Yalta Nature Reserve is located on the territory of the Crimean Mountains. It stretches along the mountain range from the Black Sea side. The territory of the reserve is 50 kilometers long and about 10-20 kilometers wide. It starts near the Foros Church in the south and ends near Yalta. A separate part of the Yalta Nature Reserve is located in the mountains above the resort of Gurzuf.
A special ecosystem has formed in the Yalta Nature Reserve. Mountains block the coastal strip from cold winds, and pine forests grow below. The phytoncides of the coniferous forest are mixed with the sea breeze, which creates a positive effect for the treatment of lung diseases. These properties of the climate of the Southern coast of Crimea were first noted by the doctor Sergey Botkin when he studied the climate of the Yalta Reserve at the end of the 19th century.
Doctors Botkin and Shtangeyev developed treatment and rehabilitation programs for people with lung diseases, which provided for long hikes along the ecological trails of the Yalta Nature Reserve. At the same time, the landscapes in these parts are so beautiful that routes have become very popular with healthy people. In the 20th century, roads were laid to the main attractions of the Yalta Reserve, making their visit very convenient.
Attractions of the Yalta Nature Reserve
The most interesting sights of the Yalta Nature Reserve are located in the mountain circus, which rises above Yalta in a semicircle. In this place, the Stavri-Kaya Mountain (663 meters) rises above Yalta, and a pine forest has grown at its foot for several centuries. In this place, you can see pine trees with trunks up to two meters in diameter.
There are two trails to the top of Stavri-Kaya Mountain, which are called Health Trails. They are called the Botkin Trail and the Shtangeyev Trail. The trails were created in 1901 by members of the Crimean Mountain Club and named after two great doctors who made the greatest contribution to the study of the climate of the Southern coast of Crimea and the popularization of recreation and the development of sanatoriums in the Crimea.
The Botkin Trail begins near the Yalta Zoo and the Glade of Fairy Tales children`s park. Its length to the top of Stavri-kai is 4.5 km, the climb is 510 meters. From the top of Stavri-Kai there are beautiful views of Yalta and the mountain range of the Yalta Reserve. It is better to descend from the mountain along the Shtangeyev trail. It is shorter (2.7 km, height difference of 230 m) and heads towards the Uchan-Su waterfall. On the Shtangeyev trail you will see even more beautiful views of the Yalta Nature Reserve.
Uchan-Su waterfall is located on the territory of the Yalta Nature Reserve near the road, which in 1897 was laid through the ridge of the Crimean Mountains from Yalta to Bakhchisarai. The height of the Uchan-Su waterfall reaches 98 meters. It is the highest waterfall not only of the Crimea, but the entire European part of Russia.
The most famous attraction of the Yalta Nature Reserve, which is visited by thousands of people every day, is Ai-Petri Mountain. Its teeth are visible from all coastal areas, from Yalta to Alupka. Three huge Ai-Petri teeth with a height of 80 meters are called the Crown of the Crimea. Ai-Petri Mountain can be reached by road, as well as by cable car from Miskhor.
To the south of Yalta, the territory of the Yalta Nature Reserve becomes much narrower (about 10 kilometers). There are hiking trails in this area. Near the resort of Simeiz there is a beautiful rock-outlier Biyuk-Isar. You can climb it, but there are quite difficult sections on this trail.
In the south, the territory of the Yalta Reserve ends at the Baydar Pass, where the Foros Church rises above the village of Foros. Here the territory of the reserve stretches in a narrow strip along the Foros Edge (no more than 5 km). This is a mountain range of several rocky peaks. 5 kilometers from the Foros Church is the famous Devil`s Staircase. This is an extreme trail where you can descend from the ridge of the Caucasus Mountains to the coast.
