Nature reserve Kara-Dag

Between Feodosia and Sudak, the ancient volcanic massif Kara-Dag rose above the sea. The age of Kara-Dag is 150 million years old. For many nature lovers, Kara-Dag deserved the glory of the most beautiful corner of the Crimea. Kara-Dag is the only European ancient volcanic massif of the Jurassic period, a pantry of various minerals. The subsoil of Kara-Dag hides multi-colored agates, jasper, amethyst, rock crystal and others.

In 1979, a new map appeared on the map of the reserves - the Kara-Dag State Reserve. The entire Kara-Dag mountain group, starting in the Otuz Valley and ending in the Koktebel Basin, with an area more than 2000 hectares, and the coastal strip of the Black Sea with an area more than 800 hectares entered the Karadag Nature Reserve.

Kara-Dag is diverse in terms of biology and landscape, but it has one distinctive feature: forest, steppe and south-bank lands are in harmony on the grounds of the reserve. In the territory of the Karadag nature reserve, 3816 representatives of the animal world feel great. 125 species can be found on the pages of the Red Book of Russia, 22 species are included in the European Red List, 185 species are protected by the Bern Convention, 43 are CITES Convention, 66 species are inscribed on the pages of the Red Book of the Black Sea.

More than 2700 representatives of the world flora grow in the Karadag Nature Reserve. 73 of them are imprinted in the Red Data Book of Russia, 18 species are listed in the International Red Data Book, 29 are on the European Red List, 7 species are included in the Bern Convention, 22 species are in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The territory of the reserve is closed for individual visits, but during organized visits as part of the excursion groups you can walk through special ecological routes.

From the viewports at an altitude of 333 meters, you can admire the fascinating views of the Ivan Razboinik cliff, the highest peak of the reserve - Mount Svyataya, with a height of 577 meters and the cliffs of the GoldenGate. Further the path trails between rocky heaps on the Khoba-Tepe Ridge, which in translation means "Top with caves". Here there are numerous sculptures - the figures of weathering. Nature worked on volcanic rocks, creating the so-called "Dead City".

The journey continues along the ridge of the Magnitnaya, where the famous rock of the Devil's Finger or the Sphinx is located. From here you can in all details consider the Koktebel Bay.