One of the most inaccessible reserved places on the territory of the Russian Federation is in the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, on the western slopes of the Sayan Mountains. The reserve itself was organized in the seventies of the last century solely to compensate for damage to nature from the construction and operation of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station and to preserve a population of rare species of animals.
Visiting rules
In many ways, because the park was not planned as a recreational area, it is not as easy to get to it as it might seem at first glance .Experienced experts note that due to inaccessibility of the reserve territory, for many years even poachers and fans of illegal deforestation could not get to this part of the virgin nature with their malicious intent .Therefore, the tourist will have to work hard to be in the epicenter of the natural landscape Sayan .In addition, the total absence of mobile communications and any suitable trails in the Sayano-Shushensky Reserve will turn the tourist route into a rather nervous event, but this is rather the lot of those people who like to travel independently .If you send a small group, specially trained guides will be able to ride their customers on the watery surface, and on the way to tell a little about the nature of the biosphere reserve .The bottom line is that on the shore a human foot should not walk or should, but a very limited amount of time, so that nature does not become imperceptible to change itself under its influence .
Inhabitants of the reserve
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that environmentalists and inspectors are fighting for the purity of nature for a reason. It is in this section of Sayan that the world's largest population of snow leopards is located, and the number of rare Siberian cedars affects consciousness.
Due to the emergence of hydropower plants and the creation of a reservoir, the local landscape has changed somewhat, as does the climate in the region .So, for example, the humidity of air and soil has significantly increased, the atmospheric temperature has increased by several degrees - all this has had a direct, not the best impact on the mountain nature .Unfortunately, some rare animal species could not be saved at the time .However, today in the area of the reserve almost all wild nature is completely restored .And even ungulates, who are accustomed to a new condition for a considerable amount of time, were again "rehabilitated" and began to make their own natural transitions through the territory of the Sayano-Shushensky Reserve .For example, here you can see a snow leopard, a sympathetic manul and a lynx, a wolf and a wild boar, a bear .And if you see a secret snow leopard or a cunning manul - a great luck, the charming herds of ibexes - a spectacle often .
The reserve administration: Krasnoyarsk Territory, with. Shushenskoe, Zapovednaya, 7 +7 (39139) 3-18-81.
How to get here
There is no railway connection with the village of Shushenskiy and there is no reserve, so you will have to travel by car or bus, in any case.
The most convenient way is by bus from Abakan (Republic of Khakassia): No. 589 or 590 (departure time: 8:15; 10:20; 12:10; 14:20; 15:20; 16:30; 17:45; 18:50) . On the way about 1, 5 hours, the fare is about 120-150 rubles. Schedule is better to clarify: bus station Abakan +7 (390-22) 23-708.
Another option is a bus from Krasnoyarsk, which leaves at 6:30; 9:20, 10:00, 15:00; 21:30; 22:00, but on the way it will be necessary to spend already about 8, 5 hours, paying for the ticket 820-850 rubles. The bus station of Krasnoyarsk: +7 (391) 274-78-91.
The nearest settlement to the reservoir is the village of Cheremushki (2 km walk to the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP). In Cheryomushki three times a day from Abakan there is a bus number 246 (departure at 6:20, 14:00 and 18:15).
Entrance to the territory of the reserve from the side of the Republic of Tuva - through the village of Shagonar, from which to the shore of the reservoir about 3 km through the mountain pass. Independently on this way to get, and also to spend the night on the Tuvan side is highly discouraged (a small but very dangerous part of the local residents for tourists presents a real danger).
| Stormy river, Sayano-Shushensky nature reserve |
| Small waterfalls, Sayano-Shushensky Reserve |
| Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve at sunset |
| Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve |
| Flora, Sayano-Shushensky Reserve |