Valley of Ghosts on Demerji

The Valley of Ghosts is one of the most unusual places in Ukraine. It is located in a mountain range Demerji and represents a large number of rock pillars, formed due to the weathering of limestone during many thousands of years.

We came to Demerji by Crimean trolleybus from Simferopol and went on foot from the road. We walked for a long time, about an hour, the reference point are ruins of the Funa fortress on the mountain. The fortress is quite old, it was first mentioned in 1384. Turn left after you reach a small cafe with a pond and stables. Next, you will have to climb up the hill to the ruins. During the high season there is a small cafe near the fortress. Also you can find here drivers that can take you to the road for $10-15. By the way, you can use the taxi to come to Funa from the road.

There is a source of water between the fortress and the entrance to the Valley of Ghosts. Be sure to get enough water there or buy it in a cafe before going to the valley. Near the entrance to the reserve you will find an interesting tree. This is the walnut-tree of Nikulin. It was used in the movie "Prisoner of the Caucasus", the fourth movie in the USSR by the number of viewers. In this movie the famous Soviet actor Yuriy Nikulin climbed this tree. But you should not do the same, leave it to other travelers :)

The hiking trail takes you to the observation deck and then to the largest rock "Velikan" ("Giant"). It makes sense to go a little further and go up to 10 meters on the other side of the ravine, there are beautiful views here. It makes sense to go further only if you plan to climb to the plateau on top. Note that the trail will not be so easy.

Getting there: The valley is located near the Simferopol - Alushta highway. You can get on the Crimean trolleybus or on any bus between Simferopol and Yalta or Alushta. The stop is the turn either to Luchistoye or to Lavanda. There's a minibus between Luchistoye and Alushta, so if you live there, it's an excellent option.