Water temperature in lake elton april. Lake Elton, Volgograd region: rest and treatment with healing mud

Lake Elton- this is a unique object of nature, which is called the "Pearl of the Volga Region" or "Russian Dead Sea". It is the largest of the European self-sustaining salt lakes, which has unique healing properties. They were used by ancient nomads to save the sick.

Elton on the map of the world and Russia

This is the most beautiful place of the Trans-Volga steppe with picturesque river deltas, shallow lake waters, salt marshes, beaches and valleys.

History of occurrence

The name of the lake, apparently, was given to it by the color of the water. The original "Altyn-nur" in Kazakh sounds like "golden lake", and in Mongolian - "golden bottom", as the Tatars and Kalmyks call it.

The reservoir got its name Elton after the English sea captain and engineer John Elton conducted his research and put the lake on the world map.

The reservoir was quite popular already during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, at that time it was used for salt extraction. Due to its properties, high quality and unusual pinkish color, it was in great demand abroad.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna continued and strengthened this enterprise. The construction of two salt tracts, which allowed the supply of mined salt throughout the country. In the second half of the nineteenth century, Emperor Alexander II suspended the development of salt mines at the state level.

But, unscheduled salt mining by private entrepreneurs lasted for several more decades. Since the high healing properties of the water in the lake were already known at that time, in 1910 an organization began on the territory adjacent to it. balneological resort.

Where is?

Many do not even know about the presence of such a miracle of nature in our country, and do not know in which part of it the lake is located. The location of Lake Elton is the south of the European part of our country. This is the Caspian lowland (northern part), located in Pallasovsky district of the Volgograd region. Near the lake (four kilometers) is the border with the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Sanatorium Elton

Arriving at the lake, you can settle and undergo treatment in sanatorium "Elton", which is located six kilometers from it. There is a mud bath in it, where treatment is carried out only with fresh brine and mud brought from the lake.

But, you can also take "wild baths", located in specially dug holes on the lake. For this, special excursions are organized twice a day. The treatment is supplemented with mineral water, which is collected in the Smorogdinsky chloride-sulphate sodium spring.

In terms of composition and medicinal properties, the water is not inferior to the famous Caucasian mineral waters.

Sanatorium "Elton" operates throughout the year. In five of its buildings there are rooms designed for different incomes. There is also a polyclinic, two hotels and several cottage buildings. In addition to mud and brine for healing, they use:

1. Different kinds soul And massage;
2. laser therapy;
3. Darsonvalization;
4. Therapeutic exercise;
5. Inhalations;
6. electrophoresis;
7. Franklinization;
8. Ultrasound.

Excursions

You can spend your free time in a restaurant, cafe or club, play tennis or billiards, visit the solarium, sauna or work out in the gym. There is a chapel on the territory of the sanatorium. By renting bicycles, you can get acquainted with the mysterious protected areas. Near the lake, you can ride local undersized and flexible horses.

There are also various excursions that have a historical, ethnographic and ecological orientation. IN museum of the sanatorium you can get acquainted with the collection of crutches and sticks left by people who recovered here from diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Elton- This is a huge salt lake, comparable only to the Israeli Dead Sea, surrounded by natural landscapes of the desert steppe. Silt mud, brine and mineral drinking springs are valuable healing resources.

Lake Elton is located on the border of Russia and Kazakhstan in the Volgograd region (Pallasovsky district). Covers an area of ​​152 sq. km. It has the shape of an almost even circle. Despite the fact that it is quite large, its average depth is several centimeters.

The required level of the lake supports 7 rivers. At the bottom there are outlets of salty springs. The lake is located 18 meters below sea level.

Lake Elton.

What is the uniqueness of Lake Elton?

The lake is filled not with water, but with brine - an oily liquid, bitter-salty in taste. It is oversaturated with a solution of table salt, as well as macro- and microelements.

Attraction and at the same time decoration of Elton is Mount Ulagan, which is a constantly growing salt dome.

Mount Ulagan.

Here, rocks come to the surface, the history of which dates back to the Jurassic period, often with preserved samples of flora and fauna. Fossils of ancient mollusks can be found here on the surface, without excavation. This mountain is also interesting for its stunning views of the entire reserve. Another interesting feature of the reservoir is that the lake is not dead, algae live in the water, which give it a pink tint.

Pink shades of Lake Elton.

The natural beauties here are specific - this is a bare steppe, in which Lake Elton is located. This is the real kingdom of salt. Salt frames the lake in the form of a wide variety of crystals of various forms of formation.

Lake Elton is the realm of salt.

Theories of the origin of the name of Lake Elton

There are two theories about the origin of the name.

In Kazakh "Altyn-Nur" means "gold mine". And since the red color of the water in July casts gold, it turns out so. According to the second version, the name of the lake began in 1741, when the governor of Astrakhan Tatishchev brought an Englishman to the lake - engineer John Elton, who explored the reservoir, described it, mapped it and immortalized his name. But the Polovtsian khans considered these lands sacred. The Kazakhs still believe in a pagan legend that says that Tengri Khan, the lord of heaven, sometimes descends into the waters of the lake to prolong his eternal youth.

Treatment at Lake Elton

Among Russians, Lake Elton is very popular, because. The Volgograd region is much closer to Israel, and treatment can be even more effective, since the salt content is 1.5 times higher than their concentration in the Dead Sea water.

Under the salt is the famous therapeutic mud, which is a natural source of vitamins, enzymes, hormone-like and other biologically active substances. The mud procedure as a whole affects the entire body, the nervous and endocrine systems.

Despite the wide range of indications and the undeniable benefits of Elton's wealth, consult your doctor before going to the lake.

Tourists can take salt and mud baths not only in the mud baths, but also on their own, in pits dug near the shore. Bus tours are organized to these pits.

On Elton, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, skin, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, respiratory organs, digestive organs, severe consequences of injuries and metabolic disorders are successfully cured. The royal family once rested here. Excellent conditions for recovery.

There is a legend that once there was "Museum of abandoned crutches" because people who arrived with disabilities were cured and left the crutches they no longer needed.

How to get to Lake Elton

Lake Elton is located about 204 kilometers northeast of Volgograd, 345 kilometers south of Saratov, and almost 1180 kilometers from Moscow. Six kilometers east of the lake is the village of the same name Elton, where there is a bus station and a railway station.

• From Moscow, you can get here directly by train (journey time from 21 to 24 hours, depending on the train), or by car.
• From Volgograd, you can get here by bus (1 time per day, leaves at 11:30) or minibus (2 times a day). And buses and minibuses depart from the Volgograd bus station. There are no direct trains from Volgograd to Elton station.
• From Saratov to Elton station can be reached by train. Travel time is about 5-6 hours.

According to the site: fb.ru

• 19 October, 2015

Lake Elton has been known since ancient times, even then people were well aware of its healing properties and regularly used the services of a natural "doctor" in order to improve their health. At the beginning of the 20th century, a sanatorium was founded here. This is a huge salt lake, comparable only to the Israeli Dead Sea, surrounded by natural landscapes of the deserted steppe. Silt mud, brine and mineral drinking springs are valuable healing resources.

Where is Lake Elton

This is the eastern part, located almost on the border with Kazakhstan, in the Volga steppes. The depth of the lake is quite small, in summer - no more than 7 cm, in spring it can reach up to several meters. The area is 152 sq. m. A large circle of mirror surface, to which you need to walk several meters along the dried salty crust. The required level of the lake supports 7 rivers. At the bottom there are outlets of salty springs. The lake is located 18 meters below sea level.

It is not suitable for bathing, as it is filled not with water, but with brine - an oily liquid, bitter-salty in taste. It is oversaturated with a solution of table salt, as well as macro- and microelements. Lake Elton is decorated with another attraction - Mount Ulagan, which is a constantly growing salt dome.

Another interesting feature of the reservoir is that the lake is not dead, algae live in the water, which give it a pink tint.

Climatic features of the region

If you are going to relax on Lake Elton or get medical treatment in a sanatorium, be sure to take sunscreen creams and oil with you. The sun is burning here, almost instantly burns both the face and other open areas of the body. The wind almost does not stop, so dark glasses will be a useful thing. They will solve two problems at once: they will protect from the bright sun and wind-blown dust. The temperature difference between day and night is very noticeable, so if you are going on a long excursion, stock up on warm clothes, it will come in handy if you return in the evening.

The heat here is hard to bear, so when leaving the hotel room, take a hat and a supply of drinking water with you. If you suffer from heart disease, then choose to travel in spring or autumn, when the weather is milder.

Today the resort operates 12 months a year, the average air temperature here in the winter months is -11 degrees.

For lovers of new experiences

The natural beauties here are specific, you need to get used to them, especially for a Russian person who likes the sound of the wind in the treetops and the singing of birds. Here you will not find either one or the other. As already mentioned, the surroundings are a bare steppe, in which a pinkish lake is located. Driving close by car is not recommended because of the salty mud in which the wheels slip, and a large amount of salt pretty much spoils metal and rubber. On a sunny day, eyes are blinded as if from snow, and only in the evening, when the sunset paints Lake Elton in magical red tints, you can appreciate the beauty of these places.

This is the real kingdom of salt. It frames the lake in the form of a wide variety of crystals. They resemble either snow flakes or bizarre snowflakes: with sharp needles, oval, cubic. Here it makes sense to walk around with a camera and look for a more interesting frame. Salt gets stuck in the hair, felt on the entire surface of the skin, settles on the lips... The smallest particles of it are constantly carried by the wind, which makes it seem that it is here that the air can be tasted.

Health tourism

For this, there is a sanatorium on Lake Elton. It is located 6 km from the lake, so tourists receive all the procedures in the local mud bath. Thrill-seekers can take a hike to get the gifts of nature in a natural environment on their own, or take advantage of the daily tour. Twice a day, a bus leaves for the lake, which takes out those who want to take a "wild bath". The advantages of such a trip are that it is here that the high temperature works for you, and even the special air of these places. Then, covered with a salt crust, you have to drive back to take a shower.

For comparison: fresh mud from the lake is also brought to the sanatorium twice a day. It is applied to the body, after which the patient is wrapped in polyethylene and covered with a blanket. The procedure lasts 15-20 minutes, then you can take a shower (without a washcloth and soap). Next, in accordance with the instructions of the doctor, a sweating procedure is performed: the patient is wrapped in several blankets and given hot tea to drink.

Not only mud, but the “water” of the lake itself is also healing. Rapa is recommended for the treatment of many diseases, and the best effect can be achieved by alternating brine and mud baths. Your choice is to use the services of a sanatorium or the opportunity to plunge into the lake itself.

What is the therapeutic effect

Lake Elton is very popular among Russians. much closer to Israel, and even more effective treatment can be obtained, since the salt content exceeds 1.5 times their concentration in the Dead Sea water. Therapeutic mud causes irritation of skin receptors and blood vessels. Organic nitrogenous substances penetrate the skin into the bloodstream and affect the functioning of internal organs.

Mud is a natural source of vitamins, enzymes, hormone-like and other biologically active substances. The mud procedure as a whole affects the entire body, the nervous and endocrine systems.

Magic mud and brine

Hundreds of people undergo treatment at Lake Elton every year. The procedures bring significant relief, and subsequent therapy will give an even more tangible result. Therefore, in chronic diseases, people practice annual treatment in a local sanatorium.

High-salt silt, sulfide, bromine mud is a homogeneous, oily mass, a bit reminiscent of grease. It is also not easy to wash, it smells of hydrogen sulfide. The crust of dirt on the body retains heat well, which is a catalyst for starting recovery processes. Salt Lake Elton is famous for the chemical composition of the mud. It contains magnesium and sodium chloride, bromine, iodine, magnesium and calcium sulfate, calcium silicate, magnesium, aluminum. There is also iron sulfide, silicic acids, organic substances.

It is because of this amount of impurities that the Elton salt lake is no longer used for the extraction of edible salt. Thanks to this, it has retained its original appearance and today can be a place of healing for many people.

Rapa is an even more amazing substance. As you approach the lake, the salt crust begins to break under your feet and you sink into the mud. Having enjoyed these sensations enough, you can go further. Here, the crust already fully supports the weight of a person, and it is covered with an oily liquid in which undissolved salt crystals float. In the hot season, it is completely difficult to dive into the brine, the depth barely reaches 10 cm, but the concentration of salts is such that it begins to corrode the skin. More balanced brine baths will be offered to you in the sanatorium.

They include calcium chloride and magnesium, magnesium sulfide, calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate, organic substances, bromine and boron. During brine baths, the smallest salt crystals settle on the skin, which continue their therapeutic effect after the end of the procedure.

Benefits for your health

Rest on Lake Elton will be useful to everyone without exception. The eastern part of this mysterious reservoir is most suitable for swimming and enjoying the views. Treatment is prescribed according to medical indications, but it has a beneficial effect on the entire body. Metabolic processes are activated, hematopoiesis normalizes, immunity increases, the nervous system strengthens, the condition of the skin improves, working capacity increases, blood pressure normalizes.

Elton mud is similar to that which comes from the Dead Sea, and brine is 1.5 times higher than its waters in terms of the concentration of useful substances. Many note a pronounced bactericidal effect. The mud of Lake Elton is used in the form of general and local applications. They are used to treat diseases of the joints, bones and muscles, the central and peripheral nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, and ENT organs. Diseases of the genitourinary system (both female and male) respond well to mud treatment. In addition, Lake Elton is a real panacea for patients suffering from chronic skin diseases.

Contraindications to the passage of mud therapy

Despite the wide range of indications and the undeniable benefits of Elton's wealth, consult your doctor before going to the lake. If you go to the official website of the resort, you can read rave reviews. Lake Elton easily conquers the hearts of people, but still there are contraindications for treatment that must be considered:

• Pregnancy.
• Any disease in the acute stage.
• Venereal diseases.
• All diseases of the blood in an acute form.
• Tuberculosis.
• Severe forms of hypertension.
• Any bleeding.
• Mental illness.
• Drug addiction and alcoholism.

If you should not use mud and brine baths today, this does not mean at all that you cannot visit Elton. The lake offers treatment in the form of the purest air, the famous mineral drinking spring, as well as nature itself - calm, unhurried, pacifying.

Road to Elton

You can get to Volgograd by train, car, fly by plane. Options - for every taste and budget. In the city, you can change to a bicycle or continue your journey by car. It is easy to get lost in the endless steppes, so it is better to stick to the already known route. One of these is the path from Volgograd through the village of Volzhsky and Leninsk, but a bad steppe road leads to the lake. The second route is longer, it goes through Volzhsky, Nikolaevsk, Pallasovka, but for almost the entire route it is an asphalt road. Feel free to take a trip to Lake Elton! Any local resident will tell you how to get there, even if you go astray.

Excursions in the natural park

One of the most popular services is the rental of bicycles, on which you can take a tour of the surroundings. There is something to see here. The tour usually starts from the lake itself. After listening to stories about miraculous healings, tourists head to Mount Ulagan. This dome is unique not only because it is made of salt, but its height fully corresponds to the depression of the lake. But that's not all! Here, rocks come to the surface, the history of which dates back to the Jurassic period, often with preserved samples of flora and fauna. Fossils of ancient mollusks can be found here on the surface, without excavation. This mountain is also interesting for its stunning views of the entire reserve.

If you are interested in geology, then you can visit the Grand Canyon, which is located next to Mount Ulagan. But usually the tour takes place around the lake. An interesting cultural monument is the abandoned village of salt miners, Old Elton, which is located on the western shore. Here you will be told about the hard work of the villagers, who had to get and load the precious goods, protect themselves from the raids of the nomads and deliver the salt unscathed through the difficult section of the steppe. An outpost was created here, which served as a fortress protecting people.

From here, the path runs north, along the bed of the Khara River. The places are enchanting, with a completely unusual landscape. Even the plants here are unusual, adapted to the salty soil and mineral water. Maybe that's why there are so many rare species of trees and herbs that are not found anywhere else. Surprisingly, a huge number of various species of ducks gather on this salty river, even common cranes fly here.

A mandatory attribute of the tour is a visit to the Devil's Bridge. It no longer exists, it existed at the time of active salt mining on the lake, almost 400 years ago. Now only the ruins of a stone dam have been preserved here. Further the route runs along the Khara riverbed to the Botanicheskaya beam. It will be of interest to connoisseurs and lovers of botany, but for an uninitiated tourist it is just bushes and herbs. About 400 species of plants grow here. Among them you can find trees - apple trees and buckthorn; shrubs - sloe, wild rose, blackberry. Interesting rare species located on the slopes. These are tulips and irises, almonds, asparagus, valerian, tansy, tarragon.

If you are lucky, you can take photos of insects listed in the Red Book. This is a long-legged kravchik, motley ascalaf.

A walk under the hot sun makes itself felt, and tourists move towards the long-awaited Smorogdinsky mineral spring. The composition of the water resembles the waters of the famous springs in Kislovodsk, although the taste may not be pleasant out of habit.

Here lovers of cultural recreation can leave their bicycles and take a trip to the ethnographic museum. It is unique in that it was created and maintained by one person, a history teacher. These are four buildings located side by side. The first tells about Russian life. This is a hut, cleaned according to all traditional canons. Nearby is a Kazakh yurt, demonstrating the life of the nomadic people. The second yurt is here, according to your order, a real dastarkhan is served with beshbarmak, baursaks and delicious tea. The fourth house is a museum of salt mining.

The tour is led by the creator of the museum, a historian who knows and loves his land. He will tell you everything you want to know about Lake Elton. - the real passion of this enthusiastic person.

A visit to the Elton Natural Park can be a real adventure, full of new experiences, and even a budget family vacation. Therapeutic baths will improve the state of health, normalize the nervous system. This place is ideal for spending time pleasantly and profitably.

Lake Elton (Volgograd region), spreading its salty shores on the territory of the Caspian lowland, is rightfully considered a natural curiosity of Russia. On the map, this is just a small blue spot on the border with Kazakhstan. In fact, a reservoir with an area of ​​just over 150 square meters. km. The reservoir is one of the largest salt lakes in Europe.

In contact with

Its healing potential is so high that it is fair comparison with the Dead Sea, having a salt concentration 1.5 times less than Elton. And, if we take into account the presence in the lake of deposits of hydrogen sulfide deposits and silt sulfide mud containing:

• iron salts,
• carbonic acid,
• amino acids,
• iodine impurities,

then its healing power will become clear.

The lake feeds mainly on snow reserves and the waters of seven mineralized rivers, and salt is born from the depths of underground deep sources. The favorable climate of the region and the absence of the need to conserve life-giving mud made it possible to use Elton's resorts all year round.

From Ivan the Terrible to the present day

However, all the charms of the reservoir were not noticed today. Already during the time of Ivan the Terrible salt was mined from its shores, which the enterprising merchants of Rus' subsequently sold not only to their compatriots, but also sent to the tables of European sovereigns.

The special pink color of the mineral, obtained from the Dunaliella saline algae that lived on the bottom, added popularity, novelty and demand to the product. At the end of the 19th century, salt mining was suspended, and travelers, doctors, and climatologists began to visit the region more and more often to study the properties of salt crystals and their impact on humans. The scientists evaluated the advantages of the brine solution and the unique antioxidant tendencies of Dunaliella, which gave birth to a new line of production of cosmetics and dietary supplements.

Since that time, the commercial development of the territory and its improvement for a good rest begins. In 1910, the first resort was opened, and in the post-war years, a whole balneological complex. The map of the Caspian lowland near the lake is gradually overgrown with new settlements.

The healing power of salt water and relaxation by the lake

The rebuilt modern buildings and rooms for spa treatments gradually replaced the spontaneous mud pits, equipped by savage tourists. Lake salts have become the “carrot” that attracts many people today, suffering from various ailments, among which:

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system,
• diseases of the genitourinary system,
• nervous disorders,
• skin diseases,
• endocrine abnormalities.

In addition, therapeutic baths can strengthen the human immune system, improve metabolism, rejuvenate the body and simply create a good mood.

Is on the territory and own mineral spring, located 3 kilometers from the healing mud. Its popularity among vacationers is very high. Still would! After all, the chemical composition of its water is similar to the famous healing brand "Essentuki-17".

Holidays on Lake Elton in the Volgograd region will delight even the most skeptical people. After all, this is the place where the healing power comes together with the recreational component of the region. Numerous parks, picturesque streams, pink and white salt marshes, shallow lake waters, mysterious haze - this is not a complete list of the natural beauties of this region.

Elton and Baskunchak

Flora and fauna lovers will not be disappointed. Thus, the collection of birds nesting here exceeds 250 species, including various duck families, cranes, waders, bustards. If you're lucky, you can bring home great photos and videos! And how much joy a horseback ride through the surrounding steppes can bring, when the wind in your face and adrenaline plays in your veins!

You can come to Elton both with a one-day excursion and on your own for a few days. Prices for accommodation, treatments and horseback riding are moderate. After all, the resort area does not yet have the world fame of Hungarian baths or the same Lake Baskunchak, located just 103 km in a straight line from Elton. And, although Elton and Baskunchak are approximately equivalent in terms of healing properties, they are completely different in terms of the quality of bathing. You can enter Elton up to your ankles, no more, so as not to put yourself at risk of drowning in its sucking dense waters. In Baskunchak, it is really possible to swim on your back with a book in your hands, while also enjoying a cool novel.

Prices and tourist infrastructure

The cost of living in well-equipped sanatoriums in the Elton resort area will be from 1700 rubles per day per person. Rented housing in the private sector in a 7-kilometer strip from the lake can be found even at a lower price. This does not require the help of aggregator sites at all. Everything can be done upon arrival in the village. Local residents will be happy to offer hospitality by offering an apartment or even a whole house with a bicycle in addition - it is cheaper and more convenient to get to the healing brine with it.

The tourist infrastructure on Elton, as well as throughout the Volgograd region, has received a boost, and is now developing every season. Here you will find cozy hotel rooms, various catering points, equipped sports grounds, modern shops, beach equipment rentals, and a developed network of main and secondary roads for transport crossings. So it's easy to get to your destination both from Volgograd and points of the region, and from Kamyshin, Saratov and Astrakhan by your car or by taxi-minivan. Travel time is about 6 hours.

In addition, through the village of Elton, located on the eastern shore of the lake, railroad tracks and sidings. Traveling by train will be an interesting prelude to an excursion to magical healing waters.

This is such a gorgeous point on the map of Russia! Soon it will be appreciated by the rest of the world.