From Foros and Baydarsky pass in the west to Nikitskaya Yayla in the east, 53 km in length stretches the unique Yalta mountain forest reserve. The northern border of the Yalta Reserve runs along the Ay — Petrinskaya, Yalta, and Nikitsky Yayl, as the treeless flat peaks of the Crimean Mountains are called, in translation from the Turkic “Yayla” - “summer pasture”, the highest point of the reserve is Mount Roka (1349 m). In several places, the reserve has a common border with the sea.

The territory of the Gurzuf, Alupkinsk and Oplznevsky forest districts received the status of a reserve in 1973 to preserve in a natural state and restore both typical and unique natural complexes of the southern Crimean Mountains. Some of the objects declared protected in 1947.

Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve - flora and fauna

On an area of \u200b\u200b14.5 thousand ha you can get acquainted with the Crimean nature in all its diversity. home sight   Yalta Reserve - forests that occupy almost 70% of the territory - relict mountain conifers.

About 1363 species of plants grow in the Yalta Forest Reserve, which is 65% of the species of the whole Mountain Crimea, 78 of which are rare, including Persian marshmallow, adiantum (hair venere), Juniper (Crimean grass), Crimean and Crimean violet.

The fauna of the Yalta Reserve is also very diverse, 150 species of birds live here, you can see even very rare birds, such as the black vulture and griffon vulture.Among mammals, the Crimean subspecies of red deer is most interesting.

Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve - museum and attractions

Read more about the Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve, flora and fauna of Crimea at the local museum. And for active tourists, excursion routes with a visit to it have been developed sights   (resting place "Cherry Orchard", "viewing platform" Silver Arbor ", Solar trail, Devil's staircase   etc.).

You can stroll through the reserve territory by climbing Mount Ai-Petri.

Description and boundaries of the Yalta Reserve

Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve was established in 1973. The main part of its significant territory of 14.5 thousand hectares is occupied by forests lying between the coast and the southern slopes of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains. In the west, the reserve begins in the vicinity of Foros from Cape Chekhov and stretches along the Black Sea coast, sometimes going to the coast between settlements (which, of course, do not belong to its territory).

And the cable car station, and the weather station, and the market with restaurants are within its limits; as well as the village of Okhotnichye, from which paths and roads diverge in all directions.

The Yalta-Bakhchisaray Highway leaves the territory of the Yalta Reserve immediately after the Ai-Petri Pass. The highest mountains outside the plateau are Kaboplu (993 meters) in the east of the Yalta Reserve, Nishan-Kaya (981 meters) and Chaka-Tysh (928 meters) near At-Bash, Pendikyul Mountain (869 meters), on which the Silver Arbor and the extinct volcano Pilaki (850 meters) near the exit of the Eski-Bogaz trail to the Yailu.

Mount Ai-Petri as a reserve

Nearby, the Mogaba lakes are reservoirs, and access to them is understandably closed. The part of the Yalta reserve that the plateau occupies is practically waterless, with the exception of the sources of the Besh-Tekne basin that strike at the very border with the Crimean reserve.

Climate of Yalta Reserve

The climate of forests lying below the plateau is relatively mild, only in the strip of beech forests is a distinct decrease in temperature. The part of the reserve that includes Mount Ai-Petri is characterized by difficult meteorological conditions, especially in the cold season. Fogs and strong winds are frequent guests of the eastern part of Ai-Petrinskaya Yaila. There is still the possibility of avalanches. There is usually much more snow than in the forests below.

Autumn in the Yalta reserve is mild and conducive to hiking. Mushroom pickers are activated at this time - this is what the forests of the reserve are rich in, because they are mushrooms of any size. Locals also harvest dogwood and rose hips.

Routes along the Yalta Reserve

Several popular tourist routes have been laid along the territory of the Yalta Reserve, along which nature lovers fall into the mountains. Some roads are asphalted - such as the Old Sevastopol highway and the roads connecting it with Oliva, Parkovy and Foros. In this convenient way, you can quite comfortably get to or to the Shaitan-Merdven pass. But most of the routes are paths, sometimes wide and gentle, in places - subtle and steep.

The Eski-Bogaz trail connects the village of Oplolznevoe and the eponymous pass in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Besh-Tekne tourist camp. Its lower part passes through the vineyards, a mixed deciduous forest, past Biyuk Isar Mountain and beautiful lakes. The upper part runs through a beech forest. Read more about this route on our website. By the way, the route has many branches, allowing in these parts a maximum of interesting things.

From the landslide, just to the west, another path goes into the mountains, already with a more intensive climb. It is called Kerezla, and it displays in the vicinity of Mount Morchek. Along the trail will meet both deciduous and pine forests. This trail also has an article on the site.

Alupka also has its own access to the plateau. The old Jewish Trail known to any tourist (the official name is the 49th tourist route) goes to the plateau about the same place as Eski-Bogaz, and also has a wide network of branches in all directions of the world. The largest can be considered the Shanghai East and West trails, leading to the Yailo in the area of \u200b\u200bMount Dome, on which the military unit is located. Their name comes from the name of Mount Shaan-Kaya.

In the area of \u200b\u200bMount Chaka-Tysh, a picturesque Vorontsovskaya trail branches off from the Jewish one, which also leads a tourist to the Ai-Petrinskaya Yalu. On the Jewish trail you can get to the Blue Bay. Read about this route on our website.

The Korean path is the shortest route to Ai-Petri for those who decide to climb there on foot. The route through the pine forest, the cleanest air and beautiful panoramas from the observation platforms give the genuine joy of climbing. The trail starts from the track in the Koreiz area, where the road to the Silver Arbor located on the Bakhchisarai Highway also originates. This route leads to the plateau in the vicinity of the village of Okhotnichy.

Both routes are described in detail in the relevant articles on the site. You can climb to the Silver Arbor along the path through Mount Mogabi (805 meters). This torn mountain was previously considered an extinct volcano. It is surrounded by a system of lakes and reservoirs that feed Yalta. The surroundings and even the top of the mountain are completely covered by forest.

Bakhchisarayskoe highway leaves Yalta in the area of \u200b\u200bthe village of Vinogradnoye. At one of the sharp turns, it’s always crowded. and outlets. Such a revival is caused by a local attraction - Uchan-Su Waterfall - the highest on the Crimean Peninsula (98 meters).

Very popular tourist paths start here. Taraktashskaya leads along the steep slopes through a pine forest to the beautiful cliffs of Taraktash, and then goes to the yalu.

Stangeevskaya goes north, where in the area of \u200b\u200bMount Stavri-Kaya changes its name to Botkinsky. Both of these routes are described in detail on our website.

From the Stavri-Kaya mountain, which is famous for its observation deck, crowned with a cross, the road leads to the Stream waterfall, and from there to the plateau. All three trails are extremely popular with tourists due to the stunning beauty of the area and accessibility.

From Yalta to the Yalta plateau along the forests of the reserve there are three more trails that are much steeper and more difficult than ecological paths such as the Botkin trail. Style-Bogaz and Kizil-Kaya-Bogaz, however, are in no way inferior to the previous ones in the beauty of the opening panoramas. on our website.

They, like the Uzenbash trail, lead to a raised (about 1400 meters) part of the Yalta plateau. On the way to the plateau, the Uzenbash trail passes by the Iograf cave (named after the ridge along which the road goes), where there was once a Christian temple.

In the Yalta Reserve:
View of West Yalta    from the Iograph ridge	View of East Yalta    from the Iograph ridge	View from the Yalta Yaila    on the Iograph ridge

Uzenbash trail    on the ridge Iograph	Uzenbash trail before exiting    to Yalta Yalu

In the eastern enclave of the Yalta Reserve, the most famous trail is the one that leads from Krasnokamenka to the Gurzuf saddle. Sometimes it is called Artekovskaya, but more often the route Krasnokamenka - Roman-Kosh. Its popularity is due to the fact that its final point is the highest mountain in Crimea and the harsh plateau Babugan. The route is long, but the result is worth the effort. You can also read about it on our website.

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The diversity of the fauna of the Yalta Reserve is largely due to the presence of four vegetation zones on its territory. This created, in particular, a favorable situation for mountain forest species. At the same time, the fauna of the vertebrate reserve is relatively poor, which is characteristic of the entire Crimean peninsula due to its geographical isolation.
  The reserve contains 37 species of mammals (72% of the total species composition of theriofauna of Crimea); 150 species of birds (50% of the composition of the avifauna of the peninsula); 10 species of reptiles (66.6% of the species composition of the herpetofauna) and 4 species of amphibians (75% of the entire bathrachofauna of Crimea).
  Mammals are represented by orders of insectivores, bats, hare, rodents, carnivores and artiodactyls.
  Of the insectivores, an ordinary hedgehog and 4 species of shrews are found. These are extremely useful animals that destroy a huge mass of harmful insects and other invertebrates. Shrews are of great benefit to agriculture and forestry, catching insects in places where other animals cannot get them: in the upper layers of the soil, among the roots, in the forest litter and other inaccessible shelters.
  A small shrew, an endemic subspecies of the peninsula, is found in the mountainous part of the reserve. It lives on the shores of water bodies, preferring places heavily littered with plant litter. Unlike an ordinary shrew, it does not dig in the soil, but collects worms, spiders, millipedes and various insects and their larvae on the soil surface.
  A small kutora is found along the banks of mountain streams, streams and springs. As a rule, nests are arranged underground, in dense thickets of grass, in tree roots or in cracks between stones. Its diet is more diverse than that of other shrews; it feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates. As a rare species, it is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
  Of the genus of shrews-shrews, two species are found - the small shrew and the white-bellied. The biology of both species, as well as the lifestyle, is poorly understood. Various small invertebrates, mainly insects, serve as food.
Most of the bats are in the forests of the reserve (twilight-night animals, of which there are 18 species in the Crimea). Here there are representatives of two families - horseshoe-billed and common (or smooth-billed) bats. As shelters, they use natural and artificial dungeons (caves, grottoes, cellars), attics, abandoned buildings. Some species use the hollow of trees, for example, the nightlight of Nutterra, and the giant and small evening dwellings settle only in the hollows of deciduous trees. Unlike Karadag, where thousands of colonies of several species of bats were recorded, large colonies were not found in the Yalta Reserve. Colonies of Natterer's nightspots and tricolor, two-tone leather and some other species are 20-30, less often 50 individuals. The small horseshoe carrier is found in summer and wintering, alone and in small groups, the European shirokushka more often settles one by one.
  In the reserve there is a rare and largest of the bats - a giant evening party, the wingspan of which is only slightly less than half a meter. Hunting flies in the early twilight. Unlike most species of bats, feeding low above the ground, it feeds on large insects, which it catches at high altitude.
  Bats are very useful because they destroy nocturnal insects at a time when most insectivorous birds rest. Moths, dipterans and beetles predominate in their food; they exterminate bloodsuckers - carriers of dangerous diseases.
  The reserve has 9 species of bats, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine: large and small horseshoes, Natterera and three-colored night-lights, European wide-necked animals, small and giant evening-lights, Mediterranean and leather-like bat.
  The order of the hare is represented by a hare. The order of rodents in the number of species (17) takes the second place after the bats. The most noticeable among them is the Altai squirrel-teleut brought to Crimea in 1940 - 1941. She quickly acclimatized and settled widely in the mountain forests of Crimea, where living conditions were more favorable, the climate is much milder than in the south of Siberia. The main component of protein nutrition was beech fruit.
The mouse family is represented by 6 species. Rats are typical synanthropes; they prefer to live near humans. In the mountain-forest part of the reserve, only black rats live. Mice are represented by 4 species. The wood mouse is ubiquitous; Mound in summer lives mainly in the field, is also common in settlements; the yellow-necked one is found only in mountain forests, where it, as a stronger competitor, displaces the forest mouse and in some years becomes a mass species. In the southern coast of the reserve there is also an ordinary vole.
  The order of predatory mammals in the reserve is represented by only two families: canine and mustelids. The wolf in the Crimea disappeared in the 1920s, but occasionally comes through the Perekop Isthmus. Considering the inconstancy of the wolf's presence in the reserve, it can be considered that the fox here is the largest predatory animal. Mountain Crimean fox is an endemic subspecies. It is smaller than usual, but has a more fluffy and brighter fur, which is considered to be of better quality among specialists. The number of foxes is relatively high, especially during the years of mass reproduction of the yellow-throated mouse.
  The largest representative of the Kunih family is the badger. It lives only in the mountain-forest part of the reserve. By the nature of food - omnivorous. At the Crimean badger, winter hibernation is not deep and is interrupted during thaws, and does not occur at all in warm, mild winters.
  Weasel is the smallest member of the marten family and the most active predator. It lives everywhere. Stone marten is represented by an endemic subspecies. It lives mainly in the mountain forest part of the reserve.
  Ungulates of the reserve are represented by only 4 species. The Crimean red deer and European roe deer are indigenous species, and the wild pig and mouflon have been acclimatized in Crimea relatively recently.
  The Crimean red deer is an endemic subspecies of the European red deer, which differs from it in size and structural details of the horns. Previously, in most cases, a deer was visited from the neighboring Crimean State Wildlife Sanctuary, but now in the reserve it is a permanent resident.
  According to the number of ungulates in the reserve, roe deer comes first. Crimean roe deer is almost 2 times smaller than Siberian roe deer, lives mainly in places where there are many bushes, grassy meadows, rocks. These animals are especially active at dusk, and in the afternoon lie in the shade of rocks or in windbreaks. In autumn nights, on Ai-Petrinskaya Yale, you can see dozens of roe deer - herds that eat juicy grasses.
Mouflon, brought to the Mountain Crimea in 1913, does not constantly live in the reserve, but from time to time he migrates from the reserve-hunting economy. Wild pigs that appeared here in 1957 quickly multiplied and settled throughout the peninsula.
  Among vertebrates, the most numerous birds. From late February to June, up to 40 species are concentrated on the nesting site. In July - August, a significant part of them leave the forests in search of more fodder places, flying to floodplain forests and less wooded foothills. Of the nesting ones, the finch, scallop-throat, and black tit are the most numerous. In September, the forests and yailas of the reserve revive span species. Quails, coriostels, other cowherd’s, golden bee-eater, small falcons, sparrows, many passerines fly. From the beginning of October, woodcocks begin to accumulate in protected forests. The time of emergence of wintering birds is inconsistent, depending on meteorological conditions, crop yield, etc. In the pine forests of the reserve, the most common are the colorful spotted woodpecker, black tit, and crossbill; in forest glades with thorny bushes - shrike-julan and warbler-black-headed; in floodplain forests - blackbird, wren, great tit; on the yayl - a field lark and a forest horse; in rocky habitats - white-bellied and black swifts. After the establishment of the preservation regime, species such as pheasant, chamomile and vakhir became the background. A smaller number nest in the hollows of the trees of the high-stemmed forests of the clintuha. On rocky cliffs there are wild gray pigeons.
  On the territory of the reserve, you can see two species of doves - common and ringed; the latter is a new species of Crimean fauna that appeared on the peninsula in 1970.
  The order of daytime birds of prey in recent years has been significantly impoverished. The white-tailed eagle, the dwarf eagle, the vulture, the snake-eater ceased to nest; the burial eagle, the goshawk, the loony of the steppe, field and meadow, the falcons, the saker falcon and the peregrine falcon, the the hawk are rare. Of the nesting birds of prey, only the beetle and common buzzard are relatively common.
  The order of owls is represented by 5 species. The smallest of them are the scoop-spy and the house owl. Long-eared Owl - a rare breeding species of forest foothills. She settles in the trees, feeds in open areas. The gray owl is a typical forest inhabitant, numerous in the high-trunk forests of the Crimean Mountains.
There are few reptiles in the reserve. Several species are lizards. The Crimean lizard with a high pyramidal head is found everywhere, much less often - a rock lizard with a noticeably flattened head that lives on rocks and outcrops of hard rocks. A nimble lizard also lives here, now there is a rare species - the yellowfoot legless. Of the snakes, the leopard snake, listed in the Red Book, is of most interest.
  The only species of turtles found here is swamp, in the last 30 years it is rare. Amphibians are represented by common tree frog, green toad and lake frog. Comb triton is found in small quantities.
  Among the numerous and diverse insects there are many rare and endangered species: mantis, swallowtail butterflies, hawks, deer beetles, rhinoceroses, etc. Of the land mollusks known in the Crimean Mountains (81 species), there are 40 species in the reserve: in mountain forests , in the transitional slope - 49, in the south coast - 27 species. At the same time, 20 species (25%) are endemic.

In this post:

Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve - the most beautiful place in Crimea

The territory of the whole Crimea, and not just the environs of Yalta, at all times needed protection. The peninsula has always been popular with tourists. Unfortunately, many of them absolutely did not value nature, destroying the rarest and most valuable specimens. As a result, a huge part today is a conservation area. Including the notorious Yalta Reserve.

Historical background, geographical data

The reserve stretches for more than forty kilometers, from Foros to Gurzuf itself. Once these places belonged to the timber industry, in 1933 they moved to the forestry.

From 1938 to 1941, the territory of the modern wildlife sanctuary was considered a forest park zone. As a reserve, the territory was declared in 1973. But originally it was called differently. The modern name, the reserve received in the nineties of the last century.

By the way, the famous Solar Health Path, or as it is also called, lies right here, on the territory of the Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve. However, there are many other attractions.

The conservation zone consists of four divisions: Gurzuf, Landslide, Livadia and Alupkinskoye. The main part of the territory is a forest, but there is also completely treelessness, in particular on the Ai-Petri ridge. The highest point of the conservation area is Mount Roca.

Visitors have the opportunity to walk in these parts exclusively along the laid tourist routes. And preferably accompanied by a guide. In my opinion, this is a very good condition. There is an opportunity to learn more interesting about the fauna and flora of the protected area.

Yalta riches of nature on the South Coast

Tourists who are fond of biology, without fail, seek to visit the reserve. For them, here is a real paradise. Most of the territory is occupied by the famous Crimean pine, which is quite rare and then, in single copies. In addition, there is the opportunity to admire the views of tall juniper and pistachios, a rocky oak and beech, juniper.

The plant world is no less rich and exclusive. This is a dream grass, Crimean peony, several types of orchids. In total, over 1300 plant species grow in the reserve. Considerable attention should be paid to the so-called local attractions. For example, grief.

By the way, the animal world here is also diverse. Many of its representatives are listed in the Red Book. These include a burial eagle and a peregrine falcon, as well as a leopard snake. In total, there are about 20 species from the Red Book. Among them are some amphibians and insects.

Walking through the territory, there are great chances to meet: a fox or a brown hare, as well as a weasel, roe deer or red deer. In general, even if you are absolutely indifferent to biology, it is definitely worth a visit to the Yalta Reserve.

Nature here strikes any imagination. The surrounding views captured in the photo for a long time will give pleasure, cause the most positive emotions. Moreover, it is on the territory of the reserve that there is another natural attraction of Yalta -. It is recommended to visit it in early spring, just at the time when many plants begin to bloom in the reserve, and the waterfall itself becomes full-flowing.

In addition, the reserve has its own museum, which has the opportunity not only to get acquainted with the flora and fauna of the Crimea. But also to learn more about the history of nature conservation, and if you wish, also listen to an informative lecture.

Useful information on how to get to the Yalta Reserve

The administration of the reserve is located at the address: Crimea, Yalta, Sovetskoye village, Dolosskoe highway, 2. You can clarify the cost of the entrance ticket and the conditions for visiting by phone: 8 3654 233050. Or on the official portal: http://yglpz.umi.ru/. The territory is available for visiting from Monday to Friday, from 8 to 17.00.

It is possible to get here exclusively by taxi or own car. Orientation is based on the coordinates previously "hammered" into the GPS navigator. The coordinates and map are located below, at the bottom of the page.

Photo

Exact location on the map, GPS coordinates: 44 ° 28’14.1 ″ N 34 ° 05’49.0 ″ E (44.470595, 34.096932)

Yalta Mountain Forest Reserve is a unique part of Crimea that definitely deserves the attention of every tourist. Only here is it possible to fully enjoy the unspoiled beauty of the surrounding nature, to be filled with the most positive emotions.

This fall, the Crimean media is full of headlines of all sorts of tones - from complete optimism and confidence “In Crimea, they plan to define the borders of the Yalta Reserve by December” to the pessimistic “The boundaries of the Yalta Reserve will never be determined.” Close attention was drawn to this issue not only by residents of the Crimea (primarily the Yalta residents). Guests of Big Yalta seek the resort, including the healing climate, which, thanks to the reserve, is famous for the Crimean South Coast.

To the history of the issue

Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve is a unique territory. Its pine forests are the lungs of the region, and sections of sub-Mediterranean landscapes are unique, there are none anywhere else in the world. One of the problematic issues that have been resolved throughout the long history since 1973 is the establishment of the boundaries of the protected area. At various stages, legal and organizational obstacles arose that did not allow these boundaries to be established. As a result, the abuses associated with the development of its lands and the conduct of economic activity on them. The forest inventory materials available today do not contain the coordinates of the borders, which does not allow bringing its land into the state land cadastre and subsequently transfer the reserve to federal ownership. This is necessary for the full implementation of the whole range of environmental measures, which are stipulated by the Law of the Russian Federation “On Specially Protected Natural Territories”. A strict mode of use will eliminate the anthropogenic pressure on the environment, preserve and increase the natural wealth of Crimea.

Photo: resinosa.ru

Road map

In June 2016, the Head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Valerievich Aksenov, instructed the heads of ministries and relevant institutions to organize the formation of a specially protected area and establish the boundaries of the land occupied by the State Budgetary Institution of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve”. The importance of the task was also due to the fact that the reserve occupies 51% of the area of \u200b\u200bthe city district of Yalta. The establishment of boundaries is necessary for the development of a general plan, a strategy for the socio-economic development of a municipality. The executor of a comprehensive environmental survey of the territory, the implementation of land cadastral work was determined. In a short time, specialists were able to develop a roadmap (a work plan for establishing the boundaries of YaLPZ) and begin to solve the tasks.

To date, large-scale work has been carried out. Based on the research conducted by employees of the Crimean Federal University named after V.I. The Vernadsky integrated environmental survey of the territory has scientifically substantiated the configuration of the optimal borders of the reserve. The Regulation on the specially protected natural territory of the Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve has been developed. This document, according to federal law, is the main one for determining the boundaries and functioning of the reserve. The environmental survey materials were agreed by the State Committee on Forestry and Hunting of the Republic of Crimea, the Republican Ministry of Property and Land Relations, and a number of other departments. In October, public discussions of the materials took place. Experts in the field of architecture and urban planning, environmentalists, representatives of trade unions and public organizations, and journalists participated in an open and constructive discussion. Almost unanimously, the participants in the discussion decided to support the materials and recommend the approval of the administration of the city of Yalta.

It should be noted that the roadmap also took into account the further socio-economic development of the region, which will require improving infrastructure: transport network facilities, electricity, gas and water supply. The planned communications are taken into account during the territorial planning, this will allow painlessly for the reserve to carry out economic activities in the territory of Yalta in the future.