Kok-Kaya mountain range on Karadag

The Kok-Kaya mountain range is located on the Karadag Nature Reserve from the side of the Koktebel resort. Translated from the Turkic word Kok-Kaya means Blue rock. If you look at it from the Koktebel Embankment, then on its slope you can see the profile of Maximilian Voloshin, thanks to whom Koktebel became a famous resort of the Crimea. 

An ecological trail runs along the Kok-Kaya Ridge. Access to the reserve from the side of Koktebel along this trail is closed. The tour of the reserve begins at the Karadag Biostation in the village of Kurortnoye, however, you can go to Koktebel along this trail after the tour ends. At the foot of the Kok-Kaya Ridge there are several bays to which you can go from the Koktebel Embankment, but this passage is also closed. 

At the foot of the ridge there are several coves where there are small pebble beaches. The first bay is called Frog Bay. One of the stones is formed by lava and its surface looks like the skin of a frog. Gulls and cormorants can often be seen on the rocks of this bay. The second bay is called Gravel. After it is the Bay of Livadia. A path runs along these three bays. The next bay of Carnelian is separated from the bay of Livadia by a rocky ledge called Cape Poloychaty. It can be bypassed by sea.   

The Gyaur-Bach Gorge (Garden of the Infidels) descends to the Carnelian Bay from the top of the Kok-Kaya Ridge. A small stream flows along the bottom of this gorge. A Snake trail runs along the stream, where you can climb to the top of Karadag. This is a very steep trail, but it is quite accessible for climbing even for people without special training. Along the Snake Trail, you can climb to the top of the Magnetic Ridge. On the right you will see the Sphinx Rock, and on the left a Dead City on the Hoba Tepe mountain range.