The excursion route of the Scientific Speleo-Paleontological Complex "Tavrida Cave" of the Crimean Federal University was opened for tourists. Its length is 485 meters, the duration of the tour is 50-60 minutes. From July 29, the route will be available to everyone.
"Our task is to assist the Crimean Federal University and those enthusiasts who will work here in conducting excavations and creating infrastructure. Thank you (to the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation) To Valery Nikolaevich Falkov. The Crimean Federal University has invested 150 million rubles in the implementation of this project. We will make it convenient and comfortable to visit," said the head of the Republic of Crimea Sergey Aksenov at the grand opening of the museum complex.
Paleontological finds and barrier-free environment
The complex employs six guides who are currently studying at the V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (KFU). According to Gennady Samokhin, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Geography, Geoecology and Tourism of KFU, on excursions visitors will be able to learn about the engineering features of the object, get acquainted with the morphology of the cave and the history of how it was formed. Tourists will also see expositions featuring interesting paleontological finds — animal skeletal remains found in the cave.
"In addition, we will tell you about the mineralogical features of the cave, as there are many interesting minerals here. Excursions will be conducted in groups of 20 people. The cost of an adult ticket is 500 rubles, for children (up to 14 years old) — 350 rubles," added Gennady Samokhin.
Experts noted that the great advantage of the cave is the transit passage — it allows you to launch excursions with an interval of 10-15 minutes. It is important that all conditions are created in the cave for people with disabilities to visit the facility.
"There are practically no steps at the facility, and the width of the paths allows people in wheelchairs to move freely," said Sergey Greschenko, director of the Scientific Speleological and Paleontological Complex "Tavrida Cave" of KFU.
Convenient location and a recreation park on the surface
According to the rector of the Crimean Federal University Andrey Falaleev, the Tavrida cave is the first major tourist site opened in Crimea since 2014. He believes that the convenient location of the attraction (the object is located next to the Tavrida highway) will attract tourists, as it will be convenient for them to make a stop here.
"The Crimean Federal University positions itself as a driver of the region's development. One of our main tasks — the third mission of the university — is the development of the territory, and the cultural content of the Crimea is very important for us. We expect that it is through this facility that tourists will be attracted to the study of historical and cultural attractions of the Crimea," Andrei Falaleev said.
At the entrance to the cave, a recreation park will be organized with the Museum of mineralogy "Stones of the Crimea" – the first such open-air museum, a playground with reconstructions of ancient animals whose remains were found in the Tavrida cave, food courts and recreation areas.
The search for ancient man and the popularization of science
Now scientific work is continuing in the cave: paleontologists are excavating the natural entrance to the cave. Research at the site will continue for at least another 10-15 years: both in paleontology, and in mineralogy, and from the point of view of the discovery of new sections of the underground object. According to experts, there are great hopes to find the remains of an ancient man here.
"At the moment we have explored about two thousand meters of the cave. However, we found out that there are many voids under the ground in this place. This is not a theory, we have good equipment that shines through the ground and allows us to determine where there is a void under the ground. In fact, this is a whole underground "city" that can stretch for several tens of kilometers," said Gennady Samokhin, senior lecturer at KFU.
As the specialist notes, practices for students of specialized specialties will also be organized here. Already in autumn, KFU plans to hold a school of young scientists on the basis of the complex, and in the future summer schools for students, where they will be able to participate in excavations and learn caving skills.
"How does "Tavrida" differ from many other speleological and sightseeing sites? They make a bias towards recreation and commercial profit, while we choose a scientific approach. Our main task is to popularize science. And we have prepared excursions, including for children, allowing us to demonstrate the scientific component," Gennady Samokhin stressed.
Recall that the Tavrida cave was discovered in the Crimea in 2018 during the construction of the federal highway of the same name. Scientists of the Crimean Federal University immediately took up the study of the underground object. At the moment, work on the creation of a Scientific Speleo-Paleontological Complex is being carried out by the university within the framework of the program of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia "Priority 2030" of the national project "Science and Universities".
