The mystifying tranquillity of nature in Kinburn Spit

Washed by the freshwaters of the Dnieper-Bug estuary, the salty Black Sea, and the Yagorlitsky Bay, Kinburn Spit (Kyl-Burun – “sharp nose” in Tatar, Kil-Buruni – “hairy cape” in Turkish) – is one of the most picturesque, most striking, and most popular corners of the Nikolaev region on the Black Sea coast. Located in the south-west of Ukraine, on the border of the Ochakov District of the Nikolaev Region and the Golopristansky – Kherson and covers an area of about 18000 hectares, the Kinburn Spit is a part of a peninsula of the same name. This peninsula was the island called Gilea by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (dating back to the 5th century BC) and was pretty well known among Phoenician merchants and pirates. As well as a main trade routes of the Old World, Kinburn Spit also holds many legends of its own. One of them tells the story of the Amazons who lived here under the laws of matriarchy and sacrificed men, until they were defeated Hercules. Another tells of the hidden treasures of the Scythians on the peninsula. For the ancient Scythians, the peninsula was a sacred place where Gods lived. Currently, Kinburn Spit is one of the most environmentally friendly seaside resorts within Ukraine. Most of the peninsula’s territory is untouched by civilization due to the complete absence of industry and virtually no transport routes.

Directly uniting the sand spit, the base of which lies in its north -western part of the Kinburn Peninsula and the village of Pokrovka, Kinburn Spit’s richness of nature has been preserved in its original form since earliest times and to this day. The land is unique in diversity its sometimes called the pharmacy under the open sky as it grows more than 500 different species of plants, many of which have healing properties: St. John’s wort, valerian, chamomile, mint, thyme, yarrow, and immortelle to name a few. In spring and autumn, Kinburn Spit becomes a real paradise for mushroom pickers, as it grows a huge number of buttercups and large white mushrooms. At the same time, Kinburn Spit is a wide sandy beach covered with fine white sand. On the peninsula, there are more than 400 lakes – freshwater and salt, where they become a nesting place for birds, including white and gray herons, swans, pink pelicans, eagles, and pheasants. One of the local natural wonders of the Kinburn Spit is the Volyzhyn Forest – a remnant of the ancient country of Gilea. At that time, Kinburn Spit was completely covered with dense forest in the form of separate plots with small groves of oaks, alders, birches, and pines − today exist as traces of relict forests part of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, listed in the UN registry.

There are only a few settlements on the Kinburn Peninsula, the main and the nearest to the spit is Pokrovskoye village. Historically, in the 15th century, the Turks built a fortress on the village, at the mouth of the Dnieper. For Russian troops it had great strategic importance because the fortress occupied a large area. But in October 1855, during the Crimean War, the fortress was destroyed by Anglo-French fleet, and since then has not recovered. Contemporaries claimed that the fortress was not only military installations. It is said that here was located port, a large market and even hotels. Unfortunately, there’s only a few sources of study on the fortress and the constructions of the Crimea, but all research indicates that the fortress played an important role in the economy and culture of the Crimean Khanate. Now the remnants of the fortress barely noticeable: only preserved wall barricades and ditches while the rest remains unknown. Other excursions in Pokrovskoye village include visiting the shallow waters of Yahorlyk Bay (a spire of the spit and a place where the waters of the Black Sea and the Dnieper-Bug estuary meet), Berezan Peninsula (formerly the ancient Greek settlement of Borisfen), Cossack Cross (in honour of the first Kosh Ataman Sidor Bily who headed the Black Sea Cossacks), Kinburn salt and mud lakes with white clay deposits, and Monument to Count Alexander Suvorov.

Most of the land excursion tours in Kinburn Spit are related to visiting one or another part of the peninsula, and boat excursions usually include a walk along the coastline with visits to nearby islands. The main feature of the Kinburn Spit is its limb, a place where the waters of the fresh Dnieper-Bug estuary and the salty Black Sea meet. This is the most visited part of the peninsula, where the waves of different water bodies rolling on each other and arrange a unique sight. Bathing at the meeting of the sea and the estuary as well as on the neighbouring stretch of the Black Sea is strictly prohibited, due to the strong currents. But all beaches along the coastline, where the Black Sea has a gentle entrance, smooth sand, and the clear azure hue water is free to visit. Despite the rather flexible approach to organizing trips and the ability of a tourist to independently choose or adjust the route, the most common excursions to Kinburn are:

– Ecological survey of fresh lake systems near the Dnieper-Bug estuary.

– Sea tour of the Yagorlytsky Bay (a part of Black Sea Biosphere Research) − a peninsula in the northern section of the Black Sea, within the Kherson region of Ukraine known for its biodiversity of birds.

– On quads on dunes – an adrenaline driven off-road racing on deserted beaches.

– Sea excursion to the island of Tendra – including boat trip, swimming on the high seas, visiting uninhabited island just 22 kilometers from the Kinburn Spit, where an old lighthouse located, and herds of wild horses is a common sight.

– Sea excursion to the island of Berezan – including a boat trip to the Pushkin island of Buyan, visiting the remains of ancient Borisfen, swimming in a lagoon covered with Scythian legends and myths.

The infrastructure at Kinburn Spit and around the peninsula is poorly developed. However, shops, cafes, bars, playgrounds, entertainment can be found on the territory of hotels and recreation bays. Outside of these places, the benefits of civilization are practically absent –there is only the tranquillity of the sun, sea and nature.

Due to the proximity of water bodies, the climate at the landscape is mild and humid with average temperature in summer around 20°C, on hot days the thermometer can rise up to 35 or 40 degrees. The coast is characterized by a rather low average annual rainfall of about 400 mm and an abundance of sunshine that shines for almost 2,300 hours a year. Ecological cleanliness, humid climate, air enriched with iodine, bromine and phytoncide salts from the steppes and forests adjacent to the coast, lakes with therapeutic mud contribute to healing and make Kinburn Spit attractive at any time of the year, however, a full-fledged holiday season begins in June and ends in early October.