Lake Elton interesting facts. Salt Lake Elton

We were told that there was only one road to Lake Elton. And, seeing a car in the distance, we drove after it.

But we suddenly stumbled upon a protected area, and, as it turned out, we had to go a little in the other direction, to the “wild beach”.

And this was, as the vigilant guard explained to us, the territory that belonged to the Elton sanatorium, and the most beautiful and convenient place for taking medical procedures.

It's impossible for a simple tourist to get here. If only on foot and then with written permission from the management of the sanatorium.

From the place with the booth and the barrier, where the guard stopped us, some strange structures were visible sticking out on the surface of the lake. A kind guard explained to us that these “woods” soaked in salt and petrified for centuries are nothing but the remains of the baths of Catherine II.

Yes, our ancestors (beginning with the ancient nomads) have long known about the miraculous power of Elton mud and skillfully used it for treatment.

And in the last century, the Russian nobility, including persons from the royal family, did not disdain to come to the mud bath on Lake Elton.

After listening to an interesting story and following the advice of the guard, we went on. The dirt road, of course, was very bad: washed out by rain, with large puddles and steep slippery ascents and descents.

After driving a little more, frankly, in extreme conditions, we stopped: the car ahead of us was firmly stuck.

We helped them and with the help of a cable pulled them to a safe place. Traveling further by car was unsafe and risky. We have already prepared further (there was still about 2 kilometers to the lake) to walk. Having changed into swimsuits and taking a supply of water with us, we were ready to move on.

But our driver, a real extreme, decided to take another chance. Taking a little to the left, we found a country road and drove further along it.

Finally we are at the lake...

With the risk of getting stuck, we nevertheless safely reached the lake, on the shore of which there was a gazebo.

A kind of a landmark for tourists and a place from which a walk along the lake begins.

The lake was amazing. The beauty is indescribable: the sun, clear water, some unreal lunar or Martian landscape.

True, such an unusual spectacle was breathtaking and, no matter how pathetic it may sound, we were all overwhelmed with a sense of calm, peace and complete harmony with nature.

We found what we were looking for: gentle sun, boundless space and silence, a kind of harsh exoticism and beauty of these places.

And here it is, finally, a fantastic lake, merging on the horizon with a blue sky and pink clouds. And around the boundless steppe expanses.

And the sky above the lake is amazing. The feeling of boundless space is enhanced not only by the flawless surface of the lake, but also by the reflection of the blue sky with amazing clouds in the water mirror surface.

And the clouds here are really unusual. While approaching the village, we noticed unusual clouds in the direction where the lake was located. They were pink.

And there is an explanation for this: the smallest microorganisms - unicellular algae with the beautiful name Dunaliella brackish, living in this most mineralized lake in the world, acquire a reddish tint during their flowering, which makes the lake and the clouds above it unusually beautiful. Only these super-hardy microorganisms survive in this oily, thick brine, where all living things die instantly.

By the way, these algae have antioxidant properties and are used in the production of cosmetics and biological supplements.

The bottom of the lake consists of salt deposits and a layer of mineral hydrogen sulfide mud, which makes the mud and salty oily water (brine) saturated with a high content of bromine, magnesium and other micro and macro elements extremely healing and beneficial.

The lake is not dead, although, at first glance, it seems that there is no life in this huge reservoir. Its surface, even when the wind is strong, remains perfectly smooth and shiny.

We wander along the endless expanse of the lake, the surface of which rather resembles a huge oval mirror, and the smooth and slippery bottom in many places is a real skating rink.

The photograph from space clearly shows that it is almost round, its area is 152 square kilometers, its dimensions are 17.8 x 14 km and it is located 16.2 meters below sea level.

The lake lives its own life and is constantly changing throughout the year.

In spring, when it is filled with the waters of underground salty springs and rivers flowing into it, it acquires a blue tint.

These rivers (and there are only 7 of them) carry bitter-salty water to the lake all year round. In spring and during the rainy season, the lake becomes relatively deep. At this time, the percentage of water mineralization due to fresh water drops significantly.

In summer, the hot sun evaporates the water, the lake acquires a pink hue, and its depth reaches only a few centimeters.

The water was about up to our ankles. But it was the beginning of June and before that there were heavy rains.

In areas where the water is completely evaporated, the lake is covered with a salt crust, which sparkles in the sun and creates bizarre figures - “Elton corals” from grass stalks covered with salt that accidentally fell into it.

A little more history...

According to one version, the lake is called Elton, because the Tatars and Mongols called it "Altyn-Nor" ("gold mine").

This version is supported by the fact that by sunset the color of the lake really changes from pink to gold.

According to local residents and the lucky ones who have already seen it, the sunsets over Lake Elton are fabulously beautiful.

To our great regret, we were not able to fully realize our excursion program for a reason that I will talk about later. And we could not see this beauty with our own eyes.

So, back to the origin of the name of the lake. There are other versions that have the right to exist. Well, God bless them, let scientists argue about it.

For us, something else is more important, what is it amazing lake is, and it continues to delight us with its extraordinary beauty and useful properties, just as it fed and treated the population that lived in these places hundreds of years ago.

Back in the 18th century, Lake Elton was used for salt mining and trade. And much later, at the beginning of the 20th century, after the cessation of salt mining, this lake began to be considered as a resort and a medical sanatorium.

The short digression into history is over. We return to the lake again.

In the next part of the report, you will find out how we got dirty and how we risked staying on the lake for a long time :)

To be continued…

In the Pallasovsky district of the Volgograd region, not far from the border with Kazakhstan. This is the largest mineral lake in Europe and one of the most mineralized in the world.

The name of the lake may have come from the Mongolian "Altyn-Nor" - "gold mine".

The water line is located 15 m below sea level. The area of ​​the water mirror, according to the State Water Register, is 152 km 2, according to literary sources, 182 km 2. The lake is 18 km long and 13 km wide. The average depth of the lake is 0.05–0.07 m (in summer), the maximum is up to 1.5 m (in spring). Elton is the largest lake in the Volgograd region and the 84th lake in Russia in terms of water surface area.

The catchment area is 1640 km2. Most of it is a deserted Trans-Volga steppe. Seven rivers flow into the lake from the southeast and northwest: Bolshaya and Malaya Smorogda, Karantinka, Solyanka, Lantsug, Khara and Chernavka. Also, the lake is fed by several fresh springs and small rivers with bitter-salty water. At the bottom there are outcrops of salty springs.

The lake is a depression between large salt domes in the extreme north of the Caspian lowland. It has a rounded shape, slightly elongated from south-southwest to north-northeast. The coastline is slightly indented.

The lake is fed mainly by snow. The water level begins to rise in the spring during the period of snowmelt, by the summer it drops sharply. After the recession of the flood, the level decreases until the next spring, while the lake gradually dries up.

The lake is highly mineralized, the water is golden-pink. It is filled with a saturated saline solution, which desalines in the spring. Salinity is 200–500‰, which is 1.5 times higher than the concentration of salts in the Dead Sea. In high-water years, mineralization in spring can decrease to 180–200‰, and in dry years in autumn it can reach 525‰. At the bottom of the lake there are salt deposits and under them there is a layer of mineral hydrogen sulfide mud. Salt sedimentation on the bottom of the lake occurs almost all year round: in summer due to intensive evaporation of water and an increase in salt concentration, in winter due to a decrease in salt solubility at low temperatures.

Due to the extremely high mineralization, the lake is actually devoid of biota, but the water contains algae Dunaliella salina giving the lake a reddish hue in summer.

Lake Elton is unique in terms of reserves, quality and balneological properties of therapeutic mud and brine. Until 1882, salt was mined on the lake; in 1910, the medical sanatorium "Elton" was founded on its shore (moved to a new location in 1945).

Near the lake there are settlements - Elton (in the east), Priozerny (in the southeast), Krasnaya Derevnya (in the west).

Around the lake Elton preserved large areas of slightly disturbed desert steppes of the Northern Caspian. The Elton region is of exceptional importance for the conservation of birds and their habitats and is classified as a key ornithological area of ​​international importance. In the river valleys, in the upper and middle reaches, among the reed beds, aquatic and semi-aquatic animals find refuge, and in the estuaries in spring and autumn, you can see thousands of migratory birds belonging to different species of the duck family, as well as waders.

Lake Elton is part of the specially protected natural area “Natural Park “Eltonsky” with an area of ​​106 thousand hectares.

Despite the enormous environmental significance, the Elton region is characterized by a complex of environmental and socio-economic problems caused by both the widespread development of irrational forms of nature management and inefficient management.

Elton is the largest salt lake in Europe. It is located on the border of Russia and Kazakhstan in the Volgograd region (Pallasovsky district). Covers an area of ​​180 sq. km. It has the shape of an almost even circle. Despite the fact that it is quite large, its average depth is several centimeters. Really very small. 7 salty rivers flow into Lake Elton. There are 2 fresh keys.

See where Lake Elton is located on the map.

There are two theories about the origin of the name. In Kazakh "Altyn-Nur" means "gold mine". And since the red color of the water in July casts gold, it turns out so. According to the second version, the name of the lake began in 1741, when the governor of Astrakhan Tatishchev brought an Englishman to the lake - engineer John Elton, who explored the reservoir, described it, mapped it and immortalized his name. But the Polovtsian khans considered these lands sacred. The Kazakhs still believe in a pagan legend that says that Tengri Khan, the lord of heaven, sometimes descends into the waters of the lake to prolong his eternal youth.

What is the uniqueness of the lake?

Its uniqueness is amazing. Firstly, the area around the lake is an excellent balneological resort, since the concentration of salt in the lake (brines) is 1.5 times higher than in the Dead Sea. But concentrated saline is habitable. Halobia live here - super-survivable microorganisms. Dunaliella brackish algae also grow here, thanks to which the water has an unusual pinkish tint. Even satellite photographs of Lake Elton capture a pinkish color off the coast.

The royal family once rested here. Excellent conditions for recovery. There is a legend that once there was a "Museum of Abandoned Crutches", because people who arrived with disabilities were cured and left the crutches they no longer needed.

Besides the fact that the lake is good for health, it is incredibly beautiful. The eastern side is most suitable for rest, swimming and admiring the beauties of the lake. It is especially beautiful in these places at the end of April, when the steppe blooms and millions of tulips with emerald green expanses are simply mesmerizing. The lake itself is surrounded by salt crystals resembling snow flakes. Sometimes there are different forms of education. Under the salt is the famous therapeutic mud.

In the Pallasovsky district of the Volgograd region, near the Kazakh border, there is one of the main natural attractions of the Volga steppes - the Elton salt lake.

Despite the huge transverse dimensions, the depth of the lake rarely exceeds 7 centimeters in summer and 1.5 meters in spring. The inflow of water occurs mainly due to melt water, several salty rivers and bottom mineral springs.

Lake Elton is a real natural pearl, captivating with its beauty and unusualness. The golden-pink water surface and the coast strewn with sparkling salt crystals create the impression of an extraterrestrial environment. The surroundings are also distinguished by their picturesqueness and diversity: salt marshes, valleys, ravines, river deltas, ravines and beaches.

Rest on lake Elton

Lake Elton is part of the Eltonsky Natural Park, within which you can find a large number of interesting places to visit. One of such places is Mount Ulagan. The hill is a salt dome, annually increasing by an average of a couple of millimeters. The height of the dome is 69 meters above sea level, while the lake itself is located 15 meters below sea level. Part of the rocks of Ulagan has a very ancient origin, so right under your feet you often find fossilized shells of mollusks that lived millions of years ago.

There is a source a couple of kilometers from the lake. mineral water- "Smorogdinsky". The chemical composition of the water in the source is similar to the healing waters of the Caucasian resorts.

Near the lake there are salty rivers, canyons and beams, on the slopes of which rare species of plants grow. In the surrounding steppes, you can also find man-made monuments of antiquity: burials, the remains of old buildings, the ruins of houses in which salt miners lived in the 17th-19th centuries.

Sanatorium "Elton"

Mud and balneological resort appeared here in 1910. Immediately after the opening, people from all over Russia began to come here, even the Russian nobility and royal people often came to improve their health. The current sanatorium in the village of Elton has been operating since 1945.

When carrying out medical procedures, saline solutions (brine) and mud saturated with mineral substances are used, with inclusions of iodine, hydrogen sulfide, iron, hydrocarbons and other impurities. Drinking water in the Elton sanatorium, brought from the nearest sodium chloride-sulfate source, has a number of positive health effects, including skin renewal, normalization of metabolism, and stimulation of blood circulation.

Weather

Elton Lake is located in the desert steppes in the east of the Volgograd region. The climate here is strongly continental - hot and dry summers, moderately cold winters (up to minus 6.9 ℃ in January). At the same time, there is little precipitation - about 300 millimeters per year. There are many sunny days, but windy days are the most - about 300 per year, according to statistics.

It is believed that the name Elton came from the Mongolian "Altyn-Nor", which literally means "gold mine".

At first glance, it seems that Elton Lake is absolutely lifeless, but it is not. Dunaliella salina feels great here - a unicellular algae that has adapted to extremely harsh conditions, thanks to which the water in the lake has such an unusual pink tint.

Migratory birds, especially waders and cranes, use Elton as a staging post during their autumn migration from north to south.

One of the symbols of Elton is Gesner's red tulips, which bloom at the end of April. In nature, these flowers are very rare.

Every year, the lake hosts an ultramarathon - Elton Volgabus Ultra. There are several distances, the longest of them is 164 kilometers.

Story

Starting from the reign of Ivan the Terrible, until 1882, the salt mined here was transported throughout the empire. At one time, even rumors arose about the bottomless deposits of high-quality salt among the Astrakhan lakes.

Since 1865, the state gave mining rights to private companies, and in the 1880s, the development of salt deposits was completely stopped. Since then, the mineral salt lake began to gradually turn into a resort.

In 1910, a health resort was opened nearby.

In 2001, the lake and the nearby steppes (106 thousand hectares in total) became part of the Eltonsky Natural Park, which is under state protection.

How to get to Lake Elton

Elton station can be reached by train from Saratov and Astrakhan. Travel time is about 6 hours. If you depart from Moscow, then 20 - 24 hours (trains to Makhachkala or Astrakhan). The lake is located approximately 4 kilometers west of the railway station.

Buses and minibuses run from the central Volgograd bus station, but due to long stops along the way, the journey takes up to 6 hours. Therefore, it is better to use a car. The distance from Saratov to Lake Elton is about 340 kilometers, the travel time by car is 5 hours. The path from Astrakhan is the longest - 470 kilometers (7.5 hours by car). The distance from Volgograd to Lake Elton is just over 200 kilometers, however, the travel time will take approximately 4.5 hours.

It is most convenient to get from Saratov, since a short asphalt road leads from it to Elton.

Route from Saratov to Lake Elton by car - Google map

The route from Volgograd to Lake Elton by car - Google map

You can get to the place using taxi services: Yandex.Taxi, Uber, Gett, Maxim.

Panorama of Lake Elton on Google maps

Our nature has special treasures. Some of them await travelers where Lake Elton is located. Many publicists dubbed this salt marsh "the charm of the semi-desert." It changes its colors depending on the time of day and season. In addition, its different parts are not the same in shades. After reading local history literature, you will be convinced that the story of Elton is another proof that people considered him beautiful and useful. Nomadic peoples invented vivid myths about him, salt carriers - warning stories about "damn" places on the salt tract (passing through some rivers flowing into the "salt reservoir"). Russian specialists in balneology devoted interesting research to this natural object.

The location of Lake Elton dictates a long journey for us. Many Russians will have to spend more than a day to get to this desert area, which has a truly alien landscape. The Elton lowland and the only railway station on its territory lie far from cities and strategic highways. On the map of Russia, Lake Elton is found on a patch of the Volgograd region, which strongly "deepens" into Kazakhstan (one of the 5 most accessible countries for recreation in the CIS). From Russia, 1 highway comes here and the only railway directly connecting the Saratov and Astrakhan regions. But the difficulties of your path will be justified.

In this review, you will also learn that Elton brine and its silt deposits promote healing, in the settlement of the same name you can rent hotel rooms and housing in the private sector, and to travel here you can really use a suburban bus, hitchhike or train to Elton, running from one of cities of the Saratov region to Astrakhan. It makes sense to use a sightseeing bus (which sends people who are interested in the nature of the Eltonsky nature reserve to fascinating tours).

Lake Elton. Historical outline

The history of Lake Elton is closely connected with the Kazakhs and Kalmyks living here, who consider this “sea” (the bowl has an area of ​​​​180 square kilometers) sacred and for a long time did not allow any strangers to approach it at all. Neighboring hordes lost a lot of people in battle, trying to capture the local nomad camps from the natives.

Having agreed with the nomads, the government of Ivan the Terrible established salt mining on this salt marsh. It was entrusted to professional Chumaks, originating from Little Russia. But the Russian laborers had a hard time here. Salt severely corroded the skin, and the poor fellows had to stay in the brine (breaking off pieces of it with a special stick and putting them in a huge basket) from dawn to dusk. Many have even died from this work. Over time, a settlement was formed on the salt marsh, named after the reservoir.

Where Lake Elton is located, there were not only salt tracts (transferred in 1865 to private hands). In 1904, the first "salt resort" appeared here. The buildings of the Elton dispensary are now standing in its place. We will talk about it in the next chapter.

The legends of Lake Elton, first of all, explain to us its current name. The peoples of the Mongolian language group called this place Altyn-Nor ("Golden Bottom"). The fact is that the algae that has been living here for thousands of years and a variety of crustaceans contain hematochrome - a pigment that “gives birth” (during the flowering of algae and reproduction of crustaceans) five shades of a warm range - from golden to pink (including orange). The nomads who lived here in the Middle Ages admired precisely the “gilding”. And "Elton" is a Russian-language phonetic simplification of the "gold-bearing" hydronym.

Treatment on Elton

The climate on Elton will allow you to relax in a deep lake basin during the 3 summer months (as long as there is no rain). Where Elton is located, the air is literally saturated with useful minerals. All of them are contained in the salt of this huge reservoir.

Seven streams flow into the water bowl. The only one that does not look like a stream is Samaroda. It contains iron and radon gas. The named elements of the periodic system of Mendeleev tone up the skin and cure us of some diseases of the gastric tract. They also improve blood circulation. Washing in such water gives freshness and strength for a whole hour. And swimming is for the whole day (if you are young). True, the water flow is so weak that you can dip your whole body only in a storage source built on that section of the channel that is closest to the above-mentioned village (you can learn about the trail from any local). Yes, and it is often almost empty.

This river passes just a couple of kilometers from the center of the settlement (in which the buildings of the sanatorium complex bearing the name of the lake are located). By the way, about this medical institution. The brine and mud of Lake Elton is the main medicine used here (after all, in some areas of the "natural capacity" saturation with minerals is 1.5 times stronger than in the Dead Sea). At the same time, the maximum depth of the reservoir is only one and a half meters, and even then not always. There is a rare component in the rivers, which is contained only in the Essentuki-17 mineral water. It restores the peripheral nervous system.

Smearing with mud, rubbing and taking brine and radon baths heal the patients of the institution owned by Elton-Med LLC. Not quite healthy Russians have some skin diseases, abnormalities in the work of the cardiovascular system and respiratory tract. It is asthmatics, allergy sufferers and patients with various bronchitis who place the greatest hopes on this sanatorium. In order not to wait for the day when serious treatment is needed, healthy people who have a strong tendency to catarrhal cough are also engaged in prevention on Lake Elton. The local air itself soothes the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. After all, she receives all the trace elements.

Speaking about the skin, the "wealth of the lake" makes it less sensitive to irritation and inflammation - through the effect of hyperthermia (heating) of the skin.

It has long been proven that the specific sulphide mud of Elton (a peloid similar in composition to the Dead Sea deposits) is sufficiently saturated with hydrogen sulfide, active acids and useful minerals. "Warming" you, it is good for skin diseases, loss of general immunity and circulatory disorders.

By and large, brine and silt solve the same problems, but in different ways. Treatment at Lake Elton, associated with peloids, is carried out by the method of applications, and supermineralized salt penetrates into our body when taking baths and inhaling.

In case of psoriasis, mud from Elton can be a significant addition to the procedures prescribed by doctors, and in mild stages of this disease, treatment on Elton will generally become the only set of recreational activities. After all, a local peloid in a few weeks will make the skin insensitive to some types of fungus that causes this disease.

However, Elton's salt and mud can also have side effects. These "drugs" are contraindicated in heart patients, people with malignant tumors, too sensitive skin, those who have hyperthermia, as well as patients suffering from salt deposits in the joints. Swimming in the lake for more than 30 minutes is also dangerous for healthy people, especially for pregnant women. So what is its danger? The fact is that the substances described above, actively penetrating through the skin, increase the rate of blood circulation. In cores and pregnant women, the pulse and breathing will increase, which is unacceptable for obvious reasons. In those who suffer from overheating (hyperthermia), the temperature will increase even more. For the same reason, the rate of tumor formation will increase in those who have cancer. Elton's brine will corrode sensitive (very white) skin too much and will play a cruel joke with bathers who already have an excess of salt in the body (meaning bones and joints). The same applies to river radon.

Rest on lake Elton

Not only treatment on Elton draws thousands of Russians and citizens of Kazakhstan to the lowlands. After all, this area is also a great recreation. The weather in Elton (as well as the surrounding landscape) can have a significant impact on your mood. Rest on Lake Elton means enjoying the fantastic landscapes of the small hill Ulagan, studying the petrified prehistoric fauna of the Elton lowland, which lies even deeper than the Caspian. It is convenient to observe some birds and plants - from the Red Book of Russia. Eltonsky park is at your service.

Holidays on Elton are sometimes associated with heat, but at sunset the air is very cold, and the local landscape becomes an inspiration for artists and photographers. The fact is that Elton's brine attracts not only those who suffer from skin and lung diseases, but also creators who are able to amazingly capture this mysterious surface with the help of a professional camera lens. Be aware that the layer of salt is not white everywhere. In some areas, the reservoir has a pinkish and even orange tint ... The weather on Elton gives the opportunity to get unusual shots at sunrise and sunset, it is the backdrop for romantic dates for the patients of the sanatorium ...

Rest on Elton by savages deserves attention. There are many places for parking. The sources of fresh water here are so shallow that nighttime flooding of their channels is impossible in principle. But the tent camp on the specially protected hill of Ulagan can become a reason for a clash with the protection of the reserve. It is best to rent an inexpensive room, which will be mentioned later in the text. Shops and cafes are also available here, that is, it is really possible to do without a custom tour.

However, if your company is still fans of bivouacs, set up a tent camp at least 500 meters from the lake itself and from the Samarodinsky (Smorogdinsky) radon source. Motorists who invaded the protected area "on wheels" face a fine of 5,000 rubles. Believe me, the inspectors of the protected area are on the alert. Avoiding trouble is easy - just follow the huge signposts ... Spend the night at the sand pits near the village - a proven place.

How to get to Elton

How to get to Elton? For lovers of treatment on Elton and those who are eager to experience the conditions of a classic semi-desert, we will explain some of the methods of transportation.

Gathered on Elton by car? Then each of them will suit you. You can get to Elton from the cities of the Volgograd, Saratov and Astrakhan regions, as well as from Kazakhstan (if you are coming from Siberia).

No car? Use suburban flights from Bykovo or Nikolaevsk (via Pallasovka). As for the Saratov region, you can get to the salty "wonder of the world" from Krasny Kut or Rivne. There is also a train to Elton (of course, passing).

To Elton from Volgograd

One of the routes starts from the hero city on the Volga, where you can fly from Moscow in just an hour and a half. Most often, tours to Elton are sold in this unusually elongated metropolis. You can also rent a car. Elton from Volgograd gets through two regional centers, administratively subordinate to the 34th region.

From Bykovo the road is newer. You get to the village itself along the Volgograd-Engels highway. It passes through 1st Longitudinal, through the hydroelectric power station and the industrial site of the city of Volzhsky. After the regional center of Bykovo you pass 5 more settlements. The last one (Kaisatsky) opens you already railway. How to get to Elton from the “meeting point” of the described highway with the railway Pushkino-Krasny Kut-Pallasovka-Verkhniy Baskunchak-Astrakhan (on which the train goes to Elton)? There is only one way. Follow the road along this railway line - due south. In some places they diverge, but not for long.

People go to Elton from Volgograd through Nikolaevsk and (further) through Pallasovka. This refers to the old (“chumatsky”) path, filled with asphalt. It is convenient for those who live in the north of the 34th region or in settlements located on the border of the Volgograd and Saratov regions. We are talking about the Left Bank - Nikolaevsk, Staraya Poltavka, Krasny Kuta, Rovny, Volga and Engels. In winter, residents of the Volgograd Right Bank cross the Volga on foot, getting to Nikolaevsk.

To Elton from Saratov

The road to Lake Elton is laid on the navigator from Saratov (through Engels and further through Volgograd Pallasovka). From the Saratov airport (it takes only one hour to fly here from Moscow), you immediately head to Engels (Simbirskaya and Sokolovaya streets lead to the satellite town). The latter goes to the bridge across the Volga, which connects both cities. From Engels there is a path to Pushkino, from which there is an exit to a "tolerant" asphalt road to Krasny Kut. The town communicates with Pallasovka. The track is acceptable.

You can also get to Elton from Saratov by train if the train passes through Pushkino. The fact is that through this node there is a branch to Astrakhan-Makhachkala.

To Elton from other cities

By the way, about this railway track. It is followed by Siberians, Muscovites or residents of St. Petersburg (trains numbered 109A, 109Zh, 085S, 250N, 546S, 549E, 573S, 249N, 545U, 147E, 005Zh, 086V, 373E, 147Zh, 005G stop on the platform). The Elton station is located right on the branch line (if you keep track of time, “starting” from the Saratov town of Pushkino, you will reach the desired station in 4 hours).

It is worth saying that in these parts it is not so difficult to “stop” a ride and knowing how to hitchhike correctly. Russian inhabitants of the semi-desert do not leave people in trouble. For the most part, these are good-natured entrepreneurial herders.

Moving to Elton from Saratov (starting from the branch line passing through Pushkino and Krasny Kut), the railway train passes some sections of Kazakhstan. The only one railway track- the fastest of all ways to move to our goal.

Knowing how to hitchhike in Russia and the CIS countries, you can get to Elton by other roads - from Astrakhan or Orenburg. But in the latter case, you will be shaking along some bad tracks, sometimes inferior in quality even to primers.

An exception is the Kazakhstan highway (Taskala-Kaztalovka-Zhanibek). There are no difficulties in getting around this road. Having moved out of Orenburg, you go through a quick procedure at the Ilek checkpoint (Kazakhstan is part of the Customs Union). By the way, not far from Ilek there is a salt lake (collapse in Sol-Iletsk). Then you drive through Kazakh Uralsk along the beautiful A-30 and only in Tazkala go to the highway to Kazakh Zhanibek. Road nasty things begin only at the Zhanibek-Elton section. After passing the next checkpoint, alas, you will have to shake.

Difficulties of the way

It is worth understanding a few nuances. From whatever corner you start your trip, a few asphalt roads to the water tract pass through the neutral zone of the Russian-Kazakhstan border. Therefore, on the way you (whether you are at least in your car, even in a sightseeing bus) at any time can be stopped by border guards to ask a couple of formal questions and inspect the car. They are the local traffic police.

Speaking about those “sticks in the wheels” that nature itself inserts, it is necessary to talk about such cruel factors as mud and metal corrosion. 1st does not allow your "iron horse" to pass in the spring and autumn (the exception is the roads from Bykovo and Pallasovka). The 2nd is capable of damaging the car body. Sometimes the winds are squally. And on the way, salt and sand are sprayed onto the body, scratching it. The undercarriage and other important components may become clogged. It is worth following weather forecasts or choosing an “extreme” jeep.

Excursions to Elton

Therapeutic mud of Elton is not the only source of income for residents of the village of the same name and guides from nearby regions. In summer, and sometimes throughout May, the weather on Elton will allow you to participate in many educational excursions.

For many Russians (especially enterprising ones), excursions to Elton are the purchase of high-quality, but unusually cheap Kazakh alcohol, which is sold in abundance in the settlement of the same name. We are talking about cognac and vodka.

The natural sights of Elton and the review of the local historian on the way to it already attract inquisitive Russians. Often tours to Elton become part of a trip to all the salt lakes of the Pallas region, equal in size to Israel!

The sights of Elton are concentrated on the lowlands around the lake itself (this place is called "Seven Rivers"), as well as on the small Ulagan plateau (this is a growing salt dome, the top of which has a mark of "69 meters above sea level" and a relief dissected by bizarre canyons). Its slopes and surface have a very fabulous configuration, due to erosion and the outcrop of the rocks occurring here. Most tourists associate them with the lunar or Martian landscape. Underfoot, visitors will find many unusual shells (ammonites). This is the oldest fauna of these places (once swimming, crawling, running and even flying ...). There are awnings for recreation and signs of visual communication. Sorochaya Balka has no less amazing geological formations... Finally, visitors will be shocked by the view of the Devil's Bridge - a long-standing obstacle in the way of the Chumaks. Talk about the most difficult section of the channel of the "unpredictable" Khara River. During the day, the water here appeared and then disappeared.

Trips here are organized by many agencies of Volgograd, Volzhsky, Kamyshin, Engels, Saratov, Astrakhan, as well as the Kazakh Zhanibek.

Elton Hotels

Even those who do not have enough money to organize living on Elton still rush to this famous reservoir. Lake Elton attracts Russians very strongly. Treatment is sometimes unorganized. The sick, and just curious visitors, smear themselves with mud, finding themselves a corner for the night in the evening. Elton's hotels, as a rule, are private, they contain hired staff from neighboring Kazakhstan. The guides of the local reserve are also Russians of Kazakh blood.

Elton hotels offer rooms of different classes - from "Budget" to "Lux". Excursions to Elton can be comfortably finished in a room of one of these types. Prices range from 1500 to 3000 rubles per day. It is a pity that the hotels are not listed in any online directory (the locals generally have a very difficult time with the Internet).

Private sector on Elton

Rest on Elton by savages favors not only tents. In the village of the same name there are also hospitable farmsteads. It offers vacationers in the village of Elton - the private sector. Part of the Soviet mansions converted into guesthouses is not uncommon for the specified settlement. Therefore, Elton hotels often cannot compete with family estates (today they are not inferior to them in design).

The adventure associated with getting to Elton, seeing the sights of the local reserve and organizing decent accommodation on Elton will quickly and easily be arranged by a reputable tour operator. But, having the necessary information, you will understand that you will not need the services of an intermediary.

Arriving in Elton, housing in the private sector is not difficult to find. The fact is that treatment and housing in the Elton sanatorium is quite expensive (a weekly stay in the Standard will cost 21,000 rubles, and in the most expensive option - Apartments - 84,000 rubles). That is why the private sector on Elton is especially popular among insolvent people. Even in the high season (when the lake begins to turn red due to the “waking up” algae), the price for daily use of the extension of a wooden (stone) house does not exceed 500 rubles. Often you can find housing for 300 rubles (just ask the owners of local cafes - everyone knows each other here). For 1500 - 2000 rubles you can rent a whole hut, placing your whole family in the "salty" resort. A comfortable cottage will cost 3,000-5,000 rubles already. Yes Yes. There are even suggestions here.

We are sure that you have realized what a holiday on Lake Elton is worth. Interested? You shouldn't think about it. The weather in Elton is beautiful from the end of May to the end of August inclusive (for residents of the Central Federal District, only an unusually strong wind can create a problem). However, the mud of Elton (as well as the rest of the wealth of the Eltonsky reserve) is waiting for you every month. The local sanatorium keeps them in reserve.