Salt lake Baskunchak and Mount Bogdo. Mount Bogdo and salt lake Baskunchak (Astrakhan region). Excursion to Mount Bogdo
Taking this opportunity, last week I took a couple of days off, added it to the weekend and went to visit good friend to Astrakhan - to extend your summer, eat watermelons, swim in the Volga and enjoy the temperature of +35 degrees. There are enough impressions in this short time, but to put it briefly, it is hot, dusty and flat there.
I’ll tell you more about Astrakhan itself, and first, about a trip to the very north of the region to Mount Bogdo and the salt lake Baskunchak, the name of which has been firmly ingrained in my brain since school geography lessons. The mountain is only 150 meters high, but by local standards it’s just Everest, and it offers stunning views of the Steppe. Naturally, it was categorically impossible to miss the opportunity to climb somewhere, even in the conditions of the Astrakhan semi-desert.
In fact, the entire territory of the Astrakhan region is one large flat plain, which in some places even falls below sea level. There are no trees, hot sun, sand, dust and endless steppe roads.
Also, the Astrakhan gas processing plant is not smoking like a child.
All the police this weekend were concentrated in the city, where Oilman's Day took place, as well as the search for a group of Astrakhan partisans who had recently shot four patrols. Therefore, the speed on the highways was controlled by nanotechnological robocops.
Sometimes I came across very serious comrades
Along the highways they sell either meat or fish, as well as watermelons and melons...
And the local cows don’t pay any attention to the cars at all, constantly creating emergency situations.
We drove like this for two hours, and the landscape outside the window hardly changed. But at some point, like a mirage, Mount Bogdo appeared from the haze
The temptation to rush to it directly through the steppe was great, but we decided not to tempt fate and drove along the “normal” bypass road. It turned out to be a gravel embankment several tens of kilometers long.
It’s impossible to drive along it quickly, and it’s a pity for the car, so 20 meters from the road is coming a knurled track right across the steppe. Here it is - somewhat reminiscent of the African savannah.
In search of Lake Baskunchak we came to the lake of the same name locality, which, surprisingly, looked like an ordinary village in the Vladimir region.
As soon as we entered the village, two Kazakh children immediately ran up from somewhere and began vying with each other to assure us that only they could show the way to the lake and Mount Bogdo, and we ourselves would not find it and would get lost. We decided to take them on as guides, and at the same time give them the opportunity to earn a little extra money.
They decided not to go to the lake - there was a very complex logistics chain to get to a place where swimming was “allowed”, so they didn’t waste time and went straight to the mountain, especially since it was already very close.
Upon arrival, it turned out that the mountain and the entire surrounding steppe are a nature reserve, entry into which is prohibited.
The issue of entry was resolved by issuing a “ticket” for 140 rubles per person, and now we are already at the entrance to Bogdo.
To get to the top, you have to overcome a fairly steep climb up the steps. Although not high, it was quite difficult in the wild heat.
But once you go up, the view of the white Baskunchak is simply mesmerizing
We can say that this is our Dead Sea - it is located at a level of minus 21 meters relative to the world ocean. Baskunchak is a kind of depression on the top of a salt mountain, whose base extends thousands of meters deep into the earth and is covered with a thickness of sedimentary rocks.
Salt began to be mined there back in the 8th century, and now it accounts for up to 80% of all Russian production. If you look closely, you can see in the photo the railway line that runs right along the lake.
The lake is fed mainly by springs. Numerous springs flow into it, bringing more than 2.5 thousand tons of salts into the lake during the day. A virtually inexhaustible resource.
You look in any direction and you are amazed.
And our guides are frolicking around
People have always liked this place
The way back
Take another look at the lake...
And again down the stairs to the car
Gradually the weather began to deteriorate, and the long-awaited rain began to fall. And along with the rain came the understanding that Astrakhan horses are as fearless as cows.
Astrakhan region famous for the fact that in the area of the modern village of Selitrennoe there was once the capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu, where Russian princes went for a label for the great reign. Now all that remains of Sarai is a settlement, which is being actively excavated by archaeologists, but this does not prevent the military-historical festival “Itil Coast” from being regularly held in this area, which attracts military-historical freaks from all over the country.
Like any similar event, the festival turned out to be quite an interesting spectacle.
There are a lot of pictures from there, so there will be a separate story about this medieval rubilov.
The day after tomorrow I am flying to Ashgabat under the pretext of reading lectures at the Turkmen branch of the Russian State University of Oil and Gas named after. Gubkin, but in reality - to take advantage of the rare opportunity to see one of the most closed countries in the world. I think I will definitely bring back a lot of interesting things from there.
Lake Baskunchak- This salt lake in the Astrakhan region(Akhtubinsky district), which, together with the nearby Mount Bogdo, an anomalous zone.
The area of the lake is 115 km², the distance from it to Caspian Sea — almost 300 km, and to the Volga - 50 km. Since the 90s of the last century, it has been organized Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky State Reserve.
The lake and its surroundings are place of pilgrimage for tourists who are attracted here healing salt water : thanks to the high concentration of salts, a person can lie freely on the surface of the lake without making any effort.
The lake has a whole range of healing factors:
- Deposits of medicinal clays(similar in composition and usefulness to the mud of the Dead Sea), thanks to which it is possible to take mud baths and swim in brine;
- Healing air, containing bromine and phytoncides in high concentrations.
People who come to Baskunchak to improve their health get rid of many ailments, such as diseases of the musculoskeletal system, nervous system, skin diseases and many others.
Many people who have visited Baskunchak note special energy present in this space. Perhaps this is due to unique geological structure lakes.
Baskunchak is special a depression at the top of a salt mountain that goes thousands of meters underground, covered with sedimentary rocks.
Since ancient times in Baskunchak mined salt. It is interesting that, unlike many other salt deposits, Baskunchak can restore lost supplies due to the natural introduction of salts from the springs that feed the lake. Many centuries mining salt was hard, backbreaking labor: the only tools of the salt pans were a shovel and a pound of ice, with the help of which people, standing waist-deep in salty water that corroded their skin, loosened the salt plates and loaded the salt onto carts.
Camels transported the extracted salt, as horses could not withstand the harsh conditions.
Forty thousand workers worked in Baskunchak, providing over 25% of the salt production of the Russian Empire.
After visiting Baskunchak, you should definitely visit on Mount Bogdo (height 149 meters above sea level), located on south coast lakes. This hill is the only mountain of natural origin in the Caspian lowland.
Eat many legends about the origin of the amazing Mount Bogdo, rising alone above the steppe. According to one of them, living in these places hero, who was herding sheep, decided that he needed a mountain to watch his flock. He went to the Urals and carried a huge mountain on his shoulders. However, approaching Baskunchak, the hero wanted to take a pinch of salt into his mouth; He bent over and was crushed by his burden. The mountain remained standing at this place, and the blood of the hero stained the earth around in red.
Especially Bogdo is beautiful in spring, when its entire surface is decorated with carpets of multi-colored tulips. The mountain is also famous mystical sounds reminiscent of singing. They arise due to many small caves, piercing the Bogdo rock massif, and the winds blowing in these parts. There are folk legends according to which in these caves The legendary Stenka Razin hid his treasures.
For Kalmyks, professing Buddhism, Bogdo - sacred mountain, This is exactly how its name is translated. This place was revered as guardian of the souls of the dead.
Buddhists prayed on the slopes of the mountain and in a special prayer house, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. It is believed that in order to To recharge with the energy of the mountain and strengthen your strength, you need to lie on its soil.
According to psychics, Bogdo and Baskunchak are places of power. Here repeatedly UFOs have been observed.
The easiest way to get to Baskunchak and Bogdo is from Akhtubinsk by using a minibus.
June 22nd, 2013
Lake Baskunchak and Mount Bogdo are the main objects of the Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky Nature Reserve, which attracted my attention for photography. In addition, they are located in relative proximity to Moscow, and therefore it will take a little time and money to get to them and thoroughly inspect everything.
The first time I went there was in September 2010. The Moscow-Makhachkala train attracted me with its convenient departure and arrival times and the cheapness of its tickets. However, after staying there there was an unpleasant aftertaste. Creepy
there is dirt and dust in the carriage, the passengers are Caucasian faces. After the train departed, the gloomy and unsmiling conductor doomedly dragged a dirty gray bag along the floor, from which, with sweeping movements, she scattered the same gray and damp bed linen to all the passengers. Fortunately, the journey is not long, but on my next trips in this direction I still preferred another train - Moscow-Astrakhan.
The stop I need is Verkhniy Baskunchak, from here to Astrakhan it’s a few more hours by train. At first glance, the roadside village seemed quite neat and clean. Not far from the station there is a small market where you can buy various smoked fish, which I took advantage of on the way back.
A local taxi driver drove me in 20 minutes to the village of Nizhny Baskunchak, where I planned to spend several days. I settled in a hotel, a small 2-story building, with rooms of varying levels of comfort. There is a split system, which is important during the hot season. The only inconvenience is that the toilet, shower, and kitchen are located separately at the end of the corridor. Considering that at this time of year there are practically no people staying at the hotel, I could use all these benefits unlimitedly.
A hundred meters from the hotel there is a sanatorium-preventorium "Bassol", where I hastened to check in. After a short check and conversation with the doctor, a 4-day wellness plan was drawn up for me. From early morning I was treated to mud wraps, a halochamber - a salt cave, a carbon dioxide bath, hydromassage, and a general massage. The daytime was devoted to exploring the village and its surroundings. In the evening - swimming in the brine brine of Lake Baskunchak. Having reached the hotel, I fell on the bed in pleasant exhaustion and fatigue.
The village is small and the proximity of the salt lake determined the names of its establishments - the Solyanik cultural center, the Solonochka cafe... The museum is quite good, it has many interesting exhibitions dedicated to the history of salt mining and the nature of the area. 
The lake is located a 20-minute walk from the village. On the road to it there are areas with wooden posts sticking out of the salt - traces of salt mining that took place here long ago. 
The salt crust in the coastal part of the lake is quite strong and can withstand the weight of a person. Beneath it is healthy and healing mud, with a complex of macro- and microelements. The further from the coast, the thicker the layer of salt. Railway rails are laid right across the salt, and trains with wagons regularly travel along them, to the mine site and back to the village. In the village itself, the brought salt goes to the Bassol plant, where it is brought to marketable condition. The gaps in the lake left after industrial mining are filled with concentrated brine - brine, you can swim in it, but not for long - after all, the salt concentration is very high. In such a body of water you can also calmly lie on the surface without fear of drowning. 
Lake Baskunchak is the largest among European and Russian salt lakes. It has an elongated shape, its length reaches 18 kilometers, width - 10-12 kilometers, total area is more than 100 square kilometers. It is a small depression - a kind of crater of a salt mountain that arose in the Triassic, more than 200 million years ago. 
The thickness of the salt deposits reaches 10-18 meters, the thickness of the surface brine - a saturated aqueous solution of salt - varies from several centimeters to a meter. In the composition of lake salt, sodium chloride, or table salt, accounts for over 90% of the composition, the rest is other mineral salts: halite, bromine, iodine, and fluorine salts. A lot of similar beneficial salts are also found in salt mud. Local population and “wild” tourists take advantage of this for their recovery - they smear themselves with healing mud and take short-term brine baths. It turns out to be a kind of sanatorium under open air, for which you don't have to pay...
The surrounding area of the salt lake is a saline desert that does not have much diversity of life. Its formation is largely related to the climate of the area where the lake is located. Sharp daily changes in temperature and air humidity, hot and dry summers, winters with little snow - these are the main indicators weather conditions. A salt marsh is a lifeless gray-brown land around a lake on which salt crystallizes. Salt covers the banks and beds of dry streams with a blinding snow-white cover. 
But still, on the salt marshes you can find some plant species that have adapted to the harsh living conditions. These are halophytes - salt-loving plants that cannot imagine their life without salt crystals. The appearance of these plants is unusual because they have to extract moisture from salty soil.
The most common inhabitants of typical salt marshes are saltworts and saltworts. These plants are small, have jointed, fleshy stems and tiny leaves with high stored water content. Plants absorb water from saline soils due to the increased osmotic pressure of cell sap, with maximum water consumption occurring in spring and autumn, when the soil contains less salts. Many salt marsh plants are characterized by seasonal coloring; they are yellow-green in spring and summer, and acquire a brown-crimson color in the fall. 
Two kilometers from the southwestern shore of the lake there is another local celebrity - Mount Big Bogdo.
The mountain is small in size, reaching no more than 200 meters in height. However, this is the only mountain rising in the steppe surroundings of the salt lake. It is clearly visible from afar and serves as an excellent landmark in the endless steppe. 
The western slope of the mountain is long and gentle, the eastern slope is steep and steep. It is the eastern slope that is most interesting to explore. Here, in the cliffs of the mountain, layers of earth rocks come to the surface - layers of red-brown and blue clays, gray limestones, sandstone and crystalline gypsum. Overlapping each other, the rocks create a bizarre palette of colors. 
All layers of rocks differ from each other in their chemical composition; among the elements that make up the rock are brown iron ore, lead, copper ore, native sulfur, quartz and jasper. There are fossilized remains of animals that lived in the Triassic, during the formation of the mountain. Hidden under thick layers of sedimentary rock is a giant monolith of rock salt - the remains of a once-existing sea. In the mountain itself and in the small rocks surrounding it there are numerous caves, voids, and grottoes. They all have the gift of singing. All it takes is a breeze to wander across the steppe, and the mountains begin to play their unassuming melody. It is unstable and depends on the strength and direction of the wind. 
Mount Bogdo has long been considered a sacred place in which the spirits of the mountains and the souls of the dead should be worshiped. Sacred Buddhist rites are still performed here, for which religious pilgrims and a Buddhist lama come from Kalmykia. In general, several legends are associated with this mountain. According to one of them, the Dalai Lama, who came from Tibet, stayed here. To diversify the sparse steppe landscapes, he ordered two of his monks to bring from the Urals small mountain and place it in the middle of the steppe. However, in the last meters the monks lost their strength, and the mountain fell on them with all its weight. The red slopes of the mountain are supposedly the color of the blood of the holy brothers, and the nearby salt lake- the tears of the Dalai Lama who mourned them. According to another legend, Mount Bogdo arose from a sacred stone brought to the steppe by wandering Kalmyks from the distant Tien Shan mountains. There is another name for the mountain - Arslan-ola, which translated from Kalmyk means “Lion Mountain”. The mountain received this name for its great external resemblance to a lying lion. The mountain has a younger namesake - Small Bogdo, which is much lower in height (only 37 meters), and it is located several tens of kilometers from Big Bogdo, on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Like Lake Baskunchak, Mount Bogdo is also surrounded by semi-desert and saline soils, rich in easily soluble salts, with steppe and semi-desert plant species that can tolerate low moisture and salinity.
Depending on the season, plants colorfully transform foothill landscapes. In April-May, tulips bloom, cinquefoils, astragalus, sage, and sweet clover bloom - the steppe becomes elegant. Closer to autumn, the grains and wormwood burn out and the steppe takes on a golden hue. 
You can get to Mount Bogdo from the village along the only road laid across the steppe. True, in a small village it is quite problematic to find a car, but it is possible. At the checkpoint of the reserve, for a small bribe - an environmental fee, you find yourself in the vicinity of the mountain and walk 4 km along a winding steppe road past small singing rocks to the mountain itself. From its height, of course, a fantastic view opens up - a bizarre palette of colors of open rocks, a blinding white salt lake and endless steppe. 
I had the opportunity to visit the mountain and its surroundings at different times of the year. Each of them is beautiful in its own way. In winter - the transparent brine of the ice-free lake and the red and white rocks of Bogdo, in the spring - blooming wild tulips, in the autumn - yellow-brown brine and the golden steppe.
Spring in the steppe is, of course, the brightest period of the year, the time of awakening for tulips. Their delicate flowers open, turning the steppe into a colorful carpet. The first types of tulips to bloom are the two-flowered tulip, and a little later the Bieberstein tulips open their buds. The flowering period ends with rare and larger Schrenk tulips. The brightly colorful expanses of the steppe and the air filled with an ethereal aroma leave indelible memories... 
One spring evening it was decided to go out into the wide Astrakhan steppes to look at the salt lakes.
Baskunchak was chosen, which is a local tourist mecca. With all the consequences. It is quite possible to swim in the lake itself, although it is difficult, since it is almost a dead sea and the water actively resists your presence in it. It is very, very picturesque in a Martian way, due to the fact that the soil is red.
We set up camp late at night, we didn’t even understand where we were standing and how far it was from the lake. The navigator assured us that we had been in the water for a long time. We woke up in the morning to the barking of a dog, we were disturbed by the local watchman - it turns out that we are standing in a closed area. Later it turned out that almost the entire shore surrounding the lake was privatized by some cunning organizations.
Baskunchak 1 is not a completely wild place, you won’t be alone here - there are traces of people everywhere: railway, stretched along the entire lake, wooden poles with wires, the most important and important thing is that they sell refrigerator magnets with the image of this wonderful lake. The thing is that table salt is mined on an industrial scale on the lake. And they promote Baskunchak as a tourist attraction. Here you are for some crazy money on very strange vehicles, essentially a motorcycle with a sidecar, in the company of other 5-7 people will be taken to the lake itself. Outlandish service, in my opinion.
The remains of some buildings in the form of a palisade of wooden posts torn by salt. I read that the pillars were needed for a kind of salt production - a net was attached to them, which was lowered into the very hypertonic solution of the lake itself. Then they lifted it and the salt crystallized. They shook it off and repeated the procedure.
the salt crust allows you to stand on it and shimmers very beautifully
the hole from under the post is quietly filled with salt, the lake is like a living thing - it heals the wounds
a bush drowned in a lake gradually becomes covered with a crispy crust
Baskunchak landscape with Bolshoye Bogdo mountain
salt snakes crawl towards their pillars
Martian landscapes, or maybe Australian ones
Date left its mark
Large Baskunchak salt
Having washed off the salt in the open-air shower for a modest 50 rubles from a human nose and 30 rubles from a dog’s nose (this is an undoubted plus of civilization), we set off to conquer Bogdo.
To visit the mountain you need to buy entrance ticket, you are instructed that under no circumstances should you go off the excursion trail, as rare species of vegetation and animals live here.
Here, in fact, is Bogdo 2. Yes, she is exactly that, Martian color
The mountain stands almost on the shore of Lake Baskunchak and, in fact, is a hill, not a mountain. But for the look she gives, I’m ready to forgive her for her modest size. The landscape from Bogdo opens up heart-warming...
I became very aware of the true size of myself in this world. A huge space, absolutely flat, like a tabletop, steppe to the horizon! If you wish, you can even notice some bending of the horizon. Or does it seem so?
My eloquence fails me every time I try to articulate my feelings about this place. I didn’t want to leave Bogdo...
To summarize, I will say that Baskunchak is very picturesque place, and Mount Bogdo is simply fabulous, but there are a number of disadvantages. It seemed to us that there were too many people there and the infrastructure of the “Vasya was here” format was too intrusive, partially destroying the magic unique lake and harmful to the local ecosystem. These disadvantages are so significant for me that I won’t come here a second time, but I’m damn glad that Bogdo and the salt lake Baskunchak were in my life.
Lake Baskunchak. Mount Big Bogdo
The road from Elton to Baskunchak and Mount Bolshoye Bogdo.
So, leaving the vicinity of Lake Elton, we headed for Baskunchak. Speaking in general terms, we had two roads to choose from: the first was a normal asphalt route back through Pallasovka, Volzhsky and Akhtubinsk, that is, it was a lot of driving and we had to travel a total of almost 400 km, one might say, extra. The second option was much more interesting, riskier and much shorter - to drive directly across the steppes. That's what we did.
There are exactly as many routes Elton - Baskunchak as there are ruts in the steppe, that is, a great many. However, you should be aware of what kind of territory you are in. Firstly, this is a border zone, that is, theoretically our border guards can tie up, the border, by the way, in these parts is purely conditional, to note that it is very difficult to get into Kazakhstan - this means that Kazakh border guards can “accept” on the other side. A meeting with either them or ours does not bring anything good in itself. You can somewhat protect yourself by moving a little away from the border, but in this case you find yourself directly on the territory of the Kapustin Yar military training ground. The operating and testing times are not known there, that is, there are no guarantees that some kind of burnt-out rocket or some other thing like that won’t get into the car. As a last resort, the military themselves can “accept.”
One way or another, when preparing for the trip, I, as a navigator, chose the simplest and most balanced route: just stupidly cut along the border. In this case, the main task is not to get stuck in the salt marsh, not to go abroad, and also to jump out strictly at point No. 11 - this is the only railway crossing in those parts. Just above I gave a diagram taken from one of the automobile forums in the Volga region. Red indicates the path we followed, Blue -
- for extreme sports lovers, right through the heart of a military training ground.
Well, let's go!!! The picture shows the road to the Priozerny - Bolshoi Simkin sections. It is indicated on most maps and atlases. Two of our three navigators (we used the iGO, Navitel and Avtosputnik navigation kits - we will write a separate report about navigation at the end) also know about it very well.
Here is the village of Bol. Simkin. It is located a little away from the road, which ends here. Further, there is just a track in the steppe. We navigate by the compass, as well as the local power line - we can drive along it for a few more kilometers.
The temperature outside is rising before our eyes: +34... +35... +38. The road is so dusty that a trail of many kilometers remains behind the car. Dust is everywhere: on the car, in the trunk, in the cabin, even under clothes. Despite the fact that all the windows and doors in the car are closed, it becomes simply impossible to breathe at a speed of more than 50 km per hour. We stop and soak bandanas and arafatkas with water - breathing through such bandages becomes much easier. In the picture vzdor095 , spouse_grafa And validol182 .
Let's move on. In general, navigating the steppe is not so difficult if you have a rough idea of your location and the basics of orienteering. In such situations, clouds can be good helpers; if you know the direction of the wind, you can pretty well determine where and where you are going. True, on our day, the sky was completely clear - the sun was shining all day. Google images here are not very relevant and can only give an approximate location, the fact is that the images of this area date back to 2006-7, during which time the tracks and roads in the steppes were moved several times.
Let's look towards the "Singing Rocks". In general, for 500 rubles, they could have allowed you to drive your car onto the ridge of the mountain. Fortunately, there is a road almost to the very top. Instead, everyone is forced to park at the bottom and walk up. First along the stairs, and then just along the path.
Outcrops of red clay.
Let's take another look at the lake.
Our Navara is parked down there. Let's go back down.
And so this day ended. While trying to find a place to spend the night on Akhtuba, we fell into a ditch and, as a result, bent the disk. I had to spend the entire next day in Astrakhan. Rolling, argon welding, balancing - instead of a trip to Atyrau. But that's another story.
