Crimea. Mount Kush-Kaya

In the middle of the path from Sudak to Novyi Svet, Mount Kush-Kaya stretches upward just above the sea coast. Translated from the Turkic - Bird-rock. In ancient times, people imagined the rock in the form of a proud bird, ready to fly. Nowadays, the most common name for the peak is Sokol. Although she looks more like a stern guard of the sea coast.

Useful information:
Height above sea level - 478 m, length along the coast - 1208 m. By origin, it is a giant coral reef, formed 140-160 million years ago on the bottom of the Tethys ocean from colonies of sponges and corals.

Photo of Mount Falcon in Novy Svet

Historical excursion to Kush-Kaya

The area near Mount Kush-Kaya is considered an archaeological reserve. The ruins of ancient settlements of the 1st-5th centuries AD have been preserved in the juniper thickets. In the Dmitraki tract, you can see a cave monastery and the remains of a temple from the Byzantine era of the VIII-XII centuries. The burial place of the medieval bishop Stefan of Sourozh was found near the peak of Perchem.

Useful information for the tourist

Mountain video observer:

Popular routes to Mount Sokol

Extreme and thrill-seekers practice their climbing skills on the western slope. There are more than twenty climbing routes with difficulty of 1-4 categories of danger.

For those who are not looking for adventure, hiking routes from Sudak are offered.

If you are walking from the side of Sudak, then the trail starts near the Devil's Finger cliff, goes around it to the left and takes you into the thickets of Crimean oaks. Gradually rising to the top, the path will lead to the southern slope of the mountain. Then along the ridge to the highest point. There is a small recreation area here.

It is even more interesting to climb the Sokol from the side of the New World. A well-trodden path starts from the Lev Golitsyn House-Museum “Novy Svet Champagne House”. Locals and oncoming tourists will always tell you how not to stray from the route.

In archival documents, the name of the mountain "Falcon" has been mentioned since the acquisition of the Paradise estate by Prince Lev Golitsyn in 1878 (now it is called the New World). The guests who came to the estate loved to wander around the neighborhood. It has become fashionable among noble citizens to hike through coniferous and juniper groves. The well-known professor Sergei Petrovich Botkin substantiated the benefits of walking for the purpose of general health promotion, and as a prevention of tuberculosis. One of the routes was laid to the source of St. Anastasia, further to the top of Sokolenok, and, for the most stubborn, to Mount Sokol.

Another legend says that Golitsyn had an idea to build a castle for his daughter on the top of Sokolenok. Lev Sergeevich has already paved the road from the house to the place of future construction. The insidious plan of ruining the prince interfered with the implementation. The road, which has powerful columns-supports in places, still exists, it is perfectly visible, it is not difficult to find it.

Useful information for the tourist
Climbing to the top of the Falcon, orient yourself to the cardinal points and you will find out which peaks are in front of you. In the west, beyond the village of Novy Svet, Cape Kapchik and the Karaul-Oba rocks. In the east, you can see Sudak, the Genoese fortress, Cape Meganom. With good visibility, the peaks of Kara-Dag loom. In the south-west, inquisitive minds will consider the huge Crimean plateau Babugan-yila and the highest peak of the Crimean peninsula, the mountain. To the north of you are the Perchem and the Frog rocks.

Mountain video observer:

Mount Sokol on the map of Crimea

GPS Coordinates: 44 ° 50'10.00, 34 ° 55'40.00 Latitude / Longitude

In Crimea, sonorous and exotic names of natural objects are often repeated and, often, more than once. Kush-Kai did not escape this fate either. It is noteworthy that there are at least eight mountain peaks with this name, the most famous of which are three. One turned from Kush-Kai into a Cat, acceptable to the Slavic ear. Another is located in the New World and is better known today under the name Falcon. Only in the area of ​​the Laspinskaya depression the name of the mountain has remained unchanged to this day.

Translated from the Turkic “kaya” means “rock”, and “kush” means “bird”. The peak is located not far from the Sevastopol-Yalta highway, above the Batiliman tract and Laspi bay, literally covering them from the northern winds, and is part of the huge Kok-Kiya-Bel ridge.

Its name - Bird - Mountain, apparently, did not receive in vain. It is located just on the flight path of birds, migrating to warm regions in winter, and back in spring. At the top of the flock they sat down to rest and regroup, according to ornithologists, before flying over the most dangerous section of the route - open water. At the head flew senior and experienced individual leaders. Kush-Kai was especially "popular" among bustards and quails. Lovers of easy prey - poachers - could not miss such a chance, the birds were exhausted, leaving the descendants only memories of their former abundance.

Fogs often visit Kush-Kai in spring and summer. This process continues until the sea becomes warm. During the day, the increasing sun warms the water surface. Then, according to the well-known laws of physics, a fog is formed, which can hang in a dense veil over the sea for a long time. If the wind turns on land, the fog “storms” the Bird Mountain, flows into the Baydar Valley, “floods” the vineyards of Balaklava. The picture is extremely beautiful. If the wind is weak, a milky shroud hangs over the coast for several days, and the top of the mountain sticks out of the clouds like an island in the ocean.

The height of Kush-Kai is not small 664 m. It is composed of conglomerates of the Upper Jurassic period and marbleized reef limestones. Smoothly rising from the north, the mountain, having reached its highest point, drops abruptly down in the south, representing an almost sheer solid wall. The seemingly formidable inaccessibility does not frighten climbers at all: now on the massif there are 18 routes of all categories of difficulty, ranging from 400 to 700 m.

The entire lower belt of Kush-Kai with a height of 30 to 100 m has long become a traditional place for training and competitions for climbers and rock climbers. Many eminent persons were noted here, such as, for example, Stacy Ellison - the first woman from the United States to conquer Mount Everest in 1988. This peak can be safely called the "Mecca of Crimean mountaineering", the intoxication of freedom and delight from the conquered abyss has already experienced more than one hundred, if not a thousand of those for whom "only mountains can be better than mountains."

In addition, Bird Mountain, like birds once, attracts people who are passionately in love with the sky. The flight route of paragliders passes by the southern wall. The area is quite difficult for flights, moving along the summit, air masses flow into the Baydar Valley, causing a significant increase in wind. Fortunately, this fact does not interfere with the record holders, often flying over the mountain, they fly away to Balaklava and even Fiolent.

Other slopes of Kush-Kai are completely covered with forest - the higher, the higher and thicker. In spring, in the forest, you can observe an incredible abundance of flowers, among which peonies stand out. The scientific name of this lush, up to 75 cm (!) Plant is a three-triple or Crimean peony. According to ancient beliefs, where this large pink flower with white edges grows, there are no evil spirits. But before everyone else, in March-April, the underbrush literally covers a carpet of snowdrops. White, milk-like flowers appear as soon as the snow begins to melt. Interestingly, snowdrop seeds have an edible appendage and are spread by laborers-ants.

The summit of Kush-Kai is absolutely treeless, only green grass and a rare low and bushy juniper enliven the picture. But the views from here are fantastic. The Laspinskaya depression with a bay, a section of the road to Yalta with the Karaul-Kaya rock and an observation deck, the Kok-Kiya-Bel ridge on one side of the route and the Dragon's Wing - Ajder-Kanat rocks - on the other, the Baydarskaya valley with the bowl of the Chernorechensky reservoir are clearly visible ... In the distance, on the eastern side of Laspi, the bulk of Ilyas-Kaya rises. And right under your feet is the resort Batiliman with all its holiday homes and boarding houses, and the sea, huge and endless, to the very horizon….

We can safely assume that a person has visited the mountain since ancient times, the place is ideal for observing the area. Material evidence of the stay was also left. The ruins of a small structure, made of carefully hewn, diabase-like stone, are hidden between the trees near the summit. It is oriented to the east, there is a wooden cross and a sign stating that this is the temple of St. Elijah of the XI-XV centuries. Nearby is a well - either a source, or a reservoir, obviously built at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. However, not a single trustworthy work on the history of Crimea mentions the temple, and the masonry is relatively fresh.

Nevertheless, this place is quite inhabited, an old medieval road from the observation deck and the so-called Turkish glade rises to Kush-Kaya through a couple of medieval villages. On the maps of the XIX century. the road ends at the house of the marine engineering department. It is possible that it was built on the foundation of some ancient structure. However, serious research and excavations have never been carried out here, and those who like to wander with a metal detector have not yet come across anything more interesting than donkey horseshoes.

Today people are almost more frequent visitors to Kush-Kai than birds. Walking along the path, climbing the rocks, paragliding over the top, they reach the cherished goal faster and faster. And only silence, a grandiose panorama around and the horizon lost in the distance, can stop the inexorable running of time.

(c) Dmitry Shamrey

On Kush-kaya - the mountain that is nearby
with the famous Laspi bay,
Valery Viktorovich and I, my friend and companion in photo travel, decided to run for the night,
in order to capture in the photo the rising of the full moon over the rocks of Ilyas-Kaya.
In addition, Valera wanted to shoot this sunrise using the method
time-lapse shooting - timelapse - Valerino's new hobby.
We were almost lucky with the weather - the day before, all the clouds had resolved and
even a little warmer. We drove a little further
Laspino observation deck and ...

1.
and a little further - about four hundred meters - from the exit of the old Batiliman road. Leaving a car at the gate,
moved along the path, past the pine forest. The entrance to this path is barely noticeable.
The path along it will be more authentic than from the Batiliman, but it suited us with a relatively not steep angle of ascent,
as well as the opportunity to leisurely admire the beauty of spring mountain forest flowers.


2.
Valera always takes with him a bunch of equipment for photo and video filming, and even all sorts of traveling personal belongings.
Sometimes it is stuffed up to 40 kilos. Valera solved this problem easily. His "know how" can be seen in the picture.
While walking, they came up with a couple more solutions for transferring backpacks from one point to another. We will embody ...
True, some additional financial resources will be needed. If anyone wants to help, we will not refuse.


3.
It's not easy anyway ...


4.
I had to stop to take a breath ...


5. and admire the forest flowers.


6.


7.
Forest peonies.


6.


8.
No matter how many paths twist, everything is the same - rests against something. Here the trail met a large forest
the road and the crossing point is indicated by tiny rounds.


9.
To the right of the road is a fence. This is to protect the numerous inhabitants of the local forests - there is a busy highway nearby.


10.
We looked at the next observation deck for filming.


11.
To our left - to the top of Kush-kai. The path on the right led to Kokiya-kaya and further - along the markers - to Balaklava.


12.
Finally, on the "bald head" of Kush-kai


13.


14.
Local rock flora ...


15.
and fauna.


16.


17.


18.
Gorgeous views of the sea, Ilyas-Kaya. Below, below us - Batiliman.


19.
Here, below us, there is also Batiliman, and you can see the unfinished construction of a summer residence that has not completed his term of office.
fourth president of Ukraine. The scale of the building resembles the famous Foros dacha. God,
some kind of fatal inevitability in four words: Crimea, president, dacha, end. You guys, be careful with the dachas in the Crimea ...


20.
Opposite to the east is the Donguz Orun ridge. Left - Eagle. And under the clouds, in the distance, one can see the Ai-Petrinsky "balls".


21. Laspi Bay. Here is the clearest water.


22.
While Valera was preparing the equipment for further work, I decided to walk to Kokiya-kaya and then - to Cape Aya - to photograph the "Lost World" from above


23.
There were fellow travelers. Great guys, tourists from Simferopol - Oksana and Vadim. All the way we shared our impressions
about past wanderings around the Crimea, admiring the surrounding views and forest flowers along the way.


24.
Those structures are the goal of my easy walk. Only 2.5 km up-down-up. And then the same way back.


25.
And again there are peonies in the forest. I have never seen so many forest peonies in my life ...


26.


27.
We got to the place. There are some dilapidated structures. They look like caponiers. Apparently used before
to protect against uninvited guests. Behind Sevastopol, Balaklava.


28.
We wandered around the entire viewing platform.


29.


30.


31. Cape Fiolent.


32. Sevastopol. Balaklava is hidden, as the military say, behind the folds of the terrain.


33.


34.
The same "Lost World". It is located in such a way that it can only be seen from above, from the rocks, or by
to him on the boat. It is impossible to walk to this beautiful natural beach along the coast - there are no paths to it, unless
what to go down the rope from above.


35.


36.
It's time to say goodbye. Vadim and Oksana headed towards Balaklava, and I turned onto the path, to my Kush-kai.


37.


38.
On the way I met such a peony bud.


39.
Valera is already completely ready for shooting - the equipment is uncovered and directed to the object.


40.
While we were having dinner, the Sun rushed beyond Fiolent, illuminating Cape Sarych.


41.
There was still time until the moon rose, so I decided to take a nap in the tent ...


42.
But not for long - Valera called and said that the moon had "gone". Shooting started.


43.
But after a few moments I wanted to express myself indecently - the moon disappeared behind unexpectedly appeared clouds.


44.
Thank God, I slipped out of the dark cloud paws.


45.


46.


47.
Here is Valerino's time-lapse video about an evening with a view of Ilyas-Kaya and the moon rising over it. You can see after.

48. The next day ...


49.
We climbed a long road to Kush-kai, but it turns out there is another short way, damn it!
We calmed down after remembering the saying about the smart one who will not go straight up the hill ...


50.


51.
A couple of shots in the end.


52.


53.
With a sense of a gloriously accomplished duty - downhill, to the car and home.

The track of the route across the Crimea, tourist camp Laspi - Mount Kush Kaya.

The road starts from the tour of the Laspi risers near the forestry, and first goes along the asphalt. A red-colored dog lives near the foresters, always barking at passers-by - it seems like it didn't bite, but you never know, be vigilant.

The asphalt road, which has long lost its purpose and is not used, will lead us to the Laspinsky pass. Here you need to cross the road, and further to the barrier, next to the Roman road to Batiliman. We dive under the barrier or go around it, and follow the road along the traverse along the slope, gradually gaining height. Soon the road will end, a steep path goes up, which will lead us to Kush Kaya. There is no water on Kush Kai if you go across Crimea to these places, consider this if you plan to spend the night here. Then you need to climb the blue marks for another three hundred meters and we go out for a survey near the top of Kush Kaya.

I will add that a couple of years ago, the entire summit of Kush Kaya and Kokiya with the adjacent territories was surrounded by a hefty fence, right up to the military unit and the Kazan Dere girder, through which it was convenient to go to Ayazma. As a result, the Demir Kapu spring also fell behind the fence, and it seems as if it is impossible to spend the night on it now. Fence - foresters say there will be a recreational area for deer, but in fact it is another hunting farm, deer will breed here, it's not roe deer, there are places for show-off at all. The fence has gates for the entrance and exit, but whether they will be constantly open is a question and not a fact, in general, it's sad, young ladies ...

In the picture you can see this piece, and below you can download track route across the Crimea.

Trek of the route of the hike across the Crimea Laspi - Kush Kaya.

Trek on the Crimea route from Kush Kai to the Lost World.

From the observation deck on Mount Kush Kaya, the trail leads eastward to Mount Kokiya Kaya, from the cliffs of which you can admire the Lost World spread below. Of course, I do not post a semi-climbing route to the Lost World, without equipment, my opinion is that there is nothing to do there, a couple of times there, in any case, you will have to rappel, and if someone still wants to find such a descent track from the north side past the lonely Gendarme, the Internet is full of forums and descriptions of such difficult and risky journeys.

We're just talking now about the track to the cliffs in the Lost World, from where you can admire the drop dead beauty of the bay. There will be several ascents along the road, but in general the path is not difficult, it takes about an hour if you go slowly. There is no water on Kokiya Kaya, and it is problematic to stay here with an overnight stay, except to run for water to the neighboring spring of Demir Kapu Chokrak, keep in mind if you are going here on a hike in the mountainous area of ​​Crimea. Below is a picture of the track.

And parking no Kokii is worth it to suffer some inconvenience and stand here. In the evening, when the sun sets, in the sunset rays you can admire the stunning panoramas of the coast from Balaklava to Sevastopol - in general, I recommend it.

Trekking hike across Crimea Kush Kaya - The Lost World.

Trekking route across Crimea from Kokiya Kai to the spring Demir Kapu Chokrak.

From the ruins of a military unit on Mount Kokiya Kaya, the path leads us to a dirt road. The road goes down into a ravine, on the right side we pass a hunting tower, a little further to the left the road goes to hay meadows, there is a sign and a barrier on it - passage is prohibited. Our road leading to the spring turns to the right, then a little to the left, and turns into an old unused road that goes right to the spring. There are several convenient parking lots near the spring, but it is not always advisable to stand here - it is easier to stock up on water and hurry to Ayazma to the warm sea. If you are going to the Crimea in the summer to these places, you should take into account that the spring dries up in summer from July, there is no water in it until the end of October.

And I will mention that in 2013 the entire territory was fenced off with a huge fence, an area of ​​a couple of three square kilometers was locked up for another hunting farm. There are gates in the fence, while it seems that you can get inside, but what will happen when the animals are brought here and whether they will be allowed in, I don’t know, most likely we will have to look for alternative ways of bypassing, which actually do not exist, given the specifics of the area, except perhaps by a military unit to Ayazma.