Altai Territory: Lakes and their description. Rest on the Altai

Probably, it will be already trivial to write about the Altai as "the edge of a thousand lakes". Especially because there are much more of these reservoirs. And they are very different. There are fresh, salty and medicinal. There are some that were formed before the ice age. With its mountains and valleys, the mysterious Altai region attracts travelers. Lakes surprise scientists with relict flora and fauna and amaze tourists with the beauty of landscapes. The local nature is compared with the Alps and Tibet. Of course, in this short article we can not give a description of all the natural reservoirs of these places, but we will try to describe the most interesting and popular ones.

Steppe Lakes of Altai

The most attractive of them are on the territory of the so-called Kulunda lowland. These are the sunniest places in the Altai Territory. The lakes here are located mainly in the center of this lowland. The climate here is dry, winters are cold, but not very snowy, and summers are hot. Because of these features, most lakes have in their water a concentrated content of mineral substances. Therefore, they taste like salty, like the sea, or even bitter. The largest lake has the same name as the lowland - the Kulunda. It is also called the Altai Sea. The depth of it is not more than three meters, so it is very appreciated by beach lovers . Moreover, there are a lot of convenient places around it with a fine sand. The deepest lake in this steppe is Bolshoy Jarovoye. And not far from Kulundinsky there is a healing pool with medicinal mud. This is Kuchuk lake. It is said that the properties of its water are similar to the composition of the Dead Sea.

Light or Swan

But there are unique lakes that are not famous for their size or depth. Nevertheless, they attract tourists with their natural properties. This is Swan Lake in the Altai Territory. It is located in the Soviet district. The lake is very small - only a kilometer in length. And very shallow, not more than one and a half meters. But this is the second reserve in Russia for wintering swans-klikunov. Around the lake thousands of warm and hot springs are beating, and thanks to this the lake does not freeze even in a fierce cold. It is interesting that swans come to winter here since recent times - since 1967. Due to the fact that the lake is fed by springs, the water in it is so clean and transparent that in any place its bottom is visible. It is because of this that the Swan Lake in the Altai Territory is also called the Light. People can observe here the behavior of birds in the wild with a special viewing platform with windows.

Mikhailovsky Lake, Altai Territory

This interesting pond is located fifteen kilometers from the nearby village. Therefore, he is often called Mikhailovsky. However, the more famous and popular is his other name - Crimson. So he was nicknamed because his water is pinkish. Its color comes from a special kind of microscopic crustaceans that live there. The water here is so salty that you can lie on its surface, and read the newspaper. But you should walk with caution on the bottom, and it is best to have special shoes. A lot of tiny shells with sharp edges can scratch your legs. But this does not frighten tourists who travel from all parts of the country to visit the famous for the entire Altai Territory Crimson Lake. Rest here is simply magnificent, especially as the landscapes along the coasts are surprisingly beautiful. Since the lake is quite large, nearby it can be found and sanatoria, and private hotels, and campsites. And if you are a supporter of "wild" rest, then just put the tent on the beach and stay alone with the pristine nature.

Bitter

The water of this lake is similar in composition to the mineral water "Essentuki-17". It is bitter and salty. Hence the name of the lake. People come here to be treated by mud. Their deposits are very much on the bottom. In the west it comes to the surface of blue clay. Lake Gorkoe (Altai Territory) is surrounded by pine forests. Many well-equipped beaches are built here - with cabins, stairs, along which you can go down to the water, and so on. This area was recognized as a balneological resort back in 1918. Bathing in the lake heals the nervous system and skin diseases. And here you can visit a forest farm with various interesting animals - yaks, ostriches, camels.

Lakes of the Altai Mountains

But not only in the steppe you can find unique and interesting water bodies. Local residents believe that the mountains are stone poetry that glorified the Altai Territory. Lakes here are also special, surrounded by legends. Some of them lie at the height of alpine meadows. In the summer they are an incredible sight - as if the eye of the mountains looks at you from the placers of yellow, red, blue, purple flowers. Most of these lakes are of glacial origin, and most of them are cold. But there are also those where people bathe in the summer, rest. And there are also practically inaccessible, with a chilling dead beauty, a depth of several tens of meters, and even with waterfalls.

Altai Territory, Lake Teletskoye

This huge body of water formed as a result of a tectonic fault. It is surrounded by picturesque peaks of mountains, whose height is about two and a half thousand meters. Therefore, some photos of this lake look like computer graphics with the image of the Alps. And since more than seventy rivers flow into it, the water has very high transparency. Visibility in it up to fifteen meters in depth, so Teletskoe is often compared with Lake Baikal. And the lake is surrounded by natural wonders - caves and waterfalls, bays with semiprecious stones ... To the delight of tourists, there are built numerous recreation centers and guest houses that work in the winter. Among them you can name such as "Artybash" and "Golden Lake". On Teletskom it will be good and to fans of contemplative, quiet rest, and extremals. The hostels offer excursions on quad bikes, boats, bicycles, rafting on rivers, diving. On the lake there is also a terrible legend about the "forest of drowned people". They say that everyone who died in it does not emerge, but waggles in the depths of the waters in a suspended state. Despite this, romance prefer to get to the stone "Island of Love" in order to perpetuate their feelings.

Lake Aya

Although, as already mentioned above, the cold mountain rivers (including Katun) flood the Altai Territory, the lakes here are warm, one might even say, hot. One of them is Lake Aya. The water in it heats up to thirty degrees Celsius. For the Altai mountain - this is an exceptional phenomenon. An unusually picturesque lake is located in the intermontane valley. It is surrounded by pine forests and rocks. Here, too, has its own "Island of Love" with a special gazebo. You can get there not only by boat, but also by swimming. On the beach there is a nice beach, there is a rental of catamarans, a recreation area with boarding houses, bases, health resorts. "Kolibri", "Empire of Tourism" and "Shambhala" - the most popular places where you can stay.

Reviews about rest in Altai

Travelers, lovers of nature, solitude or extreme pastime, like to come here, and often write about it on forums or in social networks. They like the Altai Territory. They call the lakes here fabulous. In the steppe region they are most attracted by saline ponds with curative mud and minerals, reminiscent of the Dead Sea. Some compare the treatment on the Altai lakes with Israel, where they also managed to visit. They write that their health can be improved in Russia, moreover, with less expenditure. As for the Altai Mountains, only rave reviews are left to him. Amazing nature, interesting culture, fresh air leave the best impressions.