Taraktash is one of the most amazing andbeautiful places of Crimea. But those who want to look at his charm ahead of the difficult test - Taraktash trail, the route from the waterfall Wuchang-Su to Ai-Petrinskaya yaila. However, travelers who venture to make this trek will be rewarded for their courage. All along the way they will be accompanied by unusual and amazing landscapes of the peninsula, which they had not previously met.
General information
The Taraktash trail (Crimea) is a mountain path from theYalta on Ai-Petri, named after the rock ridge of Taraktash, along which it passes. According to data from various sources, the length of the route varies from 8 to 11 kilometers, and on some sections of the trail there are difficult climbs, reaching 700 m.
Therefore, only with good physical preparationthe route will be accessible in both directions: both for descent and for ascent. Descent is also suitable for unprepared tourists who travel for the first time on mountain trails.
The average time taken to complete a one-way path is about 4-5 hours from the starting point.
Historical reference
The Taraktash trail (Crimea, Big Yalta) waswas created in the late nineteenth century at the suggestion of Vladimir Nikolaevich Dmitriev, a talented doctor and chairman of the Yalta branch of the Crimean Mountain Club. Hiking on this route, Dr. Dmitriev cured his lungs. He believed that the unique Crimean air and unhurried walks along the mountain paths are extremely useful in cardiac and pulmonary diseases.
Со временем Таракташская тропа перестала быть Mountain pass, as it became difficult to access and almost impassable. Only in the second half of the twentieth century it was restored to life by the forces of teachers and students of the mountain club of one of the Yalta schools.
Today the trail is equipped, and in the most difficultits places for the convenience of tourists erected a kind of stairs and handrails. To exclude the slightest opportunity here to get lost, the road is marked almost all along. Focusing on the tags, even inexperienced tourists will overcome this route in one direction.
Taraktash trail: how to get to the beginning of the route
For untrained travelers, the idealoption will choose the starting point of the route at the top - Ai-Petri - and prefer the descent. Ascent to the top of Ai-Petri can be done not on foot along the mountain path, but on the cable car Mishor-Ai-Petri (or by car, which, of course, is not so exciting and interesting).
To the lower station of the cable car it's easy to get by yourself, as the shuttle bus from Yalta bus station directly takes you to it.
For experienced tourists the starting point of the ascent of Ai-Petri along the Taraktash trail will be the foot of the Wuchang-Su waterfall. You can get there by bus from the same Yalta railway station.
The main landmarks of the Taraktash trail (route scheme)
If, judging their strength, stop the choice ofrise, then you need to travel to the bottom of its transport point (Wuchang-Su waterfall) and a little bit to go up the road. Here the Taraktash trail will begin. The route scheme is as follows:
- the Wuchang-Su waterfall;
- rock Eagle zalet;
- the source of 1904;
- Taraktash;
- pine grove;
- weather station.
In order not to deviate from the route, tourists should be guided by white-red tags.
Wuchang-Su waterfall
The Wuchang-Su waterfall is a silver thread of the same namerivers falling from a huge height of 98.5 meters along two ledges, dividing down into smaller waterfalls. The fullness of the waterfall and the spectacle that appears before the eyes of tourists depend on the time of the year. In the spring it is the most full-flowing. In the summer, the flow of water is so exhausted that Wuchang-Su is called at this time of year "a water-pipe". And in the winter, it is a fascinating ice cascade of jets, striving to hit the ground under the force of their gravity.
Rock Eagle Zalet
Following the signs from the waterfall, in 20-30 minutes, tourists will get to the observation deck on the cliff of Eagle Zalet, which in its outlines resembles a proud bird preparing for flight.
This place is associated with a sad legend of the timesthe principality of Theodoro, about the inhabitants who rebelled against the unbearable Tatar taxes, about atrocities of the invaders and young men who rushed from despair down the cliff and turned into beautiful eagles.
Source of 1904
Далее Таракташская тропа приводит туристов к An unusual structure, similar to a stone crypt with an iron door. This hydrotechnical facility "The Source of 1904" is the next landmark of the mountain route rising to the top of Ai-Petri. It was built for the largest collection of clean water from the spring for the Yalta water main.
Taraktash and pine grove
Further, along the cornices of the rock massif, there will bepass the main part of the Crimean travel called Taraktashskaya trail. This is the steepest and difficult to climb section of the route, but the magnificent views that open up to the eyes, more than compensate travelers for fatigue.
Rocks surrounded by centuries-old treespine scent, fallen needles under their feet - all this will certainly accompany tourists all the way to the observation platform on the Shishko rock, named after the Russian colonel engineer and construction manager of the Yalta-Bakhchisarai road.
The terrain along the mountain path is so beautifulthe panoramas are so magnificent that many travelers compare it with Saxon Switzerland, and almost everybody arranges hour-long photo sessions for memory.
Weather station
On the plateau Ai-Petri, at the rock Shishko, in 1895The stone building of the weather station was built. Here, on the site for meteorological observations, the ascent of tourists along the Taraktashsky trail ends. It is recommended to take a rest after ascent, since it is still 40-50 minutes to go along a fairly flat road to the cable car of the cable car that will take tired travelers from the top of Ai-Petri to the lower station Mishor.
Recommendations brave travelers
Tourists who venture along the Taraktash trail should follow certain rules:
- It is best to start the ascent to the Ai-Petri summit before 12 o'clock, as the cable car runs on the descent until 17-00.
- The lower station of the cable car on the rise begins to work from 10-00, but it is better to come here in advance, as long as possible waiting in the queue.
- To hike, you must choose dry and cloudy weather, you should travel only during daylight hours.
- Shoes should be comfortable, with good non-slip soles. Clothes - with a certain amount of heat, as at the top Ai-Petri can be cooler.
- Requires a supply of water (0.5 l / person.), Food at will.
The Taraktash trail is an extremely picturesque and memorable pedestrian route connecting Ai-Petri and Yalta.
