Grand Canyon of Crimea

The Grand Canyon of Crimea was formed millions of years ago. Its length is 3.5 kilometers, the depth is more than 320 meters and the width in some places is 2-3 meters, so you can touch the canyon walls.

There are two entrances to the canyon: the 5th and the 6th kilometer. We entered the trail from the 6th km and exited on the 5th, where the main infrastructure is located, such as a restaurant in which we had dinner.

Moving along the main tourist trail, you will reach the Bath of Youth - a small reservoir with water. The water there is pretty cold at any time of the year. Curiously, many tourists are not aware that the real canyon begins only after the Bath of Youth. However, please note that there will be no path and you'll have to go over the boulders. In some places you can go further only by water and the canyon width will be 2-3 meters.

The trail until the Bath of Youth is quite simple, but wear sneakers. Better not visit the canyon in rainy weather, because there will be a lot of dirt. During the high season you can buy water and some food near the Bath of Youth.

Along the trail you'll see Pania, one of the biggest springs of Crimea. There are more than 2,600 springs in Crimea, but most of them give no more than 1 liter of water per second. Pania's average annual water consumption is about 370 liters per second. It's really a lot, you can provide a small town with such amount of water.

The canyon has special microclimate that differs from the surrounding area. Because of that the vegetation grows here with a delay of 3-4 weeks. Among the interesting plants you should pay attention to the burning bush (or fraxinella), which grows in the canyon (the last photo on this page). This is the most dangerous plant in the Crimea, and the danger is quite real. During flowering it produces hazardous essential oils that should not be inhaled. And touching it may cause burns on the body.

Getting there: Public transport does not go to the canyon. You can get to Sokolinoe from Bakhchisarai by bus and continue by taxi or on foot about 5 km to the canyon. From Yalta there are two options: a taxi or a tour. We had not even considered a taxi, because the price is too high. A tour costs $25 and is the best option.