Natural park on the Lena river. Lena Pillars national park in russia

What bizarre fantasies nature does not present us with, creating the wonders of the landscape! Here are the peaked rocks along the coast of the Lena River in Yakutia - either petrified trees, their tops looking up, or ancient castles with towers propping up the heavens with their spiers!

Bizarre geological formations stretch along the right bank of the upper reaches of the river for more than 520 km from the city of Olekminsk to the village of Pavlovsk, but their density is especially high between the villages of Petrovsky and Tit-Ari. The height of most of the pillars exceeds one hundred meters, some of them rise almost 220 meters above the river level.

It is believed that the rocks that make up the unique monument of nature began to form in the early Cambrian period - approximately 550 million years ago. However, the formation of the Lena Pillars occurred much later, 150 million years later, when the processes of gradual uplift of the Siberian Platform began, leading to the appearance of faults and river valleys. Activation of karst destruction, erosive weathering contributed to the emergence of bizarre rock formations that excite the imagination of everyone who was lucky enough to see them with their own eyes.

Once upon a time, the Decembrist A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky and the famous writer V. Korolenko admired the amazing creation of nature, and today not only nimble tourist boats, but also imposing passenger boats certainly stop at the Lena Pillars.

The pillars are beautiful in any season. In spring, their dark gray silence is embellished by snow-white clouds of flowering bird cherry, pale purple spots of lilac, soft emerald moss rugs. In summer, a pink sea of ​​willow-herb is spread at the foot of the mountain, as well as a variety of flowers, lilies and grasshoppers. In autumn, the entire right bank of the Lena blazes with crimson, and the winter marble-snow attire is majestic and festive in its own way.

A ringing silence froze among the rocks, only occasionally it is broken by the timid chirping of swallows and swifts, who have equipped their mink dwellings in the limestone walls, and sometimes the creak of firs, pines and mountain ash, clinging their roots to the crevices between stone blocks, is heard.

Natural Park "Lena Pillars"

In the 90s of the last century, in the vicinity of a unique natural monument, a natural park of the same name was founded, which includes two branches - "Sinsky" and "Stolby" and covers a total area of ​​485 thousand hectares.

On the territory of the park, in addition to the Lena Pillars, there are many other valuable natural objects of interest for ecological tourism. The remains of ancient animals - bison, mammoth and woolly rhinoceros - were found in the natural park. Rare permafrost ecosystems are under protection. Over 20 species of vegetation found in the park are listed in the Red Book of Russia, and the Siberian Crane, Lesser Swan, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, White-tailed Eagle are among the protected species of fauna of world importance.

In 2012, the park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List according to natural criteria.

Attractions nearby Lena Pillars

Within the park there are many picturesque objects that many tourists seek to see.

In addition to Lena, the Sinsk pillars are no less beautiful, which are not so impressive in size - no more than 50-100 m above the water level and stretch into downstream the river Blue for 180 km. Especially grandiose in the place where the seething stream is hidden under the rocks.

Downstream after the mouth of the Kharyya-Yurekh River, the beautiful Buotama makes its way among the same rocks as the Lena Pillars. The Buotamsky rocks impress with the multicolored rocks that come to the surface - dolomites, limestones, marls.

Nature Park It is also famous for a rare variety of landscape - the northern sandy desert, presented in the form of large billowing sandy massifs - tukulans. There are two tukulans in the protected area - Kysyl Elesin, sand dune near the mouth of the Buotama, and Saamys Kumaga with a length of almost 5 km, consisting of ridges, shafts and hollows overgrown with herbs, thickets of wild rose, and sometimes tall pine trees.

Within the boundaries of the natural park, a site of primitive people was found at the mouth of a small river, Deering-Yuryakh, during the excavations of which stone tools and burials of the late Neolithic period were found.

Excursions to the Lena Pillars

Weekend tours to the Lena Pillars are very popular. Those wishing to go on a trip along the Lena gather on Friday evening at the Yakutsk river station and set off on one of the ships. By morning, the cruise ship lands at the foot of the cliffs. The whole day a group of tourists spends in nature, and in the evening they return to the ship. On the way back, a 6-hour stop is expected on Rassoloda Island to search for pirate treasure. Arrival in Yakutsk late in the evening on Sunday.

Excursions to the Lena Pillars are also made by small 12 or 15-seater boats from Yakutsk or along a combined route: by car to the villages of Upper Bestyakh, Bulgunnyakhtakh or Elanka, and then along the river. The cost of the trip is approximately 6-8 thousand rubles for one person.

A visit to the Lena Pillars Natural Park is possible by purchasing a ticket at the office of the environmental institution in the city of Pokrovsk. Its cost ranges from 250-350 rubles for a one-day stay and 650-850 rubles for a three-day stay in guest houses of tourist centers. Interesting eco-trails are offered for tourists in the park:

• Tukulan,
• The feathered world of Buotama,

as well as rafting routes along the rivers Sinyaya and Buotama. Recreation in the park is also possible in winter - a trip on snowmobiles through the ice crossing "Batamai - Lena Pillars" is no less exciting than a cruise on a motor ship along the Lena.

Where to stay

The easiest way to see the Lena Pillars is to stay in one of the hotels in Yakutsk and go on a one-day tour along the river for sightseeing. The cost of accommodation in hotels in the capital of the Republic of Sakha - Siberia, Sterkh, Landysh, Lena, Tygyn Darkhan and others from 800 to 5000 rubles. In Pokrovsk, there is the possibility of temporary settlement at the recreation center Buotama. On the territory of the Lena Pillars Natural Park there are several options for accommodating tourists - in the guest houses of the Labydya area, in the hunter's house and at the Lena Pillars recreation center in the village of Verkhny Bestyakh, at the Ust Buotama camp site of the Buotama section of the natural park.

How to get to the Lena Pillars

Russia, Republic of Sakha, Khangalassky ulus, Pokrovsk

From Moscow to Yakutsk, air travel will be more rational than other options. Plane tickets will cost from 7800 rubles for one passenger. If you need to go to Pokrovsk, you should use bus number 202, the fare is from 200 rubles.

High cliffs, stretching like a solid wall for forty kilometers along the coast of the Lena River, resemble the walls of a medieval castle or frozen stone giants. This is nothing but the famous Lena Pillars (Yakutia). For the Yakuts, they are a symbol of courage, love and fidelity. After all, the Lena Pillars are the fossilized figures of two lovers who were bewitched by a terrible dragon. The serpent wanted to marry the girl, but her fiancé defeated him in a duel. And yet, the lovers were not destined to live together, the dragon finally managed to take revenge by turning them into stone. So says the ancient legend...

What are the Lena Pillars?

Lena Pillars (Yakutia) are high sheer cliffs of an unusual shape, stretching along one of the banks of the Lena River. Seeing them for the first time, you are amazed at their harsh and majestic beauty. This miracle of nature is located in the natural park of the Republic of the same name. Stunning cliffs from forty to one hundred meters high are becoming more mysterious and beautiful every year due to the peculiarities of the local climate.

Creation of the park

The Lena Pillars Natural Park was created after the Decree of the President of the Republic of August 16, 1994. The main activity of the park has become the development of ecological tourism, which is becoming increasingly popular. The reserve welcomes guests on its territory throughout the year, offering to overcome specially designed tourist routes.

Lena Pillars (Yakutia) is a real miracle of nature. mountain system stretched for tens of kilometers along the coast of the river. It is a vertical sheer cliffs, as if growing out of the bowels of the earth. The Lena River seems to be protected by a mountain range from the outside world.

The unique park is located in the Olekminsky and Khangalassky regions of Yakutia, 200 kilometers from Yakutsk. It is divided into four zones: Buotamsky, Sinsky, Lena pillars and Tukulan sands. The park is located on the banks of the Sinya, Buotama and Lena rivers, from where the pillars got their names. Currently, these wild places are very popular as part of eco-tourism.

stone forest

Unusual Lena Pillars (Yakutia) as unique geological formations are included in the list. In addition, they are a natural monument of world importance. A couple of years ago, the Lena Pillars (Russia) and the adjacent territories were taken under the protection of UNESCO.

Why does the mountain range have such an unusual shape? In fact, the pillars are made of limestone, which, under the influence of harsh climatic conditions region, having broken up into parts, formed vertical rocks of a stunning shape. The Lena River is protected by stretching for many kilometers, and the rocks are located close to each other.

History of the stone forest

The mountain range, from which the pillars eventually emerged, began to form 550 million years ago. Once on these lands the sea lapped, at the bottom of which limestone accumulated. It disappeared from the face of the earth during the period when the Siberian platform was raised. Limestone formed rock formations, river valleys and faults. The bizarre shape of the mountains was influenced by factors such as weathering and erosion. The process lasted long enough, and already 400 thousand years ago a stone forest appeared, which has been admiring the human imagination for centuries.

Eyewitnesses say that the Lena Pillars are especially beautiful at dawn, when they are illuminated by the rays of the sun and resemble a medieval castle. The Lena River, flowing at the foot of the mountains, gives this picture an even more majestic look. The ridge looks completely different at sunset. In the evening hours, the rocks take on an ominous appearance, resembling the abode of an evil sorcerer.

On the slopes of the rocks, many caves were found, on the walls of which the inhabitants of these places are painted with yellow paint. In addition, their tools were found. Therefore, the natural park "Lena Pillars" is of interest from the point of view of archeology. The remains of rhinos, mammoths, bison were found here, and in the rocks there are fossils of trilobites that lived on earth more than 200 million years ago. It is thanks to the unique finds in the reserve and unique natural attractions that the park was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

reserved lands

The natural park, on the territory of which the Lena Pillars are located, has a fairly vast territory. Its area is 81 thousand hectares, and the length of land along the Lena River is 220 kilometers.

On the territory of the park, in addition to the Lena Pillars, there are other equally interesting natural objects. Buotama rocks are mountain formations located below the mouth of the Buotama River. Their feature is a multi-colored texture, which appeared due to a combination of limestone and dolomite.

Sinsk pillars are not very high, they rarely exceed the 100-meter threshold. In addition, there are sandy Tukulans on the territory of the reserve. Such large sand massifs are more characteristic of deserts. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they are located in the middle of the taiga and at the same time occupy a fairly large territory. So, for example, one of the dunes has a length of about 5 kilometers and a width of almost 900 meters.

The entire reserve is undeveloped land, so any work on its territory is prohibited. Rivers such as Lena, Buotama and Sinaya flow through the park. There are a lot of protected lands and lakes. Natural reservoirs have a shallow depth (from two to three meters) and are filled with rainwater. Their shores are usually flat and swampy.

The park has a wide variety of fauna and flora. There are 500 varieties of plants, 20 of which are listed in the Red Book, 42 ​​species of mammals, a large number of fish, more than a hundred species of birds.

local legends

The Lena Pillars and the nearest lands have been shrouded in an incredible amount of secrets and legends since ancient times, which the Yakuts do not tell about them. For many centuries, the mysterious pillars have been something inexplicable and terrible for people. They inspired genuine horror in any person who saw them for the first time.

Locals say that their own Bigfoot lives in these places. The Yakuts call him Ulmesh. His height reaches ten meters, he wears a pointed hat and sometimes attacks hunters, and sometimes, on the contrary, helps them. Local peoples generally endowed these mysterious places with special power. Lena pillars for them were sacred place that instil fear and terror. People were terribly afraid of angering the spirits living in the rocks. Many believed that the pillars are people frozen forever, punished for something by supernatural forces. Mere mortals were afraid to even approach these places. And only shamans and elders had the right to approach the pillars, thereby proving their connection with the spirits.

The climate of the protected area

The territory of the park is located in a sharply continental climate. The Lena Pillars Reserve plunges into cold in winter, which lasts for almost half a year. The temperature sometimes drops to -36 degrees. But in the summer, the temperature is in the range of 20-40 degrees.

Do not forget that the reserve, as well as the whole of Yakutia, is characterized by permafrost. For this reason, the soil freezes at great depths (from 100 to 700 meters). This situation is due to the distance Atlantic Ocean. mountain ranges Siberia is blocked by air masses moving from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. But the cold masses of the Arctic get here very quickly. For this reason, this region is characterized by extreme weather.

Lena Pillars (Yakutia): how to get there

As we already mentioned, the Lena Pillars are located in Yakutia. The nearest village from them - the city of Pokrovsk - is located 104 kilometers away, and Yakutsk - 200 kilometers away. Despite the climatic and weather conditions, getting to the reserve is easy. For example, you can fly from Moscow to Yakutsk by plane, and then make a five-hour voyage on a comfortable boat to the Lena Pillars Reserve (Yakutia). Tours are best purchased in one of the agencies, then you can ride comfortably on one of the ships. It is also possible to rent a private motor boat. However, a trip on this type of transport is not very convenient, but its cost is lower than a ticket for a boat.

Local travel companies also organize winter tours to the Lena Pillars. A trip on prepared SUVs is a pleasure for people who love extreme sports. Directly to mountain range across the bed of the Lena River, tourists are brought on a snowmobile.

Lena Pillars can be reached both in summer and in winter. The park has specially designed routes that allow tourists to get acquainted with natural objects. One of the most popular is climbing the rocks at the mouth of Labuy. The road runs along a path lined with log steps with wooden railings. The ascent takes about 50 minutes. There is also a shorter, but forbidden trail. On it you can reach the peaks in 25 minutes. Tourists tend to go upstairs to see the stunning views and capture them on cameras.

The Lena Pillars National Park was formed relatively recently, just over 15 years ago. In the mid-1980s, as a result of archaeological excavations at the mouth of the Deering-Yuryakh stream, which flows through the park, a site of ancient people, traces of prehistoric Deering culture, was discovered. Scientists have found not only tools, jewelry and household items, but also the remains of ancient animals: woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis), bison (Bison priscus) and mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius). There is a version that the Deering-Yuryakh site is one of the oldest in the world.

According to natural criteria, the national park claims to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

general information

• Full name: Lena Pillars National Natural Park.
• IUCN Category: II (National Park).
• Foundation date; February 10, 1995.
• Yakutia region, Khangalassky ulus.
• Area: 485,000 ha.
• Relief: mountainous.
• Climate: sharply continental.
• Official site: http://www.lenskiestolby.ru/.
• Email: [email protected]

Walk in the park

The path from Olemkinsk to the village of Pavlovsk along the Lena River leaves an unforgettable impression. After all, it is here that the amazing pearl of the North is located - the Lena Pillars. The national park consists of two branches: "Stolby" and "Sinskiy".

On the right bank of the Lena one can see fluttering sands-tukulans. Translated from the Evenki language, "tukulan" means "sand". The air temperature here can reach +40 °C. There are no analogues to such a miracle of nature anywhere else on the planet. For scientists, the origin of tukulans is still a mystery.

Vegetable world

464 species of higher vascular plants have been identified on the territory of the Lena Pillars park. The plain larch taiga dominates. Interestingly, only here grows an endemic plant - Redowskia sophiifolia. It is not found anywhere else in the world. In tukulans there is another very rare plant - Scriabin's thin-legged (Koeleria skrjabinii). There are many other rare flowers and herbs here: small-flowered wallflower (Parietaria micrantha), spotted slipper (Cypripedium guttatum), Pennsylvania lily (Lilium rep-sylvanicum), etc.

A truly amazing plant is the Arctic lupine (Lupinus arcticus). The fact is that its seeds have broken all world records of viability. So, in 1954, during archaeological excavations on the Canadian Yukon plateau, the seeds of this plant were found. Their age was also determined: 10,000 years. After the excavations were completed, the seeds lay in storage for about 12 years until they were tried to germinate. The experiment was successful!

There are many bizarre mosses and lichens on the territory of the Lena Pillars. Moss moss, or reindeer moss (Cladonia rangiferina), has a very high frost resistance. Thanks to this, it serves as an excellent food for reindeer even in the most severe cold weather, making up to 90% of their diet in winter.

Animal world

The park is inhabited by 42 species of mammals, 99 - birds, 27 of which are rare and endangered, 4 - amphibians and reptiles, 23 - fish.

Most often in the forests and on coastal areas there are columns (Mustela sibirica), sable (Martes zibellina), American mink (Neovison vison), steppe polecat (Mustela evers-manni), wolverine (Gulo gulo). Smaller animals include flying squirrel (Pteromys volans), common squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), Asian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus), long-tailed ground squirrel (Spermophilus undulatus), white hare (Lepus timidus).

Musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), a relatively small deer-like animal, is found here. The body length of an adult musk deer reaches one meter, the height at the withers is 70 cm. It has no horns, instead of them, fangs serve as a tournament weapon for males. Pay attention to the Latin name of this animal. The word moschus is of Greek origin and means "musk", and moschiferus means "bearing musk". Each male musk deer has a special abdominal gland that produces musk, a strong-smelling substance that has long been used and highly valued in perfumery.

Lesser swan (Cygnus bewickii), peregrine falcon (Falcoperegrinus), gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), white-tailed eagle (Hali-aeetus albicilla), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), white crane , or Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), and dozens of other bird species.

The golden eagle is one of the most famous birds of prey, the largest and strongest eagle. Recently, their number has sharply decreased, mainly due to serious violations in the ecological balance of nature and the targeted destruction of birds. Golden eagles, like many other predators, have very sharp eyesight: they are able to see a hare from a distance of 2 km. Golden eagles can attack animals that are equal and even larger than them in size: foxes, deer and their cubs, chamois, roe deer, sheep.

For visitors

park mode

The park has ecological routes and trails that introduce tourists to unique natural monuments: the Lena Pillars, tukulans, flora and fauna.

How to get there

From Yakutsk to the park "Lena Pillars" the distance is about 180 km, from Pokrovsk - 104 km. Before national park The easiest way to get there is by tourist boat. You can also get from Olemkinsk. More detailed information about tourist routes can be obtained from the park administration.

Where to stay

One of the options is the Buotamskaya recreation center, which is located on the right bank of the Lena River in the park. It has ten heated houses. In addition, you can stay at the recreation center "Verkhny Vestyakh", located a few kilometers above the village of the same name. The base is electrified, there are summer houses, a bathhouse, a dining room. Up to 20 people can stay here.

Nature is the most skillful sculptor and inventor. Sometimes she creates such objects that the fascination with them makes her speechless. The banks of the Lena River, where the Lena Pillars are located, became such an object.

The unique geological formation is located in the Khangalassky region of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). This republic of Russia is the most extensive, but the most severe. To visually understand where this place is, look for a point with coordinates 61 0 07’48.8” s. sh. and 127 0 31’4.8” in. d.

The natural park is located 104 km southwest of the city of Pokrovsk on the right bank of the river and has two branches - "Stolby" and "Sinsky". In addition to the Lena, its tributaries Buotama and Sinyaya flow through the territory of the park.

History of occurrence

The Lena Pillars are limestone formations in the form of sheer cliffs. They began to form over half a billion years ago, when the sea that splashed over the Oimuran Barrier Reef disappeared. This was facilitated by the rise of the Siberian platform, which sculpted a new relief:

• rock formations;
• faults;
• river valleys (then the Lena was also formed).

Wind and water erosion gave the rocks bizarre shapes. The process took a long time, and ended 400,000 years ago. Then the fantastic stone forest in its present form was finally formed.

What can be seen

The Lena Pillars are a ridge of rocks that stretch vertically along the banks of the Lena. Their height reaches 220 meters, and the length of the ridge is 40 km. In all areas, the rocks are quite close to each other, and between the village of Petrovsky and the islands of Tit-Ary, they almost touch.

There are numerous caves in the rock formations. Some of them have preserved petroglyphs on their walls. Stone age hunters depicted their trophies on stone vaults. There are also tools of labor of ancient people.

In the park you can find the remains of extinct animals:

• mammoths;
• rhinos;
• bison.

And if you dig deeper into the rocks, you can find a fossilized trilobite that lived here several hundred million years ago.

How to get there

Knowing where the Lena Pillars are located on the map, you will certainly want to see them. First you need to get to Yakutsk. And from the capital of Sakha, the road has already been beaten. There are well-established cruises to natural monument. They usually last three days.

The most popular is the weekend itinerary. The ship departs on Friday evening, and by morning reaches the Lena Pillars. On Saturday evening, the ship sets off on its return journey, making a stop along the way on Rassoloda Island.

This photo has been lying on my computer for a long time, I thought everyone would get their hands on it - I’ll find out where this unearthly landscape is. What are these rocks! Now the hands have reached and you know - I was surprised! Let's go into more detail under the cut.

Lena pillars- a geological formation and the national natural park of the same name in Russia, on the banks of the Lena River. It is located in the Khangalassky ulus of Yakutia, 104 km from the city of Pokrovsk. The Lena Pillars are a complex of vertically elongated rocks stretching for many kilometers, bizarrely piled up along the banks of the Lena, a deep valley cutting through the Prilensky plateau. The pillars reach the highest density between the villages of Petrovskoye and Tit-Ary.

Rock formations, the height of which reaches 100 meters, are composed of Cambrian limestones. Tectonically, the Lena Pillars lie within the Siberian Platform. The beginning of the formation of the rocks that formed this natural monument is usually dated to the early Cambrian - 560-540 million years ago. The formation of the Lena Pillars as a landform is dated to a much later period - about 400 thousand years ago, that is, relatively recent geological time. The territory of the Siberian platform was subjected to gradual uplift, resulting in the occurrence of faults and the formation of deep river valleys. This led to the activation of karst processes, which, along with the ongoing erosional weathering, gave rise to such whimsical and diverse forms of rocks composed of carbonate rocks.

The area of ​​the park is 485 thousand hectares, the park consists of two branches - "Stolby" and "Sinsky". In addition to the well-known stone "pillars", there are such remarkable objects in the park as fluttering tukulan sands with separate sections of the cold northern sandy desert, parking ancient man at the mouth of the Deering-Yuryakh stream, during the excavations of which stone tools were found (the Deering culture). There are unique permafrost ecosystems. Fossilized remains of representatives of ancient fauna were found in the park area: mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius Blum), bison (Bison priscus Boj), woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis Blum), etc.

Near each pillar resembles a magical statue, an ingenious sculpture. They remind someone of medieval castles, churches, oriental columns. Someone claims that the rocks are the heroes of the folk heroic epic. The Lena Pillars (Turuuk Hayalara) stretched along the river bank for a distance of more than 40 km. On the rocks rising along the banks of the Lena and Sinya rivers, numerous petroglyphs were found, made with yellow mineral paint by the ancient inhabitants of these places. These are, to varying degrees, preserved stylized images of animals, fragments of ancient Turkic runic inscriptions, rock compositions depicting a person.

The Lena and Sinsk pillars are steep, completely sheer rocks, composed of Cambrian limestones. Similar limestones were first discovered and described in England, in the county of Wales (the old name is Cambria). Time, precipitation, river water and wind have given the Earth's rock solids bizarre shapes. The length of the pillars, along with powerful stone rocks-outliers along the bank of the river. Lena about 80 km. The Lena Pillars have long attracted the attention of travelers and explorers. They are located on the right bank of the Lena opposite the village. Batamay, 200 km upstream from Yakutsk. Depending on the degree of weathering, the rocks break up into pillars, spiers, rocks, towers, and other bizarre shapes, and also form extended screes.

Above Lena, pillars usually rise in several tiers. The presence of stages is explained by outcrops of rocks of different stability. They are characteristic of the entire right slope of the river valley. Lena in this area. Now the Lena and Sinsk pillars, the valley of the river. The Blue River and the interfluve of the Lena and Buotam are included in the system of specially protected natural areas as national natural parks. This is a great place for those who love nature and new experiences.

The pillars on the Lena River are amazing evidence of the development of the Earth over millions of years. Numerous fossils of the most ancient organisms were found here - unique surviving evidence of a very important stage in the history of the development of the organic world and many biological species in the Cambrian era. The remains of mammoths, bison, rhinos and many other animals were found here.

Lena Pillars were included in the list World Heritage UNESCO in 2006, as one of the amazing places on our planet with a perfect ecosystem untouched by man

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