Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Sochi National Park (Russia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Gornaya Karusel, Estosadok, and Mount Akhun. Also, be sure to include Orekhovsky in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Sochi National Park (Krasnodar).
Table of Contents
Gornaya Karusel
Also known as: Горная карусель
Ski area. Gornaya Karusel is a sports and tourism area on the Northern slopes of Mount Aibga in Estosadok, Sochi.[1]
Estosadok
Also known as: Эстосадок
Locality in Russia. Estosadok, sometimes spelled Esto-Sadok or Estosadoc is a rural locality under the administrative jurisdiction of Adlersky City District of the City of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Mzymta River, 4 kilometers upstream from Krasnaya Polyana. The population of Estosadok is 890 people.
It was founded in 1886 by thirty-six Estonian families who arrived to Krasnaya Polyana to render habitable the lands formerly settled by Sadz.
There are the ruins of a Circassian fort and the memorial house of the Estonian writer Anton Hansen Tammsaare. It is the location of the alpine ski resort Alpika-Service. Roza Khutor railway station connects this area with Adler railway station, with further connections to Sochi International Airport, Sochi Olympic Village, and central Sochi.[2]
Mount Akhun
Also known as: Ахун
Mountain in Russia. Mount Akhun is a stand-alone mountain in the Khostinsky City District of Sochi, Russia. Wedged between the Matsesta and Khosta rivers, this karst massif is the highest point of the Sochi littoral.
The peak of Greater Akhun is 663 metres (2,175 ft) above sea level. Its summit is marked by a 100-foot-tall Romanesque tower. It was built in 1936 from limestone ashlar. The tower offers panoramic views of the Western Caucasus as far south as Gagra and Pitsunda. An 11-km-long serpentine road leads to the tower from the Sputnik Hotel.
Lesser Akhun rises to an elevation of 501 m (1,644 ft). Nearby are the ruins of a medieval Christian church. The entire massif contains about 20 caves. The forests support 200 species of higher plants. The scenic Eagles' Rocks stretch along the right bank of the Agura River toward the Agura Falls.
The mount was apparently sacred for the local Ubykh community. Its name translates from the Ubykh dialect as "the mountain giant".[3]
Address: Doroga Na B. Akhun, 354039 Malyy Akhun
Orekhovsky
Also known as: Ореховский водопад
Waterfall. The Orekhovsky is a waterfall in the Sochi National Park. It takes its name from Orekhovka, a settlement in the Khosta District of Sochi. It is located on the Bezumenka stream at its confluence with the Sochi River. Orekhovsky is the second highest waterfall in the city, with a height of 27.5 meters. In the early 20th century, it was known as Melnichny. Nearby is a grove of walnuts and rhododendron.[4]
Ivanovsky Waterfall
Also known as: Ивановский водопад
Waterfall in Russia. The Ivanovsky is a 10-metre high waterfall in the Sochi National Park, Russia. It is part of the Psakho River. Just below the waterfall is a small cool lake. In summertime, the waterfall is frequented by tourists.[5]
Caucasian Biosphere Reserve
Also known as: Кавказский заповедник
Nature reserve. Caucasus Nature Reserve is a Russian 'zapovednik' covering a heavily mountainous section of the Northwest Caucasus Mountains. It is the largest and oldest in the territory of specially protected natural area in the Caucasus, having been created in 1924 as the Caucasian Bison Reserve. In 1979, the site was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and in 1999 included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2008 it was officially renamed after Khachatur G. Shaposhnikova the biologist who founded the reserve. The area is situated in the Mostovsky District of Krasnodar Krai, covering an area of 280,335 ha.[6]
Vorontsovka Caves
Also known as: Воронцовская система пещер
Monument in Russia. The Vorontsovskaya Cave System is a long chain of caves in the Khosta and Adler districts of Sochi, Russia. It is part of a range of Mesozoic limestones that runs parallel to the Black Sea coast for 400 km. and contains the Voronya Cave, the world's deepest cave.
The Vorontsovskaya Cave (Воронцовская пещера) was the first cave to be surveyed. It may be accessed through a dozen entrances dotting the slopes of the Kudepsta River valley, at heights ranging from 419 to 720 meters above sea level. The Prometheus Grotto, with a length of over 120 meters, is developed as a tourist destination. The cave takes its name from the nearest settlement, Vorontsovka. It is known to contain bones of cave bears and early humans.
In the late 20th century, it was discovered that the Vorontsovskaya Cave is connected to the Labyrinth Cave, the Kabany Proval, and the Dolgaya Cave by a network of sumps, or siphons. Some cave chambers lie 240 meters higher than the others. This cave system has been mapped to about 12 kilometers. It is ranked as the longest in Krasnodar Krai and the 6th longest in the Russian Federation.[7]
Akhshtyrskaya Cave
Also known as: Ахштырская пещера
Scenic spot in Russia. The Akhshtyrskaya cave is a notable archeological site in the Western Caucasus. It is located on the right side of Akhshtyrskaya gorge of the Mzymta River near the Adlersky City District of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It was discovered in September 1903 by Edouard Martel and Gabriel Revinko, a resident of the nearby village of Kazachy Brod. The cave is named after the local village of Akhshtyr and the alternative name after the village of Kazachy Brod.[8]
Akhshtyrskaya Cave
Also known as: Ахштырская пещера
Scenic spot in Russia. The Akhshtyrskaya cave is a notable archeological site in the Western Caucasus. It is located on the right side of Akhshtyrskaya gorge of the Mzymta River near the Adlersky City District of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It was discovered in September 1903 by Edouard Martel and Gabriel Revinko, a resident of the nearby village of Kazachy Brod. The cave is named after the local village of Akhshtyr and the alternative name after the village of Kazachy Brod.[9]
Aibga Ridge
Also known as: Аибга
Ridge in Russia. The Aibga Ridge is a mountain ridge in the Roza Khutor plateau of the Western Caucasus, near Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It contains the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort which stands at the ridge, built in 2011 to accommodate the 2014 Winter Olympics.[10]
Psekhako Ridge
Also known as: Псехако
Mountain range in Russia. Psekhako Ridge is a mountain range in the vicinity of the village of Krasnaya Polyana, in the Adlersky City District of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. From the northwest and west it is bordered by the River Laura Basin, from the south-west by the Achipse river, which flows into Laura, and from the south by the River Mzimta Basin, which flows to the Black Sea.
Rising gradually from the southwest to the northeast ridge adjacent to its upper part to the ridge Bzerpi, north of which is the massif Pseashkho. In the northern part of the ridge begins the territory of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve.
Absolute marks ridge reach heights of 1400–1600 m ridge covered with deciduous and coniferous forests Caucasian. In the 1960s, logging was carried out on the ridge.[11]