35 attractions in Sochi, Adler and the surrounding area, selection for 2022

Vorontsovskaya cave is known as the most extensive karst cavity in the Sochi region and in the Krasnodar region as a whole. It is located near the village of Vorontsovka, from which it got its name. Along with it, the Vorontsov cave system includes Kabany Proval, Labyrinthovaya and Dolgaya caves, connected by natural tunnels.

The length of the Vorontsov caves is 11,720 meters.

The height difference in the cavity reaches 240 meters. The entrances are located in the valley of Eastern Khosta, Kudepsta and Psakho, there are 14 of them in total and at different heights relative to sea level - up to 720 meters. Along with spacious halls and grottoes, the cave has a huge number of branches, including many dead ends. In a number of halls there are columns, stalagmites and stalactites, including very large ones, several meters long.

These places are also interesting from an archaeological point of view: artifacts from the late Paleolithic and other eras, sites of ancient people, and the bones of a cave bear were discovered in the caves.

The caves are accessible year-round and daily, from 10:00 to 18:00. The operating hours of the Vorontsov Caves do not change depending on the time of year.

The largest caves in Sochi, worthy of attention

Vorontsov caves in Sochi are the sixth largest in Russia and the largest in Sochi. The length of the underground passages is more than 12 kilometers. The cave complex includes four caves: Vorontsovskaya, Kabany Proval, Labirintovaya and Dolgaya.

Vorontsov caves are located in the Khostinsky district of Sochi. This is the mysterious kingdom of the underground god Hades, where you can admire numerous stalactites and stalagmites, magnificent “chandeliers” from sinter formations and amazing stalagnates hiding in the narrow crevices of cave passages.

The caves have not only cultural but also historical value. After all, sites of ancient Cro-Magnons who lived on earth about 40 thousand years BC were discovered here.

Tea plantations and Khosta Tea JSC

Tea plantations in the mountains of Sochi
The northernmost tea in the world grows in the Khostinsky district of Sochi. Its distribution reaches 43 degrees north latitude, tea plantations are located at an altitude of 300-500 meters above sea level. The Caucasus Mountains protect the Black Sea coast from northern winds.

We passed tea plantations on the way to the Vorontsov Caves and stopped to take photos among the tea bushes with the mountains in the background. On the way back we stopped in the village of Kalinovoe Ozero, where Khosta-chai JSC is located. Here we learned about the history of Krasnodar tea and tasted it.

Tasting Hosta tea

JSC "Khosta-chai" is the legal successor of the Verkhne-Khostinsky state farm, opened by order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1947. A confirmation document signed by I. Stalin hangs in a place of honor. Tea processing technology has not changed since the year the enterprise was founded. The tea leaves are harvested by hand and produce no more than 5,000 kg of unblended tea per year.

The teahouse offers tastings of 4 types of Hosta tea: green, yellow, red, black. The cost of tasting is 100 rubles per person. We sat under a canopy on the street and drank tea from bowls. They also offer tea with pancakes, honey and home-made jam. After the tasting, you can purchase Krasnodar tea for yourself or as a gift. Prices and assortment on the website.

On topic: Trip to Abrau-Durso with a tour of the plant and wine tasting

History of discovery

Scientific research has established that the Vorontsov caves were formed about 70 million years ago. In those distant times, the formation of the Caucasus Mountains took place. Tectonic platforms collided, and the earth's crust was squeezed to the surface in a place where the ancient Tethys Ocean existed for millions of years.

The cave's vaults were formed from limestone that once lay on the ocean floor. For millions of years, the remains of ancient marine animals, plants and shellfish fell to the bottom and were compressed into dense layers of rock.

To this day, in the Vorontsov Caves of Sochi you can see layers of rock that lie in layers one on top of the other, creating a bizarre pattern of cave walls.

The cave complex was discovered and studied at the end of the 20th century. A diagram of the cave passages was drawn up and the exits were mapped. Most of the cave is accessible only to speleologists. And for ordinary tourists, a 600-meter route was laid out.

Add extreme: Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi

You will definitely tell your grandchildren about this flight.
If you feel that you urgently need a dose of adrenaline, go to the high-altitude extreme amusement park Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi. There are no analogues to it in Russia yet. You can tickle your nerves here, for example, by walking along the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, or flying on a zipline over the Akhshtyr Gorge, or jumping on an elastic rope from the highest bungee platform in Russia.

Children will love traveling along the Via Ferrata iron trail: they will feel like real climbers. For romantics, Skypark has the SochiSwing attraction - the world's highest swing with free fall. You can ride alone or together. The views are exceptionally dizzying.

"Skypark" is located between the villages of Kazachiy Brod and Galitsyno, 40 km from Sochi.

What to see inside the Vorontsov Caves in Sochi

Head Diameter

Having reached the main entrance to the Vorontsov Caves in Sochi, take a break on the powerful wooden benches located nearby. At the entrance to the cave you will see a statue of the head of the ancient Greek goddess of fertility, Dimetra, from which a life-giving source of spring water flows.

Dimetra appeared in this mysterious place for a reason. One of the myths of ancient Greece describes a story in which the gloomy god Hades (brother of Zeus) kidnaps the beautiful Persephone, daughter of Dimeter. And the goddess of fertility searches for her kidnapped daughter for a long time, wandering the earth in the clothes of a simple mortal woman.

In the end, Dimeter found her daughter, but by order of Zeus, the daughter was obliged to spend part of her time with her gloomy husband in the dark kingdom of the dungeon. And the statue of Dimeter’s head seems to tell us that the beautiful Persephone is now in the power of the formidable Hades...

Prometheus Grotto

It's time to go down into the cave. At the entrance you will find a huge Prometheus grotto, 120 meters long. During heavy rains, a stormy stream of water rushes into this hall, washing away everything in its path.

Scientific Hall

Moving along the path equipped with railings, you go deep into the cave, where one of the most beautiful halls awaits you - the Scientific Hall. This hall is named so because scientists who studied the caves stayed here at the end of the last century.

In this room you can see the most beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, a magnificent sinter fountain, somewhat reminiscent of an organ, and bizarre sinter formations in the form of an owl, a skull and the profile of a woman.

Along small stairs and passages you go lower and lower underground. The maximum depth of the cave is 50 meters. Not far from the Science Hall, a narrow gap in the stones awaits you directly overhead. It is highlighted in blue. There is a beautiful stalagnate there. But you can only see it from a certain place on the bridge. Do not miss!

Music Hall

The second most beautiful grotto in the cave is called Musical. To get to it you will need to take steps going up from the main path. In the center of this hall there is a large pedestal formed by sinter formations. The hall's vaults are high and the acoustics are excellent.

And here water often accumulates in small depressions in the floor. And the colored lighting is reflected in this water, creating an interesting optical illusion.

Cave bear bones

Moving further along the Vorontsovskaya Cave of Sochi, do not miss the niche in the rock on the left side in which the bones of a cave bear hang. The ancient Cro-Magnons ate this ancient animal. The bones of a cave bear were discovered in the cave. But you can only get there with speleologists.

Great Chandelier Hall

You won't miss the Great Chandelier Hall. After all, it is here that a huge number of sinter formations hang from the ceiling. And if you stop for a while and look at each of them, you can see the head of a devil, the head of a chicken, and even the profiles of wild animals. Of course, you can’t do this without a bit of imagination. After all, these are just petrified deposits.

When leaving the cave, especially in the summer, pay attention to the sharp boundary where the cold air of the cave collides with the warm air on the surface. Here you can clearly smell the strong smell of ozone.

"Taganskaya Station"

Exit the cave on the other side. One of the tourists called the grotto at the exit Taganskaya station. This place really looks like the facade of one of the central metro stations in Moscow.

Ancient fossils and minerals

When finishing your trip to the Vorontsov Caves in Sochi, don’t forget to look at the ruin with various stones, ancient fossils and minerals. All this wealth was found here, in the vicinity of the caves. And you can buy an ancient fossil that is several tens of millions of years old for just a few thousand rubles.

Where to go from Sochi by car to breathe in the mountains: Rosa Khutor

It is impossible to come to the Rosa Khutor resort without taking a ride on the cable car.
People come to the Rosa Khutor ski resort all year round for the cozy atmosphere of a small Alpine town. There are cute houses in the mountain gorge, and a neat embankment with paving stones stretches along the Mzymta River. Only instead of the Alps there is the Caucasus. However, no less impressive.

There are different ways to explore Rosa Khutor and its picturesque surroundings. In winter, all your energy goes into skiing, snowboarding, tubing, tobogganing and other fun. In summer, for example, you can rent a bicycle or velomobile and ride around the valley. Walk along the 3-kilometer “health trail” on the slope of the Psekhako ridge. Take the lift to the Rosa Peak station at an altitude of 2320 m and be tempted to go horseback riding. Practice manual dexterity in the Panda Park ropes course. And be sure to lie down with a cocktail on a sun lounger by the Rosa beach conceptual pool - after all, you came to relax.

From Adler to the Rosa Khutor resort you can get along the A-148 road (the Old Krasnopolyanskoye Highway has been updated, it’s safe to drive along it) or along the A-149 Olympic highway.

How to get there

You can get to the Vorontsov Caves of Sochi by public transport and by private car. The road to the parking lot near the caves is paved and quite good. Closer to the caves, the road is very narrow, so you should be careful not to collide with an oncoming car. Fortunately, there are not many cars here.

By public transport

You can get to the Vorontsov Caves by bus 127. You need to go to the final stop “Vorontsovka”. From the stop there is a 3.8 km walk to the caves.

By car

The journey by car will be easier. Enter your destination in the navigator and drive to the parking lot near the Vorontsov Caves. Next, you need to walk about a kilometer to the caves themselves.

Where to go from Sochi by car: Khmelevskie Lakes

People climb to semi-swampy lakes, hidden among forests at an altitude of about 1800 meters, for extraordinary beauty, tranquility and a bright blue sky, which here, it seems, can be reached with your hand.

A forest road about 10 km long comes from Krasnaya Polyana and can be overcome on foot, on horseback or in off-road vehicles. You can stay overnight in a tent or in a hotel near the lake.

At sunset or early in the morning, go to the observation decks - the views are amazing. At the end of August - beginning of September, do not miss the opportunity to eat your fill of sweet mountain blueberries. And if you get here in winter, you will find yourself in a real snow fairy tale. But you will most likely have to travel on all-terrain vehicles.

Khmelevskie Lakes are part of the Sochi National Park. Entrance tickets are sold directly at the lakes.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The caves are open all year round. The exception is the winter months. If there is a lot of snow, it is not possible to get to the caves. Also, if it rains heavily, the cave may flood in places. It is also better not to go to the cave at such a time.

The cost of visiting the caves is 450 rubles per adult and 350 rubles per child. Payment is made at the caves themselves.

You also need to pay an environmental fee of 200 rubles at the entrance. This money is used to remove garbage and improve the area leading to the caves. The environmental fee is payable at the entrance or in the cafe at the entrance.

Not far from the Vorontsov caves are the Khosta tea plantations. Here you can go to tea tasting and buy excellent locally produced tea. You can read more about tea plantations here.

Forward - for adventures

After spending the evening over dinner, it's time to shake things up and plunge headlong into Sochi's nightlife. It definitely won't be boring! What does the resort city offer to those who like to relax at night?

To begin with, a piece of advice - if you are looking for a pretentious place and are not particularly saving on your vacation - then focus on the central part of the city, where the most expensive establishments are.

You will also have to overpay for a vacation with a view of the Sochi embankment. All affordable establishments are located closer to the periphery. Although the level here will be a little lower, there will still be enough fun for everyone.

So, where to go in Sochi at night or late in the evening?