The Swan Islands (Sari-Bulat) are situated on the Northern-Western beaches of the plain Crimea at a distance of 3,5 km from the seashore in the Karkinit Bay. All the islands stretch along the bay-shore for 8 km. The biggest island of the six ones is the fourth, 3,5 km long and 350 metres wide. The extensive forbidden zone has been founded. The Swan Islands are reservation of the international importance.

The Islands were made of sandy-stony alluvium, that`s why their area, form and even number of the islands change constantly. They rise only by 1-2 metres above the sea level.

Shallow waters, abundance both of vegetable and animal food in water and on dry land plus forbidden regime - all it attracts a great number of birds, mainly waterbirds. The forbidden zone includes more than 230 kinds of islands, about 25 kinds of birds nest there. Swan-hisser is a pride of the islands. Here it was being hunted in the end of the 19th century; it caused rather swift decrease of the live-stock of the birds. After all the measures to protect the Swan Islands have recently been taken, in summer there are about 6000 swans gathering together. The birds can`t fly at the moment, so the forbidden islands are the home for them for the period of time. Swimming flocks of gracious, snow-white birds with lovely curved necks and rich-red beaks - you`ll hardly forget this spectacle! The swan-hissers leave for the South to winter. They nest in the Lower Dnieper, Danube, Dniester and Volga.

In late autumn the Northern Swans winter on the Islands. They have got more straight necks and yellow beaks. All in all, almost all the year round you can see the feathery beautiful birds.

On the Swan Islands there are many other kinds of birds - ducks, sandpipers, white and grey herons, sea-gulls. The most numerous bird is gull-roarer which is of great use to the Agriculture. Within summer season the gulls of the Swan Islands exterminate almost 2 millions of gophers and 8 millions of mice. The Colony consists of about 30000 birds. You can get there by direct flight to Simferopol or through Kiev or Odessa.