The sights of Alushta are diverse and interesting, but a special place among them is occupied by Mount Kastel. This is a unique natural monument in the vicinity of Alushta. Kastel rises above the sea for as much as 439 meters, which is quite high for the coastal Crimea.
The top of this magnificent mountain is covered with a cap of dense forest, which can also be found throughout the slopes, except for the southwestern impregnable rocks. One can find a lot of things in this unique forest — oak, Crimean pine, dull pistachio, juniper, hornbeam, tamarisk and, most strikingly, beech, which is not typical for the southern coast of Crimea.
On the eastern slope of Kastel there is a chaos of stone blocks, among which there is a surprisingly rare tree strawberry small-fruited, by the way, this is the easternmost point in the Crimea, where you can find this plant.
If you spend your unforgettable vacation in Alushta, then be sure to visit the mountain Kastel. Its name is associated with the fact that in ancient times on top of the mountain stood a fortress, the remains of which can be seen now. This fortress is connected with a wonderful legend about the queen of Sugdeya Theodora (Sugdeya was located in the place of present-day Sudak).
You can get to Mount Kastel from the village of Lazurnoye, from the sea side. But the easiest way is to go from the side of the South Coast Highway from the stop Vinogradnoe, then you will not need to climb up a rather steep slope of this amazing natural monument of Crimea. If you climb to the top of the mountain, you will see a bowl-shaped depression, about 25 meters in diameter, strikingly resembling a crater. But in fact, there has never been a volcano here — it’s just a quirk of nature. From here, from the top, a truly stunning view of the southern coast of Crimea opens up. You will see Ayu-Dag from the west and the whole coast up to the Sudak Mountains from the east.
No systematic archaeological excavations have ever been carried out here on Mount Kastel. This is despite the fact that since the 30s of the last century scientists have known about the existence of a triple row of defensive walls and the remains of a water pipe. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to discover new details about the legendary past of this mountain that are still unknown to science.