One of the most interesting places in the whole Crimea, which presents unique opportunities for a secluded, quiet vacation alone with untouched nature, is the Regional Landscape Park «General’s Beaches» or, as it is called, «Coast of 1000 bays». Here tourists can enjoy a stunning holiday, which can only be offered by such amazing places, untouched by civilization.
Landscape Park «General’s Beaches» stretches for 30 kilometers along the coast of the Azov Sea to the east of Cape Kazantip from the village of Golden to the village of Kurortnoe and Lake Chokrak. The coastline throughout the park is often cut by rocky and stone precipices and placers, forming picturesque bays with sandy beaches — that’s why this place bears the second name «Coast of 1000 bays». As for the first one — «General’s Beaches», it is connected with the history of this region. In 1947-1972 years in the Karalar steppe, the northern edge of which is the Coast of 1000 bays, there was a military training ground, so entry to this territory of ordinary people was prohibited, and on the picturesque beaches rested only the highest military ranks — hence the name «General’s». Fortunately, today the situation has changed, and everyone can visit this fabulous place.
Rest on «General’s beaches» is a unique, incomparable vacation alone with virgin nature. This place is considered one of the most «wild» in the Crimea, even in the holiday season here is not crowded, so for those who appreciate this opportunity and seeks to recover, gain strength, energize, it will be a great option. Having admired the bays, you can camp in the most attractive of them, and enjoy a pleasant vacation — swim in the Sea of Azov, whose waters are especially clean and warm, sunbathe on the beaches with «golden» sands, marvel at the impressive landscapes. Over the millennia a unique landscape has been formed here: rock massifs in some places form beautiful arched vaults, pass into shallow grottoes, the sun, water and wind have sculpted bizarre figures out of stones — in any place of the Coast of 1000 bays one can see fantastic pictures created by nature.
There are also historical monuments in this place. Not far from Cape Zyuk closer to the village Kurortnoe are the ruins of an ancient city: there are preserved foundations of buildings and defense walls, sanctuary with a sacrificial table and altars, necropolis with the remains of slabs and pit. Here and there you can find fragments of ancient pottery and other artifacts several thousand years old — the settlement in these places existed from IV to III century BC. Wandering around the remains of such an ancient city will be interesting not only for those who are fond of history — thanks to the unique energy of this place, the walk will give unforgettable impressions to all who visit it.
The regional landscape park «General’s beaches» is an amazing combination of rocky, sea and steppe landscapes. While vacationing here, you can see rare plants and animals listed in the Red Book. Being a wild place, the Coast of 1000 bays surprises with frequent meetings with local inhabitants, including snakes. There is no need to be afraid — the «locals» are even more afraid and try to escape from such meetings, besides, in 99% of cases they are harmless urchins, not only to be feared, but also not to offend them, because it is an endangered species. Only in the steppe itself far from the beaches you can meet the steppe viper — to avoid this, you should not go into the tall grass. For those who observe this rule, tourists rest in Crimea, namely in the park «General’s Beaches» — a famous landmark of the Crimea, becomes absolutely safe and brings only positive emotions.
Warm clear sea, warming gentle sun, picturesque rocky landscapes and fragrant air, filled with aromas of rustling in the wind steppe grasses with refreshing sea notes — such a holiday away from civilization energizes the whole year ahead.