Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit)

6693

Coordinates: 45.9673791, 34.8506927
Type of place: Scenic Nature
Entrance: Free
Parking: Not equipped
Accessibility for people with disabilities: Partly
Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit) Arabat Arrow (Arabat Spit)
The diversity of Ukraine's natural resources is impressive. Wherever you go - everywhere you will find unique and amazing places. But sometimes at one point converges a number of natural factors and conditions - geographical, geological, anthropogenic - in such proportions that there is a real "place of power" ...
 
One of such places can be considered Arabat Arrow - a natural border, which is the administrative divide between the Kherson region and the Crimean peninsula. This narrow spit a little more than 100 km long, which separates the Sea of ​​Azov and Lake Sivash, is called the longest sandy beach in Europe.
 
Historical facts
The Arabat Arrow or, as it is often called, the Arabatka got its name from the Tatar-Turkish fortress Rebat (Arabat), the ruins of which are located near the village of Kamyanske in the southern part of the arrow. By geological standards, Arabatka is very young. It was formed in the period from the tenth to the twelfth century AD. And the first mention of it appeared only in the middle of the XVII century. And all due to the fact that Lake Sivash was a major source of salt, which was delivered not only to Ukraine, Russia and Poland, but even to Egypt and Japan - the Sea of ​​Azov was the sea trade routes of Genoese merchants, and on the Arabatka was one of the largest milky ways. Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks went on the spit to the Crimea, so Arabatka repeatedly became a place of hostilities.
 
Amazing Sivash
The nature of Arabatka is diverse and amazing. The arrow itself is a long narrow scythe mostly made of shell rock - its width varies from 250 m to 2.5 km. Even today, local veterans call the arrow Thin. From the east it is washed by the Sea of ​​Azov. In the area of ​​the spit it becomes shallow, in the summer it warms up well. The air is saturated with vapors of bromine and iodine and, mixed with the smells of the Azov steppes, creates excellent conditions for sea recreation.
 
Arabatka separates from the Sea of ​​Azov a unique natural water body - Lake Syvash. This is not even a lake, but a system of shallow bays connected by straits with an area of ​​over 2,500 km2. The water in the lake is supersaturated with salts and minerals and in the warm season gives off a specific putrid odor, for which the lake is called the Rotten Sea. The depth of the lake does not exceed 3 meters, and mostly barely reaches 1.5 m. The salinity of the lake reaches 87 ppm. This fact gives Syvash the status of the only salt lake in Europe and puts it on a par with such unique objects as the Dead Sea, Lake Kara-Bogaz-Gol in Turkmenistan and the Great Salt Lake in the United States. On the shores of Syvash are mud hospitals and spas, which use the mud from the lake to heal patients. By the way, from the Tatar "Syvash" translates as "dirt", so everything is logical!
 
Thermal springs
In the northern part of Arabatka, at the very beginning, there are hot springs. Back in the middle of the twentieth century, as a result of exploration of fresh water reserves, an underground lake with mineral water at a temperature of about 700 C was discovered. Reservoirs with thermal waters are located in the villages of Henichesk Hill, Shchaslyvtsevo and Strilkove. According to the research of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Balneology, the water contains a high content of weakly alkaline iodine-bromine and sodium chloride compounds, which have a positive effect on the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular and nervous systems and others.
 
The thermal spring in the village of Henichesk Hill is located on the territory of the existing hot spring "Hot Spring", equipped with all amenities and maintained in good condition, so access to it is paid.
The spring in the village of Shchaslyvtseve (well №25) is located on the territory of an unfinished water hospital, but outside it there is a thermal pool, where excess water is discharged, and access to which from the sea remained free. A symbolic fee is charged for the entrance from the water hospital. There are locker rooms, a summer shower and a dry closet. There is a free car park at the entrance from Henichesk, and a market where you can buy food and souvenirs right next to the spring.
 
The most spontaneous thermal spring is located a few kilometers from the village of Strilkove on the way to the boarding house "Valok". Of the amenities - a wooden descent to the water. The source is called Chokrak and is translated from Tatar as "source". Access to it is completely free. In addition to the beneficial effects on the body, bathing in thermal mineral springs has a number of contraindications, so it is better to study this question in advance and decide whether you should personally take such procedures. There are always queues near hot springs, so the best time to visit is in the morning. Although, probably, even in the dark there will not be many people. Ideal for "owls".
 
"Place of Power"
Arabatka has long attracted fans of "wild" recreation. Motorists come here, hikers come. And cyclists also often look. If you go from Henichesk, you can first admire the salt marshes, dive into hot springs, then buy food and stock up on water in the village of Strilkove - the last settlement on the mainland - the village of Kamyanske stretches almost 70 km of deserted spit between the Sea of ​​Azov and Lake Sivash. The road is a sandy "comb", you will not break up much. In the middle of summer on Arabatka the expanse for mosquitoes and dominance of thorns - "watermelons" - a headache for cyclists. Therefore, advice for cyclists - stock up on anti-puncture gel, and for everyone else - repellents.
 
People on the spit outside the villages - 1-2 people per 10 km. A paradise for the introvert. The sea is warm. The beach is wide enough to set up a tent. You can go for a walk along the shores of Sivash, the water there is often - to the knee. But it is better to go there in the morning until the sun has heated the water and there is no specific smell. You will not find firewood in Arabatka, so stock up on alternative fuel sources. Seagulls are immeasurable, so food should be carefully hidden. Also, for a more reliable arrangement of the tent on the beach should prepare longer pegs, the standard you just lose in the sand, in addition, due to their length, they are almost useless.
 
In Arabatka you can spend a few days alone with yourself. There is no place for the sounds of civilization. There is a unique silence, and the sounds of nature - the sound of the waves, the cries of seagulls, the rustle of the wind in the grass - only emphasize it. In the air hangs the indescribable aroma of the sea, iodine, algae and the steppe heated by the sun. At night, when the high mosquito bell subsides and the birds fall silent, you can hear small shells rolling in the surf with a soft rustle. And early in the morning, when a heavy orange ball rolls over the horizon in the dawn blue haze over the horizon, under the morning cries of seagulls and the crash of the waves you, sleepy and peaceful, look out of the tent, inhale this intoxicating air of Arabatka, contemplate this greatness and you feel something incredible - everything in you and around you freezes for a moment and you realize that if it's not Zen, then something is very similar. The best time to look for Zen is August or September. During the velvet season and mosquitoes are less, and the heat is not so annoying, and few people. And how do watermelons taste…
 
How to get there?
Today, not hole Arabat Arrow is available for free access. Since 2014, the border zone line has been installed 10 km from the village of Strilkove. But this is enough to find a cozy place away from people, because the vast majority of people are concentrated in the villages. The most convenient way to get to Arabatka from Henichesk (the city is at the beginning of the arrow). Now there are direct buses from many cities of Ukraine to Henichesk. The second option - to get a bus to Kherson - from there runs a regular bus directly to Streletsky. From Henichesk to the nearest villages there are shuttle buses - to Henichesk hill, Shchaslyvtsevo, Strilkovo.
The railway connection is also established. Passenger trains run from many regional centers and arrive at the railway station of the village of Novooleksiyivka, which is a couple of kilometers from the city - between the settlements run suburban trains (but only 2-3, so do not rely too much on them) and a well-established bus service. Buses depart regularly from the station building. This variety of transport connections allows you to optimally plan a transfer to Arabatka.
 
Translated by: Anhelina Leshak 
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