Yew and boxwood grove. A Byzantine fortress in southern Russia.

Hike to the Yew-Box Grove, which is part of the Caucasus Nature Reserve in southern Russia.

Yew-Box Grove is a living museum of relic vegetation, which has been preserved here almost unchanged since prehistoric times. Here you can see the oldest yew tree in Russia, which is about 2000 years old.

Unfortunately, during the preparations for the Olympic Games in Sochi on the coast, was unintentionally introduced pest - boxwood moth, which is almost destroyed evergreen boxwood on the Black Sea coast.

In the Yew-Box Grove also grow such tree species as beech, oak, linden, hornbeam, maple; and shrubs - the Caucasian bladdernut, сherry laurel, holly, yellow azalea, hazel, philadelphus caucasicus. There are many herbaceous species of plants, which are included in the Red Book of Russia.

Moreover, in the yew and boxwood grove, you can see the ruins of the Byzantine fortress of the 4th century AD. The defense is located on impregnable cliffs. From the loopholes of the fortress visible all the approaches to the fort and the entire river bed, Khosta, which is the only road by which uninvited guests could come.