Blue Lakes. Blue Lakes (Kazan): photos, rest, tourist tips on how to get there

Abkhazia is popular place rest in summer season. Apart from warm sea, the country offers tourists to visit its unique natural and historical attractions. An example of them would be: Blue Lake, Lake Ritsa and Stalin's dacha. All of them are on the same route, so you can see them on a one day tour.

The area of the Blue Lake in Abkhazia is 180 square meters. meters. The maximum depth reaches 76 meters.

Blue Lake is located in the region of Mountainous Abkhazia on the territory of the Ritsa Relic National Park. The lake is famous and named for its unusually bright color of the water. Scientists explain its rich color with layers of the lapis lazuli mineral located at the bottom and walls of the reservoir. The brightness of the color does not change depending on the season and weather conditions. Due to its relatively small width and great depth daylight does not penetrate the water column. People looking into it create a feeling of turbidity, although this is not so.

The coast is very steep. Swimming here is not worth it. Interestingly, fish do not breed in it. There are no algae and phytoplankton. Also, it is not bound by ice in the winter season. It doesn't get hot in summer. Tourists who come to admire the lake note its calmness of the water, even despite the turbulent streams from Mount Akhtsykh that feed the reservoir. nearest major river- Fuck. She and the lake are on opposite sides from the road.

Excursions to the Blue Lake in Abkhazia

Due to its proximity to Lake Ritsa, almost all tourist buses passing through Blue Lake. It is not large, so they make a short stop for photo shoots here. Also, on the way to it, groups usually stop by waterfalls, of which there are a lot in Abkhazia. The tour is purchased both in the nearest cities - the resorts of Gagra and Pitsunda, and in Russian Sochi and Adler.

The cost starts from 750 rubles. There is an additional fee to enter the territory. national park- 350 rubles. On the site you can get acquainted with the options for excursions in Abkhazia from Sochi.

Infrastructure

The site for viewing the lake is quite small. Because of a large number tourists there is traffic jams of people and buses. Entrepreneurial Abkhazians installed a stuffed brown bear, with which you can take pictures. For the same purpose, live peacocks are brought here. On the shore of the lake there are rows of shops with food and souvenirs.

legends

Like many amazing sights of Abkhazia, the lake has many legends and tales. They love to tell locals and guides for all visiting tourists. Most often they are associated with its karst origin and try to explain the nature of the color of its water. One of the legends tells about the goddess Dzidzlan, who patronized the waters of these places. She had an extraordinary appearance and loved handsome men. Usually Dzidzlan lured them to her, and then released them with gifts.

One shepherd found out about this, who was lazy and ugly. For his own selfish purposes, he began to seek a meeting with her. To do this, the shepherd descended from the mountains and went to bed in a clearing near the stream. Intrigued, the goddess went to see who was so vainly seeking her. Seeing the ugly face of the man, she got angry and threw him on the ground. collapsed in that place underground cave into which the pure mountain river. This is how Blue Lake was born.

An even more tragic story is connected with an old man who lived on the site of the current reservoir. It is said that he devoted his whole life to hunting. In his old age, the hunter decided to move away from the villagers and lead a solitary life in quiet cave. Despite this, many young hunters came to him for advice. In gratitude, they left the skins and meat of dead animals.

On one of the rainy days, the good old man sheltered two robbers who pretended to be ordinary travelers. Seeing his wealth and gifts, they dealt with him. For this, nature terribly got even with the robbers by flooding the cave. Since then, the body of the old man has been resting at the bottom of the lake, and his Blue eyes give the waters their famous color.

How to get there

Getting to the Blue Lake is not difficult. It is located on the road leading to Lake Ritsa. You need to stop at about the 13th kilometer. What is good to go far from the road is not required. The reservoir is located almost next to the freeway, on the left hand side. The place is very popular, so you can use the services of travel agencies or get there on your own in a rented car.

From Gagra

If you leave the city center, you can get there without traffic jams in 40 minutes, moving along the Sukhumi highway E-60 and then turning near the village of Bzypta onto SH11. The total distance is about 30 kilometers.

From Pitsunda

The distance from Pitsunda is a little more. You will need to move to the northeast to the E60 highway. The journey will take less than an hour.

From Sochi and Adler

If you travel from Russian southern cities, you will have to cross the border with Abkhazia. The transition may take Extra time. For such a trip, it is better to plan the whole day and leave early in the morning.

During our car trip in Croatia, we were very impressed by the park - this is a truly unique place that you want to return to again and again. But who would have thought that there are similar lakes in Russia! On the outskirts of Kazan, there is a small system of lakes that are very similar to Plitvice, they have the same blue and pure water, and the nature of the reserve, located around, is in no way inferior to the Croatian landscapes. This place is called "Blue Lakes", in Tatar Zanggar kullar. The Blue Lakes in Kazan have been a natural monument since 1972, and the area around them is considered a protected area. Unfortunately, there are no numerous waterfalls here, as in Croatia, and there are only three lakes, but you can swim in them. 🙂 Like their foreign counterparts, the Blue Lakes of Kazan are karst failures that appeared in this place only 200 years ago.

Surprisingly, the Blue Lakes of Kazan do not have any tributaries that would feed them - all the water in them comes exclusively from underground sources. Perhaps that is why the water in the lakes is completely transparent.

At the bottom there is a lot of silt salt mud, which gives the lakes a unique emerald-blue hue, which, in fact, gave the name to the lakes. It is said that depending on the season, the color of the water changes from faint blue to almost black. In the first days of May, we found the water of an emerald hue.

As we have already said, there are only three lakes: Big, Small and Protochnoe. Sometimes Big Lake is also called Svetly Lake. It is easy to guess that it got its name due to its size. The depth of the Great Blue Lake ranges from 1 to 3 meters, but there are two large sinkholes with a depth of 6 and 18 meters. There are also two small waterfalls that flow from the lake into the Kazanka River.

Along the banks big lake there are changing rooms and special footbridges that allow you to swim. Moreover, swimming in the Blue Lakes in Kazan takes place all year round: in winter, there are some “walruses” here, and in summer, everyone else who wants to protect themselves from the summer heat. We, unfortunately, did not reach the Big Lake, but we looked at the flowing and small Blue Lakes, since it is much more convenient to get to them. Information on how to get to the Blue Lakes can be found at the very end of the article.

Small Blue Lake is much smaller in area than Big Lake, its depth varies from 1 to 4 meters. There are also changing rooms and bathing bridges, which are used almost all year round. We were at the Blue Lakes of Kazan in the first days of May, the air temperature was slightly above 20 degrees, and the water temperature was not higher than 5-6 degrees, but there were a lot of swimmers.

Small Blue Lake

Cabins at Blue Lake

Flowing Blue Lake is much smaller and has an elongated shape. They say that the water in it is a couple of degrees warmer than in the Small and Big, but the same turquoise.

Flowing Blue Lake

Vacationers on the Blue Lake

Flowing Blue Lake

All Blue Lakes are located in the territory protected area, the Kazanka River flows nearby - in general, beauty and beautiful place for a pleasant pastime.

Blue lakes in Kazan - how to get there

The most convenient way to get to the Small and Protochnoye Blue Lakes is by car. You need a bypass road of the M7 highway near the village of Shcherbakov.

Hello friends! Blogger Kazanets is in touch. Recently I learned the zen of the blue lake… for 3 weeks in a row with my friend Ilyas we go swimming in the morning. We wake up an alarm clock around 4 am and banzai. ;)

There is not a single day that you would remember how cool it was to watch TV all day ...

Movement, buzz, drift, extreme, travel are remembered ...

Today is August 15th… and it’s the 19th consecutive day of swimming in the blue lake at dawn… If I had known such a person six months ago, who own will gets up at 4 a.m. and goes for a swim in ice-cold water ... a diagnosis of "crazy" would be the most harmless. :)

August is a special month for me in terms of movement ... what is the first parachute jump worth .. in August I became a vegetarian, I haven’t eaten meat for 2 years ... Yes, absolutely ... And chicken too ... No, I don’t eat fish either ... Yes I'm an alien :)

Well, in addition, I went to crossfit. Today will be the 5th revival of the Phoenix Trinity.

Video about the blue lake and how to get there - see the bottom of the article.

I was on the big one for the first time this time, when we went on the first day along Dublgis. At first we thought that we were lost, but as it turned out, everything was fine and full of fun.

big blue lake

1. Honestly .. I didn’t know about the big one ... and as many thought that there was only one lake - a small one. Let's go by car. We were in the center at 5 a.m. in the morning. There is emptiness on the roads, like “rush hour” in the USSR ... the main thing is to catch the “green wave” ...

2. On the first day, the navigator took us to the Big Blue Lake. We drove to the village. Kadyshevo.

3. It was a drop dead morning ... I wanted to eat and sleep to the fullest to enjoy the morning rays of the sun ... Last time at 4 in the morning I fully got up even under Gorbachev ..

4. At this sign, we steer to the right ...

5. According to local signs, we get to a small parking lot next to the cottages. And we switch the mode to the VAZ 210 on foot.

6. After this waterfall, you need to keep to the right of the reservoir all the time.

7. Here begins a network of lakes with an uneven, soulless path ...

Yes… mosquitoes don't have a soul.. here they are some kind of demons of hell.. they were already running on the way back.

8. Follow this path to a large tree and turn left. Further across the bridge ... and you are there.

9. As it turned out, we were not the first to come here ... a duck a la "Bruce Willis" swims alone without looking back ...

10. Shepherd Alma as an aroma control at the entrance to the bridge ... By the way, compared to the small one, this is a wild ... less well-equipped. Although there are more people here, at least in the morning.

11. And here is the big blue one itself ... it has a karst origin, the date of formation is 200 years ago. The color of the water is determined by blue silt mud. Depth - 18 meters, water temperature + 4C all year round. To say that it’s cold is a blatant lie… If your hardening record before that was “ate 2 ice creams in a row while lightly tapping your teeth…” or “went without a hat in the winter” — then it will be tin as cold… :)

In short, in my first run, I could only plunge headlong and fly out of the water, as if I had been dipped into liquid nitrogen with my lower back ...

12. But cold is relative. See the man in the background?!... He's already playing around for the 3rd round)

13. And the catch is that every time you swim further and further... but there are those who do not know what the temperature is there... read on...

14. The story was told by the locals.. Tajik hard workers came here... they see people bathing... well, one undressed, smile from ear to ear.. sparkles in all 3 and a half teeth... came up from the edge of the bridge and dived straight from it...

A cry of childish surprise, obscenities… besides, it began to choke) fortunately they pulled the poor fellow out… and he came to his room for a few more minutes and asked, “What was that?”… So, be careful.

In the photo above, the water is green... you might ask - why the hell is it blue if it's green?)) it's only near the shore... see photos 11 and 12.

Well, we are moving on to the small ...

small blue lake

This lake is ennobled and more famous. Out of 19 days, 16 went here. Here it is psychologically easier to start your hardening:

Firstly, the depth is much less… only 4 meters… :) and you can see the bottom.
Secondly, the distance between the berths is a couple of times to stumble.
Thirdly, mosquitoes are much more politically correct here.

Well, if it’s on business, it’s just more comfortable and beautiful here (perhaps due to the fact that the bottom of the turquoise color is visible). IMHO.

15. This time we went through the M7 highway. The time from my house is about 40 minutes.

16. Immediately after the bridge in the direction of about. Sviyazhsk has parking, check-in down at your own risk under the "brick". So it's better to park here and keep walking...

17. Travel time to the small lake is about 15 minutes. There is a reason for this - the body will warm up and entering the water (in case you are not “bunnies” with cameras, but at least head-dipping beavers) will not be as painful as without warming up ...

18. After the descent there will be an information sign - "State nature reserve regional significance of the complex profile”. THIS RESERVE… has been protected by the state since 1972. There will be a photo about this in the garden for the pigs, who at least “oink” at this.

20. I'll tell you a little about landmarks ... here's the first wooden sculpture- 3 pole sign

21. I took a picture of myself on goprokha ... ;)

23. Water flow from the Flowing Lake. Cm. next photo.

24. The flow system is equipped with 2 bridges. In my opinion, those who are too lazy to go for a little swim here. And by the way, here sometimes they arrange such a trash can that you go nuts. Such freaks run. I have a question for such pigs: Piggy pig pig pig pig pig? .. Do not think that I know the language of pigs - I just used Google translator.

25. Beaver they don't care ...

26. Well, God bless them ... this rarely happens on the small .. you have to clean up ...

A drop of negativity in the article will dilute this photo "portal" ...

27. Also along the way there will be a tree leaning across the path.

28. On the right side of the path is the Kazanka River, into which the waters from the lakes flow.

29. And here it is - a small blue lake ..

30. Unlike the big one, you can see the bottom here and how the underwater springs are beating. By the way, this is the uniqueness of the lakes, as they feed exclusively groundwater.

31. In the background is a wooden sculpture of a Mermaid.. See the tree leaning over the water?! Yogis come here on Mondays...there's this guy who's always jumping straight from the top. Those. he climbs onto the extreme branch, as can be seen in the photo. This is a frame ... Watch the video at the end of the article;)

32. I like this lake more… the water temperature is the same +4. Depth is about 4 meters. Blue clay at the bottom. Mirror surface and magnifying glass effect.. the distance to the bottom seems to be less than it actually is. Everything here is ennobled… bridges, comfortable stairs, benches, locker rooms, a trash can, which is constantly cleaned by workers…

33. These birds are often seen. Che-t I did not understand who it is ... maybe you know? Write in the comments.

34. I saw a woodpecker a couple more times ... and once a huge snake :)

How to get to the blue lake in Kazan?

35. Here the question is as follows ... there are 2 blue lakes - Big and Small. They are both cool and located close to each other.

Driving is 100 times easier. I advise you to go here only by car, no public transport... because the buzz turns into torment ..

It turns out that you don’t have to go far for a unique natural complex (although, who cares). Please - the Republic of Tatarstan, the outskirts of Kazan, Blue Lakes.

This is a group of three lakes: Big, Small and Protochnoe, which flow into the Kazanka. The lakes do not have their own tributaries. They are fed by springs gushing out of the ground, because of this, the water temperature is almost unchanged all year round at 3-5 ° C. Therefore, the lakes are not covered with ice in winter.

And all three lakes are united common name: Blue Lakes. Why are they called that? Because the bottom of the lakes is covered with greenish-blue silt mud.

Mud of the Blue Lakes of Kazan have a smell rotten eggs, probably, bacteria that produce hydrogen sulfide live in them. Even Karl Fuchs, when describing the Blue Lakes, noticed that these muds can be useful. Today they are widely used for recreational purposes.

In addition to mud, water is also used for medicinal purposes. The water is rich in mineral salts of potassium and calcium. Basically, it is CaSO4. Because of the salt content, the water tastes bitter. It is better not to drink it, otherwise you will earn kidney stones by old age, and if you drink often, you will not have to wait until old age.

The lakes are the oxbow lakes of Kazanka, plus, at a certain stage of formation, karst failures formed, the earth went under the water along with the trees. Until now, the remains of the trunks of these trees stick out from the bottom.

The water in the lake is visually unusually clear - you can see the bottom. The effect of refraction works wonders: it seems that you can literally reach the bottom with your hand, although the depth there is decent, this is due to the transparency of the water.

The blue lakes of Kazan and the adjacent territory have the status reserve. If my memory serves me, there was a question in the GIA, in order to answer it, it was necessary to know the differences between reserve And nature reserve. So here it is reserve differs from the reserve in that in the reserve EVERYTHING, absolutely EVERYTHING is under protection and it is impossible to “touch” it. IN reserve only some species, sites, groups are under protection.

There are no fish in the Blue Lakes of Kazan, the water is salty and cold, it does not allow. But once there was a pike. And the most interesting thing: the pike from the lake could not live in the river. And the pike from the river died in the lake. And hello again, grandfather and his theory of the origin of species. It is quite possible that when the lakes separated from the Kazanka, the fish adapted to the new environmental conditions: low temperature, salinity. And lost the ability to live in river water. This physiological isolation- it is quite possible that formed the new kind. Which, unfortunately, is dead. Most likely due to withdrawal. It is sad. Too late made a reserve.

But the Blue Lakes of Kazan did not remain lifeless. The lakes are inhabited by:

Outwardly, it really has some resemblance to a scorpion: a long tail, forelimbs resemble claws. Mimicry is characteristic of Nepa cinerea. His body is like a withered leaf. He lives and hunts in thickets, among which, thanks to such appearance, Nepa cinerea goes unnoticed. Compared to the milky-white planaria, the common water scorpion is a restored species, that is, it is no longer “rare” and does not die out, but is still under protection. Just like the milky white planaria, it is sensitive to water quality.

Another insect: butterfly mourning house. Of course, it lives not in the lakes themselves, but near them. The butterfly received this name because the color is dark, as if mourning. Like Nepa cinerea, it is considered a restored species. Listed in the Red Book of the Smolensk region.

golden bee-eater- a bright, beautiful bird. Has a wide habitat. The bird is migratory and spends the winter in Africa.

The golden bee-eater feeds on insects of the order Hymenoptera, such as bees, hence the second name of the bird, the beekeeper. For taste preferences, the golden bee-eater is unloved by beekeepers.

Greater Spotted Eagle- an endangered species of the hawk family.

Listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. This area is ideal for the Greater Spotted Eagle. He likes to live near water bodies, as he feeds on water voles and frogs, which are represented here in sufficient numbers. The big eagle builds nests in trees. Migratory view. Often uses the same nest more than once.

The Blue Lakes are a place of “pilgrimage” for “walruses”, not only in winter, but also in summer. The water temperature is the same all year round. The lakes also attract the attention of divers. This is perfect place for diving: good visibility, the ability to check the equipment under extreme conditions (yes, here they are quite extreme). And divers even have a tradition: each New Year they put a decorated Christmas tree on the bottom of the Big Blue Lake!

But swimming does not have a very favorable effect on the ecological state of the lakes. Silt rises from the bottom, the water becomes cloudy. Animals inhabiting the reservoir suffer from jumping into the water.

At the beginning of the article, I said that the Blue Lakes of Kazan are a unique natural complex. To summarize, what is the uniqueness of this place:

1) Constant water temperature all year round.

2) Transparency and composition of water. It is close in salt content to the sea.

3) Therapeutic silt mud.

4) The presence of rare animals.

And of course the fact that the place is unusually beautiful.

But the more popular this wonderful place becomes, the more it ceases to be wonderful.

People come to the lakes and litter. Friends, this is not good. Let's not pollute nature. Clean up after yourself, do not throw any nonsense into the water, do not destroy the ecosystem.

Despite all the measures of environmentalists, ordinary people and governments, the Blue Lakes of Kazan are experiencing negative human impacts. This is both pollution and direct harm to the inhabitants of the area. Now there are fewer and fewer such islands of pure, one might say virgin nature. This is a sad fact. After all, nature is what we live in, it is our environment, no matter how much a person separates from it. We depend on it, and we depend more than it might seem at first glance. And the duty of our generation is to preserve and restore nature, not to let it die like this. unique places like Blue Lakes. After all, there are plenty of them all over the country. Every year they lose their "naturalness" and uniqueness. Forests are cut down, swamps are drained. Of course, "after us at least a flood." But the "flood" will not be after us, but before - it is already beginning. And it is in our power to stop it, it is in our power to save nature.

Among the natural attractions of Tatarstan, one of the main places is the Blue Lakes. This is the name of the complex consisting of three lakes located 20 kilometers from Kazan. The same name is given to the natural reserve, which covers the territory adjacent to the reservoirs.

The area of all three lakes is 0.3 hectares, and total area reserve - 1910 hectares.

This natural monument in 1994 received the status of a reserve. Big Blue, Small Blue and Flowing lakes are reservoirs karst origin formed here about two centuries ago.

The lakes got their name not by chance, the water here is really blue, due to its sulfate composition. Since these reservoirs are fed by underground springs and have no tributaries, the water here is simply crystal clear (visibility is up to 40 meters). The light of the lanterns easily shines through the water on great depth, which makes the lakes an attractive place for fans of night diving. Fans of water hardening have also chosen these places, since the water temperature in the Blue Lakes does not exceed +8 ° C.

For the unique beauty and medicinal properties these lakes were nicknamed the "Pearl of Kazan". After all, d but reservoirs are covered with a thick layer of silty salt mud, rich in potassium, sulfates and other minerals, which attracts Blue lakes people who want to improve their health. You can get treated with local mud in the nearby sanatorium "Krutushka".

You can visit the lake throughout the year, at any time of the day. But it is recommended to come here in summer or winter, as the roads can be dirty in the off-season. IN May holidays there are usually a lot of people.

Big Blue Lake

The average depth of this lake, which in the old days was called Svetly, does not exceed three meters. However, the presence of two sinkholes, has made this lake a favorite place for divers and "walruses" (fans of winter swimming).

The depth of one of the funnels - Big Depths, reaches 18 meters, Malaya Abyss - 6 meters.

Rest on the Blue Lake of Kazan

Diving on the Great Blue Lake is extremely popular. The lake is equipped with special bridges for diving, and thanks to the crystal clear water, the bottom of the reservoir can be explored to the smallest detail. On the Big Blue Lake, diving and winter swimming trainings are regularly held among visitors and local federations of Kazan. One of the most striking events is the celebration of the New Year here, with the immersion of a decorated Christmas tree and drinking champagne under water.

Fans of studying vegetation and living creatures will find a lot of interesting things here. About a hundred different trees and shrubs grow in the forest, and there are many frogs, snakes and beavers near the coast. Also here you can see the water scorpion, listed in the Red Book. The lake is famous for its variety of amphibians and insects, so if you plan to visit the reservoir in the summer, then you should stock up on mosquito repellents. Unfortunately, there are no fish here. Attempts to “populate” the reservoir artificially did not bring results, since the water in the lake is salty and cold.

Lake in winter

In cold weather, the water does not freeze, which makes the reservoir a center of attraction for local and visiting lovers of extreme swimming. The water temperature in winter remains almost the same as in summer.

Small Blue and Flowing lakes

The Small and Protochnoe lakes are more accessible than the Big Blue and are a very popular holiday destination. Many associate the name "Blue Lake" (in the singular) with the Small. Small Blue and flowing lake smaller in area than the Big Blue Lake, their depth reaches 4 meters. The territory here is also equipped for diving - there are special walkways and changing cabins. For those who just want to look and relax, there are benches and wooden gazebos. lovers hiking you will like the winding paths immersed in greenery.

Small and Protochnoe lakes have drains into the Kazanka River. One of them is in the form of a waterfall. Therefore, hikers will appreciate not only winding paths immersed in greenery, but also small ponds that are fed by drains.

How to get to the Blue Lakes

By car, you need to go to the M7 highway (Kazan bypass road), and move along it to the 808th kilometer. If you need to get to the Big Blue Lake, then you need to move out behind the bridge over the Kazanka River. If on the Small and Flowing Lakes - then in front of the bridge. Near the lake there is a good paved, but free and unguarded parking lot. You can’t drive close to the lakes, so you have to leave the car at the side of the road or in the parking lot and walk along the trail.

Route from Kazan by car - Google Maps

The easiest way for city guests to get to the lakes is to order a taxi using popular applications: Yandex. Taxi, Uber, Gett, Maxim.

You can also rent a car or find fellow travelers on blablacar.ru.

How to get there by bus

From the metro station "Northern Station", from the stop "Ulitsa Gavrilova" bus number 40 runs.
From the metro station "Aviastroitelnaya", from the stop "Ulitsa Pobezhimova" take bus number 20

You need to go in the direction of the village of Shcherbakovo, then you can follow the signs to reach the lakes.

Between the Big and Small lakes there is a dirt pedestrian and bicycle path that runs along the mouth of the Kazanka River.