Тарханкут

Tarkhankut is a peninsula in the western part of Crimea, known as one of the most picturesque and relatively unspoiled by civilization holiday destinations. The coastline riddled with cozy bays, steep limestone cliffs and clear sea water look so amazing that they are more likely to be associated with a picture from an advertising brochure than with a real landscape.

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Due to the lack of developed infrastructure, this Black Sea piece of the Crimean steppe has not yet had time to evolve (or degrade) to the level of faceless local resort – the business card of the southern part of the peninsula. So far, Tarkhankut manages to keep its own face, remaining that rare place where a tourist tired of the vanity of the world can truly relax and achieve complete unity with nature.

Video: Tarkhankut

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Geographical and climatic features

‘ Tarkhankut Peninsula

Cape Tarkhankut

The most beautiful part of the peninsula, where every vacationer who can at least a little bit manage with a mask and surf strives to get to, is Cape Tarkhankut. Due to the absence of rivers and streams in this area, the water at its shores warms up to +28 °C, remaining turquoise-transparent even at great depths. Divers, windsurfers and underwater photography enthusiasts are not guests here, but permanent residents.

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‘ Cape Tarkhankut
‘ Windsurfer in the background of the Ibrahim-Yakim shipwreck

Atlesh

Territorially the cape is divided into two parts: Atlesh (southeast) and Dzhangul (northeast). Each of these tracts in its own way beautiful and unique, although tourists persistently continue to favor the first. The reason for this selectivity lies in the proliferation of Atleshskie sights, which once became natural scenery for several Soviet films.

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The coast of this part of Tarkhankut has a clear arc-shaped line, which includes small beaches with soft white sand, and secluded fairy-tale bays. And, of course, the main attraction of Atlesh – limestone “layered” rocks and fragments of rock polished by waves, towering above the blue sea surface. By the way, the area of Tarkhankut from ancient times was considered dangerous for navigation, as evidenced by the remains of modern dry cargo ships, rusting in several bays at once. But the local rocky shores and hidden grottoes appealed to smugglers, who for a long time used them as warehouses for their counterfeit goods.

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Traditionally, the Atlesh is divided into Big and Small. The territorial boundary of the former is a giant stone arch, washed by sea waves in the rock and became the unofficial symbol of the tract. Boats and boats of enterprising locals, who are also organizers of sea excursions, constantly pass through the “stone gate”.

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‘ Arch on Cape Atlesh
‘ Warning sign at Atleshe

After about 6 kilometers of winding path along the coast, begins Small Atlesh – a small section of the cape, about 1.5 kilometers long. It is here that guides like to bring holidaymakers to show them one of the most recognizable sights of the bay – a 98-meter tunnel, which was used to shoot some episodes of “Pirates of the XX century”. A characteristic feature of the cave vault is a through-well window, through which daylight pours into the tunnel, creating a unique atmosphere of mystery and anxious anticipation. There are rumors that the hole in the vault was made by medieval pirates to bring to the surface smuggled rum and chests with “piastres”.

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‘ The sea tunnel where the filming of the movie ‘Pirates of the XXth Century’ took place‘
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There are sights with a romantic aura in Atlesh, the only drawback of which is the traditional for the Black Sea resorts crowds of vacationers eager to get their portion of impressions from visiting the next unusual place. But since it is pointless to look for a truly wild corner on the Crimean coast, where you have not yet managed to get with your tent ubiquitous tourist, you will have to put up with the need to share every interesting object with other vacationers.

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Those who came to Tarkhankut with their other half should swim in the Cup of Love – a small pool in a heart-shaped rock. A so-called compatibility test is popular among lovers who come to this place. The couple must hold hands and dive to the bottom of the “bowl”. If in the water, the lovers were able to stay near each other and do not open their hands, it means that they are waiting for a happy future and a quick wedding.

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‘ Atlesh, boats with tourists
‘ Cafe on Atleshe
‘ Coastal cliffs on Atleshe
‘ Cup of Love
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Interesting fact: there is an underwater tunnel at the bottom of the Cup of Love, connecting the makeshift font to the sea. During the filming of the movie “Amphibian Man” it was through this corridor that Vladimir Korenev’s character swam to get to his father’s house.

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The best way to appreciate all the grandeur of Tarkhankut is to drive around the cape by land, then hire a boat and go around it from the sea side. Traditional routes of such excursions are the most naturalistic sights of the bay like the Crocodile Rock or the Turtle Remnant. And those who are bored with atypical excursions, will have to get underwater equipment and an experienced escort to dive in the area of Big Atlesh and see with their own eyes the so-called Alley of Leaders. Dictators and revolutionaries, writers and poets – plaster busts of famous personalities are left on the seabed by divers who come here, each season replenishing the “exposition” with new historical personalities.

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‘ ‘Alley of the Chiefs’
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Djangul

Compared to Atlesh, the northeastern part of Tarkhankut looks more phantasmagoric and unapproachable. The culprit is numerous landslides and rockslides that have turned the seashore into a pile of rocky debris and boulders. Officially Dzhangulskoe tract is recognized as a state reserve and is considered a protected object. Tourists here are a little less, but the sea is still as clean and transparent, so if you like secluded places, go to the north-eastern side of Cape Tarkhankut. However, it is better to come here accompanied by someone from the locals, as it will be problematic to find secret paths leading to the sea on your own. Another weak point Dzhangulskogo coast – unsupervised dirt roads, so to get to it, you will have to get an off-road vehicle or at least a sport bike.

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Rest in this part of the cape – entertainment for those who missed the simple romance of a wilderness holiday and who is not frightened by the possibility of being deprived of all the benefits of civilization for a while. As a rule, small companies with tents and a strategic supply of fresh water come here. Some extremists equip the coastal cliffs with rope ladders, by which they descend to the most impregnable sites, where they set up their small camps. It is in Dzhangul that it is best to hunt for the main Crimean delicacy – Black Sea rapans. The population of mollusks has sharply increased in recent years, so no one will forbid you to regulate their number and organize small feasts right on the seashore. And here you can also see the remains of the sunken dry cargo ship “Sirius”. Several tons of iron slowly rusting in the turquoise water of the bay, as a reminder of the powerlessness of human creations before the natural forces of nature.

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‘ Black Sea Rapan
‘ Remains of the dry cargo ship Sirius

Despite the fact that in this part of Tarkhankut the number of vacationers is much more modest than in Atlesha, the illusion of complete solitude is unlikely to be achieved. Many people know about Dzhangul, and the peak of its popularity falls in August – it is in this month on the precipitous shore grow colorful tents, the rocks are entangled with ropes with drying laundry, and on the coastal cliffs appear hunters hung with photographic equipment for beautiful landscapes. But by September the sea begins to storm, the water slowly cools down and the coast slowly empties.

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Tarkhankut settlements: where to stay for tourists

Tarkhankut is the most sparsely populated part of Crimea. There are no cities on the peninsula, they are replaced by a single urban-type settlement – Chernomorskoye. There are only five villages here:

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  • Krasnoselskoe;
  • Maryino;
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  • Mezhvodnoe;
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  • Okunevka;
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  • Olenevka;
  • Olenevka.

If you came to Tarkhankut for a more or less civilized rest and are not ready to spend the nights in a tent blown by all winds, look into one of the 9 pensions Chernomorsky. The village has a sufficiently developed infrastructure, slowly but surely turning into a full-fledged Black Sea resort.

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One of the most conveniently located villages of Tarkhankut – Olenivka. The village nestles on the shore of Karadzhin Bay and is surrounded by three salty lakes (Liman, Small Kipchak, Big Kipchak). The cozy place has long been favored by windsurfers, and some people come here just to appreciate the healing properties of the local mud. Highly mineralized layer of mud, which covers the bottom of the Liman, has unique healing properties. It is better to book accommodation in Olenevka in advance: at the height of the season all modest rooms in local gesthouses and estates are usually filled.

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‘ Beach in Olenevka
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For your information: almost all villages of Tarkhankut are connected by bus with major resort cities – Yevpatoria and Simferopol, which is especially nice for travelers who do not have their own car and those who prefer not to spend money on cabs.

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Sights of Tarkhankut

The main attractions of Tarkhankut, for the sake of which the bulk of resort visitors come here, are its unique coastal relief and striking water transparency. However, if you have had time to admire the steppe landscapes to your heart’s content, take hundreds of pictures of the cape from the most unexpected angles and now you are hungry for an excursion program, you can go on a small tour through the villages of the peninsula. Almost all of them were inhabited back in the times of antiquity, which means that there will always be a couple or three antiquities that the casual traveler is curious to look at.

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‘ class=”fancybox” > “The Thinker. Heart of Tarkhankuta”

A jump into the great past of the Tarkhankuta peninsula can be made in the village of Morskoye, where the historical and archaeological reserve “Kalos Limen” is located. Founded by the Ionian Greeks, the fortress city grew on the rocky shores of the cape in the IV century B.C. For several centuries the port tantalized the envious Chersonese and warlike Scythians with its powerful fortifications, until the Sarmatians, who invaded the Crimean steppe, razed it to the ground. Today, anyone who happens to be in the area of Morsky can walk along the streets of the Greek fortification and look at the remains of the dwellings of its inhabitants.

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But Tarkhankutsky lighthouse was not afraid of neither the years nor the elements. Erected in 1812, a powerful 38-meter high structure made of Inkerman limestone quietly passed the test of time (for all the time of its existence, the building has never been seriously repaired) and even an earthquake.

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Not so long ago the cape has its own man-made symbol, created by St. Petersburg sculptor Alexander Kit – a funny stone abstraction, called “Thinker. The Heart of Tarkhankut.” Four polished and piled on top of each other boulders resemble the outline of an oriental philosopher sitting in the lotus posture. The thinker sits on the edge of the cliff, sunbathing and actively trying to comprehend “Zen”. Visitors gather near the sculpture in the evening to capture on video the amazing moment when the setting sun reaches the hole in the body of “Tarhankutsk Confucius.”

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How to get there

The most convenient option for traveling around Tarkhankut is your own or rented SUV. Leaving Yevpatoria, turn at the sign “Morskoye”. The villages of Koloski, Vorobyevo and Veselovka, through which the standard route to Tarkhankut passes, will serve as a reference point on the way. Before Krasnaya Polyana turn left and drive through Medvedovo, Gromovo, Okunevka and Maryino. Well, and further on the dirt road in the direction of Olenevka – the closest to the cape “corner of civilization.”

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You can also get to Tarkhankut by public transportation: just buy a bus ticket to Olenevka at Evpatoria bus station. From the village to the most beautiful cape of the Crimea is only a few kilometers away, which is easy to do on foot or on a rented bicycle.

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