Obviously, such an association has two goals. The first is environmental and organizational. At the level of neighboring regions, it is now easier and cheaper to solve some of the problems facing environmental structures than through the federal center. For example, organize joint training for new employees of national parks. “Firstly, new people come to national parks, and secondly, new specialties appear. For example, we now have a tourism engineer... or we used to have foresters, and now we have state inspectors who are called upon to protect the forest and explain to others what its value is. Training one specialist in Moscow will cost 60 thousand rubles, and at the local level it is three times cheaper,” says the director of the Samara national park. The second goal is to coordinate actions to organize new tourist routes with an environmental focus.
Organized “domestic” tourism in Russia is still significantly inferior to the tourist flow outside its borders, although recently there has been a tendency to increase interest in natural and man-made attractions within the country. And every Russian region now declares the development of tourism as one of the main “growth points” of regional economies and places. Naturally, at the same time, everyone “pulls the blanket” over himself, proving that he has the best nature, the lowest prices and the most friendly attitude towards visitors. Tataria has been especially successful in this, which is trying to position itself as a tourist and organizational center for at least the entire Volga region. For this, by the way, she has certain reasons, starting from holding the world's largest sports competitions in Kazan, ending with the fact that, according to the results of the interactive survey “Miracles of the Volga region - with your own eyes!”, organized by the office of the plenipotentiary representative of the President of Russia in the Volga Federal District and the interregional Tourist Association "Volga Region", the list of the seven main Volga "miracles" included three from Tatarstan - the island city of Sviyazhsk, the Kazan Kremlin and the ancient city of Bulgar.
Obviously, the national parks of the Volga region have decided to keep up with the matter of attracting tourists. However, the natural conditions of the “Samara Luka” (Samara region), “Buzuluksky pine forest” (border of the Samara and Orenburg regions), “Bashkiria” (Bashkiria), “Nechkinsky” (Udmurtia), “Lower Kama” (Tataria), “Smolny” ( Mordovia), “Mari Chodry” (Mari El) and “Chavash Varmane” (Chuvashia) are approximately the same. It’s all about the “highlights” and the level of comfort for tourists. And representatives of the parks obviously decided that some potential tourists would be more willing to collect eight “highlights” than to admire one for a long time and with inspiration.
The guide to Russian national parks is the first popular publication of its kind, and its release is timed to coincide with an important anniversary - the 90th anniversary of our country’s nature reserve system. It opens a series of publications dedicated to specially protected natural areas of Russia, which contain the most striking and unique natural objects that are of exceptional interest to lovers of travel and nature.
The history of the creation of national parks in Russia goes back just over 20 years, and it is already clear that this is one of the most effective forms of protected areas. National parks not only preserve unique natural, historical and cultural complexes, but also develop eco-tourism and popularize environmental education.
All over the world, national parks are extremely popular among tourists, since they contain unique natural, historical and cultural attractions in their original form, combined with a developed infrastructure for recreation.
There are only 35 national parks in Russia. However, the parks cover almost all natural zones: from the harsh taiga of the Russian North to the snowy peaks of the Caucasus, from the sand dunes of the Baltic Sea to deep-sea Baikal and the mountainous regions of southern Transbaikalia. Some of the parks are located in hard-to-reach places where literally no human has ever set foot. Others, on the contrary, have a centuries-old history of development and are located in densely populated areas. But they are all united by a huge number of attractions located in a limited area: be it natural unique landscapes; diverse, sometimes very rare representatives of the animal and plant world; historical and cultural monuments; the original way of life and environmental management of local residents.
We hope that this guide will not leave you indifferent to the unique beauties of Russia and will invite you to make more than one trip to its national parks.
Yuri Trutnev, Minister of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation
Russia has a rich history of nature conservation in specially designated vast areas. The first nature reserve in Russia, Barguzinsky, was founded 90 years ago. Over the past almost century-long period, a unique system of specially protected natural areas (SPNA), which has no analogues in the world, has been formed, which is a national treasure of our country. The official concept of protected areas unites 6 main categories: state nature reserves, national parks, natural monuments, nature reserves, resorts and sanatorium areas, botanical gardens and arboretums.
National parks are one of the most accessible protected natural areas for eco-tourism. Of course, the main purpose of protected areas is the preservation of unique natural objects and landscapes. But most of them have special areas open to the public. Since national parks are the most popular among tourists, we decided to start a series of guides to protected areas from them.
The first national parks in Russia - Sochi and Losiny Island - were formed in 1983. Since then, 33 more parks have been created. In some parks, remote from industrial and agricultural centers, nature has been preserved almost in its original form, and here you can see a large number of natural attractions: unique landscapes, geological and mineralogical rarities, endangered species of animals and plants. Other parks, with a centuries-old history of careful environmental management, have preserved many monuments of original culture. Despite the ever-increasing number of visitors to parks, there is currently an acute shortage of popular reference literature such as guidebooks, in which you can learn not only about natural attractions and monuments of historical and cultural heritage, but also gain practical information about the opportunities to visit the park. The reader will find all this in the guides that we have prepared for him.
In this publication, national parks are combined into 6 geographical divisions of Russia: parks of the North-West (7), Center (7), Volga region (7), North Caucasus (3), Urals (5) and Siberia (6). They, in turn, are grouped into 3 issues: 1 – North-West and Center, 2 – Volga region and North Caucasus, 3 – Ural and Siberia.
The order of placement of essays for each park in a separate geographical area is determined according to the classical principle: from north to south and from west to east. Almost every essay is preceded by the park's emblem. Some parks have stylized emblems, while others carry a certain meaning.
The reference information for each park (“Contact information”, “How to get there”, “Accommodation”, “Park services”) is updated and carefully checked, but does not guarantee the complete absence of inaccuracies.
A large team took part in the preparation of initial information materials for the guide to the national parks of the Urals and Siberia, uniting the following park directors, their deputies for science and environmental education and tourism, employees of scientific departments and departments for environmental education and tourism: B.A. Garifulina, I.I. Berkutova, S.V. Bratukhina, A.V. Bryukhanova, V.I. Grishchenko, N.N. Starch, V.S. Melnikova, B.B. Nimaeva, V.I. Sobchuk, V.A. Tolmacheva, T.S. Fomichev (directors); M.Yu. Bratukhin, E.F. Bulgakov, E.M. Voroshilov, N.A. Gilev, S.A. Gorodilova, R.Z. Daminova, N.V. Dyubanov, L.M. Ermakov, E.E. Efimov, B.A. Zandanov, V.V. Kaliman, I.A. Kozhevnikov, E.M. Kurbanaev, A.V. Lagunova, A.M. Lekhatinova, E.B. Lekhatinov, O.D. Nimaeva, E.D. Ovdina, T.V. Pashkov, L.B. Pershin, A.E. Razuvaeva, V.V. Ryabtseva, M.S. Seredu, O.A. Skosyrskaya, V.P. Storozheva, L.A. Sultangareev, S.M. Sushkeeva, D.Yu. Syrenova, M.G. Tropin, A.E. Turuta, V.V. Umrilov, K.A. Firtseva, I.Ch. Chimitova, E.I. Chimitov, L.P. Shrager, E.I. Shubnitsin.
An employee of the Central Bureau of Information of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation S.L. took an active part in the work of collecting and preparing primary information materials on Russian national parks. Federation of Filippov and specialists of the company “Ecoconsult” I.Yu. Gubenko and S.N. Konyaev.
In preparing the guide, materials published in various booklets, prospectuses, and albums of national parks published in recent years, as well as materials posted on the official websites of the parks, were also used.
The publication is illustrated with photographs of famous nature photographers, as well as photographs kindly provided by park directorates from their photo archives. The authors of the corresponding photographs are listed on p. 216.
This guidebook publishes for the first time maps with detailed boundaries, clarified based on official documents. The basis for creating the maps was a spatial database on the boundaries of federal specially protected natural areas, developed by the Wildlife Conservation Center Charitable Foundation, the International Public Organization International Social-Ecological Union and the World Resources Institute. The administrative centers of the parks, located on their territory, are marked on maps in the form of red flags for ease of orientation.
We hope that this guide will find its readers and become a useful guide during their travels through Russian national parks.
Vladimir Gorbatovsky, Central Bureau of Information of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation
Practical information
- Procedure for obtaining a permit
- Behavior rules
- Nutrition
- Clothes and shoes
- Security questions
- Information on the Internet
General information
- Characteristic
- Symbolism
- Security
National parks of the Volga region
- "Mari Chodra"
- "Lower Kama"
- "Nechkinsky"
- "Smolny"
- "Chavash Varmane"
- "Samara Luka"
- "Khvalynsky"
Recreational area Middle Volga region
Geographical position
This area includes the territories of Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov regions and. It is located in the southeast of the European part of Russia in the middle reaches of the river. Volga. Borders with Kazakhstan. The Volga River flows through the area, which divides the territory into two parts: Left Bank and Right Bank.
Natural recreational resources
Landscapes
The region is located on the East European Plain. The right bank of the Volga is elevated and hilly (up to 379 m); the Volga and Zhiguli uplands are located here. The surface of the left bank part is a gently undulating plain.
Bioclimate
The climatic conditions of the Middle Volga region are characterized by an increase in continentality from the northwest to the southeast, so the climate changes from moderate continental to continental.
The insolation and ultraviolet regimes of solar radiation are quite sufficient. Summers are warm and winters are moderately cold. The average July temperature is from +19° C to +22° C, the average January temperature is from -12° C to -14° C. The average precipitation is from 350 to 700 mm.
In the region, almost every year in the summer there are periods of very hot, dry weather, when the temperature ranges from +28°C to +33°C. The discomfort of the summer heat is softened by the moist breath of reservoirs.
Snow cover forms after mid-November and melts in the first half of April. The duration of snow cover is 140-150 days a year, the average height is 35-45 cm.
Hydro resources
The Volga is the most significant waterway; three large reservoirs have been created on it - Kuibyshevskoye, Saratovskoye and Volgogradskoye. There is a Nizhnekamsk reservoir on the Kama River. Reservoirs are not only a favorite vacation spot, but also form a healing microclimate, softening the summer heat.
The main rivers of the Middle Volga region - the Volga and Kama - are the main cruise routes of the European part of Russia. They serve cruise routes with access to the Caspian, Azov and Baltic seas.
Hydromineral resources
Local hydromineral resources contributed to the recreational development of the territory. The most common mineral waters are hydrogen sulfate, sodium chloride, and ferrous sodium chloride.
In the 19th century In the Samara province, the Sergievsky Mineral Waters resort was organized. There are no analogues to the Sergievsky Mineral Waters in Russia, which is why the resort with the same name was included in the list of unique resorts in Russia. In Tatarstan, the most famous are the sulfide waters of the Bakirovo resort. In the Saratov region, sources of sulfide mineral waters are located near the city of Engels. In the Ulyanovsk region there is a rare type of water - sulfide sodium bromide chloride, which is used for treatment in the Bely Yar sanatorium. Drinking mineral water "Volzhanka" of the Undory resort in the Ulyanovsk region is recognized as one of the best mineral waters in the treatment of diseases of the urinary organs.
The most famous deposits of sulfide silt medicinal mud are the lakes Molochka, Teplovka, Solodovka of the Sergievskie Mineralnye Vody resort in the Samara region. Therapeutic mud is used in the mud baths of the resort and other sanatoriums in the Samara region, for example, the Volga sanatorium in Samara. They are widely used for the treatment of sapropel from White Lake in the Pribrezhny sanatorium in the Ulyanovsk region.
Blue clays: Kimmeridgian blue clay of the Undorovskoye deposit (Undory resort, Ulyanovsk region), deposits in the region: Vostochy village, B-Chernigov district, village. Aleksandrovka, Syzran district. Blue clay, mined in deposits in the Ulyanovsk and Samara regions, has an anti-inflammatory effect, which is especially effective for skin lesions and in cosmetology.
In 1854 in the village. In Bogdanovka, Samara province, the first kumis treatment sanatorium in Russia was opened. In May 1863 E.N. Annaev founded the kumiss medical institution “Annaevskaya Dacha”. In the kumiss clinic, kumis was prepared and used for treatment. From Samara, kumis was exported to England, Poland, and Holland. Nowadays, seasonal kumis therapy is carried out in the “White Lake” sanatoriums in the Ulyanovsk region, and the “Yutazinskaya kumis therapy” sanatorium in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Bioresources
Most of the territory is occupied by plains of forest and forest-steppe zones. The forest-steppes of the northern regions turn into steppes in the south.
The fauna of the area is quite diverse, which is due to the presence of various natural zones. The fauna of forest-steppes is especially rich. The oak forests and pine forests are inhabited by squirrel, lynx, marten, wild boar, ermine, weasel, and badger. Waterfowl and marsh-shore birds are numerous. Many bird species are listed in the Red Book. Here you can find the golden eagle, imperial eagle, black stork, falcon, as well as taiga hazel grouse, wood grouse, and black grouse, which are rare for these places. There are 46 species of fish in the Volga. In the steppe regions of the region, reptiles and various types of rodents predominate among fauna representatives; hares, foxes, and moose live in forest belts.
The Samarskaya Luka National Natural Park is of great importance for recreation. On its territory there are 54 species of mammals, about 200 species of birds, including rare ones: golden eagle, peregrine falcon, balaban.
The uniqueness of the Saratov region is that 80-85% of the Russian bustard population nests here, therefore the Saratovsky nature reserve of federal significance was created, and the Khvalynsky national park is also located on the territory of the region.
On the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan are located: the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve, which is distinguished by its great biodiversity, and the Nizhnyaya Kama National Park, where there are over 80 archaeological sites associated with the sites of ancient people.
On the territory of the Ulyanovsk region there are protected areas: the Sengileevskie Mountains National Park, the Volga Forest-Steppe Nature Reserve and the Coast of Eagles.
Natural attractions
Many natural objects of the recreational region of the Middle Volga region are natural monuments and are under state protection. One of the famous ones is the Samara Luka - a natural object, which is a peninsula with an area of over 1500 km², bounded by a bend of the Volga River and its tributaries. This unique complex of wildlife is characterized by unique relief forms, a unique microclimate, the presence of interesting geological formations, and numerous natural and historical monuments.
Cultural and historical potential
On the territory of the districts there are a large number of ancient Russian cities: Syzran, Ulyanovsk (Simbirsk), Samara, Saratov. Because of this, the cultural and historical potential of the area is quite extensive. It is represented by architectural monuments of a secular and religious nature, local history museums, memorial sites, etc. Attractive objects are the magnificent embankments of the Saar and the longest pedestrian street in Russia in Saratov.
Various festivals are held here: art song named after Valery Grushin (Samara region), theaters of small towns in the city of Balakovo (Saratov region), the ethnic festival “Krutushka” (Tatarstan), the Cossack festival “Twelve Pearls”, etc.
Currently in Tatarstan the number of objects of cultural and historical value is approaching 7 thousand. There are more than a hundred museums, the ensemble of the Kazan Kremlin, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Kazan University, Bulgars, Sviyazhsk Island, Yelabuga State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, Raifa Bogoroditsky Monastery, etc. It is worth especially noting - a city with a thousand-year history, with beautiful architectural ensembles. The architectural and historical symbol of the capital is the Kazan Kremlin, built on a hill above the Kazanka River. On the territory of the republic, the remains of the cities of Volga-Kama Bulgaria (X-XIII centuries) have been preserved. Significant events, such as the city's millennium in 2005 or the XXVII World Summer Universiade in 2013, greatly contribute to the development of Kazan's tourism industry.
The city of Ulyanovsk (Simbirsk) is rich in architectural monuments. This is the birthplace of the organizer of the October Revolution V.I. Lenin, the largest memorial and museum complex operates here. Interesting places where A.S. visited. Pushkin, house-monument to I.A. Goncharov, city museums (Local History, Art, Architectural, Civil Aviation, etc.). Ulyanovsk also hosts survival races and UAZ races. For more than 30 years, the final stage of the Russian Autocross Championship has been taking place in Ulyanovsk.
Infrastructure
The level of the recreational network in the area has increased significantly in recent years. Recreation centers and health resorts are reopening around cities. The capacity of all tourism institutions is quite large.
Transport accessibility of the recreational region of the Middle Volga region - regular air, rail, and automobile connections, several ports of cruise calls on the river. Volga (Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Samara, Togliatti, etc.).
The main tourist centers of the region are: Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Samara.
In 2008, the Ulyanovsk, Samara regions and the Republic of Tatarstan signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of tourism. Work is underway to develop wedding and family tourism (the “River of Family Life” project), gastronomic tourism (the “Chocolate River, Biscuit Banks” project), and health tourism (the “Living River” project). Tours of aerospace museums are being prepared (the “River to the Sky” project). They plan to develop a unified standard of service for tourists, jointly negotiate with domestic and foreign tour operators, appear at tourism exhibitions with one Volga stand, and unite sanatoriums and holiday homes into the Volga Health Resorts network.
Types of tourism developed in the recreational region of the Middle Volga region:
- cultural and educational (excursion) tourism;
- ecological tourism;
- medical and recreational holidays;
- rural and ethnographic tourism;
- hunting and fishing;
- cruise tourism;
- religious tourism;
- event tourism;
- sports tourism (yachting, water tourism, caving tourism, skiing, cycling and horseback riding);
- rest in boarding houses and recreation centers.
Walking through nature reserves and national parks, you will want to take a closer look at their beauty. Admire the brightness and variety of flowers and leaves playing in the sun, feel how a barely perceptible breeze carries the subtle fragrance of flowers. The charm of nature in the parks is irresistible. And what pleasure you can get from watching animals!
"Bashkiria"
Founded in 1986, the park with an area of 83.2 thousand hectares is located on the southwestern slopes of the Southern Urals, west of the Ural-Tau watershed ridge, in the southeastern part of Bashkiria and includes the waters of the Nugush reservoir. The park was created with the aim of preserving the unique natural complex of mountain forests of the Southern Urals. The park has developed on-site beekeeping.The park is famous for its unique and rich museum, the author of which is Nature herself, Kutuk tract, where there are almost four dozen caves with rich calcite deposits. The park has the largest cave in the Urals Sumgan, which goes vertically 120 m deep into the earth and has a passage length of about 10 km. Getting to know the amazing world of caves in this karst area will bring you a lot of pleasant and unexpected impressions. You will see rare manifestations of nature natural karst bridge on the river. Cuperlya And natural monument “Onion Populations”.
5 excursion routes are organized for you, 24 sanatoriums and recreation centers operate.
Relief of the park ridged and ridged, strongly dissected by deeply incised river valleys. In the western part, the relief is smoothed, wavy, turning into lowland valleys of the floodplain part of the Belaya and Nugush rivers. The southern part (south of the Belaya River) occupies the Zilair mountain plateau. The central, northern and eastern parts of the park are an elevated mountain plateau, cut by deep ravines with steep slopes, river and stream valleys. River valleys often turn into steep cliffs up to 150 m high. The Kibiz, Utyamysh, Yamantau, Kalu, Kamelya, Sharlak ridges (altitude from 400 to 600 m above sea level), the peaks of which are covered with low “gnarled” oak trees of the subalpine type and dense grasses, decorate the park. The ridges cross rivers, forming deep and narrow canyons with rocky ledges and various bizarre shapes (“Devil's Finger”, “Sphinx”, “Castle”, “Duck Nose”, etc.).
Flow through the park mountain rivers Belaya, Nugush, Kuzha, Uryuk and numerous streams. The picturesque streams Shulgan, Sumgan, Kutuk, Yuriash in the upper reaches disappear underground, paved the way under the limestones, forming karst cavities (Kapova cave, Sumgan failure).
Rivers and Nugush Reservoir parks abound fish. Pike, common taimen, European grayling, pike perch, perch, asp, bream, silver bream, chub, ide, common roach, common gudgeon, bleak, common ruff, and burbot live here.
The park's territory is covered with extensive broad-leaved forests from oak, linden, maple, elm, elm. There are spruce and pine stands. Under special protection of the park are relict broad-leaved spruce forests and areas of mountain steppes with rare plant species. Broad-leaved forests (55% linden) interspersed with tall grass glades and petrophytic meadow steppes are protected.
Vegetable world The park is surprisingly diverse: about 700 x 750 species of vascular plants grow here. Plants characteristic of steppes, deciduous and taiga forests, and mountain meadows grow in the park, creating a mosaic of vegetation cover. Under the canopy of the shady forest grow perennial woodweed, lungwort, hoofweed, fragrant bedstraw, multicolored rosemary, yellow green grass and many other plants. Orchids decorate the park: bifolia lyubka, green-flowered lyubka, helmeted and burnt orchis, and ovate-shaped orchids. Rare plant species also add extraordinary diversity to the green palette of the forest. Among them are Helm's minuartia, Krasheninnikov's minuartia, lady's slipper, Russian hazel grouse, silver-leaved pennywort, speckled globularia, Clair's astragalus, thin-leaved feather grass, feather feather grass, beautiful feather grass, Zalessky feather grass. The park's grass communities are rich in various species: meadow-forest, steppe and mountain-meadow. Here grow feathery feather grass, pubescent-leaved and beautiful, steppe bluegrass, desert sheep, meadow fescue, soddy pike, fragrant spikelet, steppe timothy. Clover and bluebells grow in abundance.
Among mammals inhabiting these vast expanses: brown bear, wolf, fox, lynx, badger, pine marten, ermine, weasel, weasel, polecat, European mink, otter. There are white hare and brown hare, flying squirrel, squirrel, chipmunk, muskrat, water vole, large ground squirrel, steppe marmot, garden dormouse, common hamster, and large jerboa. You will see powerful moose and roe deer.
In the park you can meet many “celebrities” from the world of birds. Among its permanent inhabitants are song thrush, chaffinch, redstart, hazel grouse, woodcock, wood grouse, and great spotted woodpecker. Rare species find shelter in the park birds, included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation such as little bustard, osprey, white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, steppe eagle, peregrine falcon.
Beekeeping has a long and rich history in Bashkiria. Bashkirs have been engaged in on-board beekeeping for a long time. Bashkir honey is the most delicious in the world. It is very useful, because it is collected from medicinal plants. The Bashkir airborne bee is protected in the park.
Come to a beautiful region, rich in birds, river fish and animals.
"Mari Chodra"
Founded on September 13, 1985 in the Republic of Mari El, the park with an area of 36.6 thousand hectares is located in the river basin. Ilet (the left tributary of the Volga) and covers the southern end of the Mari-Vyatka shaft. “Mari Chodra” was created with the aim of protecting rare and endangered species of flora (115 rare and endangered species of flora are registered in the park), fauna and historical and archaeological monuments.The beauty of the park attracts 40 thousand tourists every year. Clean fresh air, moderately warm climate (average temperature in July + 18.3°C, January -14.1°C), dense green forest and wonderful lakes are a dream for vacationers. Particularly popular among tourists are Maple Mountain, lakes Yalchik, Glukhoe, and Kichier. The park has water, walking and horse trails. There are a total of 14 tourist routes. The special flavor of such a trip is associated with one-story houses with three windows, pastoral landscapes with peacefully grazing cows and solemnly strolling chickens. There are 14 recreational facilities for you: tourist centers, recreation centers, tourist towns, student sports camps, and sanatoriums.
Why don't you try the traditional local drink, kumiss? You will see that it is tastier and healthier than it might seem at first glance.
Relief the park is different. The Mari-Vyatsky Wall significantly influenced the landscape of the northeastern part. This part of the park is elevated. Left bank Trans-Volga region sandy lowland. The right bank of the Volga is high. The Mari-Vyatsky shaft is fabulously beautiful, cut by river valleys, which in some places resemble mountain gorges. To the south, the rampart lowers and breaks up into separate wide tent-shaped hills - Kerebelyakskaya, Klenovogorskaya and others. The Klenovogorskaya hills seemed to stand in the way of the Ileti, making its way to the Volga, and the river, flowing around it, turned to the west. The northern slopes of the mountain are steep, with screes and cliffs forming in places. The territory of the natural park is part of the Iletsky upland-plain southern taiga region with the development of modern karst.
These places are interesting not only for their geology, but also for their diversity animal world. The park is home to 50 species of mammals. The beauty of nature is home to the chipmunk, weasel, ermine, ferret, pine marten and otter. Moose are common, wild boars are also found, and lynx enter the area. There are many brown hares and squirrels. Beavers built their huts along the rivers. In the lands of Mari-Chodry, especially in the Ileti floodplain, bats live in hollows in overmature forests.
Even more numerous inhabitants of the reserve birds. There are more than 100 species of them here. These include black grouse, capercaillie, and hazel grouse. Daytime birds: buzzard, goshawk, black kite, flying golden eagle. Mallards and teal nest on the lakes. There are not many seasonal birds. In the fall, diving ducks temporarily stop on the lakes, and in the spring, the flight over the flooded rivers is busier. In autumn and winter, bullfinch, waxwing, sometimes nutcracker, etc. migrate.
A high-water, fast flowing river flows through the park. Ilet River, with tributaries Yushut, Arbaika, Uboy, Petyalka, Timsha and numerous, often nameless rivulets and streams. In the area of Klenovaya Mountain, more than 20 springs flow into Ilet. At the foot of the mountain, on the left bank of the Ilet, the healing Green Spring flows. Medicinal sulfate-calcium water (total mineralization of water 2.3 g/l) is used for diseases of the stomach, liver, urinary tract and metabolic disorders.
The area is given a special beauty by lakes. The Ileti Valley, covered with a beautiful forest, is decorated with oxbow forest lakes of various sizes and shapes, many of which are rich in healing mud. The forest karst lakes are beautiful and transparent. Undoubtedly, many nature lovers are happy to hide here from the bustle of the city, and in the silence of the forest, they find a healing balm for the weary soul. Lake Yalchik is especially famous. On Lake Yalchik there is a holiday home, sports and recreational camps and pioneer camps. There are two sanatoriums located on Lake Kichier. Lakes Glukhoe, Conanyer, Mushander and smaller and more distant lakes attract many tourists here every year.
grassy lowlands swamps There's not much in the park. The majority (92.8% of the swamp area) of the swamps are located in river valleys, and the remaining swamps of the transitional type are located in poorly dissected watershed areas. The Iron Swamp is very interesting. Relict plants grow in sphagnum bogs: swamp chamarbia, Magellanic and stringroot sedges, white sphagnum, cotton grass, sundew.
Forests the park is coniferous and broad-leaved. The hills are covered with oak forests with maple, linden and spruce. Mixed forests of spruce, pine, linden, oak, maple, aspen, elm, and floodplain oak forests dominate the valleys. You can find pine forests with aspen, birch, and spruce. Sphagnum pine forests occupy a special place in the natural complex of the park. In the river floodplain there are floodplain oak forests or the linden, aspen and sometimes birch forests that replaced them, and in the near-terrace floodplain and the inner parts of the bends there are alder forests. Occasionally, the floodplains are full of small patches of post-forest meadow vegetation, steppe on the ridges.
Vegetation The park is rich and diverse: 774 species and subspecies from 363 genera of 93 families grow here, which makes up more than 67% of the flora of the Mari Republic. Floristically, the park's territory is located at the junction of the European and West Siberian provinces of the Euro-Siberian floristic region. Taiga species grow in the park, both European (Norway spruce) and Siberian (Siberian fir), along with plants characteristic of forest-steppes (summer oak) and steppes (feather feather grass). About 50 species of plants growing in the park are rare for the flora of the Mari Republic.
There are 10 in "Mari Chodra" natural monuments:
- lakes Yalchik, Kichier, Glukhoe, Ergesh-er, Shutyer, Kuzh-er, Shungaldan;
- mineral spring "Green Key";
- tract "Klenovaya Gora";
- "Klenovogorsk oak grove".
Is in the park and historical and cultural monuments, archaeological monuments:
- "Pugachev's Oak";
- Old Kazan road;
- 27 archaeological monuments. The most significant of them is the Oshutyalskoye III settlement (14 dwellings of the Prikazan culture).
"Lower Kama"
Founded on April 20, 1991, the park with an area of 26.2 thousand hectares is located in the Republic of Tatarstan along the banks of the Kama River, near the cities of Elabuga, Naberezhnye Chelny and Nizhnekamsk.Several walking tours are organized for you in the park. tourist routes through the forest, water routes along the reservoir, along the Kama and Kriush rivers.
The park is divided into five zones:
- protected area 1.8 thousand hectares (7.1% of the total area). This zone includes plantations with fir, which are natural monuments, pine reserves, as well as the coastal part of the Kama-Kriush floodplain;
- environmental reserve zone 13.0 thousand hectares (50.2%);
- ecological forest zone 2.7 thousand hectares (10.6%);
- area for public recreation 3.2 thousand hectares (12.4%);
- area for regulated recreation and excursions 5.1 thousand hectares (19.7%).
Climate temperate continental, with warm summers (average July temperature + 19.6°C) and moderately cold winters (average January temperature -13.8°C).
Relief The park is a stepped dissected plain with average watershed heights of 165 m, dissected by river valleys cut to a depth of 70 m. On the high right bank of the Kama River there is a widely developed gully-beam network and there are landslides.
Flows through the park Kama River, its tributary Kriusha River in the area of the village. Tanayka, and small rivers Toima And Tanayka. The Kama River divides the park into two landscape parts. In the area of the city of Elabuga, the Kama River is represented by a reservoir. There are many in the park lakes of different sizes.
Forests the park is coniferous, forest-forming species pine. In pine forests you can find spruce, birch, and occasionally larch and aspen. There are not many forests in the park. Forests adorn the banks of the Kama River and islands are scattered from it to the north and south. The beauty of nature is especially visible in the valuable forests that adorn the Big Bor, Small Bor, Tanayka, and Kzyl-Tau tracts. Countless species of plants grow under their canopy: sorrel oxalis, spear-shaped cacalyum, bifolia bifolia, round-leaved wintergreen, hairy sedge, rhizomatous sedge, gooseberry, amazing violet and many others. Here you can also pick up berries - lingonberries and blueberries. A significant part of the forests of these tracts are unique natural monuments.
Vegetation The park has 600 species of vascular plants. Some plants, such as open lumbago, common wolfberry, bathhouse, peach-leaved bellflower, lily of the valley, club mosses, annual and oblate mosses, Siberian and calamus irises, are rare in Tatary, and therefore it is very important to protect them so that they are preserved. In total, there are 89 rare and endangered plant species in the park. Among them are helmeted orchis, river ragwort, sandy immortelle, and black crowberry. And the lady's slipper and large-flowered lady's slipper, red pollenhead and helmeted orchis found here are listed in the Red Book of the USSR. The vegetation in the floodplain of the Kama River is unusually rich and diverse: forests of linden, oak, black poplar, water meadows and swamps. Picturesque water meadows - a real green carpet of all kinds of grasses: red and meadow fescue, meadow bluegrass, meadow foxtail, awnless brome, creeping wheatgrass, mouse pea and others. Various herbs are pleasing to the eye: yarrow, burnet, meadow geranium, etc. There are also rare floodplain plants such as gentian pulmonosa, yellow capsule and white water lily.
This national park is rich animals typical for the east of the central zone of the European part of Russia. The proximity of some taiga and steppe species of mammals and birds adds its own unique flavor to the wonderful natural world of the park. Among the rare and endangered bird species living in the national park are the white-tailed eagle, osprey, golden eagle, short-tailed eagle, imperial eagle, peregrine falcon, balaban, and black stork. Floodplain sparkling lakes and swamps are a wonderful habitat for bitterns, mute swans and gray cranes, which raise their chicks there.
In the park, near the city of Elabuga, there are approximately 80 archaeological sites dating back to an even more distant past. The Elabuga site of the Bronze Age (II millennium BC) and the Neolithic era (III millennium BC) are known. If we talk about later times, the Elabuga (Devil's) settlement, which existed in the rebellious (pre-Mongol) era (8th-13th centuries AD), five Tanai dwellings, the Tanai settlement and a number of burial grounds were found.
"Chavash Varmane"
Located on the territory of the Shemurshinsky and Batyrevsky districts of the Chuvash Republic and founded on June 20, 1993, it covers an area of almost 25,200 hectares, of which 23,680 hectares are forests. This protected piece of paradise, covered in continuous forests, attracts more than 1,000 visitors every year.Climate Chavash Varmane Park is temperate continental with fairly long cold winters and warm summers.
Relief The park is a series of watersheds between the Abamza River, the White and Black Abyss rivers and their tributaries. The watersheds between these rivers give the area a broadly undulating character. The absolute height of the park above sea level is 120 x 160 m. The highest point is 265 m in the eastern part of the park, it is called the “Great Mountain”. Most of the park is a sandy lowland, with a dune-hilly type of relief. In this part of the park there are sand ridges and dunes, 5 x 10 m high, oval in shape, stretching from northwest to southeast. In the small eastern part of the park there are narrow watershed plateaus with saddle depressions and outlier hills and slopes indented by ravines and ravines.
There are many in the national park rivers and streams. Most of the territory belongs to the basin of the Bezdna River (a tributary of the Sura) and is located north and south of its valley, with the exception of the extreme northeast, which belongs to the Karla River basin. The largest rivers are the White Abyss, the Black Abyss, Abamza, Khutamatvar, Khirla, Tyukinka, Tazlovka, Bolshaya Karla, Malaya Karla.
There are more than 20 in the park lakes, most of which are floodplain. There are also artificial reservoirs and swamps (143 hectares). Springs flow along the bottoms and slopes of ravines.
Forests parka broadleaf. The main forest-forming species are pine, birch, aspen, linden. There are oak, spruce and black alder. Unique areas of indigenous mature forests including pine, spruce, oak, linden, naked elm, ash, and black alder have been preserved. It’s nice to see beautiful shrubs: hazel, rowan, red viburnum, brittle buckthorn, warty euonymus, wolf’s bast. Common ash, elm, elm, and juniper are occasionally found. Siberian cedar and Siberian larch were planted artificially.
Vegetation The park has more than 600 species of vascular plants. Plants characteristic of broad-leaved, coniferous-deciduous and pine forests, meadows and, to a small extent, steppes grow in the park, creating a richness and diversity of the flora. Some plants, such as phaegopteris beech, European bathwort, common wolfberry, egg-shaped hiding place, marsh slumber, creeping goodyera, open lumbago, yellow egg capsule, round-leaved wintergreen, umbellate wintergreen, marsh whitewing, spotted fingerroot, reviving moonflower are rare in Chuvashia, and therefore, it is very important to protect them so that they survive. In total, there are 21 rare plant species in the park. Among them, the red pollen head and lady's slipper are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
106 species grow in the park medicinal plants.
The national park is rich animals: 40 species of mammals, 170 species of birds, 16 species of amphibians and reptiles, 19 species of fish.
If you want to visit this unique park, it would be a good idea to first learn something about its past. You will find that at this edge rich story. At different times, the territory was inhabited by different peoples: Burtases, Khazars, Chuvash Bulgarians, Kipchaks, Nogais, Kalmyk detachments, Mishar Tatars, Mordvinians, Mari. This area is also famous for being the area of the earliest Russian colonization. Since the time of the “wild field,” the territory has been inhabited by representatives of all ethnographic groups of the Chuvash, but at the same time it reflects, first of all, the history, culture and life of the “Simbirsk” Chuvash.
There are approximately 108 in the park and surrounding areas monuments of history, archeology, spiritual and material culture: burial mounds, ancient cemeteries, tombstones with Arabic graphics, early Bulgarian and medieval settlements, etc. Archaeological monuments from different historical eras were found here. In the park you can see three sacred places where they made sacrifices to pagan gods and spirits and prayed. It is interesting to see the Tigashevskoe Bulgarian settlement - a castle with a complex system of fortifications on the river. Bule (Batyrevsky district) and the complex of the Karlinsky serif line. If we talk about even more ancient times, then there are paleontological finds from the era of the last glaciation.
An educational guide has been developed for visitors ecological trail 7 km long, laid through the most picturesque section of the park.
"Samara Luka"
Those who love history will definitely visit this park in the Samara region. Its history preserves the memory of Ermak, Stepan Razin and Emelyan Pugachev. You can admire the Volga expanses during the Zhigulevskaya Around the World water route. Travel companies organize cycling and horseback riding tours. You will also see the most mysterious and beautiful place in the park - the Stone Bowl with a healing spring."Khvalynsky"
In the Saratov region there is a fascinating and beautiful place - the Khvalynsky National Park! Picturesque chalk mountains covered with relict pine trees and “rejuvenating” Khvalyn apples. Excursions along ecological trails will introduce you to the history of the region. Local healers will teach you the principles of herbal and hydrotherapy.Visit nature reserves Volga Federal District. By getting acquainted with the animals and flora, you will get a great impression and aesthetic pleasure, and broaden the horizons of your worldview.
"Shulgan-Tash"
In the western foothills of the Southern Urals, within the Burzyansky administrative region of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve is located. An irresistibly beautiful place! The relief here is varied, including mountain landscapes with rocks, narrow gorges with karst caves, smooth, forested peaks, and steppe areas. There are many mountain rivers and streams.Beekeeping means observing everyday miracles. Until now, no one has been able to fully understand the highly organized social life, the highest skill of communication and the amazing industriousness of the honey bee. Not every one of us has the opportunity to take up beekeeping. But watch the unique wild Burzyan bee You can go to Shulgan-Tash. Here is one of the last places of the surviving population of the Central Russian wild bee.
In the reserve you can see the famous "Kapova Cave", a natural monument, decorated with magnificent calcite sinter formations, and in winter - ice stalactites and stalagmites.
"Mordovian"
In the Republic of Mordovia, the Mordovian Nature Reserve was founded in 1935 with the aim of preserving the natural landscapes of the southern woodlands. With an area of 32,200 hectares, the reserve is located in the eastern part of the Oksko-Klyazminskaya lowland between the Moksha River and its right tributary Satis.The forest silence is broken by the singing of birds. The sun is pleasantly warm. The air is filled with the aromas of herbs and the delicate, barely perceptible aroma of raspberries, bird cherry, and blackberries. Pine forests give way to broad-leaved forests with birches, aspens and lindens.
"Volzhsko-Kamsky"
In the Republic of Tatarstan, in the east of central European Russia, on the border of the forest zone and the steppe zone, where the Kama flows into the Volga, the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve is located. It consists of two separate sections: Raifsky and Saralovsky. Raifa is truly a pearl of the Volga region. It is difficult to find such a place where, in a small area, forests of all the main types characteristic of the central zone of the European part of Russia would grow and where one could find plantings more than 200 years old. But here in front of you is the wonderful Raifa Lake, truly a dark blue pearl. Miracle, how good!You will get great pleasure by visiting Asia and America at the same time. “Is this possible?” you ask. Perhaps if Raifa Dendrological Garden with American and Asian departments. There are 172 species of trees and shrubs in the garden. What a sight!
"Nurgush"
The Nurgush Nature Reserve is located in the Kirov region. Here you will not find any kilometer-deep canyons, no sheer cliffs that will take your breath away, no majestic waterfalls that are definitely worth capturing on film, no moose walking freely, no slow-moving grizzly bears that can be admired from a safe distance. But these places, covered with valley coniferous-deciduous forests and swamps, are home to 36 species of mammals and 110 species of nesting birds. Here you can meet the very first lumberjack - the beaver."Kerzhensky"
This reserve is located in the Nizhny Novgorod region, on the left bank of the Kerzhenets River, along which swamps stretch in a wide strip. Many nature lovers are happy to take refuge here from the bustle of the city, and in the silence of the forest and the measured sound of a running river, they find a healing balm for a weary soul. Walking through the reserve, you can see all the diversity of the local landscape: birch forests, pine forests, meadows, wastelands, swamps, as well as sand dunes, hillocks and ridges."Vishersky"
In the Vishera Nature Reserve (Perm Region) there is a special attraction - cedar forests. The trees are amazingly tall and massive, reaching 37 meters in height and 12 meters in circumference, their roots are long and strong. It is not surprising that many foresters today call cedars “the royal glory of the plant world”! The reserve has unusual geological formations and interesting fauna such as reindeer, sable, European mink, peregrine falcon, and white-tailed eagle."Zhigulevsky"
This place in the Samara region captivates those who visit it. A unique, amazing corner of the earth! The landscape consists of limestone rocks and cliffs of the Zhiguli Mountains, deep valleys in the north of the reserve, turning into the rocky steppe of its southern part, the islands of Seredysh and Shalyga, formed by sand drifts. An amazing feature of the Zhigulevsky Nature Reserve is its wonderful, unique flora. On the northern slopes of the Zhiguli Mountains you can find deciduous forests and oak forests, in the valleys and on the plateau there are pine forests. On the southern slopes of the Zhiguli Mountains there is a rocky steppe and it seems as if a huge part of this “mystical lunar landscape” is completely devoid of soil. There are 680 plant species growing in the reserve. Here you can find plants characteristic of the forest-steppe and dry steppes, relicts of the Tertiary and Ice Ages (globularia, Cossack juniper, Tatar bark), endemic species (frosted wheatgrass, thin-legged stiff-leaved thyme, Zhiguli thyme, Tsinger's astragalus).Other reserves of the Volga Federal District:
- "Bashkir" (Republic of Bashkortostan);
- “Big Kokshaga” (Republic of Mari El);
- "Prisursky" (Chuvash Republic);
- "Orenburgsky" (Orenburg region). The Kaskol karst lakes are located on the territory of the reserve.
- “Volga forest-steppe” (Penza region);
- "Basegi" (Perm region);
- "Tulvinsky" reserve (Perm region);
- “Buzuluksky Bor” (Samara region);
- "Vasilievsky Islands" landscape reserve (Samara region).
All Volga region reserves were formed in different years, but people have always understood the importance of preserving and restoring the unique nature of these places. Each of the reserves has its own attractions.
For the Bashkir State Reserve, organized in 1930, this is the Shulgan-Tash cave with stalagmites, stalactites, calcite flowers and cave pearls. It is the third largest cave in the republic, the total length of the passages is 2640 meters, the area is 20200 square meters, the volume is 105000 cubic meters. Created three years earlier, in the zone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests of the Samara region, designed to preserve the natural complexes of the Samara Luka in their natural state, the Zhigulevsky Reserve is closed to the public. Tourists can only visit the highest peak of Zhiguli (375 meters above sea level), this is Mount Strelnaya. In the Nizhny Novgorod region there is a nature reserve named after the flowing Kerzhenets River - “Kerzhensky”. The Republic of Mari El is famous for its national park “Mari Chodro” or “Mari Forest”, as well as the botanical natural monuments “Maple Mountain” and “Pugachev Oak”.
The Samara reserves listed above and other Volga region reserves are only a small part of these unique natural monuments that preserve it in its original form for true connoisseurs of its countless riches.
