Big lake in Altai. Altai Territory: Lakes and Their Description. Rest in Altai. Altai steppe lakes

The Altai Territory is famous not only for its agricultural achievements, but also, perhaps, the richest hydrographic map in the country.

On the territory of the region there are about 13 thousand lakes, large and small, fresh and salty, each of which is unique in its own way. Some are extremely picturesque: photos of the Altai lakes fascinate with their unique beauty. Others are famous for rare healing properties, while others are luxury resorts with hotels and water parks.

Lake on Red Mountain.

Lake Akkemskoye, Mount Belukha.

Mountain Altai. Lake Kuiguk.

Lake Srednemultinskoe

Lake Teletskoye is the largest lake in Altai.

Teletskoye lake. The Altai name is Altyn-Kol, which means the Golden Lake.

South of Lake Teletskoye, in the background - Chulyshman canyon. Taken from the Bele cordon.

The most unusual lakes of Altai

Due to the variety of landscapes, each reservoir of the Altai Territory is beautiful in its own way. For example, Lake Zerkalnoye, located in the Barnaul ribbon pine forest, is surrounded by light coniferous relict forests, which give the coastline a special charm.

Altai, Lake Light.

Lake Svetloe, also known as Swan Lake, is an amazing corner of nature, where the water is crystal clear and transparent to the very bottom. Due to the abundance of springs, the reservoir does not freeze even in the most severe frosts, and the water temperature does not fall below + 5 - 6 degrees C. Therefore, ducks and swans winter here, which can be admired from special viewing platforms.

Lake White.

Small Lake Beloe is chained in granite shores and has a regular round shape. In the center of the lake there is a small island where, according to legend, the famous Ural industrialist Akinfiy Demidov was engaged in the production of coins bypassing the court of Empress Elizabeth. In 2010, the reservoir was awarded the status of a natural monument.

Raspberry Lake.

The bitter-salty Raspberry Lake has been known since the time of Catherine II. A unique feature of the reservoir is the pinkish-crimson color of the water, which is obtained due to the vital activity of special planktonic crustaceans. From ancient times, pink salt was mined from the bottom of the lake and supplied to the court, with which the empress surprised the overseas guests.

Lake Gorkoye, Novichikhinsky District, Altai.

Lake Gorkoye in the Novichikhinsky District of Altai has the status of a natural monument and is famous for its curative mud and picturesque sandy beaches. The reservoir attracts not only those who want to improve their health, but also those who like kitesurfing.

On the shore of another lake, Gorkoye, located in the Yegoryevsky district, the popular Lebyazhye sanatorium has been welcoming vacationers for a hundred years. People come here to enjoy the curative silt mud, mild climate and mineral water, similar in composition to Essentuki 17.

Lake Bolshoye Yarovoe.

Lake Bolshoye Yarovoye is surrounded by an almost flat, treeless plain, and part of the coastline is cut by deep ravines. Since 1972, spa treatment has been carried out here, and the popularity of this place is explained especially by the healing water, which is similar in composition to the waters of the Dead Sea.

Lake Aya.

The freshwater lake Aya is a favorite vacation spot for many, where you can stay at one of the camp sites, swim in summer, sail on boats and catamarans, and go ice skating in winter. Aiskoye Lake is located in one of the hollows of the Altai Mountains and, according to local legend, was formed where the Moon came down to earth to save people from a terrible cannibal.

Kolyvan Lake or simply Savvushka.

Lake Kolyvan, which the locals simply call Savvushka, is surrounded by heaps of small mountain ridges of the most bizarre shape, and the lake itself will remind a person with a rich imagination of a sapphire gem enclosed in a granite frame.

Kulundinskoe lake.

Kulundinskoe is one of the largest lakes in Altai, with an area of 728 km2. Its depth is only 2.5 - 3 m, but the lake never freezes, and in summer it warms up to 25 degrees. It is not surprising that thousands of lovers of nature and picturesque landscapes strive to get here.

Everyone who travels to Siberia must bring with him numerous photos of the lakes of the Altai Territory, which conquer with their distinctive beauty and diversity.

Altai is famous not only for its mountains - there are also a lot of lakes here, and all of them add a special beauty to the already beautiful landscape of this region.

Teletskoye Lake is one of the most popular natural attractions of the Altai Mountains. In terms of maximum depth, it ranks fourth in Russia. In addition, Lake Teletskoye is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The lake received its modern name four hundred years ago - it was given to it by Russian pioneers, calling the lake Teleskoe, since the Teles tribes lived here. And the teles themselves called it Altyn-Kul, or the Golden Lake.

The length of the lake is 77 kilometers 700 meters, the average width is about three kilometers. The average depth of the lake is 175 meters, and the maximum depth is 325 meters, so here you can safely sail on boats and motor ships. However, swimming here is not very comfortable - only at the end of July in the southern part the water warms up to 22 degrees. In total, 70 rivers flow into the lake, but most of the water comes from the Chulyshman River.

The right bank of Lake Teletskoye belongs to the Altai State Reserve, and it is very difficult to get there, and in some places it is impossible, so that some sights are accessible only from the water.

It is not so easy to drive to Lake Teletskoye by car - there are only three places available for a car:

Yaylu village;
The southern shore of the lake;
Artybash, Northern shore of the lake.

Locals like to say that if you have not been to Lake Teletskoye, then you have not been to Altai. In general, they say this about many places, but it is about the lake that these are not empty words, but the real truth.

On Lake Teletskoye, you can see all the most remarkable in a couple of days, but there will be something to do there for a whole week. True, excursions here are not cheap, and you simply cannot get to many interesting places on your own. Accommodation on the lake is not that expensive, but without tourist trips, there is, in general, nothing special to do here. It is better to book accommodation in advance, especially in July-August.

The lake is famous for its picturesque views, as well as attractions: waterfalls such as Kishte, Korbu, Ayu-Kechpes, etc., Stone Bay and numerous beautiful islands. By the way, there are about 70 waterfalls on the lake, but not all of them can be approached.

Lake Aya is a very significant natural object in Altai, and there are many legends about it. In Russian, "Aya" is translated as the Moon, and tourists are usually just told the legend associated with the Moon. It says that the cannibal Delbegen once lived in these lands, who killed a lot of good people. Once the moon got tired of watching these outrages, she went down to earth and threw the cannibal into the Katun. At the same time, high waves and a trace left by the sinking moon rose. This is how Lake Aya was formed.

The lake is about 25 thousand years old. It is located at an altitude of 280 meters above sea level. The length of the lake is about 400 meters, the width is about 380. The maximum depth is 21.7 meters, although there is information about 25 meters. The total area of the lake is 93 hectares. From November to April, the lake is covered with ice, but in July the water in it warms up to 22-26 degrees, which allows you to calmly swim in it - and not every Altai lake can boast of this.

A special feature of the lake is a small granite island near the eastern shore, on which there are several trees and an old gazebo. And in 2003, Aya and its environs were given the status of a natural park.

There are many hotels, campgrounds and recreation centers on the shore of the camp site. Accommodation can be found almost from 100 rubles per day on a camping site for a place for a tent and from just 500 rubles for an economy class room. In general, the prices are quite reasonable.

Tourist bases on the very shore of the lake have access to their own beaches. Considering that there are not so many places for swimming in Altai, Lake Aya is very attractive in this regard - here you can safely swim and sunbathe. If you are resting not at the base near the shore, then you will have to pay for the approach to the lake.

Aya's beaches are landscaped - here you can rent umbrellas and sun loungers. Boats and catamarans run on the lake, but their rent is not cheap - about 400 rubles per hour.

In general, there are many interesting sights around Aya, which are easy to visit on their own by car or as part of excursions.

Karakol Lakes are a chain of lakes in the upper reaches of the Karakol River. There are seven lakes in the chain, and they are located at an altitude of 1820-2100 meters, connected by streams and channels.

Although the lakes are connected, the water in all of them is different in color, but everywhere it is very cold - no higher than seven degrees.

The large difference in elevation between the lakes provides an interesting variety of landscapes. Around the lower lakes, the cedar taiga is spread, a little higher the taiga is replaced by alpine meadows with amazing flowers, and the small upper lakes are surrounded by high-mountain tundra. All this makes the lakes very picturesque.

Karakol lakes are a natural monument, and tourists regularly visit them.

Behind the Red Gate, on the road to Katu-Yaryk, there is a chain of Ulagan lakes. It starts from the lake Cheybekkel, or Dead Lake, which stretches along the road for several kilometers.

The lake was called that because there was no fish for a very long time. This was explained in different ways, from the high content of mercury in the water to the activities of evil spirits. The first, by the way, was not confirmed, but the second cannot be reliably verified.

In the end, everything turned out to be easier. To get into the lake, the fish had to be lifted upstream of the Chibitka River. And Cheybekkel, located at an altitude of 1949 meters, was simply inaccessible for fish. A few years ago, the lake was rented by a private entrepreneur and manually launched fish there. After that, the lake ceased to be Dead - the fish took root there remarkably, and now the fishing here, according to local residents, is pretty good.

But its native name, Cheybekkel, that is, the Elongated Lake, is more consistent with reality. The lake is 3 kilometers long and only 400 meters wide. The depth of Cheybekkel is 33 meters. By the way, ice stays here for a long time - you can see it even in June.

Further along the road to the pass, there are many more lakes, some of which are difficult to identify. There are tourist centers near the shores, and the view of the lakes is excellent. In front of the Ulagansky pass, there is Uzunkel lake... Its height is 2 thousand meters above sea level, that is, it is one of the highest mountain lakes in the Altai Mountains. And also Uzunkel is the largest lake in the Chibitka basin. Its width is 600 meters, length is 2.5 kilometers, and depth is up to 28 meters. Some time ago, fish was also launched into the lake, so you can go fishing here.

Very beautiful lake Uch-Kel can be seen along the same road near the Katu-Yaryk pass.

This is the second largest lake in Gorny Altai (after Teletskoye), located at an altitude of more than two kilometers above sea level, on the Chulyshman plateau. It is 10 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide.

The lake is interesting for two things. First, there are numerous islands, on two of which there is a colony of the great cormorant, the only one in Russia. Secondly, the unique landscape around the lake, tundra steppe, which mixes the flora and fauna of the north and south of Siberia.

There are also more than two hundred small lakes around Julukul, so the area is quite picturesque.

These alpine lakes are located in the upper reaches of the Shava River, at an altitude of up to two thousand meters, on the southwestern slope of the North Chuisky ridge. They are considered to be almost the most picturesque lakes in Gorny Altai, since the local landscapes combine alpine meadows and coniferous forests, and the mountain peaks surrounding the shores of the lakes make this place even more beautiful.

This alpine lake is located on the Akkem River, at an altitude of more than two thousand meters above sea level. It is located on the northern slope of the popular Belukha Mountain. The width of the lake is 610 meters, the length is 1350 meters, and the depth reaches only 15 meters. The water in the lake is extremely cold, and even in summer it does not warm above five degrees Celsius.

The shores of the lake are low, covered with cedar and deciduous forests. The lake itself is not so remarkable, but it is very easy to make exits to other mountain lakes, waterfalls and Belukha glaciers from it, so many tourists stop here.

This group consists of three lakes: Upper and Lower Kucherlinskoye and Bolshoye Kucherlinskoye. All of them are located next to each other on the right tributary of the Katun, the Kucherla River, right at the base of the northern slope of the Katunsky ridge. The lakes are quite high-mountainous - they are located at an altitude of about 1790 meters above sea level.

Tourists love these lakes for the unique flora and fauna and the picturesque landscapes in their surroundings. Not only tourists and travelers, but also hunters often stop here. True, even in summer it is cool here, although this only plays into the hands of those who want to take a break from the scorching heat. You won't be able to swim in the lakes either.

Lake Kolyvan is one of the largest lakes in the Altai Territory. Tourists love it for the bizarre rocks around the lake, as well as for its crystal clear water. Due to this water, the water nut chilim still grows here - a relic plant listed in the Red Book.

Kulundinskoe Lake is the largest lake in the Altai Territory. Its length is 35 kilometers, its width is 25 kilometers, and its area is over 600 kilometers. With all this, the lake is very shallow - the deepest place here is only 4 meters. Lake Kulundinskoe is the remnant of an ancient sea that was on the territory of the Altai Territory millions of years ago.

The lake is famous for its medicinal clays and mineral medicinal waters, so there is a healing and health complex on its shore that attracts many tourists.

It will probably be already trivial to write about Altai as "the land of a thousand lakes". Moreover, there are much more of these reservoirs. And they are very different. There are fresh, salty and medicinal ones. There are some that formed before the ice age. The mysterious lakes attract travelers with its mountains and valleys. Its lakes amaze scientists with relict flora and fauna and amaze tourists with the beauty of their landscapes. The local nature is compared to the Alps and Tibet. Of course, in this short article we will not be able to characterize all the natural reservoirs of these places, but we will try to describe the most interesting and popular ones.

Altai steppe lakes

The most attractive of them are located on the territory of the so-called Kulunda lowland. These are the sunniest places in the entire Altai Territory. The lakes here are located mainly in the center of this lowland. The climate is dry, winters are cold, but not very snowy, and summers are hot. Because of these features, most lakes have a concentrated mineral content in their waters. Therefore, they taste salty, like the sea, or even bitter. The largest lake has the same name as the lowland - Kulundinskoe. It is also called the Altai Sea. Its depth is no more than three meters, so amateurs appreciate it. Moreover, there are a lot of convenient places with fine sand around it. The most in this steppe is Bolshoye Yarovoye. And not far from Kulundinskoye there is a healing reservoir with healing mud. This is the Kuchuk lake. The properties of its water are said to be similar to that 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 long. And quite shallow, no more than one and a half meters. But this is the second wintering reserve in Russia for whooper swans. Thousands of warm and hot springs gush around the lake, and thanks to this, the lake does not freeze even in the fierce cold. It is interesting that swans have been flying here for wintering 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 the bottom can be seen anywhere. It is because of this that Swan Lake in the Altai Territory is also called Svetly. People can observe the behavior of birds in the wild here from a special observation deck with windows.

Mikhailovskoe Lake, Altai Territory

This interesting reservoir is located fifteen kilometers from the nearby village. Therefore, it is often called Mikhailovsky. However, his other name is more famous and popular - Raspberry. 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 a newspaper. But walking on the bottom should be done with caution, and it is best to have special shoes. Lots of tiny, sharp-edged shells can scratch your feet. But this does not scare tourists who travel from all over the country to visit the famous for the whole. Rest here is simply magnificent, especially since the landscapes along the banks are amazingly beautiful. Since the lake is quite large, you can find sanatoriums, private hotels and campings nearby. And if you are a supporter of "wild" rest, then just put up a tent on the shore and be alone with pristine nature.

Bitter

The composition of the water of this lake is reminiscent of the Essentuki-17 mineral water. It is bitter and salty. Hence the name of the lake. People come here to be treated with mud. There are a lot of them at the bottom. In the west, blue clay comes to the surface. Lake Gorkoye (Altai Territory) is surrounded by pine forests. Many equipped beaches have been 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. Swimming in the lake heals the nervous system and skin diseases. And here you can also visit a forest farm with various interesting animals - yaks, ostriches, camels.

Mountain Altai lakes

But not only in the steppe you can find unique and interesting reservoirs. Local residents believe that the mountains are stone poetry that glorified the Altai Territory. The local lakes are also special, surrounded by legends. Some of them lie at a height. In summer they are an incredible sight - like the eye of the mountains looks at you from the scattering 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 swim and rest in the summer. And there are also practically inaccessible ones, 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 was formed as a result of a tectonic fault. It is surrounded by picturesque mountain peaks, the height of which is about two and a half thousand meters. Therefore, some of the photographs of this lake look just like computer graphics depicting the Alps. And since more than seventy rivers flow into it, the water has a very high transparency. Visibility in it is up to fifteen meters deep, so Teletskoye is often compared to Baikal. And the lake is surrounded by some natural wonders - caves and waterfalls, bays with semiprecious stones ... To the delight of tourists, numerous guest houses have been built here, which work even in winter. Among them are such as "Artybash" and "Golden Lake". On Teletsky it will be good both for lovers of contemplative, calm rest, and for extreme sports. Tourist bases offer excursions on ATVs, boats, bicycles, river rafting, diving. There is also a terrible legend about the "forest of the drowned" on the lake. They say that all who died in it do not float, but sway in the depths of the waters in limbo. Despite this, romantics prefer to get to the stone "Island of Love" in order to perpetuate their feelings.

Lake Aya

Although, as already mentioned above, cold mountain rivers (including the 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 in summer. For the Altai Mountains, this is an exceptional phenomenon. An unusually picturesque lake is located in an intermountain valley. It is surrounded by pine forests and cliffs. It also has its own "Love Island" with a special gazebo. You can get there not only by boat, but also by swimming. There is a good beach on the shore, there are catamarans for rent, a recreation area with boarding houses, bases, health resorts. Kolibri, Empire of Tourism and Shambhala are the most popular places to stay.

For a long time we have called the Altai Territory the Ozerny Territory. In my opinion, this is an absolutely amazing phenomenon - there are so many different lakes on the territory of one region.

Each lake in the Altai Territory has its own water composition: there are fresh, there are salty, and there are alkaline reservoirs. At the same time, sometimes such surprisingly different lakes peacefully coexist within walking distance from each other.

Absolutely dissimilar multi-colored lakes are scattered along the edge, like scattered beads from different necklaces.

Approaching the largest lake of the Altai Territory - Kulundinsky - you just want to sing: "By the sea, by the blue sea" ... The blue-blue Altai Sea, as it is also called, will really make you forget that you are on the Kulundinsky plain. Endless blue, sand, waves and salty wind - why not a seascape?

Two lakes located so close to each other that they can easily be mistaken for one, incredibly blue, they are not large in size, their uniqueness lies in the other. The lakes are spring lakes, have a constant temperature and do not freeze in winter, which is why wild swans have chosen them as a wintering place. Swans have come to winter in these regions since 1967, then there were 1.5 dozen of them. In 2015, employees counted nearly 500 swans.

Lies at the foot of Mount Sinyukha - the highest point of the Kolyvan ridge. The lake is very picturesque, with clear water and shores inlaid with stones. True, the name of the lake was questioned for a long time, the name "Blue" was more appropriate, until by noon white clouds floated across the surface of the lake.

Another lake at the spurs of the Kolyvan ridge. Lake Kolyvan is surrounded by outlier rocks with the most bizarre shapes, at sunset the rocks are painted in reddish tones. The water in the lake is also unusual - despite its purity, it has a brown hue, and the shores are strewn with the rare water nut Chilim (Rogulnik). All together creates a picture more reminiscent of a Martian landscape.

The lakes described below also have unearthly beauty; there simply cannot be reservoirs with such a color on earth!

This lake is pale pink in color. In addition to its beauty, the lake is known for its salt extraction in a unique way, invented in Bursoli. There are rails along the bottom of the lake, along which special harvesters move, collecting salt from the bottom. The railroad runs straight to the middle of the lake. For the quality of local salt, Peter I called Bursol the main salt shaker in Russia.

It is said that the composition of the water of this lake is similar to that of the Dead Sea. But, as soon as the sun's rays touch the surface of the water, the Altai Dead Sea turns dark pink. Lake Kuchukskoye is one of the largest deposits of mirabilite in Russia, which lies in a thick layer at the base of the lake.

The further you go to the Altai Territory, the richer the shades of red! The lake owes its color, most likely, to microscopic algae, which produce a pink pigment in water saturated with salt. And to admire the lake of unreal color, you don't need to fly to Australia or Senegal, but just ride 650 km from Novosibirsk along the highway.

When I was convinced with my own eyes that in Altai Lake Raspberry was really crimson, I confirmed my decision to visit Lake Zolotoe. But what if it is really golden too? We found a lake with such an alluring name by chance on the map of Rubtsovsky district and drove off, not even guessing what exactly awaits us. But what he saw exceeded all expectations! Yes, it's golden!

Returning from the Lake District, you always feel that you have traveled around the world and visited a dozen countries, and not just one land!

12.04.16,
Marina Tsurikova,
Novosibirsk

This year we again went to the lakes and realized how lucky we were for the first time.)) We also did not dare to make our way to the Golden Lake after the rains ... can be small, respectively, the concentration of salt in the water reaches the required level.
The "stone oasis" discovered by us has now been marked as an attraction, they call it a stone canyon on the Kizikha River. Only now they missed the location of the sign and put it in front of the quarry, not the canyon.)) But you can focus on the river to find the canyon.

The Altai Territory is famous not only for its agricultural achievements, but also, perhaps, the richest hydrographic map in the country. On the territory of the region there are about 13 thousand lakes, large and small, fresh and salty, each of which is unique in its own way. Some are extremely picturesque: photos of the Altai lakes fascinate with their unique beauty. Others are famous for rare healing properties, while others are luxurious resorts with hotels and water parks no worse than foreign ones.

Photos of Altai lakes: a lake on Krasnaya Gora.

Photos of Altai lakes: Lake Akkemskoye, Mount Belukha.
Photo of Altai lakes: Lake Akkemskoye near Belukha Mountain (photo from An-2 aircraft).
Mountain Altai. Lake Kuiguk.
Altai, Lake Srednemultinskoe, September.

Teletskoye Lake is the largest lake in Altai.
South of Lake Teletskoye.
Teletskoye lake. The Altai name is Altyn-Kol, which means the Golden Lake.
Altai, south of Lake Teletskoye, in the background - Chulyshman canyon. Taken from the Bele cordon.
Mountain Altai, Lake Teletskoye, October.
Mountain Altai, Lake Teletskoye near the village of Yaylyu. Dawn, January.

The most unusual lakes of Altai

Altai, Lake Light.

Altai, Lake White.

Altai, Raspberry Lake.

Beauty and benefits

Paradise for tourists

Altai, lake Aya.

Kolyvan Lake or simply Savvushka in Altai.

Kulundinskoe is one of the largest lakes in Altai, with an area of 728 km 2. Its depth is only 2.5 - 3 m, but the lake never freezes, and in summer it warms up to 25 degrees. It is not surprising that thousands of lovers of nature and picturesque landscapes strive to get here.

Everyone who travels in Siberia must bring with him numerous photos of the lakes of the Altai Territory, which conquer with their distinctive beauty and diversity.