Blue lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria. Camp sites, how to get there, rest. The Blue Lake in Kabardino-Balkaria turned out to be deeper than thought. Good luck with your travels and unforgettable emotions
Lake Chirik-Kel, which is located in Kabardino-Balkaria, is considered one of the deepest lakes of karst origin. Many tales about this fishless lake can be heard from local residents. For example, that in the 1930s a truck loaded with alcohol drowned in it. Many tourists are attracted by Kabardino-Balkaria. Blue lakes are a special attraction of the region.
The purest water
A lake with blue water can be found in the beautiful Cherek Gorge, adjacent to the area of the same name. Chereksky district is the largest in area in Kabardino-Balkaria, but has the smallest population. This is explained by the fact that the main part of the territory is occupied by mountains. Here are:
- five of the seven peaks of the Caucasus, having a height of more than 5000 meters;
- the longest glacier in the Old World;
- one of the oldest climbing camps “Bezengi”, where many Soviet climbers started.
Blue Lake is a unique natural monument. It is the second deepest in the world and looks like a mine in karst rocks. The dimensions of the lake on the surface are 235 by 130 meters. The depth of the mine bottom is from 179 to 235 meters. At the surface, the lake expands, and in this zone its depth is up to 40 meters. No rivers or streams flow into the lake, but it feeds a small river. The water has a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius all year round. But, despite this, thousands of travelers flock to the Blue Lakes (Kabardino-Balkaria). You can spend your vacation with friends or family.
In any weather, you can see what is happening underwater at a depth of 20 and even 50 meters. It is possible that the mine has greater depth, but this has not yet been proven by research.
Lake exploration
The first descriptions of Blue Lake were made by the scientist I. Dinnik at the end of the 19th century. I. Shchukin continued this work at the beginning of the 20th century. The lake was also studied by Professor I.G. Kuznetsov, who graduated from the Petrograd Mining Institute. He was awarded a silver medal of the Russian Geographical Society. In the summer of 1980, representatives of the Institute of Geography from the Georgian SSR began studying. The mineral content of the water is low. Of the inhabitants, only algae were found.
A very hospitable region of Kabardino-Balkaria. Blue lakes are a good reason to visit this area.
More than one record-breaking dive into the Blue Lakes (Kabardino-Balkaria) was made in this area. How to get to this wonderful reservoir can be found below.
All lakes
The Blue Lakes are five bodies of water. The most interesting is the Lower Lake. It is located 809 meters above sea level. The depth of the reservoir is 386 meters. Not a single river flows into it, but about 65 million liters of water flows out. Local residents call it Tserik-Kel. It is inhabited only by a crustacean that is not afraid of hydrogen sulfide. The Upper Lakes include two reservoirs. They contain fish, and between them there is a connecting dam. There is also a secret lake, located deep in the forest zone. Not all tourists find it. Dry Lake is especially popular. The depth of the depression is about 180 meters, there is water only at the very bottom.
Athletes are attracted by the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria, the depth of which allows them to set records.
Notable places
If you move along the gorge, you can get to the Circassian tunnels and the ancient road. It starts at a small waterfall and lies on the edge of a 150-meter cliff. Standing on it, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the valley and snowy mountain peaks. Driving further, you can get to the village of Upper Balkaria. At the edge of the village there is a suspension bridge leading to the old village. During Stalin's time, the village was destroyed, only parts of the houses and the outlines of the former streets remained.
The Abai-Kala tower is incredibly beautiful, famous for the apricots growing near it. A few kilometers away there is a preserved watchtower. It is built on a huge 10-meter stone, and it is impossible to get into it without the appropriate equipment. Kabardino-Balkaria is famous for its natural landscapes. Blue lakes are perfect bodies of water with clear water.
Fifteen kilometers from the lakes there is a spring with mineral hot water. It is called Aushiger, and the water in it rises from a depth of about 4 kilometers. It was discovered in the middle of the 20th century during oil exploration. Philologists believe that the word “Aushiger” can be translated as “Saint George” or “Jesus the Greek.” This indicates the early spread of Christianity in these lands.
Legends of the Blue Lakes
Local residents consider the Blue Lakes to be bottomless, as are most similar lakes. You can hear many stories from the population about those who drowned in lakes and surfaced in other places. The bottom of the lakes is rumored to contain:
- the cavalry of Tamerlane or Alexander the Great (possibly both) with all the decorations made of precious metals and stones;
- a large number of military vehicles of the Germans and Romanians, who abandoned them while retreating;
- a statue of Joseph Stalin himself, cast in bronze;
- many cars of our time;
- truck with port wine.
The bottom of the lakes is now a legendary unique museum that preserves the history of many centuries. The whole of Kabardino-Balkaria is full of myths and legends. Blue lakes are directly related to mysticism and secrets.
How to get to the lakes?
In the Blue Lakes area, all the infrastructure for vacationers and travelers has been created.
The water in these lakes is truly blue. Anyone can come to this place and scuba dive, having previously completed training. It remains to find out where the Blue Lakes are located in Kabardino-Balkaria.
Getting to the Blue Lakes is not difficult. Not far from them there are a significant number of tourist centers that are open to tourists. Systematic excursions from Pyatigorsk, Nalchik and other settlements of Kabardino-Balkaria are also organized to this place.
You can get to the Blue Lakes by personal transport. From Nalchik you need to go to the village of Babugent (via Urvan and Sovetskoye). At the same time, a little before reaching Babugent, at the fork you need to turn left - to the Cherek Gorge.
They have a number of unique features and unusual properties, and beautiful legends about their origin remain forever in the memory of those who are lucky enough to visit these places in person.
Each lake in Kabardino-Balkaria has a story to tell, since none of them is like the others.
Blue lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria
The most famous outside the republic are the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria (clarification takes place, since this topographical term is very popular in the Russian Federation). This is a group of five beautiful karst reservoirs with incredibly clear water, which stand out among the other lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria with a number of unique features.
Some distinctive features of these water formations still remain a mystery to researchers. For example, from what underground sources are they filled? And why do the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria not freeze even in winter, maintaining a stable water temperature of 9°C?
There are five such lakes in total: two Upper, Lower, Secret and Sukhoe. They are located in the Cherek Gorge with varying degrees of accessibility, but you can visit them all if you wish. A brief description will help you learn about the characteristic features of the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria.
Another name for the Upper Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria is Western and Eastern. Also, due to the peculiarities of their structure, they were called interconnected: with the presence of a connecting dam, the waters of the Eastern Lake feed the Western Lake. Also, the Upper Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria, unlike others, are rich in fish.
The largest, most famous and mysterious, as well as the deepest lake in Kabardino-Balkaria is Nizhneye, also known as Tserik-Kel (called the “rotten lake” due to the saturation of its waters with hydrogen sulfide). Despite repeated attempts by scientists to find out the depth of the Lower Blue Lake in Kabardino-Balkaria, this mystery is still not solved and there are only assumptions reaching up to 385 meters. Even the famous Jacques Yves Cousteau dived into the waters of Lake Tserik-Kel in Kabardino-Balkaria, but he also failed to find out the truth. This gave rise to calling Tserik-Kel a “bottomless lake” in Kabardino-Balkaria.
The secret lake has a telling name, as it is not easy to find and see. The lake is located in a karst sinkhole hidden by beeches, so only particularly attentive tourists will be able to admire its waters.
Finally, Dry Lake, which once almost completely “escaped” from the karst sinkhole that it used to fill. This happened as a result of seismic activity, which is not uncommon in the regions in which the mountain lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria are located. This lake is considered the most inaccessible, since you cannot get close to it without climbing equipment.
Those wishing to visit the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria will have an easy and short journey from Nalchik, as well as a well-established tourism sector right on the shores of spectacular reservoirs. In particular, the Blue Lake Hotel offers its services of national hospitality with the soul of Kabardino-Balkaria.
Shadhurey
Named after the nearest settlement, the Upper and Lower Shadhurei lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria are known as places of special energy and amazing beauty. The original name has the meaning “round whirlpool”, which is completely true: along with Tserek-Kel, Upper Shadhurey is the second deepest lake in Kabardino-Balkaria, the exact depth of which is also unknown, but according to the assumptions of local residents it reaches more than three hundred meters.
Tambukan
The lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria are organically complemented by Tambukan - a real treasury of aesthetic and health pleasure, characterized by its impressive size and venerable age. The abundance of medicinal mud, actively used in local medicine, owes its origin to the vital activity of many microorganisms.
Bylym Lake
Lake Bylym in Kabardino-Balkaria differs from the vast majority in its artificial origin. Formed as a result of the construction of a dam, it served for some time as a storage facility for waste from the mining complex. To date, the enterprise has ceased its activities, but the waters of the lake are still full of harmful elements such as tungsten and molybdenum. However, this factor does not diminish the dizzying beauty of the reservoir, which attracts entire tourist groups to its shores.
The location of the lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria in places where there are practically no permanent settlements contributed to their preservation in their original form and made them a truly vivid experience in the life of every tourist. Definitely, these pristine bodies of water, full of unsolved mysteries, are worth admiring.
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Mountain lakes are the most important attractions of Kabardino-Balkaria. The most famous of them are the karst Blue Lakes. There are five of them in total.
This is a natural monument of the republic, a recreational area, a tourist attraction that is a must-see.
Bottomless Lower Blue Lake
First of all, we looked at the most visited and most beautiful Lower Blue Lake. The deepest lake in the North Caucasus, which is not accidentally called bottomless...
Small, the water surface is about two hectares. But the depth is amazing - 279 meters! Although no one knows for sure, these are approximate indicators based on instruments.
Locals call this lake Bottomless - Chirik-Kol. A real artesian well. The third deepest lake in Russia. But there are chances to become the second, and maybe the first...
The lower lake is not always blue. It changes its color depending on the weather. It can be blue, or maybe blue, turquoise, azure, green, blue-gray and even gray. We saw it silver, the color of mercury. The cold winter sky was simply reflected in the mirror of the water.
A mysterious, incredibly beautiful and frightening body of water... Many of the lake’s secrets have not yet been solved, although the lake has been studied for centuries. But it does not want to reveal its secrets to people.
Legends and secrets of the Lower Blue Lake
Previously, Balkars believed that the lake had no bottom. That’s why they called it the Bottomless Lake – Chirik-Kol.
Researchers have a version that the lake really has no bottom. And the bottom that the robots saw is, in fact, not the bottom at all. Just a bend, or more precisely, a bend in the bottom, under which an unknown depth is hidden...
It is also called Rotten or Stinking Lake. Such an unromantic name because it smells slightly of hydrogen sulfide.
The legend about the lake says that a fearless warrior, Bataraz, lived in these parts, who defeated a dragon that brought a lot of trouble to people. The dragon fell and created a hole in the ground, which was soon filled with the dragon's tears. So the monster lies at the bottom of the lake, spreading the smell of hydrogen sulfide and filling the lake with tears...
According to another legend, a flock of sheep belonging to the god of cattle breeders Aimush drowned in the lake. The herd was countless, covering all the surrounding mountains. But one day the leader, a golden-horned ram, jumped into the Bottomless Lake. And the whole herd disappeared after him into the depths...
These are legends. And there are real mysteries of the lake. No fish live in it. Only tiny gammarus crustaceans. But in the Upper Blue Lakes there are fish - trout, carp... Why don’t fish live in the Lower Lakes?
One of the main mysteries of the Lower Blue Lake is where the reservoir, located 809 meters above sea level, is replenished from.
No rivers or streams flow into the lake. At the same time, a river flows out with a daily volume of more than 77 thousand cubic meters of water.
Our children on the Lower Blue Lake
It is believed that there are underground springs in the lake. Or that it is even connected by underwater tunnels to the Upper Blue Lakes.
The respectful attitude of local residents towards Bottomless Lake is striking, as they never swim in the reservoir. Yes, the water is icy. But I saw mountain children swimming in icy mountain rivers.
They say there are whirlpools in the lake. Where are they here from?
Be that as it may, locals do not swim in Lower Blue Lake. They don’t even dare to wet their feet. What is this? Sacred fear of a sacred place? Or knowledge and understanding of some other things inaccessible to researchers of secrets?
Diving on the Lower Blue Lake
There are brave souls who violate the sanctity of the lake. Of course, these are not residents of the surrounding villages, but visiting divers.
Eat in Kabardino-Balkaria places that simply need to be visited by a person who is able to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature, enjoy amazing impressions, and remember what he saw for a long time. Of course, we will talk about five karst lakes in the Cherek region, called "Blue Lakes".
A group of lakes is located in the valley of the Cherek-Balkarsky River, which is about 30 km away. from the city of Nalchik. These places are already incredibly beautiful, but the Blue Lakes have made the Chereksky region of Kabardino-Balkaria famous throughout the world. The famous French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau studied the five Blue Lakes, by the way, without finding out the reliable depth of several lakes.
The group of Blue Lakes in the Cherek region can be divided into the Lower Lake (Tserik-Kol) and the Upper Blue Lakes. The upper ones include Western, Eastern, Secret and Sukhoye, and the lower ones include the Blue Lake itself.
Lower Blue Lake It is flowing, has a greenish tint and is located at an altitude of 809 meters above sea level. Tserik-Kol (otherwise known as Cherek-Kol) is such a beautiful and calm lake that local peoples have a legend about the formation of the lake. The story, passed down from mouth to mouth, says that this blue lake appeared when a dragon fell from the sky, defeated by the folk hero of the inhabitants of the North Caucasus.
Lower Blue Lake.
Another lake from the Blue Lakes group, called Kel-Ketchchen(which means “Leaking Lake” or “Dry”), is located in a deep basin east of the Lower Lake. The depth of the basin is 177 meters. Just like Tserik-Kol, this lake was formed due to karst processes. Previously, this gap was completely filled with water, but as a result of the shaking of the mountains, the lake disappeared and remained only at the bottom of the canyon. Kel-Ketchkhen is also often mentioned in various fairy tales and legends of the peoples of the North Caucasus.
Dry lake.
Upper Blue Lake is the third in the group, and is located north of Kel-Ketchchen in the same huge depression, but the reservoir itself is shallow (18 meters). This lake has low, gently sloping shores, which makes the descent easier for tourists. The upper blue lakes are also not deep.
The upper blue connected lakes are Western and Eastern.
Upper Blue Lakes, and these are 2 lakes - Eastern And Western, also called Communicators. A dam was built between them, and water from the Eastern Lake flows into the Western Lake. The Eastern lake is larger and deeper than the Western one.
Secret lake.
The flora and fauna in these places is rich enough to look closely at every bush, tree or animal trace. In the lakes themselves, except Nizhny, there are trout, carp, grass carp and other fish. There are no fish in the Lower Lake due to constant seasonal fluctuations in inflow.
On the shores of the Lower Blue Lake there are several tourist centers and health centers, which will make your stay in these places easier. Getting to the Blue Lakes is relatively easy. Various travel companies often organize excursions to these areas to demonstrate the beauty of the five blue lakes. Tourist groups are recruited in Pyatigorsk, Nalchik and other cities of Kabardino-Balkaria. You can also get there on your own, using personal or shuttle transport that runs from Nalchik.
One of the most popular and beautiful places in Kabardino-Balkaria can be considered the Blue Lakes, which are located in the Chereksky district of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The group of blue lakes is a natural phenomenon, interesting not only for the CBD, but also on a national scale. The lakes belong to the group of reservoirs of karst origin and are located among beautiful nature - mountain deciduous forests and flowering subalpine fields. Above and below the lakes are sheer cliffs, and at the very bottom, at the bottom of the canyon, Cherek Balkarsky carries its waters with noise and roar.
BLUE LAKES
The first stop is at the most popular of the reservoirs - Lower Blue Lake. It is located directly next to the highway and is of greatest tourist interest.
The lake is called Tserik-Kol or Cherek-Kol. For a long time, the exact depth of the lake remained a mystery. Even Jacques Cousteau ⛵ could not reliably identify it. It is now known that the depth of the lake is 279 meters, although there are still crevices that lead lower, but the bathyscaphe could not squeeze through there, so the final depth of the Lower Blue Lake is not yet clear. This is the second deepest karst lake in the world, only Red Lake in Croatia is deeper (281 m). Karst is a hole in the rock, somewhat reminiscent of a well.
The color of the lake is variable. In clear weather it is soft blue, and in other weather conditions it changes to azure. The water is crystal clear, transparent, the walls of the lake can be seen to a depth of 22 m. The water surface of the lake is calm, it seems to have frozen, frozen in its mysterious, enigmatic beauty.
The shore of the lake is a real Balkar bazaar. Here you can buy souvenirs, knitted items, jewelry, toys and other things that tourists like so much.
Time for inspection: 30 minutes
Cherekskaya Gorge
The bus climbs the serpentine road to the tunnel in the Cherekskaya Gorge. A walk along the old road carved into a steep rock is the most exciting moment of the excursion. The enormity of the river's work is felt here. Behind the tunnel begins the path to the Zylgi fortress, clinging to a steep cliff like a swallow's nest. A whole defensive system created in the Middle Ages begins with the rock fortress; The Balkarov Tower, the Amir Khan Tower, the Kurnayat fortress, the keshen in the villages of Kurnayat and Shkanti and many other monuments open to tourists the distant world of the past, closed in the Rocky Range.
Upper Balkaria
Upper Balkaria, near the Russia/Georgia border, about 60 km from Nalchik. The village of Upper Balkaria is a combination of the harsh beauty of the Cherek Gorge, the mountain hospitality of the Balkars and the breath of antiquity, which is felt even before entering the village. But the most amazing sensations will wash over you when you find yourself at the confluence of two rivers - Cherek Balkarsky and Ishkirti. The tourism infrastructure in the village is not developed. However, Upper Balkaria is an attractive destination for tourists. A number of attractions of the republic are located here: architectural and natural monuments.
Time for inspection: 1 hour.
Aushiger Hot Springs
On the way to the Blue Lakes you can stop by the Aushiger hot spring.
The site is located on the southwestern outskirts of the village of Aushiger, on the right bank of the Kheu River, on the territory of the Aushiger sanatorium, 25 km from the city of Nalchik. The natural and climatic conditions of this area belong to the foothills of the republic with a temperate continental climate.
The place is distinguished by the presence of unique sources of nitrogen-thermal low-mineralized hot water on the territory of the health and recreation complex.
When designing a health and recreation complex, the fundamental task was to attract the maximum number of vacationers, regardless of their standard of living. At the moment, there is a fairly developed infrastructure on the basis of the Aushiger sanatorium, which includes a recreation, bathing and living area with a building for 100 people, a utility area with greenhouses and a juice bottling workshop, and a complex of engineering structures.
Arrival time: 40 min.
There is an additional fee for entrance to the springs: 100 rubles.
*Tour program and times are subject to change .