The Krasnodar region is rich in waterfalls, caves and seascapes. In this article I will tell you about the most beautiful natural attractions of the Krasnodar region and tell you the most convenient way to get to them.
There are several ways to visit the natural attractions of the Krasnodar region: by car, taxi and as part of an excursion group. Some places can be reached by public transport.
Earlier I already told about the most beautiful, non-natural places in the Krasnodar region.
Guam Gorge - the deepest
Guam Gorge / photo from wikipedia.org
Where is it located?
In the Apsheronsky district of the Krasnodar region.
Why is this interesting?
This is not just a nature reserve, but a real open-air ecological and biological museum.
You don't have to walk much to explore the gorge. Tourists travel around the area on a sightseeing train. Around every turn, breathtaking views open up: the bends of a mountain river and multi-colored rocks, waterfalls, relict groves.
The configuration of the gorge is also impressive.
Its depth reaches 400 m. The width also changes, at some point the rocks come so close that they are separated by only a couple of meters. The length of the gorge is 3 km.
If desired, the route can be walked.
- The excursion train runs from 9:00 to 19:00 .
- The cost of a one-way ticket is 100 rubles .
- You can move around the gorge on foot only after the train stops operating - before 9:00 or after 19:00.
How to get there
The starting point is Apsheronsk. It can be reached by bus from almost every city in the region. In Apsheronsk you need to change to a minibus and get to the village of Guamka. This is a private flight, but it leaves from the bus station. As a rule, the minibus makes fewer trips on weekends than on weekdays.
The schedule varies depending on the season. It is worth calling the Apsheronsk bus station in advance to check the current schedule.
Bolshoy Utrish - the cleanest sea
Black Sea.
Lighthouse. Bolshoy Utrish Where is it located?
Located between the villages of Maly Utrish and Sukko. Part of Anapa.
Why is this interesting?
This is one of the protected places where nature has been preserved in its original form.
The beaches are different from Anapa: they are not sandy, but small pebbles. Depth increases abruptly, not gradually. But at the same time, there is the cleanest sea here, which Anapa and any other major resort cannot boast of.
A must-visit place is the Utrish Nature Reserve. Here you can see a huge number of plants and animals listed in the Red Book. Even pistachio trees grow here. Butterflies are of particular delight to tourists. There are a lot of them here in the warm season.
Some attractions of Bolshoy Utrish frighten guests of the village.
For example, Snake Lake . The name alone strikes fear into anyone who doesn't like snakes. Now this name is just a tribute to history. At one time, the lake was an isolated freshwater body of water, and it was indeed home to many amphibians. But now it communicates with the sea. In fact, it is a salty backwater. The chance of meeting a snake there will be the same as in any other place. But there is a yacht club, spearfishing and fishing, windsurfing and diving.
Tourists also associate diving with something dangerous. They heard that there were sharks here. In fact, seeing a Black Sea shark at shallow depths is almost impossible. In addition, they are small and non-aggressive. Adults rarely grow more than a meter; they are absolutely safe for humans. You shouldn’t give up diving, because here you can see a lot of interesting shellfish, fish, crabs and even stingrays.
Another interesting place is Mount Prometheus.
According to one version, it was here that Zeus chained the guilty Prometheus to a rock because he dared to steal fire from Olympus and give it to people. Every day an eagle pecked at his liver, and overnight it grew back. This continued until the hero was saved by Hercules. Many people are familiar with this story from their school days, so it will be interesting to visit the scene of events.
Other attractions of Bolshoi Utrish:
- center for the study of the Black Sea,
- observation gazebo, named after Lermontov,
- incredibly beautiful waterfall,
- lighthouse on the island,
- memorial to the sailors who died during the Second World War,
- Orthodox chapel.
This is a rare case when a small village contains a huge number of attractions.
How to get there
The nearest large cities are Anapa and Novorossiysk, they have railway stations. From these cities you can get to Bolshoi Utrish by regular buses.
Astrakhan, Volgograd regions
Salt lake Baskunchak in the Astrakhan region
Further beyond Elista, 300 km, is the city of Astrakhan. This is a unique multicultural city, home to representatives of more than 100 nationalities. Astrakhan is located in the upper part of the Volga River delta, on the islands of the Caspian lowland. The main attraction of the city is the Astrakhan Kremlin. But as they say, what is worth going to Astrakhan for is balyk catfish, okroshka with roach and Astrakhan watermelons.
For lovers of natural beauty, Astrakhan can offer the most beautiful biosphere reserve, where in the lower reaches of the Volga delta you can see the most beautiful plants and the pride of the local flora - lotuses. The Astrakhan land is also rich in sand dunes, coastal forests, and winding river branches.
And the highlights of this area are the salt lake Baskunchak and Mount Bolshoye Bogdo. It is said that the percentage of salt in the water of Lake Baskunchak is 37%, which is higher than that of the Dead Sea. The water of the lake will give you an incomparable feeling of weightlessness, pushing your body to the surface. Also on the coast of Lake Baskunchak there are deposits of medicinal clays; in June-August, in addition to swimming, you can take mud baths.
Fountain "Art" or "Friendship of Peoples" on the Volgograd embankment
Lake Baskunchak can also be reached from Volgograd; the road will be about 180 km. Volgograd is also undoubtedly worthy of the traveler's attention - it has coastal landscapes of the Volga, museums, alleys, squares, memorials, fountains, a planetarium, and the largest hydroelectric power station in the European part of Russia. Mamayev Kurgan with its main monument, the Motherland, really looks impressive, and the embankment of the hero city is amazingly beautiful. The distance from Krasnodar to Volgograd is approximately 750 km.
Bogatyrsky caves are the most accessible
Bogatyrsky caves / photo from the site hot-key.rf
Where is it located?
Not far from Goryachiy Klyuch, in the area of the Valley of Enchantment.
Why is this interesting?
These are the most accessible caves. You can go to them even with small children.
There are many caves in the Krasnodar region, but not every tourist is ready to conquer mountain trails and cover kilometers of distance off-road. If you go by car, the road from Krasnodar to the Bogatyrsky Caves will take no more than an hour.
Nobody knows how these caves appeared.
There is a realistic, but not very beautiful story. It is said that they were created by fugitive criminals who were expelled from settlements in earlier times. There are also many beautiful versions that are more like legends. According to one of them, the caves were created by giants, according to the other - by one of the ancient civilizations. There is a version that there was once a crypt in the caves.
How to get there
To get there by car, you need to drive from Goryachiy Klyuch towards the Valley of Enchantment. There will be signs along the route, so it is impossible to drive past the turn to the caves. The journey will take no more than 10 minutes. The path from the road to the caves is only 500 m.
You can also get there by public transport. First you need to get to the Hot Spring. From there, minibus No. 119 goes to Fanagoriysky. Get off at the Valley of Enchantment or Cote d'Azur stops, then follow the signs. The distance from the exit from Goryachiy Klyuch to the Bogatyrsky Caves is 4 km.
Mount Shize
~ 95 km from Krasnodar, Abinsky district
Climbing the mountain is quite simple and does not take much time, so the route is suitable for tourists with a basic level of training. Mount Shize, located in the Abinsk region, is the highest point of the Gruzinka ridge, its height reaches 542 meters. Once at the top of this relatively low mountain, you feel as if you are in alpine meadows, because one side of the mountain is covered with dense forest, and the other with short grass.
