Lazurnaya Bay (Shamora)
The picturesque Lazurnaya Bay with its large sandy beach, healing air, fabulous sea landscapes and developed infrastructure rightly enjoys the status of one of the most popular recreation zones where Vladivostok's locals and guests like to spend their time. Being a part of the Ussuri Bay that washes the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula's eastern coast, on whose hills Vladivostok stands, it is among the most romantic sights of the Primorsky Krai.
Up to the late 20th century the bay was called Shamora, which is Chinese for 'sandy desert'. It got this name in those times, when, according to the treaty, Primorye was in joint ownership of China and Russia. But in 1972, due to worsening of the Soviet-Chinese relations, all place names in the Russian Far East were replaced with Russian ones. At the same time the Shamora Bay turned into Lazurnaya Bay. Nevertheless, locals still continue to call it Shamora as of old.
Bay's shores are sandy and shallow, and the surrounding lowland is covered with meadow herbs and bushes and ringed with an amphitheater of woody knolls. One of them shelters one of the most classified Primorsky Krai's sites - the closed Pacific Fleet's command post with the huge electronic world map. And the so-called Tiger Path runs over the coastal mountain range's peaks. Local residents claim that formerly tigers used to come down to the town along it.
Several legends are associated with Shamora. The most widespread one tells about the White Guardists who upon their evacuation from Vladivostok in 1922 buried their treasures in Shamora's sands out of hope to return here in the future. Since then, many townsmen repeatedly searched the buried treasures in the bay, however all their pursuits were in vain.
Now people come to the bay's seashore not for mythical treasures, but for gorgeous and varied recreation. Its beach is the largest, cleanest and the most beautiful in Vladivostok and, moreover, it is fully equipped with modern amenities; there are plenty of holiday centers and pensions in its neighborhood. Various water amusements, small cafes and large entertainment complexes, summer houses and outdoor discos function on the beach's territory. Moreover, there is an opportunity to rent jet skis, motor boats, boats and yachts and to admire natural beauties of the Far Eastern coastline during exciting sea trip.
Full of varied sea inhabitants, Shamora's waters are the perfect place for diving and underwater walks. Huge numbers of sea-urchins, scallops, mussels, sea cucumbers, sea stars and other underwater inhabitants in the bay's waters.
And just recently the Lazurnaya Bay became a popular winter recreation place. Specialized resort appeared on the surrounding hills' steep slopes. Thanks to snow cannons, its territory is covered with snow all winter and attracts people interested in snowboarding, skiing and other winter sports.
Shamora Bay is famous for being the venue for varied cultural and sporting events - all sorts of competitions, tournaments, concerts and festivals. In particular, the annual bard festival 'Primorye Strings', which is yearly attended by thousands of author's music admires from the Far East, is carried out here.
Getting here. You can reach Shamora by bus №28 (departure from stop Lugovaya) or by taxi.
