of the route is 1.5 kilometers.
The fantastically beautiful relief of the seashore in the resort of Novy Svet is formed by rocks that are fossilized coral reefs of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Its waters covered these lands in the Mesozoic era, about 200 million years ago. As a result of tectonic shifts of the earth`s crust, these reefs rose and formed low mountains.
To the north of the village of Novy Svet there are two large reef mountains. Sokol Mountain rises directly above the village, and Fortress Mountain is located 7 kilometers away in Sudak. On its top is the Genoese Fortress. Climbing to the tops of these mountains is quite difficult.
The reef rocks to the south of the Novy Svet resort are not so high, therefore they are accessible for hiking. In the 19th century, the estate in the village of Paradise (now Novy Svet) was bought by Duke Lev Golitsyn, who decided to develop winemaking in the Crimea. In 1870, he founded the Novy Svet Champagne Winery. It can be visited with an excursion, and the Museum of Winemaking of the Crimea has been created in the Lev Golitsyn House-Museum.
Lev Golitsyn liked to receive guests at his estate. In 1912, Emperor Nicholas II and his family visited it. For the arrival of the distinguished guests, Duke Golitsyn ordered to arrange a walking path along the three bays of Novy Svet’s seashore. Later this trail was named after him – the Golitsyn Trail. It is laid along the reef mountains of Koba-Kaya, Cape Kapchik and Mount Karaul-Oba.
The Golitsyn Trail begins on the south side of the Embankment of Novy Svet in the Green Bay. At first, the Golitsyn Trail goes along the Koba-Kaya Mountain. Rounding the edge of the mountain protruding into the sea, visitors enter a deep grotto that has been knocked out by sea waves for several million years. At first it was called Golitsyn Grotto, but nowadays the name Chaliapin Grotto is more often used.
Chaliapin grotto on the Golitsyn Trail has a sloping ceiling, and the stones in the bay block it from the sea surf. The maximum height of the grotto reaches 30 meters, and the width is about 20 meters. In the Middle Ages, the Byzantines built a small temple here. The ruins of this temple are still visible in the depths of the Chaliapin Grotto, and Christian frescoes were preserved on the wall of the grotto until the 19th century.
The grotto is always cool, even on a hot day, so Golitsyn used it to receive guests. He set tables here, treated sparkling wine and arranged chamber concerts. For the visit of Emperor Nicholas II, Golitsyn arranged a wine cellar in the Grotto. He equipped niches for storing champagne here, which have survived to this day.
After the Chaliapin Grotto, the trail runs along the picturesque slope of Koba-Kaya Mountain. In the distance, tourists see the outline of a rock that looks like a dolphin. This is Cape Kapchik. The trail approaches it along the mountainside at an altitude of about 50 meters above sea level. Here you will see the Blue Bay, it is also called Robber Bay. It has a small pebble beach, where you can go down a steep path and swim.
Then the Golitsyn Trail goes to Cape Kapchik. It juts out far into the sea, and you can walk to its edge. From the opposite side of Cape Kapchik, there is a view of Mount Karaul-Oba, the Azur Bay and Royal Beach. This is the most beautiful place in Novy Svet resort.
In the 19th century, it was possible to go to Royal Beach along the Golitsyn Trail, but in 1927 an earthquake occurred here. The collapse of rocks at Cape Kapchik blocked the direct passage along the Golitsyn Trail to Royal Beach, but you can walk along it to the through grotto. Its length is 70 meters, and it penetrates through the entire Cape Kapchik. It used to be possible to enter it, but in recent years the grotto has been closed.
If you want to go to the Royal beach, then from Cape Kapchik you need to go back to Mount Koba-Kaya. There you will see a path that goes up. It leads to a relict Juniper Grove. This is another wonderful natural attraction of the Novy Svet Resort. Junipers and Stankevich pines grow in it. Some trees are several hundred years old.
On the opposite shore of the Azure Bay is the mount Karaul-Oba. At its top there is a more complex, but even more picturesque route than the Golitsyn Trail. Here you can visit the Valleys of Heaven and Hell, as well as the Cosmos Peak. The ancient junipers and pines among the rocks on the seashore look very beautiful.
