Blue Lakes CBD: description, depth, interesting facts and reviews

The blue CBD lakes are considered to be the deepest in the world karst lakes. Many myths and legends are associated with these amazingly beautiful places.

Location:

The blue lakes of the CBD are located in the unique Cherek Gorge, located on the territory of the same area. It is considered the most populous in Kabardino-Balkaria, besides it has a large area. Mostly there are mountains: five of the seven peaks of the Caucasus, whose height reaches 5 km. It is here that the longest European glacier is also located. There are in these amazing places and one of the oldest mountaineering camps "Bezengi", it was in it were laid the foundations of Soviet mountaineering.

Monument of nature

Blue lakes CBD are considered a unique monument of nature. Chirik-Köl is the second in the world according to the depth of the location of the karst spring. It is a karst aquifer that has steep walls. The maximum width on the surface of the lake is 130 meters, length is 235 meters. In the upper part there is an extension, so the depth difference is determined from 0 to 40 meters. Chirik-Köhl has no tributaries, a small river flows from it.

Temperature conditions

The weather on the Blue Lakes of the CBD is determined by the time of the year, but the water temperature is unchanged and is 9 degrees. This lake is absolutely transparent, with good weather visibility is maintained on the order of 30-50 meters.

History of research

The Blue Lakes of the Kabardino-Balkaria were first described by the geographer I. Dinnik in his work "A trip to Balkaria in 1887-1890". The author emphasized the beauty and primordial nature of these unique places, described the climate of the CBD, the Blue Lakes.

How to get to this monument of nature? This question is of interest to many tourists. At the beginning of the last century, serious geographic studies in this region were conducted by I. Shchukin. In the thirties of the last century Ivan Kuznetsov studied the Blue Lakes . It was he who was awarded the Russian Geographical Society for the unique results, obtained during the experiments, with a silver medal. He managed to find out that the lagoon of this lake is a deep well, the steep walls of which are lined with layered limestones. Water comes from below under a strong pressure.

In the summer of 1980, the expedition of the Geographical Institute named after A.Kh. Vakhushti Bagrationi, belonging to the Georgian Academy of Sciences. The head of the research team was G. Gigineishvili, Doctor of Geographical Sciences. The expedition confirmed the information on the depth of the lake, and new data on the chemical composition of water were revealed during the work. It turned out that there are only algae in these places, there are no animals, and mineral salts in the Blue Lake are present in minimal quantities.

Legends of the Blue Lake

The history of the appearance on the Blue Lake of the dive center begins in the summer of 1982. In June, on the shore of the lake appeared Roma Prokhorov, a Moscow student. In addition to the huge number of trunks, he had cylinders with oxygen, as well as diving equipment.

It was he who later became the record holder of the Russian Federation for deep diving, founded the camp "Blue Lakes". CBD its dive center, founded by Prokhorov, is famous all over the world. Now the buildings built with the assistance of the government of Kabardino-Balkaria have two levels. The lower one is cut directly in the rock, there is an exit to the descent pad. There are showers, locker rooms, storage rooms for equipment, as well as a pressure chamber.

How to get there

Have you decided to visit the Blue Lakes of the CBD? How to get to these amazing places? First, get to Nalchik. From Moscow, you can get here by rail, as well as on the highway M-4. On the gorge up the Blue Lake there are the Cherek Tunnels, part of the old road has been preserved. A narrow path to the reservoir starts at a small waterfall and winds along the cliff, whose height is about one hundred and fifty meters.

A fascinating view opens on the way to the Blue Lakes. After a few kilometers, you can get to the village of Verkhnaya Balkaria. The attraction of this settlement is a unique suspension bridge leading to the old settlement. He was destroyed at the time of the Balkarians' resettlement on the orders of Stalin. But the foundations and remains of the walls are still preserved, when you look at them you can imagine narrow winding streets where the inhabitants of the ancient mountain village once walked. The tower of Abai-Kala, surrounded by apricot trees, is unique in its beauty. On the whole stone, whose height is ten meters, to the left of Abai-Kala, there is a watchtower.

Guest Reviews

According to those who managed to visit these picturesque lands, besides the Blue Lake, there are many other sights in the Kabardino-Balkaria.

Fifteen kilometers from Chirik-Köl there is a mineral hot spring from Ausheger. It was discovered in the middle of the last century during an expedition engaged in the search for oil deposits in these parts. The depth of this source is 4 km! Philologists are sure that its name says that in the old days Kabardians professed Christianity: in translation, "Ausheiger" sounds like "Saint George".

Once in Kabardino-Balkaria, you will certainly hear interesting legends and mysterious stories about the Blue Lake. The most common is the myth that it is here, on the bottom of the pond, that the cavalry of Alexander the Great rests, or the army of Tamerlane, of course, in full uniform, richly decorated with silver, gold, precious stones. There is a legend that in the waters of a mysterious lake are stored deposits of Romanian and German military equipment, as well as a statue of Stalin, which allegedly fell there during the thaw.

Perhaps the most amusing fairy tale is the information about a truck with a port wreck in the Blue Lake.

Conclusion

The nature of Kabardino-Balkaria is unique. Tourists come to these regions to enjoy picturesque mountains, healing mineral springs, to be alone with nature. In the days of the Soviet Union, it was Kabardino-Balkaria that was considered a unique place where many people underwent treatment and restored their health. Near Nalchik sanatoriums were located, in which Soviet citizens were resting. Every resident of the mighty once power went to the Blue Lakes to understand, to feel to the depths of his soul all the beauty and hospitality of the Kabardinsky region.