Created on the Kerch Peninsula in 1998, the nature reserve covers an area of over 1,592 hectares. It includes Opuk Mountain, which is 185 m tall, Cape Opuk, Koyash Lake, which is rich in therapeutic mud, and an adjacent stretch of the Back Sea. The mountain dominates the area and has numerous ledges, precipices and cracks. The cape is a nesting site for rare birds, including rose-coloured starlings, horned owls and peregrine falcons. There are also ruins of the ancient Greek city of Kimmerikon in the nature reserve.