Taraktash Trail, Yalta: description, route scheme

Taraktash is one of the most amazing and beautiful places in the Crimea. But those who want to look at his charm ahead of the difficult test - the Taraktash trail, the route from the Wuchang-Su waterfall to the Ai-Petrinskaya Yaila. However, travelers who venture to make this trip 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 Yalta to 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 preparation the 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 start point.

Historical reference

The Taraktash trail (Crimea, Big Yalta) was established at the end of the 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.

Over time, the Taraktash trail ceased to be a 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 its most difficult places for the convenience of tourists erected a kind of steps and handrails. To exclude the slightest opportunity to get lost here, the road is marked almost along the entire length. Orienting on the marks, even inexperienced tourists will overcome this route in one direction.

Taraktash trail: how to get to the beginning of the route

For unprepared travelers, the ideal option is to 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 quite 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, to stop the choice on the rise, then you need to travel to the bottom of its transport point (Wuchang-Su waterfall) and slightly go up the highway. 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 the silver threads of the river of the same name, 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 depleted that Wuchang-Su is called "a water-pipe" at this time of the year. 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 connected with the sad legend of the times of the principality of Theodoro about the inhabitants who rebelled against the unbearable Tatar taxes, atrocities of the invaders and young men who rushed from despair down the cliff and turned into beautiful eagles.

Source of 1904

Further, the Taraktash trail leads tourists to 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 greatest collection of clean water from the spring for the Yalta water pipeline.

Taraktash and pine grove

Further, along the cornices of the rock massif, the main part of the Crimean travel called Taraktashskaya trail will pass. This is the steepest and hardest to climb section of the route, but the magnificent views that open your eyes, more than compensate travelers for fatigue.

The rocks, surrounded by centuries-old trees, pine aroma, fallen pine needles - all this will certainly accompany tourists all the way to the observation platform on the Shishko rock, named after the Russian Colonel Engineer and the head of the construction of the Yalta-Bakhchisaray road.

The terrain along the mountain path is so beautiful, the panoramas are so magnificent that many travelers compare it to Saxon Switzerland, and almost everyone arranges hourly photo sessions for memory.

Weather station

On the Ai-Petri Plateau, at the cliff of Shishko, in 1895 a stone building of a weather station was built. Here, on the meteorological observation site, the ascent of tourists along the Taraktash trail ends. It is recommended to rest after the ascent, as there is still a 40-50 minute walk along a fairly flat road to the cable car that will take the tired travelers from the Ai-Petri summit to the lower Miskhor station.

Recommendations for brave travelers

Tourists who venture on the rise along the Taraktash trail, should adhere to certain rules:

• Climbing to the top of Ai-Petri is best to begin before 12 o'clock, as the ropeway runs to 17-00 on the descent.
• The lower cable car station on the rise starts to work from 10-00, but it is better to arrive here in advance, since it is possible to wait long in the queue.
• For the campaign it is necessary to choose dry and cloudy weather, traveling should be exclusively during daylight hours.
• Shoes should be comfortable, with a good non-slip sole. Clothes - with some margin over the heat, since at the top Ai-Petri can be cooler.
• Required water supply (0.5 l / person), food at will.

The Taraktash trail is an extremely picturesque and long-remembered pedestrian route connecting Ai-Petri and Yalta.