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😉 Thank you, dear reader, for choosing this article! Here you will find the answer where the lake Baskunchak is located. The information will be useful for tourists traveling to these regions.
Astrakhan region: lake Baskunchak
One of the most famous sights of the Astrakhan region is the salt lake Baskunchak – the largest in the world. It is located in the Akhtuba region and has an area of over 100 square kilometers.
The water here is so salty that only bacteria can live in it. This is, perhaps, the only reservoir in the Astrakhan region, where you will not be able to fish.
This miracle of nature was formed in a depression on a salt layer that goes many hundreds of meters deep. But the depth of the lake is shallow, up to three meters, except for the breaks formed as a result of salt mining, which has been carried out here from the VIII century to the present.
In addition to industrial and historical significance, Baskunchak is also valuable as a sanatorium and resort facility. An interesting landscape for the southern steppe: dry steppes are replaced by forest clefts, sandy areas are interspersed with rocky slopes.
In the vicinity of the lake there is the only real mountain Bogdo in the entire Caspian lowland and numerous reservoirs of varying degrees of salinity. The word “bogdo” from the Mongolian and Kalmyk languages is translated as something sublime and majestic. Baskunchak translated from Turkic means “sunny, glorious”.
Mount Bogdo
In 1997, the unique natural Bogdinsko-Baskunchak complex was given the status of a reserve.
The lake itself looks like a sparkling snowfield from afar. If you come closer, it becomes clear that the shores are covered with snow-white “pieces of ice”. Salt crystals form a crust that can be very prickly.
Why is a salt lake useful?
But it’s not just the beautiful views that draw crowds of tourists. The lake is very crowded from May to September. Many people come here to improve their health. Rapa is a saturated salt solution. It has unique healing properties.
Salt water helps with metabolic disorders, skin diseases, has tonic, anti-inflammatory and cardio-training properties, and many other useful characteristics.
In addition, the clays on the banks of the Baskunchak also have a healing effect. The range of applications is very wide: from cosmetic procedures to the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Not far from the lake, there is a sanatorium of the same name, which is popular among vacationers from all over the country.
For those who do not need wellness procedures, it will be interesting to just swim. Due to the high salt content in the waters of Baskunchak, it is impossible to drown. People are simply pushed to the surface. The same effect can be experienced in Israel’s Dead Sea.
Lake Baskunchak: how to get there
It is difficult to get to the lake by public transport. The railway station is located in the village of Verkhniy Baskunchak. To get to the lake, you need to take a taxi to the village of Nizhny Baskunchak, located 10 km away.
Another option is to get to Akhtubinsk, and from there from Nizhny Baskunchak again by taxi. Numerous travel companies offer sightseeing or weekend tours. If you have a personal car, the trip to Baskunchak will be as comfortable as possible.
In the village of Nizhny Baskunchak itself, there is no modern infrastructure for tourism, but there is a parking lot with a shower.
Approximately one and a half kilometers from the parking lot, the nearest beach is located, which is famous for medicinal clays. Locals offer a ride to it on motorcycles or taxis. Lovers of exotic will be delighted by horseback riding on a camel.
But the distance is not so great, and walking after a long trip will be a pleasure. The distant beach is located another kilometer later, where you can go deeper into the water. You can wash off traces of salt and clay in the paid shower in the parking lot.
Travel Tips
When visiting the salt lake, you must take with you:
1. Headwear and clothes with long sleeves. There is practically no shadow on the way to the beach and on the beach itself. Getting sunburn in these latitudes is a matter of 30 minutes.
2. Rubber flip flops – the salt crystals are very sharp and can hurt your feet. Healing clays are not easy to wash off the fabric.
3. A supply of water in a bottle – in order to drink and rinse your feet on the way to the village, since there are no accessible reservoirs there.
Video
Better to see once! Additional information about where Lake Baskunchak is located in this video
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