Weathering pillars or Manpupuner or Mansi boobies are a geological monument in the Troitsko-Pechora region of the Komi Republic of Russia.
The weathering pillars are located on the territory of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve on Mount Man-Pupu-ner (in the Mansi language - “small mountain of idols”), in the interfluve of the Ilych and Pechora rivers. The second name is “Bolvano-iz”, which is translated from the Komi language as “Mountain of Idols”. This is where the simplified popular name for the remnants came from - “Blockheads”.
Ostantsev - 7, height from 30 to 42 m. Numerous legends are associated with Manpupuner, before he was the object of the Mansi cult.
The Manpupuner weathering pillars are considered one of the seven wonders of Russia.
About 200 million years ago, there were high mountains in place of the stone pillars. Rain, snow, wind, frost and heat gradually destroyed the mountains and, first of all, weak rocks. The hard sericite-quartzite shales, from which the remains are composed, were destroyed less and have survived to this day, while the soft rocks were destroyed by weathering and carried by water and wind into depressions of the relief.
One pillar, 34 meters high, stands somewhat apart from the others; it resembles a huge bottle turned upside down. Six others lined up at the edge of the cliff. The pillars have bizarre outlines and, depending on the place of inspection, resemble either the figure of a huge man, or the head of a horse or ram. In past times, the Mansi deified grandiose stone sculptures and worshiped them, but climbing Manpupuner was the greatest sin.
They are located quite far from inhabited places. Only trained tourists can get to the pillars. To do this, you must obtain a pass from the administration of the reserve. From the side of the Sverdlovsk region and the Perm Territory there is a walking route, from the side of the Komi Republic there is a mixed route - road, water, walking route.
Ancient Mansi legend
“In ancient times, in the dense forests that approached the very Ural Mountains, lived the powerful Mansi tribe. The men of the tribe were so strong that they defeated a bear one on one, and so fast that they could catch up with a running deer.
There were a lot of furs and skins of killed animals in the Mansi yurts. Women made beautiful fur clothes from them. The good spirits who lived on the sacred mountain Yalping-Nyer helped the Mansi because the wise leader Kuuschai, who was in great friendship with them, was at the head of the tribe. The leader had a daughter, the beautiful Aim, and a son, Pygrychum. The news of the beauty of young Aim spread far beyond the ridge. She was slender, like a pine tree that grew in a dense forest, and she sang so well that deer from the Ydzhyd-Lyagi valley came running to listen to her.
The giant Torev (Bear), whose family hunted in the Kharaiz mountains, also heard about the beauty of the daughter of the Mansi leader. He demanded that Kuuschai give him his daughter Aim. But Aim, laughing, refused this offer as well. An angry Torev called his giant brothers and moved to the top of Torre Porre Iz to seize Aim by force. Unexpectedly, when Pygrychum and part of the warriors were hunting, giants appeared in front of the gates of the stone city. The whole day there was a hot battle at the fortress walls.
Under clouds of arrows, Aim climbed onto a high tower and shouted: “Oh, good spirits, save us from death!” Send Pigrychum home! At the same moment, lightning flashed in the mountains, thunder roared, and black clouds covered the city with a thick veil. “Insidious,” Torev growled, seeing Aim on the tower. He rushed forward, crushing everything in his path. And only Aim managed to descend from the tower when it collapsed under the terrible blow of the giant’s club. Then Torev again raised his huge club and struck the crystal castle. The castle crumbled into small pieces, which were picked up by the wind and blown throughout the Urals. Since then, transparent fragments of rock crystal have been found in the Ural Mountains.
Aim and a handful of warriors disappeared under the cover of darkness into the mountains. In the morning we heard the sound of a chase. And suddenly, when the giants were ready to grab them, Pigrychum appeared in the rays of the rising sun with a shiny shield and a sharp sword in his hands, which the good spirits had given him. Pygrychum turned his shield towards the sun, and a fiery sheaf of light hit the eyes of the giant, who threw the tambourine aside. Before the eyes of the astonished brothers, the giant and the tambourine thrown aside began to slowly turn to stone. The brothers rushed back in horror, but, falling under the beam of Pigrychum’s shield, they themselves turned into stones.
Since then, for thousands of years they have stood on a mountain that the people called Man-Pupu-Nier (Mountain of Stone Idols), and not far from it rises the majestic peak Koip (Drum).”
Another ancient Mansi legend tells of seven giants who walked across the plateau with the goal of destroying the Vogul people. But when they reached the top of Man-Pupu-Nera, they saw in front of them the sacred Vogul mountain Yalping-ner. The sight of her horrified the giants, and they turned to stone, and the drum, thrown aside by their leader-shaman, turned into a mountain peak south of Manpupuner - Koyp, in Vogul - and is the name of the percussion musical instrument.
Excursions to the Weathering Pillars
In 2016, the reserve was closed to pedestrian visits. Driving on vehicles is also prohibited. Helicopter excursions have become an alternative, and the helipad is being prepared.
Manpupuner is a hard-to-reach, uninhabited natural object, but combined with its unforgettable beauty - its remoteness from infrastructure creates an extraordinary egregor around the stone boulders.
The virgin forests surrounding the reserve, the legends in the air that the pillars are idols and the habitat of various spirits, leave a truly fabulous, inexplicable impression of the greatness of this place.
The Man-Pupu-Ner plateau is called the Ural Stonehenge. And indeed, seeing the pillars of weathering, this is the word that comes to mind. There are beliefs that the plateau is a refuge for spirits.
Attractions in the vicinity of Manpupuner
Pechora-Ilychsky Reserve
One of the oldest reserves in the Urals was founded in 1930 to protect virgin forests, which are now included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. Objects of protection in the protected area of the Komi Republic, covering over 720 thousand hectares.
The flora of the reserve is represented by almost 660 plant species. The fauna includes over 230 species of birds and almost 50 species of mammals - brown bears, stoats, otters, wolverines, beavers, moose. Birds are especially numerically represented by the grouse family - hazel grouse, wood grouse, black grouse. Among the inhabitants of the deep waters, salmon, grayling, and taimen are of value.
Moose farm
From the first years of the founding of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve, the world's first farm for the domestication of moose was created. The animals turned out to be quite easy to tame. Initially, they were planned to be used as sled mounts. During the existence of the moose farm, over 300 animals were raised, significant research work was carried out to study the animals, and the moose population in the reserve was increased. Smart animals that live in the forest come to the farm before their offspring appear. You can see beautiful giants and little moose calves all year round.
Bear Cave
The location of the natural and archaeological monument near the mouth of the Jordan Log on the territory of the reserve has been known since 1960. Traces of an Upper Paleolithic site of an ancient man were found in a cave at a depth of 2-2.5 m. People lived in the shelter approximately 30 thousand years ago. Scientists have found numerous bone and stone artifacts, as well as bones of fossil animals - tiger lion, hoofed lemming, musk ox, woolly rhinoceros, mammoth.
Coordinates: 62°15′00″ n. w. 59°20′00″ E. d. / 62.25° N. w. 59.333333° E. d.(G)62.25 , 59.333333
Weathering pillars(Mansi boobies) is a unique geological monument in the Troitsko-Pechora region of the Komi Republic of Russia on Mount Man-Pupu-ner (which in the Mansi language means “Small Mountain of Idols”), in the interfluve of the river. Ichotlyaga and Pechory. There are 7 outliers, height from 30 to 42 m. Numerous legends are associated with it, before the Weathering Pillars were objects of the Mansi cult.
It is located quite far from inhabited areas. Only trained tourists can get to the pillars. There is a walking route from the Sverdlovsk region and Perm region. The pillars are considered one of the seven wonders of Russia.
About 200 million years ago, there were high mountains in place of the stone pillars. Millennia passed. Rain, snow, wind, frost and heat gradually destroyed the mountains, and especially weak rocks. The hard sericite-quartzite shales, from which the remains are composed, were destroyed less and have survived to this day, while the soft rocks were destroyed by weathering and carried by water and wind into depressions of the relief.
The closer you get to them, the more unusual their appearance becomes. One pillar, 34 m high, stands somewhat apart from the others; it resembles a huge bottle turned upside down. Six others lined up at the edge of the cliff. The pillars have bizarre outlines and, depending on the place of inspection, resemble either the figure of a huge man, or the head of a horse or ram. It is not surprising that in past times the Mansi deified grandiose stone sculptures and worshiped them, but climbing Manpupuner was the greatest sin.
The time of year changes, and the appearance of the area changes. The area is very impressive in winter, when the remains are completely white, like crystal. In autumn there are fogs there, and the Pillars appear through the haze - there is something divine in this spectacle. They were created by nature, but looking at them, it’s hard to believe that something like this could be repeated by a person.
Ancient Mansi legend
“In ancient times, in the dense forests that approached the very Ural Mountains, lived the powerful Mansi tribe. The men of the tribe were so strong that they defeated a bear one on one, and so fast that they could catch up with a running deer.
There were a lot of furs and skins of killed animals in the Mansi yurts. Women made beautiful fur clothes from them. The good spirits who lived on the sacred mountain Yalping-Nyer helped the Mansi because the wise leader Kuuschai, who was in great friendship with them, was at the head of the tribe. The leader had a daughter, the beautiful Aim, and a son, Pygrychum. The news of the beauty of young Aim spread far beyond the ridge. She was slender, like a pine tree that grew in a dense forest, and she sang so well that deer from the Ydzhid-Lyagi valley came running to listen to her.
The giant Torev (Bear), whose family hunted in the Kharaiz mountains, also heard about the beauty of the daughter of the Mansi leader. He demanded that Kuuschai give him his daughter Aim. But Aim, laughing, refused this offer as well. An angry Torev called his giant brothers and moved to the top of Torre Porre Iz to seize Aim by force. Unexpectedly, when Pygrychum and part of the warriors were hunting, giants appeared in front of the gates of the stone city. The whole day there was a hot battle at the fortress walls.
Under clouds of arrows, Aim climbed onto a high tower and shouted: “Oh, good spirits, save us from death!” Send Pigrychum home! At the same moment, lightning flashed in the mountains, thunder roared, and black clouds covered the city with a thick veil. “Insidious,” Torev growled, seeing Aim on the tower. He rushed forward, crushing everything in his path. And only Aim managed to descend from the tower when it collapsed under the terrible blow of the giant’s club. Then Torev again raised his huge club and struck the crystal castle. The castle crumbled into small pieces, which were picked up by the wind and blown throughout the Urals. Since then, transparent fragments of rock crystal have been found in the Ural Mountains.
Aim and a handful of warriors disappeared under the cover of darkness into the mountains. In the morning we heard the sound of a chase. And suddenly, when the giants were ready to grab them, Pigrychum appeared in the rays of the rising sun with a shiny shield and a sharp sword in his hands, which the good spirits had given him. Pygrychum turned his shield towards the sun, and a fiery sheaf of light hit the eyes of the giant, who threw the tambourine aside. Before the eyes of the astonished brothers, the giant and the tambourine thrown aside began to slowly turn to stone. The brothers rushed back in horror, but, falling under the beam of Pigrychum’s shield, they themselves turned into stones.
Since then, for thousands of years they have stood on the mountain, which the people called Man-Pupu-Nier(Mountain of stone idols), and not far from it rises the majestic peak Koyp (Drum).”
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what “Weathering pillars” are in other dictionaries:
A reserve in Russia, near Krasnoyarsk, on the right bank of the Yenisei. Founded in 1925. Area 47,154 hectares. Unique granite-syenite remnants “pillars”, height up to 100 m. Dark coniferous (fir) taiga predominates; cedar trees Brown bear, lynx, roe deer... encyclopedic Dictionary
Name in Siberia and the Urals, rocks or cliffs formed as a result of weathering and denudation. Geological Dictionary: in 2 volumes. M.: Nedra. Edited by K. N. Paffengoltz et al. 1978 ... Geological encyclopedia
pillars- rocky peaks, outcrops, ridges of outcrops, often very beautiful and picturesque, columnar in shape, formed as a result of weathering of crystalline rocks (Nizhneudinsky Pillars, Lena Pillars, Krasnoyarsk Pillars and others) ... Geographical names of Eastern Siberia
pillars- rocky peaks, outcrops, ridges of outcrops, often very beautiful and picturesque, columnar in shape, formed as a result of weathering of crystalline rocks (Mikhailovsky Pillars in the Blagoveshchensk region) ... Toponymic Dictionary of the Amur Region
"Krasnoyarsk pillars"- KRASNOYARSK PILLARS (or Pillars) state. reserve, organization in 1925. Located near the city of Krasnoyarsk (the northern border comes close to the suburban zone) on the spurs of the East. Sayana, so-called Kuysumsky Range, which overlooks the Krasnoyarsk steppe basin.... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
“Weathering pillars on the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau, a geological monument, located in the interfluve of Ichotlyagi and Pechora, Troitsko-Pechora region, Northern Urals. Weathering pillars are one of the winners of the “Seven Wonders of Russia” competition.”
Weathering pillars are one of the most striking sights of the Komi Republic and Russia, one of the wonders of Russia.
There are many legends surrounding the origin of these monumental stone giants, and indeed the Komi Republic itself is a land of mysteries, legends, and mystical coincidences.
In Russia, every place is a complete mystery, a world covered with a veil of understatement. Is at least one legend about the origin of mountain idols true or fiction? We will never know, but, you see, it becomes uninteresting if we accept that these are simply naturally formed rocks? Need a riddle!
According to one of the legends - a long time ago, an old shaman wanted to marry a young girl, she refused him, rebelled, he went to fight her family in order to kidnap her, but her brothers came to the girl’s defense, their sister prayed that everything they miraculously escaped in this battle, and now all of them - the girl and her brothers - turned into stone monuments, according to legend, their souls were saved, etc.
A beautiful fairy tale, isn't it? So, you walk among these blocks, you approach one, imagine that it is a person, and the other - that it is a beautiful girl...
Before moving on to a detailed story about our geological monument, it is worth first remembering what the Komi Republic is.
“The Komi Republic (Komi Komi Republic) is a republic within the Russian Federation, a subject of the Russian Federation, part of the Northwestern Federal District.
The capital is the city of Syktyvkar.
Region area 416,774 km²
Population - 856,631 people,
Population density: 2.06 people/km²
The climate is temperate continental. Winters are long and cold, summers are short, warm in the south and cool in the northern regions.
Average January temperature: −20 °C (in the northern part) and −17 °C (in the southern part)
Average July temperature: +11 °C (in the northern part) and +15...+17 °C (in the southern part)
Precipitation: from 700 mm per year.
Here, depending on the region, it can be very frosty (below 50 degrees Celsius), but rarely hot, even on the busiest summer days.
There are many natural and geological monuments on the territory of the republic (as of 2009, there were 95 natural monuments), for example: “Ruins of an ancient city” on the plateau of Mount Torre Porre Iz, several caves, “Ring” on the Sharyu River, etc. The republic also has many beautiful places, virgin forests, protected rivers, national parks, nature reserves, “spirit habitats,” etc.
“In the Northern Urals, 32,800 km² are covered with virgin forests. A unique territory is the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve.
Such virgin forests, unaffected by human activity and technogenic influence, no longer exist in Europe.
In 1985, the reserve was included in the list of biosphere reserves.
Ten years later, by decision of UNESCO, the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve with protective and buffer zones and the Yugyd Va National Park, united under the general name “Virgin Komi Forests,” were included in the list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites.
Yugyd Va National Park is located in the Northern and Subpolar Urals in the southeast of the Komi Republic. In the south it borders on the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve.”
Komi is a place where there are no rats, as the rural residents themselves assure. Shamans also rule here, crocodiles live and there are many manifestations of the other world (UFOs, anomalous phenomena, fireballs, etc.). The Mountain of the Dead, or the famous Dyatlov Pass, is not far from here.
NTV film. Mysterious Russia “Komi Republic. Baseextraterrestrialcivilizations?»:
The people in whose language many objects on the territory of the republic are designated - Mansi - are pagans, among them there are many shamans, mountains and places for them are not just nature, but the home of spirits and idols.
“Weathering pillars are located on the territory of the Pechora-Ilychsky Nature Reserve on Mount Man-Pupu-ner (in the Mansi language - “small mountain of idols”), in the interfluve of the Vychegda and Pechora rivers. Outliers - 7, height from 30 to 42 m."
The official version of the appearance of stone idols says that they were formed through natural changes from the mountains that were in this place as much as 200 million (!) years ago.
“Rain, snow, wind, frost and heat gradually destroyed the mountains and, first of all, weak rocks. The hard sericite-quartzite shales, from which the remains are composed, were destroyed less and have survived to this day, while the soft rocks were destroyed by weathering and carried by water and wind into depressions of the relief.
One pillar, 34 meters high, stands somewhat apart from the others; it resembles a huge bottle turned upside down. Six others lined up at the edge of the cliff.
The pillars have bizarre outlines and, depending on the place of inspection, resemble either the figure of a huge man, or the head of a horse or ram. In past times, the Mansi deified grandiose stone sculptures and worshiped them, but climbing Manpupuner was the greatest sin.”
Documentary film “The Eternal Beauty of Upper Pechora” (in the second part there is a little about the Weathering Pillars):
Getting to the geological monument is not easy; it is located far from inhabited areas and you need permission from the administration. There is a fine for illegal entry into the territory of the reserve; for example, in 2014, 95 violators were caught.
“Only trained tourists can get to the pillars. To do this, you must obtain a pass from the administration of the reserve. From the side of the Sverdlovsk region and the Perm Territory there is a walking route, from the side of the Komi Republic there is a mixed route - road, water, walking route.”
However, as the information on the reserve’s website states, in 2016 the reserve is closed to visits on foot, it is impossible to get into it on foot, and movement by vehicle is also prohibited. Helicopter excursions have become an alternative, and the helipad is being prepared.
When walking routes were opened, tourists first got to Syktyvkar, then by train or car to Troitsko-Pechorsk, then to the village of Yaksha, from Yaksha 200 km by motor boat, then on foot 40 km...
Video guide for a helicopter expedition to the plateau of Mansi stone idols Man-Pupu-Ner. "Northern Urals. Manpupuner. Small Mountain of Idols. Man-Pupu-Ner":
Manpupuner is a hard-to-reach, uninhabited natural object, but combined with its unforgettable beauty - its remoteness from infrastructure creates an extraordinary egregor around the stone boulders.
The virgin forests surrounding the reserve, the legends in the air that the pillars are idols and the habitat of various spirits, leave a truly fabulous, inexplicable impression of the greatness of this place. Time stops here, there is no fuss, as if these 200 million years are frozen in an eternal pause.
“The Man-Pupu-Ner plateau is called the Ural Stonehenge. And indeed, seeing the pillars of weathering, this is the word that comes to mind. There are beliefs that the plateau is a refuge for spirits.
Who knows whether this is true or not, but a special energy is felt at the top. Many who have visited Man-Pupu-Ner say that at the top, consciousness becomes clearer, and you don’t want to eat or drink. Perhaps it’s all the clean mountain air and impressions of what he saw, or perhaps this place really has some kind of power...
Such a unique place has acquired its own myths and legends. One of these stories tells about seven giants who walked across the plateau with the goal of destroying the Vogul people. But when they reached the top of Man-Pupu-Nera, they saw in front of them the sacred Vogul mountain Yalping-ner.
The sight of her horrified the giants, and they turned to stone. There are about a dozen similar stories. The main motive in them is the obligatory presence of bloodthirsty giants.”
Tourist impressions:
«.. I was on the plateau and saw the pillars. impressions overshadowed the bad road, even when the snow didn’t start right away, it didn’t lead to panic. Nuno to see the pillars and become the chosen person who visited the plateau. This is not available to everyone.
I can't tell you about the stones, you have to see them, touch and if good weather is your traveling companion, what you see will return you to this place again and you will find money for the journey, accumulate patience to touch these stones.”
« For a long time since we set foot on the plateau, the feeling of something powerful has not left us., it’s not for nothing that stone pillars in Komi are called “places of power.” There is definitely a certain energy here.
The closer you get to the stone pillars, the more unusual they seem. One of them looks like an upside-down bottle, and the remaining six are located on the edge of a cliff. It is not surprising that the Mansi people deified giant statues and worshiped them. However, climbing the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau was considered the greatest sin.”
Weathering pillars have a special energy. Alexander Borovinskikh, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Komi Republic:
“The energy there is somehow not simple, you leave there and understand how small you, a person, are in this world...”
Mikhail Popov, surgeon, tourist:
“The closer we got to these idiots, the more horror and fear gripped us, especially since we had read a lot of legends of the Komi and Mansi peoples...”
Of course, Manpupuner is not a place for those who are pampered by a glamorous life and are looking forward to exciting entertainment and trips to restaurants. Even at a time when hiking routes were allowed, tourists lived in tents, and they had to take impressive supplies of something edible with them.
Today excursions are prohibited, according to the administration - people have already violated the integrity of the territory and left a lot of garbage. Even those who love such places, admire the stone idols, as we see, behave very piggishly, in connection with this, those who know how to preserve nature are temporarily deprived of communication with this place.
This is a very beautiful natural monument, definitely worth a visit.
Address: Russia, Komi Republic, Troitsko-Pechorsky district, Mount Man-Pupu-ner
Height: from 30 to 42 m
Coordinates: 62°15"32.4"N 59°17"42.7"E
Object of cultural heritage of the Russian Federation
Weathering pillars, also called Mansiyskie Blockheads, are located in the Komi Republic, in the Troitsko-Pechora region. Unique in its kind, seven stone pillars, the height of which ranges from 30 to 42 meters, attract tourists not only from Russia, but also researchers from all over the world to the Man-Pupu-ner plateau with their mystery and many legends associated with them.
One of the seven weathering pillars stands apart from the others and is 34 meters high. The appearance of this pillar is somewhat reminiscent of a bottle placed on the ground with its neck down. By the way, in the language of the Mansi people, of whom there are currently just under 12,500 people left, the name of the plateau means “Small Mountain of Idols.” Undoubtedly, this suggests that the weathering pillars at one time were a holy place for the Mansi people, who were worshiped and about whom myths and legends were composed.
Conclusion of geologists
Scientists quite simply explain the appearance of weathering pillars, which on June 12, 2008 were classified as “Seven Wonders of Russia”. In the place where the Mansi Blockheads currently stand, huge mountains rose 200 million years ago. Most of these majestic mountains at that time consisted of so-called “weak rocks.”<>
Centuries passed: rains, strong winds, snow, high and low temperatures destroyed the mountains. Only the weathering pillars, or, as geologists also call them, remnants, have remained untouched to this day. They consist of sericite-quartzite schists, which are not so susceptible to the inexorable passage of time and the influence of atmospheric phenomena. This, albeit dry, conclusion devoid of any mysticism, is given by modern scientists who to this day organize expeditions to the area of the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau.
Legend of the Mansi people
In ancient times, the Mansi people were rich, great and powerful. Any man could easily kill a bear single-handedly. The yurts were full of furs, and the hunt was always successful. Such prosperity for the people was ensured by the spirits who lived on a mountain called Yalping-Nyer. He ruled the great people Kuushchai, who had a beautiful daughter Aim and a fearless son Pygrychum. A giant named Torev learned about Aim’s unearthly beauty. He decided, at all costs, to take the Mansi beauty as his wife, but Aim refused him. When Pygrychum was hunting in the mountains, Torev appeared in front of the walls of the fortress along with his brothers. The giants entered into battle with the Mansi. With a huge club, the giant destroyed the tower from which Aim was calling out to the spirits. After this, the angry Torev struck the crystal castle, which scattered into hundreds of thousands of fragments throughout the Urals. The girl had to hide in the mountains under the cover of darkness with the surviving soldiers. Even before sunrise, Aim heard the tramp of approaching giants, but at that moment her brother Pygrychum appeared, holding in his hands a sharp sword and a shiny shield, given to him by the spirits of Mount Yalping-Nyer. The first rays of the rising sun reflected from the shield and a bright light hit the giants. In the blink of an eye, Torev turned to stone.
His brothers rushed to run, but the magic of spirits favorable to Mansi forced them to petrify. They remained forever in a place that the Mansi people called the “Mountain of Stone Idols.” It was Torev who turned into a stone blockhead, resembling an inverted bottle.
At least, this is how the Mansi explain the distance from other stone blocks, a weathering column 34 meters high.
Travel to the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau
Since 2008, almost any tourist can see with his own eyes one of the seven wonders of Russia and feel the mystical atmosphere that is characteristic of this area. True, before you go to the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau to capture the majestic weathering pillars in the photo, you should soberly assess your strength. Otherwise, the excursion can turn into a real test of strength. The thing is that the Mansiysk Blockheads are located in a difficult-to-reach area: the hiking trail to the plateau, starting from the village of Ushma, located in the northwestern part of the Sverdlovsk region, is 200 kilometers. For an unprepared tourist, it is extremely difficult to overcome this path, which belongs to the third category of difficulty, in 16 days. Strong gusts of wind, thick fogs, cold rains are just a small part of what awaits the traveler along the route.
As mentioned above, since 2008, the weathering pillars have been classified as one of the “Seven Wonders of Russia”, which attracted even more attention from tourists to them. Demand, as everyone already knows, creates supply, therefore, for travelers unprepared for the tests, travel companies organized helicopter tours to the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau. However, to be fair, it is worth noting that getting to the Mansiysk Blockheads by helicopter will be quite expensive. However, up to 200 people a year wish to see these unique stone idols. And this despite the fact that literally 5 years ago, the plateau was visited only by professional athletes and scientific expeditions.
Among the pillars of weathering
Having overcome all difficulties and found oneself among geological monuments that amaze the imagination with their forms, one comes to understand why the weathering pillars have become one of the seven wonders of vast Russia. In addition, after a long journey to the Man-Pupu-Ner plateau, an unshakable belief in one’s own strength appears. Being next to the Mansi Blockheads, it seems that nothing is impossible for you.
Manpupuner from Troitsko-Pechorsk
Why did we stop flying from Nyrob?
In 2020, we will fly to the Manpupuner plateau from the village of Troitsko-Pechorsk, in the Komi Republic. This decision was dictated by frequent cancellations and delays of helicopter flights from Nyrob due to bad weather. The most persistent came to us from Moscow 2-3 times, but not everyone was lucky enough to get to the plateau. We return money for an imperfect flight, but no one will return to our tourists precious vacation days and money spent on air tickets to Perm. However, the most unpleasant thing for us is the disappointment of our guests from the failed trip. For most of our clients, a trip to Manpupuner is a dream, often a gift from loved ones for a birthday or wedding anniversary, and we perfectly understand how important it is for the tour to take place and be organized without delays and aimless waiting at the helipad in Nyrob.
We have no control over the weather and flight safety is always our priority. Therefore, we decided to review the entire logistics of our tours and, together with experienced pilots, developed a new flight route.
Troitsko-Pechorsk is the optimal departure airfield for the Manpupuner plateau, since it is located on the Pechora River, not far from the confluence of the Ilych, and we can fly to the plateau above the Pechora or Ilych without crossing the mountain range. The flight route along river valleys is safer and less dependent on weather conditions, which means we can most likely guarantee our tourists delivery to Manpupuner. In addition, this is a very beautiful route - from a bird's eye view you will see the interfluve of Pechora and Ilych, where there is a protected pine forest, the bizarre Lek-Iz rocks, foothills covered with spruce and cedar trees, and finally the peaks of the Ural Mountains and the Manpupuner plateau.
From Troitsko-Pechorsk another very interesting direction is open to us - the Subpolar Urals. In 2020, we offer hiking and water tours in the Yugyd Va National Park, fishing in the cleanest rivers of the Subpolar Urals, as well as a unique helicopter tour flying over the most interesting peaks of the Northern and Subpolar Urals.
In addition, we tried to make our programs more comfortable and interesting.
Now our tour begins and ends at the Ukhta airport, where we will meet our tourists and take them there at the end of the trip for the flight to Moscow. You can get to Ukhta daily by direct flight from Moscow by Utair airlines, or by bus from Syktyvkar, where there are daily flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Samara, Krasnodar, Naryan-Mar and Yekaterinburg by Rusline, Aeroflot, Utair airlines.
The price of all our tours includes a bus transfer from Ukhta airport to Troitsko-Pechorsk and back, it takes only 1.5-2 hours, as well as two overnight stays in hotels in Troitsko-Pechorsk, on the eve of departure and upon return from the plateau.
Additionally, we can organize an excursion to the elk farm of the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve in the village of Yaksha, fishing and boat trips along Pechora, to ancient Komi villages, cut off from civilization and accessible only by boat.
Flights to the Manpupuner plateau will be organized by MI-8T helicopter every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the summer season 2020 from June 20 to September 13 from Troitsko-Pechorsk and in the winter season 2020 - March 21 and 28 from Perm or Syktyvkar.
Flights to the Subpolar Urals will be organized on Thursdays from July to early September.
We organize individual flights to the Manpupuner plateau and fishing on the rivers of the Northern and Subpolar Urals on any date from June 15 to September 15, 2020, and from February 1 to March 31, 2020.
We haven't forgotten our tourists from Perm!
On certain dates, we organize a group transfer from Perm to Troitsko-Pechorsk by bus (about 12 hours on the road) or by AN-2 plane (about 2 hours on the road, capacity up to 12 people). A private transfer by Cessna aircraft is also available (for up to 3 people). Call us and we will select the best delivery option, but do not wait until the last minute, there are many requests from Perm, and the number of places is limited.
