Dry lake cbd. Blue Lakes (Kabardino-Balkaria)

The mystery of the Blue Lake in Kabardino-Balkaria - one of the deepest in Europe - remains unsolved.

There are 8 million karst lakes in the world. Blue Lake is the deepest. There is no exact data on the depth of the lake, and unmanned underwater vehicles were only able to descend to a depth of 365 meters. Scientists understand how it formed and what is down there.

The last time Blue Lake was explored was in the 20s of the last century. It is known that its level can change several times a day. For what reason, scientists still do not know.

The blue lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria are located in the Cherek Gorge. There are 5 lakes in total. All of them have a karst nature of formation.

Lower Blue Lake is the most interesting and unique. It is located at 809 meters above sea level. It has a total water surface area of just over two hectares, and its depth is 386 meters. But there are assumptions that the depth of the lake is much greater, because no one has ever reached its bottom. In terms of its depth, this lake ranks third in Russia after Teletskoye in Altai and Lake Baikal. The uniqueness of the lake also lies in the fact that not a single river flows into it, and about 70 million liters of water flow out per day.

Tserik-Kel - that’s what this lake is called local residents, which translated means like a rotten lake. About the origin of this lake among local population there is a legend going around. Once upon a time, on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria there lived a fearless hero, Bataraz, who defeated an evil dragon in a duel. And when the dragon collapsed, a hole formed in the mountains, which filled with water. To this day, the dragon lies at the bottom of this lake and sheds tears, thereby filling the lake with water and an unpleasant odor.

Right from the water's edge you can see sheer walls going into the depths, and from what you see you get the impression that this is a huge well. Depending on the time of day and weather, the shades of water constantly change and have different colors. The water temperature in the lake in winter and summer is the same +9.3, so the lake never freezes.

The Upper Blue Lakes are 2 lakes, Eastern and Western. These lakes are also called Communicating. A dam was built between them, and water from the Eastern Lake flows into the Western Lake. The Eastern lake is larger and deeper than the Western one. There are fish in these lakes.

Secret Lake is located near the Upper Blue Lakes. And it was named so because it is located in a deep karst sinkhole, overgrown with dense beech forest.

The dry lake, or also called the missing lake, was formed in a large karst sinkhole with steep walls reaching a depth of up to 180 meters. Previously, this gap was completely filled with water, but as a result of the shaking of the mountains, the lake disappeared and remained only at the bottom of the canyon.

On the day we visited the Chegem waterfalls, we also visited two interesting places. The Caucasus is full of secrets and wonders...

We are driving through Kabardino-Balkaria from the Chegem Gorge to Blue Lake.

There are five karst lakes in Kabardino-Balkaria, but we saw the largest and most beautiful - Blue Lake.

It looks much smaller than Lake Ritsa in Abkhazia, but its maximum depth is 368 meters! It is the second deepest karst lake in the world.

The water of the lake is crystal clear, and you can see the bottom at a distance of more than 20m. The color of the water is variable. In clear weather it is pale blue, and in other weather conditions it changes to azure. The water surface of the lake is calm, it seems to have frozen, frozen in its mysterious, enigmatic beauty.

Cherek-Kol - translated from local means “rotten lake”, as there is a slightly faint smell of hydrogen sulfide. Despite the crystal clear water, there are no fish in the lake, but only a small crustacean, Gammarus, and some algae.

It’s a pity, the foliage wasn’t very autumnal yet... it would have been more beautiful.

People do not swim in the lake; even in the hottest season, the water temperature in it does not rise above 10 degrees, and usually it is 9 degrees.

Not a single river flows into it; the lake is fed only by underground springs. However, the water slowly flows out of the lake, forming a small pond nearby, and from there it flows into the river Cherek.

Englishman Martin Robson ended up in intensive care after making a record dive of 209 meters in Blue Lake in the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria. ITAR-TASS reports this with reference to the diving center on Blue Lake in the Chereksky district of Kabardino-Balkaria.

“The record-breaking dive to depth continued for about nine hours. Robson emerged safely from the depth, recording a mark of 209 m. However, in the evening and at night he became ill, he was hospitalized in the Republican Clinical Hospital in Nalchik,” said a representative of the diving center. http:// www.newsru.com/sport/20jan2012/diver.html

3January, a scuba diver died while diving into the lake Andrey Rodionov, who was part of the group of famous diver Martin Robson. A Russian diver became ill after diving to a depth of 60 meters. When the diver was taken to the hospital, he was no longer breathing.

And below the Blue Lake, 16 km along the road, on the banks of the Cherek River, into which water flows from the Blue Lake, there is the Kabardian village of Aushiger with a thermal iodine-bromine spring...

The village is famous for its hot springs, which flow from a depth of about 4,000 meters. The springs were discovered in the 1950s during an expedition to search for oil.

Sodium chloride water of low mineralization, weak alkaline reaction and high temperature - 50 degrees or more. The gas saturation of mineral water allows it to be classified as nitrogen-carbon dioxide water, and it can be drunk.

We arrived in the evening. A visit costs 100 rubles. We changed clothes in the changing room and went into the water!

There were already quite a lot of people in the large pool... We talked with one girl. She has been coming here for about the tenth time - apparently the problem is serious, but it didn’t help right away... She rents an apartment in the village and goes swimming every day. In total you need to take 10 baths, and the session lasts 15-20 minutes.

Done more or less, but without invention. This is not Hungary with its famous resorts, or at least Poland...

The pool is very shallow. At the bottom there were stones covered with something slippery, it was unpleasant, I swam more...

I wish we could make this pool in the form of a Jacuzzi bath, or at least some part of it. And so we ONLY have a large diameter pipe from which water flows. There are especially many people in this place, everyone is warming up.

But it’s impossible to get closer under the jets of water - local young horsemen stand in a semicircle and stare at the women... They have already taken root there, because I was in the water for 20 minutes, and they had no intention of coming out.

In the area around the pool there are shops selling souvenirs and selling mud, and there are also places to eat.

You can take baths in the indoor pool for several people, but the payment is different. You will also get a massage there.

A good place to improve your health. I would really like to have such a source in my Crimea...I would visit it.

In the valley of the Cherek-Balkarsky River, 6 km upstream from the confluence of the Cherek-Balkarian and Cherek-Bezengiysky rivers into the Cherek River, 43.227778 , 43.55 43°13′40″ n. w. 43°33′00″ E. d. / 43.227778° s. w. 43.55° E. d.(G) (O). The composition of the lakes includes the Lower Blue Lake (Tserik-Kel, Cherek-Kel) and the Upper Blue Lakes (including Sukhoe and Secret). Jacques Yves Cousteau, during his research, was unable to reliably determine the depth of the lake (approximately from 2 m to 2.5 m)

The lower blue lake has a greenish-blue color and a constant water temperature of 9.3 °C. Flow-through. Located at an altitude of 809 m above sea level. The area of the lake is 0.0216 km² (235 X 130 m). Depth - 368 m. There are camp sites on the shore. The current from the lake is constant and not subject to seasonal fluctuations. It is approximately 70 million liters. water per day. The water is crystal clear, transparent, the walls of the lake can be seen to a depth of 22 m. Its color is changeable. In clear weather it is pale blue, and in other weather conditions it changes to azure (due to the hydrogen sulfide content). The water surface of the lake is calm, it seems to have frozen, frozen in its mysterious, enigmatic beauty. Legend has it that the lake was formed when a dragon fell to the ground, killed by a folk hero, the forefather of the modern inhabitants of the North Caucasus.

To the east of Lake Tserik-Kel is Lake Kel-Ketchkhen. The basin of the lake is a deep karst mine with steep walls 177 m deep. At the bottom of the well there is a reservoir with an area of 2500 square meters, 5 m deep. The origin of Kel-Ketchchen is similar in origin to Lake Tserikkel: it is the result of karst processes. Translated from Balkar, Kel - Ketchkhen means “the lake has flowed away.” According to legend, in the dry hole there used to be a real lake with clean water. One day the mountains shook and Lake Kel-Ketchkhen disappeared and flowed away.

North of Kehl-Ketchchen in a huge karst depression is the Upper Blue Lake. Compared to Tserikkel and Kel-Ketchchen, this is a shallow lake (18 m.). The basin of the lake resembles a bowl: the shores are low, flat, the greatest depth is in the center. The source of nutrition for the Upper Blue Lake is mainly precipitation, so its level is subject to fluctuations.

Upper blue lakes up to 17 m deep. All 4 lakes are connected. In the lakes, except Nizhny, there are grass carp, carp, and trout. In the Lower Lake there is only one representative of the fauna - the gammarus crustacean.

On the maps

Road to Blue Lakes in winter

Most tourists see this road in the summer. In warm weather, the Blue Lakes are a place of real pilgrimage for lovers of real beauty. North Caucasus. And in winter there are not so many people here.

The road to Blue Lakes is very beautiful

Chereksky district greets us with fluffy trees.

Winter in Kabardino-Balkaria gave us a snowy fairy tale

The road offers beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains.

In Kashkhatau there is a large bowl on a pedestal.

Kashkhatau

In Balkar, Kashkhatau means “Bald Mountain” - this one really towers over the village.

Kashkhatau hydroelectric power station on the Cherek River

The village of Babugent is surrounded on three sides. Here the heights are up to 966 meters above sea level. There are wolves and bears in the surrounding forests.

Babugent

In Babugent, cows walk on the roads without any fear of cars.

But motorists are wary of driving around the horned ones.

At every turn I wanted to get out of the car and photograph all this beauty. But in the mountains in winter it gets dark early, and we have big plans for this day: lakes, the Cherek Gorge and Upper Balkaria. Therefore, I took all the photographs of the road while driving from the car.

The gorge behind Babugent

Kabardino-Balkaria is beautiful in winter

The road leads to the very shore of the famous Lower Blue Lake.

How to get to the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria. They are located in the Cherek Gorge. Drive along the federal highway P217-Kavkaz to settlement Urvan. There will be a right turn (if you drive from Nalchik). Then we drive along the P-217 highway. From the turn to the Blue Lakes there are 39 kilometers.

Our video with the road to the Blue Lakes of the CBD and pleasant music lasts just over two minutes.

After watching it, you will be able to appreciate how beautiful the winter route there is.

Did you like it?Road to the Blue Lakes of Kabardino-Balkaria in winter?

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Hello!

Blue lakes are located in the Cherek Gorge, there are five of them in total. Four have fresh water, you can swim and fish in them.

We were on the lower Blue Lake, the Balkars call it “Tserik-Kol”, translated as “rotten lake”, this name is explained by the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the water. I didn’t go down close to the water, so I didn’t feel any smell.

Arriving at Blue Lake, the first question that arises in your head is: “Well, where is it blue?”

The blue lake can be seen in sunny, clear weather, then it will actually be blue, and tourists from our group who have already been to the lake confirm this.

We arrived at the lake in cloudy weather, and in such weather the lake is not blue at all. Therefore, if it is cloudy or raining outside, it is best to postpone the trip to sunnier weather if possible. Although you can’t guess, when we left, the weather was excellent, but as we got closer to the lake area, the clouds began to thicken.

Blue Lake is karst, i.e. formed as a result of erosion of rocks and filling of the resulting voids with water.

The lake is located at an altitude of 809 meters above sea level, and is not large in size - 2.6 hectares. The maximum depth of 365 meters is known today.

The shape, if all the water is drained from the lake, resembles a funnel that narrows towards the bottom.

Water transparency reaches 20 meters. You can see reflected rocks and trees in the water as if in a mirror.

The constant water temperature of this reservoir stays around +9 degrees Celsius all year round, and even in winter it does not freeze.

Walking around the lake, in one place, I still saw the same blue water. I would even say not blue, but emerald.

In the building behind the lake there is a restaurant, an assembly hall for holding conferences, and below there are cabins for storing equipment for divers, where they change clothes and go out to the lower platform of the lake and begin diving into the reservoir.

The maximum depth to which Russian and German divers descended was 216 meters.

To understand how the water in Blue Lake is replenished, last year employees of the Russian Geographical Society worked on it, using special equipment they descended into the depths of the lake. The fact is that visually there are no sources (streams, rivers) that would replenish this lake, and almost 70 thousand cubic meters of water flow out of it into the Cherek River per day, while the level of the lake itself does not decrease. During the dive, we discovered karst caves from which flows mineral water, replenishing the blue lake.

☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰

The guide told us several stories related to this lake. One of them seems to be real, and the second is a legend of the lake.

The first story is true.

At the depths of the lake, divers found three cars standing next to each other and a trailer with boxes of port wine. They brought one bottle to the surface, tried it, and rated the drink well.

Legend of the Blue Lake.

When the shepherds were tending flocks of sheep, among the experienced shepherds there was a young shepherd, and he kept asking why it was impossible to swim in this lake, as the old shepherds said. And this curious shepherd jumped into the lake, the lake pushed him out. He tied a stone and again jumped into the lake, began to dive and sank to the very bottom. There he saw an aul exactly the same as at the top, he looked into the first saklya (peasant house), and there was a black witch, the young man got scared and began to run away, and the witch said: “I didn’t let you in, I pushed you out, but now I won’t let you go.” ". But the nimble shepherd rose to the surface and told the old shepherds what was happening at the bottom of the lake. The shepherds did not believe him, and in the morning a ram with golden horns came out of the lake. The shepherds thought this was a good sign, the ram spent the whole day grazing with the flocks of sheep, and when the sun began to set, the ram sped up and jumped into the lake and all the flocks of sheep jumped after it. And to this day, local residents say that breakers (high wind waves on the lake) appear in the middle of the lake; this is a black witch shearing our sheep.

☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰☕🍰

You cannot swim in the lower Blue Lake and the only living creatures found in it are the Gammarus crustacean.

Despite this, two swans and two ducks swam on the lake. According to the guide, swans have always been on this lake, they disappeared for a while, but now they have appeared again.

From under the café building, water from the Blue Lake flows into the Cherek River.

Also next to the lake there is a shallow artificial reservoir where you can ride on catamarans.

Along the perimeter of the lake there are several cafes and a market.

We didn’t buy souvenirs here (and in principle I don’t go after them).

I won’t say anything about the cafe either, because... The visit to this place was not long, our program was intense, and unfortunately we did not have time to walk and relax.

Now, sitting at home and looking through the photographs taken on our little trip, stopping, so to speak, and thinking about what we saw, I can tell you that you can look at this lake once, but probably not more. I hope you are lucky with the weather and you will see that same Blue Lake.

Good luck with your travels and unforgettable emotions!

All about car tuning

Dry lake cbd. Blue Lakes (Kabardino-Balkaria)

On the maps

see also

See what “Blue Lakes (Kabardino-Balkaria)” is in other dictionaries:

Road to Blue Lakes in winter