Sosnovka beach, or Lesenka, is one of the most remote beaches in Gelendzhik and certainly the most inaccessible. It is located at the foot of awe-inspiring cliffs, behind the Parus microdistrict and the Sosnovaya Shchel gardening community (3 km from the city center). It is notable for the fact that it is first reached by a steep descent and then by a metal staircase.
The area looks like a cliff of layered stepped rock. The beach strip is narrow, sometimes it’s impossible to turn around; in places along the coastline it goes into the sea. The shore is covered with small pebbles. Looks very beautiful in life and in photographs. The beach is pebble, so it is famous for its clear sea, and until some time it was considered secluded. The shore is flat, the depth begins gradually. The water takes on a blue or green color.
There is no infrastructure on the beach itself. Sun loungers, sun umbrellas, swimming gear and food and drinks must be carried with you, taking into account the descent and difficult ascent to the top.
© proxor21244
About Sosnovka beach, its features and surroundings
The coast between Gelendzhik and the village of Divnomorskoye is steep and rocky, the sheer walls of light gray sedimentary rocks here reach 40 meters, that is, the height of a 13-story building. The rocks here are extremely picturesque, and the view of the sea from the heights is absolutely magnificent.
View of the steep coast in Sosnovka with a descent to the beach in the gorge area
View of the sea from the high shore in Sosnovka
You can go down to the beach to the sea from the height of these rocks using an equipped metal staircase only in one place, which is called Sosnovka. Sosnovka is located near the Sosnovaya gap (river), approximately in the middle between Gelendzhik and Divnomorskoye.
At the top of the steep bank next to the descent of the stairs among the coniferous forest there is the Sosnovka campsite of the same name, which can be reached by car.
Camping Sosnovka operates only in the summer and provides tourists with a shower, toilet, gazebos, cafe, and rental of tourist equipment. In the off-season, the camping area is open to the public and you can use the gazebos for free. You can access the beach through the campsite at any time of the year.
Sosnovka is a wild beach at the foot of the cliffs; it is not equipped in any way and is a strip of shore up to 10 meters wide and about 800 meters long with large and medium pebbles. The entrance to the water here is mostly smooth, without large stones.
Sosnovka Beach is of interest all year round. Here you can go down the stairs to the shore, admire the rocks from the beach and a small waterfall flowing into the sea next to the stairs. In the gorge where the staircase is installed, there is a river flowing into the sea along a steep cliff from a height of about 12 meters.
Stairs to Sosnovka beach and waterfall
Coordinates. Video
- Address: ST "Sosnovoe", Gelendzhik, Krasnodar region, Russia.
- GPS coordinates: 44.526986, 38.092656.
Look at the beautiful photos. Sosnovka beach in Gelendzhik looks like a real pearl of seaside nature. Here are the reviews this place has received. “There are already quite a lot of people at the campsite and on the beach - this place used to be quiet.” “In Sosnovka you need to drink the air!” “We'll come again. This is truly amazing!” “Indeed, this is the most beautiful beach in Gelendzhik.” We also look forward to your impressions expressed in the comments and reviews below. In the meantime, watch the video review of this attraction, enjoy watching!
How to get to Sosnovka beach - the path through the holiday village
Sosnovka is located 3 kilometers from the edge of Gelendzhik beyond the Parus district. The end of the Parus district can be reached by routes No. 2, 8 and 20 with the final stop “Garazhi” on Fadeeva Street, marked on the map in blue with No. 1.
View from the final stop "Garazhi" to Fadeeva Street
From the stop, follow the path marked in orange on the map. The 800-meter road here runs along the city sidewalk and has a slight uphill climb. At the end of this section of the path, a view of the vineyard and the sea beyond will open on the right.
Vineyard on the way to Sosnovka
The city sidewalk will end here, the straight road will run into a concrete barrier, you need to go to the left.
End of the orange section of the road and turn left
Next, follow the 2.1 km path marked in purple on the map. This section of the path will first pass along a concrete road to the dacha village (marked on the map in blue with No. 2), and behind the dachas a forest country road begins, leading directly to the Sosnovka camping.
Exit to the holiday village
A fork behind the holiday village and a sign indicating that the road to the sea is straight
Further on there is another fork on the way to Sosnovka - keep right
The purple section of the path ends at the entrance to the campsite (blue mark from No. 3), where a barrier is installed. In summer, a fee is charged for entry by car, but entry on foot is free.
About the road
I would like to lie something about the teleport, like sitting on stools in my own kitchen and oops - already in Gelendzhik! But no. We drove a long 15 hours there and about 17 hours back, becoming related to the M4. We spent 7,167 rubles on gasoline (we refueled exclusively with Lukoil) and paid for all toll roads (925 rubles).
We left Tula on Tuesday, July 26 at 21.00. Perhaps, thanks to the right start, all the traffic jams were avoided! In reality there was not a single one, they even passed through Losevo. The way back was a little more difficult. We left at night on Sunday, July 31 at 3.00. We lost one hour in the legendary Losevo, and crawled around Novaya Usman for another twenty minutes. As for stops along the way, there weren’t that many: we refueled three times, walked once through sunflower fields, and once again visited an agricultural fair in the Krasnodar Territory (apricots, melons, that’s all). Of the interesting things along the road, I can only mention the Chalk Cliffs in the Voronezh region, a bike hotel with a Christmas tree made of motorcycles in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky and Kolbasinova Shchel 
The second observation deck in Sosnovka
To get to the second observation deck you need to climb the stairs from the beach and follow the path marked in green on the map. From the campsite the path goes through the forest, on flat ground. After about 700 meters the trail descends into a shallow depression, marked on the map in blue with No. 7, and then rises out of it again.
80 meters from the lowland you will come across a burnt forest, turn left here. This turn is marked on the map in blue with No. 10. The Burnt Forest is marked on the map with a gray polygon.
Along the path, going around the edge of the burnt forest, you will come out to a wider path, this place is marked on the map in blue with No. 11. To get to the second observation deck, move towards the sea for about 200 meters along the part of the path marked on the map in red.
Sea view between 8 and 9 blue marks on the map
About warm and cozy nights
Spending the night in a tent somewhere in the Tula region is almost always a provocation and a challenge to the body for me: at night I’m freezing, in the morning I’m suffocating from the heat. Attacks from mosquitoes, wasps and midges are a bonus. And here, in Sosnovka, there is some unprecedented comfort! There are no annoying insects, even the singing cicadas fall silent after sunset. In general, we slept with the “door” half open and without a mosquito net. The nights are warm - about +20. In the morning there is no stuffiness - because there is a dome of pine trees above the tent, and the sun does not have time to heat up. And before the trip, we bought a self-inflating travel mat. Awesome thing! All the jets and air mattresses in the world are “resting.” I don’t know how long this rug will last, but so far it’s nothing but delight: soft, warm, compact and very homey.
The way back to Gelendzhik from the second observation deck
The 1.4 km return route from the second observation deck to the vineyards on the edge of Gelendzhik is marked in red on the map. The entire path goes through the forest, the first part of the path goes from the observation deck to the edge of the burnt forest, at this point you need to turn left and go straight along the edge of the burnt forest until turning right, marked on the map in brown with No. 2.
On the left, before reaching this turn, you can hear dogs barking from the forest; there, in the thicket, there is someone’s secret dwelling, it is marked on the map in brown with No. 1.
The burnt forest covers an area of about 10 hectares, it is difficult to walk through it, although there are still paths in it that were previously walked, but now they are all littered with tree trunks, so it is better to walk around the burnt forest along the edge.
After turning right, follow the edge of the burnt forest for about 600 meters until you come to a wide path, marked on the map in brown with No. 3, and turn left on it. Follow the wide path and after 480 meters you will come to an abandoned traffic circle near the vineyards on the edge of Gelendzhik.
Path along the burnt forest
From the ring, follow the path marked in orange to the “Garazhi” public transport stop on Fadeeva Street, it is marked on the map in blue with No. 1.
Schedule of routes No. 2, 8, 20 at the “Garazhi” stop on Fadeeva Street in Gelendzhik
View the entire catalog of independent travel in Gelendzhik
Weather
“Lesenka” is visited not only by tourists, but also by local residents. At the height of the season it is hot here, the water temperature is comfortable, but the air sometimes gets too warm. It is best to relax in September, when the heat of the sun is no longer so intense. And walking to the beach is quite comfortable.
In the heat, if you have health problems, it is better to abandon the idea of visiting this wild vacation spot. It will be problematic to walk and make steep descents and ascents.
About the menu
Well, our first dinner was royal: shish kebab-mashlyk, fruits and vegetables, all kinds of greens, bohemian alcohol... The next day we realized that it was time to throw out half of the tomatoes, even raccoons would not be happy with the remains of shish kebab and, in general, it was time to switch to canned food, seeds and crackers with raisins. Only alcohol and hookah have not fallen under the power of time.
True, we did have lunch once in Gelendzhik, like adults. Lunch for three cost 3 thousand rubles. (sausages with side dish, ajapsandal and beer). The establishment was called “Grateful Gelendzhik”.
Once again we tried to visit a pretentious establishment called “Tent Club” on Tolstoy Cape, the highlight of which is the pool “floating” above the sea . Cool, you can’t say anything. The cheapest beer was “Spaten” - 360 rubles for half a liter. These are the merciless Russian resorts. The capacity of the pool is 60 people, I asked. Well, somehow it’s not crowded...
We also tried pineapple melon for the first time (80 rubles each, sold at any vegetable market). Well, that's it, a lyrical digression. Potatoes are better!
About raccoons
An unexpected and pleasant bonus from Sosnovka - after midnight, raccoons come out of their holes. Sometimes they come out :))) The real ones. Our meeting took place on the very first night, somewhere around three o’clock... First I heard some suspicious stomping, then a guttural hooting and slurping sound. And as soon as she realized that the tent was surrounded, she resolutely woke up her husband: “Damn, there are some ghouls walking around there!” He: “Well, maybe a dog or a cat?..” And then a creature posing as a dog or cat began to move around on the table! “Ahhhh, it’s on the table!” The very next minute, in the light of the phone, we discovered a RACCOON. He sat a step away from us, sweetly moving his paws and savoring Tula bread :))) A fur mountain half a meter high, with glowing eyes and enviable calm. We immediately fell in love with him as if we were our own, and I ran to the car to get a camera. The raccoon slowly walked into the juniper bushes... His gait read: “How did you all get me!” And then the steps again. We have already armed ourselves with a more powerful flashlight. The raccoon walked economically in our direction, making its way through the thickets. Insolent! I even suspected him of being mad. And behind him... came another raccoon, and after that another, and then a third, and a fourth. Some kind of caravan of raccoons :))
A mother raccoon and four baby raccoons. Continuous mi-mi-mi. While they were eating bread and digging in the barbecue bucket, I calmly photographed them and was touched.
The raccoons left as soon as they were sure that there was no barbecue left and no bitten bread either. In the following days we switched to canned food and stopped being interested in raccoons. 
