It is one of the most favorite places for tourists. In addition to the clear southern sea and a variety of beaches, all kinds of attractions are concentrated in this part of the peninsula, visiting which leaves no time for boredom. Such places that definitely need to be visited include the Nikitskaya Cleft (Ayansky Rocks or Nikitskaya Cleft). This attraction is so called because it is located near the village of Nikita - in the part opposite the coastline. From the Yalta-Alushta highway you can also easily get to the Nikitskaya Cleft, although it is not visible from the highway.
Geographic coordinates of the Nikitskaya Cleft on the map of Crimea GPS - N 44.5188 E 34.2282.
In the village of Nikita, an excursion path begins that leads to the Nikitskaya crevice. It passes through a cedar grove, constantly rushing upward. But very soon a flat area surrounded by rock formations opens before the travelers’ eyes. This is the Nikitskaya Cleft.
It is more than two hundred meters long, and the height of its walls in some places exceeds fifty meters. The distance from wall to wall is about thirty meters. 
On the one side Nikitskaya Cleft there is a rock completely entwined with vines. It remains richly green all summer, since the microclimate here is quite humid, and the bright Crimean sun practically does not reach here. By the way, such climatic conditions make it possible for juniper, pistachio, strawberry, oak, dogwood, hornbeam, wild pear to grow well here - and this is not a complete list of plants that the Nikitskaya Cleft is rich in.
The western edge of the chasm is presented in the form of a stone blockage, the height of which is commensurate with the height of the tract itself. Also in this part, fragments of dishes of ancient people were found, for whom the Nikitsky crevice acted as a home. A deep crack has formed in the south. To prevent its expansion, it was reinforced with a metal mesh. Many small cracks and small grottoes cover the northern rock. An unusual fact is that all four sides of the cleft have different colors: black, gray, beige and even orange.
More Nikitskaya Cleft is a place for training climbers. They even equipped several routes for rock climbers with varying levels of training. Many champions were brought up in this mountainous part of Crimea.
And film crews have come here more than once. “Sportloto 82”, “Children of Captain Grant”, “White Explosion” - all these films were created within the Nikitskaya Cleft. Nikitskaya Cleft is one of the most beautiful
We went towards Yalta. Along the way there is the village of Nikita, where one of the most famous attractions of Crimea is located - the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. We are not fans of plants and also given the scale of the garden (you need to spend at least half a day). We decided to skip it. But we went to a lesser-known, natural place called Nikitskaya Cleft with pleasure and did not regret it! For those who do not like to read the text, you can immediately watch the video version.
Nikitskaya Cleft. Video:
Nikitskaya Cleft. General information.
The Nikitskaya cleft belongs to the Ayan rocks. The rocks reach thirty meters in height. Popular with climbers. The famous “Tiger of the Rocks” Mikhail Khergiani trained here. A large number of films were shot in these places due to the uniqueness of the landscape.
Nikitskaya Cleft. Our review.
The location is simply wonderful. We stopped at the side of the road, saw a barrier, went behind it, walked for 5 minutes along the path and found ourselves at the gate to another world:
We came closer for a more detailed inspection; in some of the rocks we saw masonry made of something like brick:
It's time to go inside. And this is where the “magic action” happens. Once you take a few steps, as soon as you find yourself inside, you can clearly feel the unique atmosphere of this place. You need to feel it, describing feelings in words is a thankless task.
We walked along the crevice, it is small, about fifteen minutes is enough. If you wish, you can climb up and admire the panorama that opens from above. We limited ourselves to an ordinary walk. It would be great to sit here, drink tea, talk calmly, and just enjoy the silence. On the way back, new views of the rocks open up:
As we left, we turned around to say goodbye, looking at this miracle with gratitude:
Nikitskaya Cleft. Map:
Nikitskaya Cleft. Bottom line.
The place is great! We had just been on a noisy highway for 5 minutes and found ourselves in a quiet, secluded place. It gives peace, fills with tranquility. We recommend everyone to visit, it’s easy to get to, it won’t take much time, and the feeling it gives is priceless!
Reading time: 3 minutes
Nikitskaya Cleft is a natural monument, which consists of chaotically arranged almost vertical cliffs. However, all this rocky splendor frames a narrow path that tourists love so much. The Ayan Rocks are clearly visible from the highway, however, entry into the reserve territory by any vehicle is prohibited. Often the crevice becomes a “transfer point” that is not planned by the tour program. However, a walking tour of these places is still suitable for most vacationers.
What are they?
Rocks and huge stone fragments are located throughout the entire area of the chasm. The length of the route is only 200 meters, but you can wander around the natural attraction for several hours, admiring the dark beauty of the gorge. Almost no sunlight penetrates here, since the rocks hang over the crevice. The absence of light indicates a temperature that is lower than at the inlet.
At the entrance there is a guardian mountain, divided into two parts, which opens the entrance to the wonderful world of the Ayan Rocks. Also at the entrance to the crevice you can see a spring gushing from a crack in the rocky base. The height of the rocks is about 30 meters. If you climb to the very top, you will see a beautiful view of the South Coast and the Yalta Valley. Further from the crevasse, the ascent into the mountains begins. The Ayan rocks themselves look like a separated small mountain range.
The Nikitskaya Cleft corridor looks like a completely wild corner of nature. However, the western side was once a fortification: traces of pottery and other signs of human presence can still be found here.
Despite the fact that the chasm consists of sheer cliffs, here you can find more than 100 types of plants that have been able to adapt to the gloomy mountains. The upper edge of the rocks is a “green cushion”, where everything is covered with grass, ivy and blackberry bushes.
The unusual landscape became a film set for some Soviet films. For example, “White Explosion”, “Sannikov Land”, “In Search of Captain Grant”, “Sportloto-82”.
Legends are associated with the Ayan Rocks. One of them says that not far from the mountains lived a girl named Maria with seven brothers. One day, the Turkish Pasha came to her to take her to his harem. However, the brothers killed the Turk, after which they went into a crevasse, seeking protection from nature. In response to the murder of the pasha, a detachment of Janissaries was sent to the village, who tracked down the brothers and Maria. When the brothers fell in battle, the girl threw herself off the cliffs in order to remain free until the end.
Nikitskaya Cleft is the site of various competitions among rock climbers who come here throughout the year. The local climate is mild enough that it is possible to climb the rocks even in winter.
The name Maria is associated with another interesting story that happened in these places. The events took place relatively recently, during the Soviet Union. Maria Ivanova, together with a team of rock climbers, explored the Ayan Rocks. One of the particularly tricky routes was not easy for the climbers, so the girl encouraged her colleagues. She promised to kiss the one who climbed to the top of the cliff.
However, those who wanted to win Masha’s favor were never able to conquer the sheer cliff. And only Alexander Gubanov, an experienced rock climber, stubbornly moved towards the top. At the very last moment, when he had almost reached the peak, the climber could not resist and hung on the belay. So the Machine’s lips never kissed anyone. However, today this route is not considered so “impassable”.
How to get to the Nikitskaya Cleft
There is only one entrance to the nature reserve; it is located west of the urban village (the side opposite the sea), next to the Yalta-Alushta highway. There are bus and trolleybus routes that will take you to a stop near the reserve. Further, behind the green barrier, a walking path begins that leads directly to the Nikitskaya Cleft. You can walk to the natural monument in half an hour.
When I emerged from the forest and saw THIS, I couldn’t help but sigh “Wow!” After all, we were very close so many times and were too lazy to walk a couple of hundred meters from the stop to look at this miracle. And the place is truly amazing - very close to the road there is such exotic rock!
At the entrance, like a stone guard, stands a pyramidal rock, torn into two parts. Limestone rocks, as if cut by a giant sword, form a gloomy, cold gorge here. Sheer bare walls 25-30 m high hang overhead, and a forest grows along the upper edge of the gorge. The Nikitskaya chasm is relatively small and easily passable. With a width of about 30 m, it extends from east to west for almost 200 m.
The boulders that fell from above at the bottom of the rocky corridor formed a stone chaos along which the path whimsically meanders, leading to the upper edge of the gorge. From here, from the side of Yalta, it is visible through and impresses with its wildness: on the cliffs here and there single specimens of juniper and Crimean pine manage to grow. The cracks sheltered the Crimean liana (evergreen ivy). About a hundred species of plants grow in a small area of the tract, among which you can see the red trunks of the evergreen small-fruited strawberry.
In the middle of the gorge, in the southern rock, there is a deep crack covered with a protective net. From here, even in the summer heat, it is constantly cold. And the rays of the sun do not penetrate into the crevice itself for most of the day. Cold rocks act like moisture condensers. Therefore, even in the hot summer, it feels cool here. Small narrow cracks and grottoes are also found on the northern side of the gorge. In the western part of the gorge there was a medieval settlement, as evidenced by fragments of ceramics.
The upper entrance to the chasm is crowned by an original stone pyramid, named after the famous landscape specialist Professor Nikolai Adolfovich Solntsev, who explored these places.
Smooth and steep rock surfaces have become a favorite place for rock climbers to train. Their groups can be found here almost at any time. In the rocks themselves, if you look closely, you can find many clogged climbing pitons used for belaying. Some climbing routes from below are signed with humorous names, probably reflecting the climber’s posture and climbing style depending on the topography of the rock surface.
And of course, the relief of the Nikitskaya Cleft could not help but enter Crimean folklore. On website about Alushta(from which I took information about the gorge) you can read the legend about Mary and her seven brothers who died defending themselves in these rocks from the Janissaries who came to take the proud girl to Istanbul to the Sultan’s harem.
While I was walking around the crevice in an inner circle, studying the names of the numerous climbing routes, the marks of which dotted the rocks, somehow the fog suddenly descended and the rain began to drizzle. However, for some time I didn’t even pay attention to it - after all, the local exoticism in the blink of an eye was transformed into mysterious oriental landscapes. I take a few “Chinese” shots and run back to the entrance - I want to show what is happening in the gorge as widely as possible.
But the rocks in the depths are no longer visible - everything was hidden by fog. It's time to take a break and put on a raincoat. It looks like they won’t show me anything else here - I have to go to the tulips. How on time I arrived - if I was half an hour late, I wouldn’t have seen anything here - at all! So, we can say that my last April day in Crimea gave me a luxurious gift - in sunny weather, I think there would have been much less impressions...
At an altitude of about two hundred and fifty meters above sea level, not far from Yalta, there is one of the Crimean attractions, which is definitely worth a visit for tourists who find themselves in these places. The name of this attraction is the Nikitskaya Cleft, or, as some call it, the Ayan Rocks. It is hardly worth highlighting these places as a separate subject for a trip, but as one of the components of a tourist route, or as a place to rest when driving along the Alushta-Yalta highway, the Nikitskaya Cleft can be recommended to all travelers. Attractive reliefs and the grace of the landscape cannot but please the eyes of those who visit this place.
Some information about the Nikitskaya Cleft
The crevasse is located on the outskirts of the urban-type settlement Nikita, on its western side. At the entrance to the village there is a branch road leading directly to the crevasse. Entry into the crevice by vehicle is prohibited for any type of vehicle, since these places have the status of a natural monument. Together with the Uchan-Su waterfall, it is part of the Yalta Nature Reserve. Passing through the crevasse presents no difficulties. At the very entrance there rises a limestone rock, as if cut into two parts. Bare steep slopes about 30 meters high hang over the gorge, creating a gloomy feeling. During the day, the sun's rays practically do not penetrate into the crevice, so it is always fresh and cool here. The length of the Nikitskaya Cleft is about 200 meters.
The beauty of these places is captured in cinema, in local folklore, and in paintings by artists.
Natural polygon
The rock surfaces are chosen by rock climbers for their training. The slopes of the Nikitskaya Cleft are perhaps the only and truly unique place for rock climbing in the Crimea. Groups of fans of this extreme activity can almost always be found in the gorge. The mild climate throughout the year encourages an influx of climbers to these areas. 85 routes of varying difficulty provide an opportunity for both beginners and experienced rock climbers to enjoy the climb. Groups from around the world regularly climb here.
