At a distance of about five kilometers from the city of Alushta is one of the most beautiful places of the Crimean coast - Mount Castel, rising 440 meters above sea level. Mountain got its name from the fortress, which in ancient times was located on its top, just left her virtually nothing left. An ancient legend says that the castle served as the final resting place of the legendary ruler of the ancient Sugdayi - Queen Theodora. When her principality was captured by the Genoese, noble Theodore with loyal subjects took refuge in Castel, where killed in battle, his own brother faithful.

Mount Castel - this is truly a unique monument of nature. Here you can find a variety of vegetation, ranging from rare species of snowdrops, herbs and finishing with unique vines that wrap the trunks of ancient trees, down a waterfall with emerald treetops to the bottom. The slopes of the mountains are covered with evergreen shrubs - jasmine, Rockrose, butcher, and still on the mountain grows a rare species of fern - Heavy-duty anagram.

While still with the 30 goals the last century, archeologists knew about the existence of ancient remains of aqueducts and triple series of wall fortifications, Castel has never carried out excavations, which probably helped to keep untouched the unique population of small-fruited strawberry, which grows only on this mountain, and is great scientific value.

Castel as Ayu-Dag, are invalid volcanoes: the land is reared and formed cup-shaped depression, but the eruption has never been, it's just such a quirk of nature. On the southern slope of the nature of the array formed the original form of ribs, ridges, bastions, various debris and chaotic arrangement of stone deposits. Geologists here are various minerals - calcite and pyrite, which are widely used in schools for the study of the collections of rocks in geography lessons.

Sea currents at the foot of the mountain give pebbles oval, this place is popular with tourists and is called "lapidary Golovkinskogo." From the top of Castel stunning view of the southern coast of Crimea, from here you can see the western part of the Ayu-Dag, and nearly all the coast up to the east side of the mountains Sudak.

At Mount Castel can be reached by two routes: from the Grape from the highway, or along the coast of Azure. The second way is traditionally considered to be more difficult and dangerous, but the magnificent mountain scenery, open before the astonished gaze, will impress any tourist.