The flow of tourists along the routes of natural attractions is growing every year. The main work on the study and creation of natural monuments was carried out here in the 70-80s of the XX century. Currently, more than 400 of them are registered. Real pearls - wild gorges, mountain peaks, mud volcanoes, cascades of waterfalls, mysterious caves, relict plants - are generously scattered over the Kuban land.
They are covered with ancient myths and legends, which contain particles of memory and spiritual culture of many generations of local residents. Natural monuments are the best objects for travel and recreation. The environment, breathtaking landscapes in the best way affect the mental and emotional state of our body, give a charge of cheerfulness and good mood.
The most famous natural monuments of the Kuban
List, photo with titles and descriptions. Geological, aquatic, botanical, complex - the best natural attractions!
Rock Sail
A huge vertical layer of sandstone cutting into the sea, which nature has worked on and gave it the shape of a sailing ship. Located on the coast near the resort village of Praskoveevka, in the vicinity of Gelendzhik. It has a thickness of no more than 1 meter, a height of 25 meters, a length of 20 meters, most of it is hidden in the water. There is a 2-meter hole at the bottom of the rock, its origin is unknown. It attracts many tourists and climbers. It has a conservation status since 1971.
Read about all the top places in the region: the main attractions of the Krasnodar Territory.
Swamp cypress
The famous lake in the village of Sukko, not far from Anapa, is often called Cypress. 32 giants from North America grow right out of the water in the center of the reservoir. The bark of trees contains a lot of resin that protects them from decay, which is why cypresses are called eternal. Their appearance in these places is shrouded in mystery. It is only known that the Red Book trees have been growing on the lake since the 30s of the XX century. Also, the surroundings of the lake are rich in juniper forests.
Lake Abrau
The famous recreation area Abrau-Dyurso is famous for its mountain landscapes, coastal relict forests, vineyards, a winery and the largest freshwater lake in the region. Its length exceeds 3 km, its width is 600 meters, and its depth is more than 10 meters. The lake is closed, in summer, the water in it warms up to + 28˚C, there are many crayfish, freshwater crabs and fish. Beaches are equipped on the coast, there are several recreation centers, a monument to the legendary Utesov has been erected.
Mount Akhun
Located in Sochi. It has two peaks, 501 meters high and 663 meters high. Contains more than 30 caves, the largest of them is 384 meters long. In 1936, a 30-meter white-stone Romanesque tower was erected on the mountain. The initiator of the construction was Joseph Stalin. Also, an 11 km road was laid to the top. The tower houses a museum, a tasting room, an observation deck. Nearby on the square there are souvenir shops, a restaurant, a Ferris wheel.
Agursky waterfalls
They are located in the Agursky gorge, in the vicinity of Sochi. This is a complex of three waterfalls on the Agura River - Lower, Middle and Upper. The difference in height between the extreme is about 150 meters. There is a road to the waterfalls with handrails, bridges, benches, picnic areas. Another attraction of the gorge is the water slide, which is often confused with a waterfall. Water streams from a 3-meter height fall into the Devil's Font - a lake with the smell of sulfur due to the release of hydrogen sulfide to the surface.
Recommended: 25 best waterfalls in Sochi.
Spit Dolgaya
A narrow peninsula with a length of almost 10 km. It is located in the Yeisk district, near the village of Dolzhanskaya. On one side it is washed by the waters of the Azov, on the other side there is the Taganrog Bay. It is famous for its beaches, shallow depth and good bottom topography, clean air. On the spit there is a forest area of about 440 hectares, as well as fresh lakes with healing mud. Many recreation centers have been built here, offering entertainment for every taste.
Guam gorge
One of the most popular attractions of the region is located in the vicinity of the village of Guamka, Absheron region. It has a length of 5 km and a depth of about 400 meters. It is famous for its pristine nature, as well as the railway built here in the last century for the export of timber from the neighboring village of Mezmay. A river flows along the bottom of the cleft. On both sides, cliffs hang over it, along which routes for climbers pass.
Pshad waterfalls
The number of waterfalls near the village of Pshada, 25 km from Gelendzhik - more than 100. All of them are located on the river of the same name, as well as on its tributaries. The most popular of them are concentrated along the Krasnaya Rechka, the largest is the 10-meter Olyapkin. In the Pshada valley, there are also more powerful waterfalls, up to 25 meters high, but getting to them is extremely difficult. About 80 cascades are located between the Oblego and Chumakov mountains. The most visited is the 8-meter waterfall in the Abramov gap.
Dzhankhot forest of pitsunda pine
The Dzhanhot resort near the village of Divnomorskoye is famous not only for its picturesque views, but also for its clean air with the scent of pine resin. The Pitsunda pine, growing here on steep rocks along the sea coast, belongs to relict plants, in Russia it is listed in the Red Book. Its needles are longer than those of ordinary pine, and it releases more medicinal phytoncides and essential aromatic oils. The area of the pine forest is 950 hectares.
Big and Small Azish caves
Located in the Absheron region, in the south of the Azish-tau ridge. The two caves are located at a distance of 50 meters from each other and were previously communicated, but as a result of the collapse, the passage between them was closed. The large cave has a length of 690 meters, consists of 5 halls, an underground river flows below. You can get inside only with a guided tour. The Malaya is 66 meters long; it is not equipped for tourists. Both caves contain numerous columns, stalactites, stalagmites.
Kiselev rock
A 46-meter sheer cliff extending into the sea. Located 4 km from Tuapse. Named after Alexander Kiselev, an artist who lived nearby and glorified in his canvases the beauty of local nature, including this rock. There is a small beach at the bottom. The summit is covered with dense thickets with a predominance of Pitsunda and Crimean pines. This picturesque corner of nature is captured in the film "The Diamond Arm" - it was here that the famous fishing scene was filmed.
Friendship Tree
Grows in Sochi. In 1934, while working on the development of frost-resistant citrus fruits, F. Zorin planted a lemon and subsequently grafted 45 different fruits into it. In 1940, Otto Schmidt wished to personally inoculate a tree. Later, representatives of different countries and professions, many famous personalities began to follow his example. To date, 630 cuttings of various varieties have been grafted on one tree. All of them have taken root, bloom and bear fruit, symbolizing the friendship of peoples.
Kudepstinsky canyon
Located on the Kudepsta River. It is a rift between the village of Krasnaya Volya and the former vineyards. The length is about 3 km. It is one of the most picturesque, but at the same time the most impassable gorges. Boxwood thickets, huge limestone layers along the banks of the river, waterfalls and slopes along its course, stone bowls with water cause admiration. In the center of the canyon there are caves - Shirokopossnaya and Kolokolnaya.
Karabetova mountain with mud volcanoes
Located 4 km from Taman. Height - 152 meters. The dimensions of the crater are 1400 meters by 850 meters. Mud from the volcano is often poured out, usually in autumn and spring. Powerful eruptions with underground rumbles and explosions occur every 15-20 years.Currently, the most active part of the hill with numerous cones is the northeastern part. One of the largest mud lakes is also located here. Gas is released in it, mud in a liquid state gradually flows into a nearby ravine.
Lake Khan
A large body of water 16 km long and 6-7 km wide. Located 55 km from Yeisk. In fact, this is a lagoon, separated from the Sea of Azov by a narrow embankment. The depth is shallow - an average of 80 cm. During dry periods it dries up for the most part. It has brackish water and valuable deposits of sulphide-silt mud used in medicine. According to legend, the Crimean Khan erected a palace on the coast to use the healing properties of the lake. This is where its name originated.
Akhtsu gorge
For millions of years, the mountain river Mzymta cut through a through gorge in the Akhtsu mountain range. Its length is more than 3 km, width is 25-30 meters, maximum depth is 800 meters. The majestic sheer cliffs and dense woodlands are a magnificent sight. One of the most dangerous roads in the Caucasus, connecting Adler and Krasnaya Polyana, runs along a narrow cornice above the river, at a high altitude. On the one hand, it has a stone wall, on the other, a precipice into the abyss.
Mount Misca
Sleeping mud volcano within the boundaries of Temryuk. There is a lake in its crater with a diameter of 0.5 km and a depth of 13 meters. It surrounds a hill up to 75 meters high on three sides. The volcano acquired its present appearance after a violent eruption in 1846, as a result of which its top collapsed, and underground springs filled the depression with water. Thus, the volcano began to resemble a "bowl". A large-scale exposition of military equipment is located on the slopes of the mountain.
Cape Panagia
It is located at the beginning of the Kerch Strait, 6 km from the Volna village. It is a 30-meter reef consisting of the fossilized skeletons of ancient marine animals buried under a layer of clay. Every year, the rising water gradually destroys the steep coast. Historical events are associated with the cape - from here, during the Great Patriotic War, our artillerymen fired on the coast occupied by the Germans. A memorial obelisk was erected to Soviet soldiers at the top of the cape.
Vorontsovskaya cave system
A complex of delightful underground halls and grottoes near the village of Vorontsovka, in the vicinity of Sochi. Located at an altitude of 400-700 meters above sea level. There are about 14 entrances to the underworld. The 120-meter Prometheus grotto is the longest of the halls. Also known are Bear, Lustrovy, Hall of Silence, Hall of the Underground River. Some contain large stalagmites and stalactites. Some of the premises are dangerous due to possible collapses. Guided tours can be organized in several rooms.
Sujuk lagoon
Located within the boundaries of Novorossiysk. Has an area of 30 hectares. The maximum depth is 1.5 meters. It arose 2000 years ago, separated from the sea by the Sujuk spit, on which the city beach is located. It communicates with the sea through a narrow strait. Previously, it was famous for its healing silt, a mud clinic was built on the coast. But recently, due to the disappearance of valuable algae - glyceolaria, the silt at the bottom of the reservoir has lost its medicinal properties. Spawning grounds for fish and wintering birds.
Recommended: 45 main attractions of Novorossiysk.
Lake Khizi
The name of the picturesque reservoir in the vicinity of the village of Maloe Pseushko, Tuapse region, translates as “small sea”. It arose at the end of the 19th century. Its length is 70 meters, width - 50 meters, average depth - 15 meters. The bottom is muddy, with algae; in many places, half-submerged driftwood sticks out. The water in the lake is clean, there are many crayfish and fish, carp and carp prevail. There are wooden bridges for fishermen, on the shore for picnics there is a table and benches, areas with fireplaces.
Tsemesskaya grove
A plot of mixed forest on the banks of the Tsemes River within the boundaries of Novorossiysk. Area - 145 hectares. The unique microclimate of this place is due to the high humidity of the air and soil due to constant flooding by river and ground waters. Trees that tolerate such conditions well - ash, elm, poplar prevail. The world of insects is especially diverse, there are also species from the Red Data Book. Several dirt paths cross the forest, benches are installed.
Mount Sober-Bash
It is located in the Seversky District, 6 km from the village of Ubinskaya. Height - 736 meters. The top of the mountain is a flat area 1 km long and 0.5 km wide. Picturesque mountain landscapes - deciduous forests, meadows with meadow vegetation, streams and springs with waterfalls, magnificent panoramas of the surroundings - are very attractive for tourists and mountain trekking enthusiasts. Many local legends are associated with the mountain, one of the translation versions of its name is “witch's mountain”.
Mount Popeye
A mountain range of 7 peaks, the height of the main one is 819 meters. Located in the vicinity of Gelendzhik. Rich in vegetation. Oak massifs prevail, and on the tops of the mountains there are juniper forests, which fill the atmosphere with useful phytoncides. Despite the steep slopes, the mountain is popular with tourists. A trekking trail has been laid to the top. It passes through three rivers and dense forest thickets, and at the end - magnificent surrounding panoramas.
Dzykhrinskoe gorge
It is located 15 km from Adler, at the Dzykhra mountain peak. It has a length of more than 1 km and a depth of 60-100 meters. The Dzykhrinka River flows along the bottom, forming a number of magnificent cascading waterfalls on its way. Lush vegetation, represented by broad-leaved trees at the top, is replaced by a picturesque yew-boxwood forest at the bottom of the gorge. Long vines, boulders covered with moss, constant coolness and the quiet sound of the water create the feeling of a fabulous space.
Iron Horn Cape
The largest cape is 65 meters high in the south of the Taman Peninsula, 10 km from the village of Taman. The main feature is the emergence to the surface of huge layers of brown iron ore, extending far into the sea and containing up to 32% iron. Until the 30s of the last century, it was mined here using a handicraft method. The upper plain area of the cape is planted with vineyards. There is a small beach nearby. This place is popular with divers.
Mamedov gap
A fascinating place with its beauty, which belongs to the Sochi National Park. Located between two mountain ranges along the Kuapse River. There is a popular trail running through forest paths along the river bed. It starts from the Stone Gate - sheer cliffs covered with moss. Admiration is given to the White Hall, formed by limestone rocks of the Cretaceous period, several cascading waterfalls 10-15 m high, ancient burial mounds, the Happiness grotto.
Mud volcano Akhtanizovsky
Akhtanizovskaya 70-meter volcano is one of the most beautiful on the Taman Peninsula, it has the shape of a classic cone. The Cossacks called her "puke". The main vent at the top of the volcano is currently dormant. But down the slope of the mud they made a new exit to the surface - a small mud volcano appeared. Local residents collect liquid with buckets and then use it for medicinal purposes. The hill is not equipped for taking mud baths.
Dante gorge
Located on the outskirts of Goryachiy Klyuch. In the 19th century, a crack was cut in the rock in order to drain the wetlands. Nature continued the work of human hands, the gorge gradually increased and reached its present size - 100 meters in length and 15 meters in height. Its walls are covered with soft green moss. A stone staircase leads to the bottom. A stream flows nearby, in which, according to legend, the mistress of the gorge is washed at dawn. A small chapel was erected at the entrance.
Spring "Natasha"
It is located on the outskirts of the Mikhailovsky Pass, in the vicinity of Gelendzhik. It represents the graceful figure of a young girl with a jug in her hands, from which a spring gushes. Its water is very clean and tasty. The origin of the spring is associated with a local legend about an unfortunate girl who refused a Turkish pasha.Behind the sculpture there is a whole complex of artificial waterfalls and picturesque ponds with fish. They are located on the territory of the cafe. A small chapel was erected nearby.
