• Caucasus
  • Elbrus Region
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Georgia
• Central Asia
  • Uzbekistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Fann Mountains
  • Tien-Shan Mountains
  • All Central Asia
  • High Peaks
• Siberia and Pacific
  • Siberia
  • Kamchatka
  • Lake Baikal
  • Tuva and Sayan
  • Altai
• European Russia
  • Russian Capitals
  • Russian North
  • Ladoga Lake
• Crimean Peninsula
  • Crimea

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Long famed for its gentle Mediterranean-like climate and fertile soils, the Crimean Peninsula has been coveted and controlled by many of the world’s great cultures. Scythians, Greeks, Mongols, Tatars, Russians, and Ukrainians have all left indelible imprints on the physical and cultural landscape of this mythical realm. We will experience the grandeur of Ukraine’s spectacular countryside and visit many of its most celebrated cultural monuments. Most enticing of all, however, will be the challenging trek itself. We’ll hike along ancient coastal trails that wend their way among hidden villages and traverse terrain rarely visited by tourists.

 

Of course, the Crimean Peninsula has had a well-deserved reputation as a tourist Mecca for centuries, and we, too, will visit some of its most celebrated and visited cultural sites. Bakhchisaray, for example, the 15th-century Crimean khanate’s Tatar capital, captivated Alexander Pushkin in ways you are bound to experience as well. Even though your verse is unlikely to rival that of Russia’s greatest poet, we expect your admiration for the palace complex’s graceful minarets, ancient cave dwellings, and breathtaking natural setting—nestled as it is deep in the verdant Maryam-Dere gorge—will inspire you in ways yet undiscovered.

 

And of course, we would be remiss were we not to mention the warm welcome that we will receive from the Ukrainian people themselves. Flush with national pride and self-confidence in the wake of their recent “Orange Revolution”—a peaceful nationwide movement that swept aside the gray remnants of their corrupt post-communist ruling elite—Ukrainians are eager to show their new face to the world. Indeed, visa-free travel now awaits Americans.

 

We are fortunate that we can guarantee your experience will include spectacular scenery, challenging hiking, warm hosts, and a very strong possibility of ideal weather.