Monuments of nature of the Krasnodar Territory. Lakes, waterfalls of Krasnodar region (photo)

Today, ecological tourism is becoming increasingly popular, with the aim of routes on nature reserves and national parks.

In this article you will see the nature monuments of the Krasnodar Territory. We will admire the stunning lakes, study the system of waterfalls and caves, get acquainted with such an interesting phenomenon as the Stone Sea.

What are nature monuments?

For the first time the term appeared in the famous explorer Alexander Humboldt. But later he absorbed many objects and lost his scientific character.

Today, a clear classification is created that shows not only the belonging of the monument to a particular species, but also makes it clear which of them need protection or are of great value.

So, the following categories are recognized: natural monuments, sanctuaries, national parks and state reserves.

It is not for nothing that today the flow of tourists is growing along the routes of natural attractions. After all, only here people can relax, get a charge of vivacity, stretch and strengthen the muscles, calm the nervous system.

Abrau

Listing the monuments of nature of the Krasnodar Territory, especially worth staying at the lake Abrau. This is the largest freshwater reservoir in this area. Its length is more than two and a half kilometers, and the width is six hundred meters. The approximate surface area is 180 hectares.

The lake is above sea level at an altitude of 84 meters. It is drainless, that is, rivers and streams flow into it, but further water does not flow anywhere. The main way of flow of liquid is evaporation.

The maximum depth today ranges from 11 meters. It is noteworthy that in the middle of the last century the bottom of the lake was 30 meters from the surface. But as a result of the fact that there is no flow of water, the Abrau lake is silting up.

Today, this is the main problem of this natural monument, as its water is used in economic needs by local residents. Work is underway to build a dam to hold up the sediment and prevent it from entering the lake. In addition, in some places the bottom of the silt is cleaned.

Judging by the local legend, the lake was formed on the site of aul, which had collapsed underground. Its inhabitants became so rich and proud that they decided to pave the road to the sea with coins of gold and silver. For this, the Lord wiped the village from the face of the earth and filled the basin with water. Actually, the name of the lake comes from the Abkhazian word "abrau", which means "hollow".

Today, researchers of this natural monument are arguing about the ways of formation of the reservoir. There are three versions in total.

According to the first hypothesis, the Abrau lake was formed as a result of the karst failure. But geologists do not agree with it, because karst lakes are usually located in groups, and this is represented in the singular. In addition, the nature of the bottom does not confirm the theory at all.

The second version is the assumption that the reservoir is the remnant of the once huge Cimmerian basin. The presence of freshwater fish confirms this conjecture in part, but does not shed any light on the origin of the basin.

The main and most plausible is the version of an earthquake, a landslide or other shift of the earth's crust. According to this hypothesis, there was a cataclysm that blocked the way of the Abrau River to the Black Sea. As a result, a lake was formed.
The absence of high mountains, where a landslide could have occurred, is the only reason for the existence of other versions. Therefore, for the researchers this issue is still open.

Kardyvach

Anyone who has decided to look at the monuments of the cultural and natural heritage of the Krasnodar Territory is simply obliged to visit Lake Kardyvach. This is a beautiful pond in these parts. It is located 44 kilometers from Krasnaya Polyana, in the Adler district of Sochi.

Kardyvach is a flowing lake. The river that feeds it is called Mzymta. The length of the reservoir is about half a kilometer, the width is 350-360 meters, the maximum depth is 17 meters. It is located at an altitude of 1838 meters above sea level, surrounded by the slopes of the Main Caucasian Range.

From the shore of the lake you can see such peaks as Loyub, Tsyndyshho, Kardyvach (main and nodal). The south-east of the reservoir borders the ridge of Kutekeku.

The origin of the lake is moraine-dam lake. When the glacier moved, he created a hollow and locked it with moraine. Over time, due to the arrival of rock fragments and sediments, the reservoir becomes ever smaller.

Although the Upper Mzymta feeds Kardyvach, the lake is absolutely bezrybnoe, because downstream is a waterfall.

If you go up the river, you can be near Upper Kardyvach. In this lake, even on a hot summer day, fragments of ice are floating, which completely covers its surface for most months.

Agur Waterfalls

Complex monuments of nature of the Krasnodar Territory leave no one indifferent. The one who once visited these waterfalls, will never forget their beauty and natural splendor.

They are located in the Khosta district of Sochi. There are a number of hiking trails, whose participants can admire the stunning views of all three waterfalls and Mount Akhun.

In general, the distance from the first to the last object is about two and a half kilometers. Let's find out more about the Agur waterfalls.

So, the bottom consists of two cascades. The first of them - twelve meters, and the second - eighteen meters. If you follow a route that starts from the Devil's Font, then up to the first waterfall the distance will be about one and a half kilometers.

The average Augur Falls is half a kilometer from Nizhny Novgorod. Its height is 23 meters. A little higher is the Upper Cascade, whose height is 23 meters.

From the last waterfall you can enjoy stunning views of the Eagle Rocks. It is believed that it was here that Prometheus was once chained, and the eagle tortured him. During the route you can even see the monument of this mythical hero.

Natural monuments are sometimes supplemented with the cultural heritage of mankind, which creates a tremendous effect.

Salt Lake

The next object is located on the Taman Peninsula. It completely corresponds to its name, because the amount of salt in it is 350-400 ppm. That is, about a liter of water will produce about 400 grams of salt. For example: in the Dead Sea, the same salinity of water.

Once a part of the Kuban Estuary, due to the shallowing of the sea and the collapse of the latter, this lake illustrates the process of formation of the sea lagoon.

On the maps of the nineteenth century it is still a component of the Kuban Estuary, later - part of the Bugaz estuary. On maps of 1850-1912 it is already a lake, however, it was named after the name of the bay. Already in the twentieth century, when the study proved its value, the water body was called Saline.

A stunning view of it opens from the nearby hills. Further will be considered some more monuments of nature. Protected natural areas, as you will soon see, rarely expose their treasures for show.

At a sight from a hill the lake seems big and deep. Its length is about one and a half kilometers, and the width is a kilometer. You will understand the comic character of this monument when you come down close. The depth of the Salt Lake is only 10 centimeters!

But the treasure of the reservoir is not in deposits of coarse mineral. The main value of the lake is a sixty-centimeter layer of medicinal mud.

When scientists discovered and explored these deposits, the reservoir immediately passed under the protection of the state. After all, it contains more than 200 thousand cubic meters of hydrosulphuric medicinal mixtures!

The beauty of this natural sanatorium is the beach that separates the lake and the Black Sea. Its width is about one hundred meters, and its length is 40 kilometers! It stretches to Anapa and is covered with fine quartz sand.

Khan lake

When mentioning protected natural monuments, it is worthwhile to stop at the Tatar lake. It is located on the shore of the Biesug estuary and is run by the Yeisk sanatorium.

In fact, it represents an early stage in the formation of the Salt Lake.

This is also part of the sea, which, in the process of the shallowing of the latter, separated first into the bay, and later became an independent, closed reservoir.

The length of the Khan lake is almost sixteen kilometers long, six-seven wide. Its depth is 80 centimeters.

Water enters the reservoir with the help of rains and occasionally from the estuary, in the case of a strong wind.

As the legend says, the lake got its name because of the Crimean Khan who built the palace here to enjoy the healing power of the local mud baths.

Pshad Waterfalls

The local complex of waterfalls includes more than a hundred cascades, but the most popular are thirteen of them.

Monuments of nature of the Krasnodar Territory often belong to the resorts and are equipped with scenic tourist routes. They pass through a section of the valley called Bazy. The main thirteen sights are at an altitude of 245 to 270 meters above sea level. They are grouped within one kilometer.

Eight waterfalls from the Pshadsky complex are located on the Red River. The largest of them and the inferior is the Olyapkin or the Great Pshadsky. Its height is about nine meters. It is exemplary, because one of the coasts is sloping and the jet partially falls on the stones, and not directly on the water surface.

The second highest in the mouth of the Grape Creek. It is also the closest in the chain of eight cascades and is located at an altitude of 270 meters above sea level. His own jet falls down seven meters.

The remaining waterfalls are located between these giants. Their height varies from 4.5 meters to 30 centimeters.

Kochkareva gap is known for its washed stalactite, which in shape resembles a crocodile. Upstream the Pshada River flows into Gorlyanov stream. There are about ten waterfalls on it. Here the heights range from four to ten meters.

The next stop is the gorge of 40 waterfalls, the upper current of Thab. Here you will have to walk through hard-to-reach places to see objects up to twenty meters high.

Further it is necessary to turn in the direction of the river Papayka, which flows into Pshadu. It has a tributary - the Black River. At the latter is a chic complex of natural attractions called Papay Falls.

The route starts from the Black aul and goes up the gorge. Before the first cascades you need to walk about three kilometers. Then begins the leapfrog of waterfalls. Gradually, their height increases.

The first significant waterfall eight meters high is surrounded by a stunning rock amphitheater. Ten meters upstream is the second - seven meters.
Next comes a series of lower cascades. If you came here, then you are near the tourist base "Alpinistskaya". Nearby there is a complex of Monasteries, and if you walk up the mill stream (the tributary of Pshada), you can meet another set of waterfalls.

Thus, if you know how to appreciate the beauty of the bizarre game of rocks and streams, you should definitely visit these places.

Vorontsovskaya cave

Natural monuments of Russia quite often amaze with the history and bizarre forms of different formations. Our next attraction is a tremendous complex of underground halls. He enters Vorontsov's cave system.

The name of this monument was not from the name of the famous prince of the XIX century, but from the nearby village - the village of Vorontsovka.

The cave system is located in the Adler district of Sochi, near the headwaters of the Kudepsta river.

Under the ground there are about ten entrances, which are located at an altitude of approximately 400 to 700 meters above sea level. There is a term for cave explorers - "fracturing". It shows the level of monolithic formations.

So, there, where the walls are less uniform, that is, there are many cracks, there is a complex of underground halls that simply fascinate with their beauty.
Among them the most known are the Bear, Oval, the Hall of Silence and Prometheus Grotto. Some of these rooms are dangerous. Because of the multitude of cracks, collapses are not uncommon. For example, in the hall of the Underground River you can detect debris up to 50 cubic meters in volume.

In addition to such disintegrating sections, there are also halls with stalactites and stalagmites. The most famous is Luster or Variety. Its width varies from eight to nine meters, and the length is twenty meters. Any person who came here, is in the bizarre realm of karst formations.

The longest hall is the Prometheus grotto. Its length is 120 meters.

Archaeologists in this cave system found the remains of primitive bears, as well as the Paleolithic sites of ancient people.

Tree of Friendship

Natural objects and natural monuments are not always formed independently. An example of this may be our next attraction.

This plant is already eighty years old. Once (in 1934) the scientist Zorin FM planted a wild lemon. The aim of the researcher's work was to remove citrus fruits, which would not be afraid of Russian frosts.

About 45 different fruits were consecutively grafted. Different varieties of mandarins, oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits.

Once in 1940 this institute was visited by Otto Schmidt and he was shown a tree-garden. The polar explorer vaccinated another twig. Later, in 1957, a similar procedure was repeated by high-ranking visitors from Vietnam.

To date, this miracle plant has been attached to more than 630 different varieties of fruit, and in the process of vaccination, the famous guests from 167 countries of the world participated. Next to him grow 60 "kids" - trees that were planted by foreign rulers, ambassadors, cosmonauts and other figures.

Today, a museum is opened here, which stores more than twenty thousand exhibits in the form of souvenirs of different cultures. Accepted when visiting to give some remarkable national things.

The Stone Sea

If you view the reviews of tourists on the network, it seems that almost all the nature monuments of the Krasnodar Territory are located in the vicinity of the city of Sochi.

But this is not so. Now we will talk about one of the sights of the Maikop district. In it there are such tourist objects, as Hajokh with its dolmens, the canyon of the Belaya river, the rock "Bring, Lord" and others. But the most unusual and memorable is the Stone Sea.

This is a huge field of karst outcrops, which resemble the petrified waves of a raging sea. Here are the punches, grottos and caves. The largest is the Lake Cave.

Very important is the protection of natural monuments. For example, this field is used not only by tourists and vacationers, but also by many higher educational institutions for educational purposes.

Here there are field studies of geologists, botanists and students of other specialties. It is noteworthy that in the southern part of the Kamenny Sea there are alpine meadows, and in the north - the forest. That is, the flora of these places is very diverse.

Thus, in this article we have become acquainted with the natural monuments of the Krasnodar Territory, walked along the system of waterfalls, visited caves and strolled along the Stone Sea.