The cute seaside town of Gelendzhik, hidden in a cozy bay at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, greets you with sun and pebble beaches. Oriental sweets are sold everywhere, and on the embankment there is a celebration of life with fiery songs, promising a fun and unique vacation. The resort has especially won the love of family travelers: well-maintained, green, safe.
The bustling tourist city is filled to capacity with entertainment spots for families.
However, Gelendzhik is not limited to one locality. The resort also covers neighboring villages - Arkhipo-Osipovka, Kabardinka, Divnomorskoye, Dzhanhot, Beregovoye, etc. Where to go on an excursion or just for an unusual experience, the question does not even arise. Each one has something incredibly interesting.
Water parks
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The water park can give a lot of pleasure to both kids and adults. Gelendzhik has three water establishments with exciting rides and small slides for the youngest visitors. They have a very convenient location - within the city beach, you don’t have to waste time traveling, building routes and thinking about how to get there.
Water park "Dolphin" is a cozy, calm place , where it is better to go with a kindergarten child or a child of primary school age. Teenagers and parents are unlikely to be interested in the modest selection of attractions, although there are still some extreme ones. "Dolphin" offers a total of eight slides, including "Multislide", "Multiflex", and "Toboggan".
In the center of the city, next to the sea, literally 100 meters from the water, lies “Behemoth”. There are already 17 slides, a scattering of fountains, small pools and water pistols. The children are amused by the never-duper clowns.
Well, at the service of the most advanced “users” of water parks – “Golden Bay”. This is the largest water amusement park in Russia and even Europe, which in itself attracts attention. It is worth considering that the prices are appropriate.
“Golden Bay” greets you with a dizzying style and beautiful landscape design; the green ensemble includes an arboretum of hundreds of plants from all over the world . Unusual and beautiful! The infrastructure for recreation with the whole family is thought out to the smallest detail: cafes, ice cream parlors, relaxation areas.
The water park is a mix of 49 slides, 69 descents and a dozen water attractions . The center of attraction becomes a pirate ship with ornate slides and descents. Unfortunately, entertainment is not available for children under 93 cm . Little visitors have to walk around the territory with their dads and moms and splash around in the safe pools. By the way, there are water tanks for every taste: with waves, hydromassage, rope tow, dry with balls.
Gelendzhik water park Dolphin 2015
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Waterpark Dolphin June 2017
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Water park BEHEMOTH Gelendzhik
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Crazy roller coaster. The people are delighted. Waterpark Behemoth Gelendzhik 2018
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VLOG 510 The most complete review of the Golden Bay Water Park Gelendzhik!
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Waterpark Golden Bay | Gelendzhik 2016 review
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Oceanarium
This is another place in Gelendzhik where you can go with your child to get a lot of positive emotions. It is recommended to all guests of the city.
The aquarium is located in the center of the resort. Here you can observe stingrays, piranhas, seahorses, several species of sharks, stellate sturgeon, moray eels, and sturgeon. And at the entrance, guests are greeted by a tame squirrel. The oceanarium is equipped with modern technology: three-dimensional lighting, a top quality acoustic system, and screens for each aquarium. The Gelendzhik Tunnel Oceanarium is, judging by reviews, one of the most visited attractions.
Crocodile farm
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Every resort in Russia must have its own crocodile farm. So Gelendzhik did not stand aside, or rather its surroundings. The cradle of toothy creatures has settled in Arkhipo-Osipovka, where you can get there by bus or taxi. Unusual specimens have been collected from different parts of Africa, including endangered species that are quite difficult to find anywhere else.
Huge predators, as usual, bask in the sun. Some reach more than two meters in length - an impressive sight. The kids will probably enjoy watching the little crocodiles more. They, as befits children, splash in the shallow pool. In total, about 50 toothy creatures live on the farm. The guides can tell you something interesting about each one, and generally give information about the characteristics of reptiles.
The highlight of the program are funny musical shows in which hulking crocodiles take an active part. They are kept company by monitor lizards and snakes, also living on the farm.
The crocodile farm is open only in the warm season; in mid-autumn the animals are moved indoors, where they safely winter without prying eyes until spring.
Crocodile farm in Gelendzhik.
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There are many crocodiles in Arkhipo-Osipovka. Summer 2022.
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Crocodile show Arkhipo-Osipovka 2015
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Entertainment in the vicinity of Gelendzhik
In addition to the water park, Arkhipo-Osipovka has its own dolphinarium “Theater of Sea Animals” and an Oceanarium, a crocodile farm with crocodiles, snakes and some types of land reptiles and animals, an amusement park with a mini-water park “Coconut Paradise”.
The colorful palm trees of “Coconut Paradise” can be seen from anywhere on the Central Beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka (near the Malibu amusement park). Its territory is small, there are three high-speed slides, a swimming pool with slides, and for kids there is a shallow pool and a playground. But on a hot day, this is enough to have fun by the water.
And in the center of the village there is another water park “Emerald City” with 21 slides for children and 13 slides for adults. For very little ones there are slides in the shape of fairy-tale characters in a shallow pool and a pirate ship.
Before entering the village, guests are greeted by the “House with Deer” made of wild stone on two floors, decorated with more than 50 sculptures of birds, deer, bear and other animals and beasts.
The “Castel font” in Arkhipo-Osipovka awaits lovers of fishing and antiquity. Tourists are offered to visit the “Forest Oasis” with a Russian lodge with a bathhouse, beds, a Russian stove, and taste Russian national dishes.
You can also visit the Museum complex “Mikhailovskoe Fortification” (opened on the site of a defensive structure that was part of the Black Sea Coast Guard system at the end of the 19th century for protection against the highlanders) with the Museum of the History of the Caucasus and the Museum of Bread and Wine.
In Kabardinka in the summer, young tourists will find a Dinopark with huge figures of dinosaurs from the Jurassic period. Next to the Dinopark is the Glass Workshop. Here you can watch master artists at work and buy a souvenir as a souvenir. Don’t forget about the “City of Kuban Masters” museum on the territory of a shady park and the “Inverted House” (or “Upside Down House”).
A special place in Kabardinka is its architectural theme park. In the “Old Park”, in a small area, ancient buildings of different eras and peoples, different architectural styles are recreated in a reduced size. Outstanding works of the Middle Ages and antiquity, India and the peoples of the Caucasus, Egypt and Japan are presented here.
Also in Kabardinka there is a small Oceanarium, interesting due to the composition of the various fish living in it.
Fortress from the film "Storm Gates"
The ruins of the fortress that appear before your eyes are by no means an ancient structure. On the contrary, they were built specifically for the filming of the film. You can visit this attraction along the way by going to the waterfalls of the Zhane River.
Museum of Entertaining Sciences "ExperimentUm"
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Parents who are raising little Einstein are advised on travel forums to first of all include a museum of entertaining sciences in their vacation program. However, once in ExperimentUm, moms and dads will run to the exhibits faster than their own children - it’s impossible to resist, it’s so captivating.
The interactive museum is replete with puzzles, pendulums, and labyrinths. This is a place of complete freedom, where you can touch everything around you . Pendulums of Maxwell and Newton, a pendulum-cart that always ends up in different places in the hall, dielectrics... You can’t count everything.
Check out the Noisy Room, which introduces you to the nature of sound. The whole family can perform their own composition using pots, singing pipes and drums.
Brave dreamers who want to control lightning will be taught this skill, and will be given a Tesla plasma ball to help. The optical illusions collected in the Illusion hall will make you believe in the unreal. The Van de Graaff generator will literally make your hair stand on end, and the Ames chair will turn you into Lilliputian or Gulliver - whatever you want. The founders of the museum managed to prove: science is simpler than you think .
Experimentanium / Museum of Entertaining Sciences
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How we went to the Experimentanium - a museum of entertaining sciences
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Top 10 places to go with children
In the city, I visited many different children's areas with attractions, a beautiful embankment, and unforgettable amusement parks. Reasonable prices awaited me in the water park, aquarium, and dolphinarium. In Gelendzhik I went to unique museums and educational exhibitions. The children and I never had a dull moment.
Tunnel Aquarium
The oceanarium is located within walking distance from the Central Beach.
I got an unforgettable experience from going to the aquarium. Its large territory is divided into climatic zones inhabited by sea and river inhabitants.
I received a lot of positive emotions from seeing seahorses, stars and urchins. The sharks and crabs caught my attention due to their large size. Multi-colored fish gave a rainbow touch to the pool. The bottom of the aquarium was covered with unusual corals and polyps.
Above the hall, the children and I visited the petting zoo, where we fed and pet the animals. We also went to a terrarium with large crocodiles.
lost World
In the park you can buy themed crafts or books as souvenirs.
The themed place allowed me to plunge into the era of the ancient world, where lizards lived 17 m long and 8 m high. They moved and made a terrifying roar.
In The Lost World, I was able to touch and sit on a dinosaur, and even took part in excavations in a specially equipped area.
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Safari Park
It is the first animal rehabilitation center on the Black Sea coast.
This protected area amazed me with its area: it is about 160 hectares, planted along the perimeter with coniferous and deciduous trees. And the cable car is an extreme flight to a height of 630 m, so I recommend stocking up on warm clothes.
I was interested in looking at:
- brown and polar bears;
- wild boars;
- lions and tigers;
- elephants and monkeys.
Some animals were allowed to be fed and petted.
There are many playgrounds in the Safari Park. I also attended excursions to the bear cave and terrarium.
Rock Sail
The height of the rock is more than 25 meters.
This rock mass, stretching for 25 km, is shaped like a sail. I found myself on it thanks to a pleasure and excursion yacht, and from the observation platforms I admired the mesmerizing views of picturesque places.
Embankment
The embankment in Gelendzhik is the longest in the world.
In Gelendzhik I walked along the embankment, which is 14 km long. Along it there are flower beds and alleys, as well as fountains. We visited numerous playgrounds and sports areas with exercise equipment located nearby.
On the embankment I rented rollerblades, which I used to ride along a special path. You could also rent scooters and bicycles there. Along the alley, funny magicians showed us shows, and an artist painted my portrait.
Dolphinarium
In the dolphinarium you can see performances of dolphins, seals, acrobatic stunts and seals dancing on the water.
Here I was treated to entertaining performances of fur seals, walruses and dolphins. The show program lasted 1 hour.
I saw them:
- dancing to music;
- perform acrobatic stunts;
- jump out of the water;
- play with balls;
- draw pictures.
"Upside Down House"
The upside down house is located in the resort village of Kabardinka.
I got a lot of pleasure and fun from this house. The brilliant idea of creating rooms with upside-down furniture came to one married couple, and the couple were able to turn their plans into reality.
Now I can boast of the unusual photographs I took in the mysterious room.
Olympus Park
Olympus Park is home to the Call of the Jungle petting zoo.
Amazing adventures awaited me here:
- 1.15 km long cable car ride;
- going to the billiard room and bowling club;
- trip to a crocodile farm;
- excursions to the planetarium and paleontology museum;
- feeding animals in the petting zoo.
We visited a large area equipped with various attractions for all age categories. And from the Ferris wheel I saw the city and the coast at a glance. In the evenings I came to the park for exciting show programs.
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Water park "Golden Bay"
Golden Bay is the largest open-air water park in Russia.
I had the opportunity to ride water slides, jump on trampolines, and swim in refreshing open-air pools at Golden Bay. The water park has playgrounds with swings and fountains, cafes, and restaurants.
For small children there are shallow pools with water slides and dry balls. And for a comfortable stay, parking is provided near the water park.
Dinosaur Park "Dinopark"
An unusual vacation spot in Gelendzhik, designed for children and parents.
In the Mesozoic era park, I studied dinosaur models made of silicone. They were painted in realistic shades. The height of the figures is from 2 m, and the length is not less than 4 m.
They are able to growl, open their mouths, breathe, blink and move different parts of their body. With this behavior they immersed me in the atmosphere of the ancient world.
Weather at the resort
The weather in Gelendzhik is excellent all summer and even the first month of autumn. Many locals go to the beach in the middle and end of May. Below is a brief summary of the weather at the resort by month.
June
In June the air temperature in Gelendzhik is about +30°. Water temperature +20° (average). It's warm, there's almost no precipitation. Nights by the middle of the month warm up to +20°. The beaches are filled with tourists at the beginning of June.
July
July in Gelendzhik is considered a hot month. Average daily temperature is +29°. At night about +25°. The water is warmed up perfectly, up to +23°. It can be very windy at times, but this is rather a benefit as it reduces the midday heat.
August
In August, the thermometer drops slightly during the day, to +28°. Comfortable at night, +23°. Precipitation is a rare occurrence. Water temperature +24°. Even warmer than in July.
September
September in Gelendzhik is quite warm, not hot. Daytime air temperature is +25°. Nighttime about 18°. The water has not yet cooled down +21°. Swimming is comfortable, velvet season.
