The reserve with the frightening name "Black Lands" is a well-known refuge of saigas. They come here in early May to show their offspring, and then go on. Why are the Black Lands? Because the reserve rarely had snow, and from space, these lands looked like a gaping hole. And even when the snow returned here, the name was decided not to change.
How to get there
The largest part of the reserve is located on the Caspian lowland between the lower reaches of the Volga and Kuma rivers. The total area of the Black Lands is more than 120 thousand hectares.
Tourists get to two sites - the steppe and ornithological. In the first case, it is necessary to go to the village of Yashkul along the route Elista-Astrakhan, and then turn to Komsomolskoye. Here is the administration of the reserve. Well, the instructors will guide you to the final destination.
At the ornithological site, access is only available to the islands of tulips. On the highway from Elista to Stavropol, you get to the village of Divnoe, and from it - to the village of Yashalta, which is located on the shore of Lake Manych-Gudilo. In order not to get lost - specify the way for local residents.
Rules for visiting the reserve
You can not enter the reserve territory at any time, at any time. Stay is permitted by prior agreement with the administration of the Black Lands. This is due to the fact that the fauna and flora are protected.
Flora and fauna
Black earths are studied by scientists from all over the world. This anthropogenic desert is visited annually by hundreds of researchers. The territory is interesting because there are two different habitats here: the Kalmyk steppes and the wetlands of the lake.
The symbol of the reserve is the saiga antelope. Actually, for their protection, the Black Lands were created. These animals could completely disappear from the face of the earth because of poachers. The saiga horns were sold to China, where they made medicines. To antelope completely did not go to drugs, they had to take under protection. Gradually the population of these animals began to recover. However, there are still few saigas, about 15 thousand.
The animal world of the reserve is typical of the desert. Here there are a lot of reptiles - snakes, vipers, boas, lizards. From mammals there are hares, corsacs, jerboas, hedgehogs and saigas.
Nature here is unusual: desert steppes of feather grass, wormwood and romanite. There are even camel thorns, which we are accustomed to seeing in African deserts. In the area of Lake Manych-Gudilo there are steppes with Lessyk feather grass.
- All to photograph - in no case can you take anything away from the reserve. God forbid you to tear flowers or try to catch an animal! In memory of the visit to the Black Lands, you should only have impressions and video and photo materials. For the sake of beautiful pictures, famous photographers constantly come here. Join them and supplement your portfolio with Black Lands.
- Watching saigas - for any zoologist, great luck is the opportunity to see saigas in natural habitats. In general, it is more interesting to watch animals live. The main thing is not to interfere with them. Imagine yourself as a researcher at National Geographic and just watch.
- See the bloom of tulips - it's an amazing sight: in April, thousands of flowers blossom on the island in the Manych river. They can not be ripped off in any case, because they are very rare tulips, each of them is in the account. It is better, as mentioned above, take photos.
Attractions, excursions and attractions of the reserve Black earths
Two sites of the reserve Black lands - and both water
Manych-Gudilo
This is a large salt lake that used to be part of a huge pond. Back in those days, when the Caspian and Black Sea were almost a single whole.
Manych-Gudilo is vital for birds: birds are nesting here and resting on the long road. Near the lake you can find several species of geese, pelicans, herons, gulls, sea pigeon, karavayku, gooseberry, scribble and many others.
On the territory of the lake there are two islands: the Water and the Bird. On the first one, a herd of wild horses has been inhabited for a long time. How they got here is not known. In summer, during the heat of the hell, the employees of the reserve save their horses from thirst, because there is no fresh water on the island.
Birds are named because of the inhabitants: swans, pelicans, seagulls and herons live here. Every year the lake receives thousands of birds. Look at them - in the eyes ripples from such a motley picture.
River Manych
The water area of the river sheltered the western part of the Black Lands. Here, different fauna and landscapes are different. For example, here there is no steppe - around the swampy banks, which are overgrown with reeds up to the sky.
This coast is called the ornithological site. In the thickets you can meet a lot of birds - pelicans, cranes and strepets. Before visiting the reserve, tourists decide in advance where to go: to animals or birds.