Sports, nature, clean air: 9 nature reserves in Russia for active recreation

1. "Krasnoyarsk Pillars"

• Things to do: rock climbing.

It is a nature reserve with stone pillars up to 100 meters high. For Krasnoyarsk residents, this park is not only a natural masterpiece, but a place for the development of the columnist culture. There are books, philosophical notes, historical articles about these free climbers, who daringly approach the rocks without belay. But there is only one message: you need to conquer the peaks. Each pillar has a name: in the reserve there are "Elephant", "Moth", "Camel", "Cobra" and a dozen other animals atypical for Siberia. There are also more pompous "Royal Gate", "Chapel", "Buddha".

The routes for tourists are different here: from 2.5 to 18 kilometers in length, and in terms of difficulty, some are suitable even for mothers with strollers. Experienced climbers often live in the "China Wall" area, while beginners can go on a training tour with a coach. If you have never tried rock climbing, the first summit will probably be the symbolically named “First Pillar”. The reserve also hosts an annual autumn festival of rock climbers, in which even children can take part.

2. Khopersky reserve

• Things to do: arrange a bike tour.

Dubrava, steppe, lakes, pine forest, swamps with ferns - and all this in one bike ride. The reserve is located in the Voronezh region, in the valley of the Khoper river. There are 400 lakes on an area of ​​50 kilometers. The cheerful symbol of the reserve is the desman. This rare animal from the Red Book of Russia lives only in the regions of four rivers: the Dnieper, Volga, Don and Urals. The animal can swim 25 meters per minute, leads a secretive lifestyle and unofficially bears the title of "the most Russian beast".

The cycling route through the reserve is not designed for children under 14 years old: part of the route goes along a dirt road, in a swamp zone and other difficult-to-pass places. The trip can be made independently by appointment or with a guide. It is not necessary to carry your own bike, there is a rental in the reserve. On average, four hours can be spent on cycling around the reserve along the 26-kilometer trail. In addition to the Russian desman, in the Khopersky nature reserve you can find marsh turtles, elks and martens.

3. Kaluga Zaseki

• Things to do: photo hunting.

Sharik from Prostokvashino knew a lot about entertainment: you need to hunt animals with a camera, not a gun. Such activity is not always suitable for children and families, but for lovers of secluded travel in harmony with nature, this is an ideal option. The Kaluga Zaseki is inhabited by bears, lynxes, badgers and rare species of animals listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. For example, a giant nocturnal - a bat, a European bison and the notorious Russian desman. You can also catch an elk, a roe deer, a wild boar or a wolf in the lens. Local birds are also worthy of fighting for a beautiful shot: black storks, gray cranes, spotted woodpeckers and nightingale crickets fly across the reserve.

4. Baikal reserve

• Things to do: walking on camus skis.

The Baikal Territory does not need descriptions: lovers of all types of recreation should visit the most amazing lake in Russia. But for those who love movement and adventure, the trails of the Baikal Nature Reserve can offer a ride on camus skiing. More than two kilometers of snow skiing track, lined with camus - pile or fur - is easy even for inexperienced athletes.

The sports load on the route is combined with aesthetic pleasure: the Baikal nature will show its guests the landscapes of a cedar forest and a winter road - a raised bog. In general, winter on Lake Baikal is not at all a dead kingdom of cold, but a continuous festival of fun: in addition to skiing, you can ride with slides on cow's skin, arrange a paintball from snowballs, bask in the hot springs and learn a lot of interesting things about the indigenous inhabitants of the region. And, of course, take a photo against the backdrop of the turquoise ice of the famous lake.

5. Curonian Spit

• Things to do: kitesurfing.

The Curonian Spit National Park in the Kaliningrad Region is a strip of land between the waters of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. The spit is the largest sand dump in the world, its length is 98 kilometers. Here you can catch a wave and a tailwind at the same time - go kiting. In this type of surfing, kites are used for tricks and boarding. Kaliningrad has its own kiting federation, and you can master two elements at once on the waves of the Curonian Spit.

But you can admire here not only the sand and snow-white dunes: the middle part of the spit is covered with forest. So there are not only tourists and surfers in the park, but also beavers, foxes, ermines, and even wild boars and moose. Tourist routes are organized for the guests of the reserve: you can walk along the pine forest and listen to singing birds, look at the bay from the observation deck and, of course, marvel at the "Dancing Forest" with bizarrely curved trees.

6. Meshchersky National Park

• Things to do: kayaking.

This park is ideal for kayaking, jumping from waterfalls and rafting on rough rivers, because Ryazan Meshchera is the land of lakes, rivers and swamps. One of the options is to go on a three-day rafting down the Pre River. Fresh air and landscapes of untouched taiga can turn your head, but you should not be distracted. Even if Pra is not the most difficult for alloy the river, but its meandering and constant turns will require attention and concentration from the tour participants. The character of the river is not violent, but you cannot call it calm either - the speed of the current will not make you bored. The national park has a rich fauna: here you can catch sight of splashing fish, various birds, colored lizards and huge dragonflies.

7. Voronezh Biosphere Reserve

• Things to do: geocaching.

Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunting game for children and adults. To participate in such a quest, you need to register on a special cache site, select a target, open a map and go on an adventure to find your treasure. It is important to take your treasure with you: when you find a hiding place with a container, choose something for yourself and put it in place of it. Antique buttons, stripes, stickers, felt-tip pens, toys - everything that will not deteriorate and will not harm the neighbors in the container.

Throwing an adventure in the Voronezh Nature Reserve is a great idea. On its large territory there is a beaver town, a rope park, a four-hundred-year-old oak tree, museums and eco-trails where you can see a squirrel and a weasel, and in the sky you can see a goshawk or a dwarf eagle. Children will like the park, and they don’t have to worry about fatigue: people of any physical fitness can cope with walks in the reserve.

8. Pinezhsky reserve

• Things to do: speleotourism.

This reserve is famous for its caves. Lovers of bizarre reliefs of rocks, curved stalagmites and icicles of stalactites will be delighted with it. The caves are mesmerizing with their gloomy, sharp beauty, so the development of speleotourism in this area is understandable. In the underground vaults, it is especially easy to feel like the brave Indiana Jones, because many films and books like to use raw cave landscapes as scenery for adventure. In the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve, the whole family can go on an adventure through the caves. The main speleological routes organized in the Pinega State Reserve are "Bereznikovskie caves" and "Singing cave". They can be taken with children from 7 years old, and the whole trip will take no more than two hours. You will be delighted with the aesthetics of the path - winter exoticism and the Palace of the Snow Queen.

9. "Lena Pillars"

• Things to do: hiking.

The stone forest of Yakutia is one of the most beautiful places in Russia, also included in the UNESCO heritage. Locals believe that the pillars are frozen ancient gods. Scientists say that these are rocky formations up to 2,220 meters in height, which appeared about 400 thousand years ago. And tourists compare the pillars with the Wall from Game of Thrones. One thing is clear - this natural masterpiece impresses everyone.

You can get to the place by plane, boat or by car from Yakutsk. Particularly active people can overcome the final 20 kilometers to the park by kayak, catamaran or raft from the nearest tourist base. Upon arrival, you can immediately go to the observation deck - it will take a little less than an hour to climb, and from above you will see a panorama of another Siberian beauty - the Lena River. Then you can visit the bison in the Ust-Buotama nature reserve: the indigenous representatives of the species in Yakutia have become extinct, and those that live in the bisonaria now were brought from Canada. And then you can walk in the desert - the sand dunes of Tukulany will become a pleasant variety in the landscapes.