On the territory of several districts at once Krasnoyarsk Territory: Karatuzsky, Ermakovsky and Kuraginsky in Western Sayan there is a national wildlife park Ergaki.
The Ergaki mountain range of the Western Sayans means “fingers” in Turkic. If you look closely at the rocky ledges of the mountains, then indeed, many of them resemble outstretched fingers.
The nature of the Krasnoyarsk Territory is amazing and beautiful, it impresses with its diversity. The Ergaki State National Park can rightfully be called the most attractive place in the region.
Ergaki National Park in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Ergaki is a region famous for its unique stone idols, which are popularly called “chars”. Loaches are found everywhere in Ergaki. They are of different shapes and sizes and apparently symbolize different gods from the same “pantheon” of the local pagan faith. True, loaches do not always represent classical pagan idols - some of them have a shape and even form certain complexes. From the “shoulder” of the Ptitsa Pass you can even see the Sphinx, and from the Molodezhny Pass you can see the picturesque ruins of a medieval castle.
The beauty of this national park can be described endlessly. And not even because at the sight of them a person is overcome with endless admiration - not one of the Ergakov valleys is like the other: dozens of lakes, waterfalls, mountain peaks and circuses. All of them are beautiful in their own way, their uniqueness is captured in the poetic names - Lake Rainbow, Golden, Mountain Spirits, Light... Peaks Star, Bird, Dragon's Tooth, Sleeping Sayan... Marble Waterfall, Bogatyr, Grace, Ice...– only the enumeration of beauties captures the imagination and gives rise to the thought: “I have to go there!”. Can you imagine what sensations you will experience when you actually see all this, and even during the best “tourist” season?
Ergaki are the names of mountain peaks.
About many of the lakes, peaks and valleys are stacked legends. Probably the most popular concerns the Sleeping Sayan, a beautiful panorama of which opens from the Usinsky highway Abakan-Kyzyl.
Once upon a time, in ancient times, an amazing people lived in this area: the Sayans. They built their city on the shore of a large lake and lived cheerfully and happily. When the Sayans were preparing for the wedding of the most beautiful girl Oya with the leader’s son Kulumys, a guy named Zmeingo, in love with the girl, revealed the location of the city to the enemies. On the eve of the wedding, the tribe was attacked and the city was plundered. Kulumys was away - looking for a gift for the beautiful Oya - and did not know what misfortune befell his people. Oya rejected the traitor and turned into a river, and Kulumys, having learned about this, lay down and turned to stone. Following him, the ruins of the city turned to stone, and they now stand on the shores of Lake Oya. Legend says that the hero will wake up when “the stars turn over and what seemed like a dream becomes real.”
Ergaki is a unique natural corner of the Sayano-Shushensky State Biosphere Reserve, which, together with the Altai, “Maly Abakan” and the mountainous part of the Shushensky Bor national park, form the central part of a specially protected area in the Altai-Sayan ecoregion.
Today the Ergaki National Park is home to: brown bear and lynx, wolverine and sable, deer and roe deer, Siberian mountain goat, mink and even wild boar. Here you can find rare species of animals listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation - musk deer, snow leopard, red wolf and manul.
Rare animals of Ergaki National Park.
Pika (Shadak). Funny animal with funny ears.
The reserve contains many natural monuments: geological section along the Oresh river, landscape area “Stone Town”, “Cedar Site”, “Lake Oiskoe”, “Maralya Skala”, “Pine Toe” tract, “Relict Island” and others.
Ergaki - “Stone Town” in winter.
Lake Oyskoe. Ergaki Natural Park.
Wildlife is also rich here. Only rare and endangered plant species grow in Ergaki over 33 species!
22 species of birds listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation live here! These are such as: black stork, osprey, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, saker falcon and steppe kestrel.
And also - there are no mosquitoes or ticks here!
Ergaki National Park - birds.
The regime of the protected zone of the national park promotes the development ecological tourism, which is the most intensively developing form of recreation throughout the world. Ecotourism combines active recreation and educating people about the nature around them. For example, in the southern part of the park, in the upper reaches of the Bolshie Ury River, there is a cult mineral spring of the Tuvans, Arzhan Uru. In 1990, this area was allocated as a special religious and balneological zone. This means that the interests of the local population are not infringed upon in the created natural parks.
The beauty of these ancient mountains can enchant anyone once and for all. Having visited one wonderful corner in Ergaki, next time you will want to see something else. This could be: an unusual mountain lake, a waterfall or healing springs. Here you can go rafting down some rapids river, go fishing, for example, on Lake Buibinskoye, or hunt with a hunting instructor. Or you can simply set up camp on Medvezhye Lake and enjoy the pristine beauty of the cedar forest, an abundance of berries and mushrooms.
Garden of Stones. Ergaki Natural Park.
Ergaki has a favorite tourist area - this area of Svetly Lake, Zvezdny and Ptitsa peaks, Lake of Artists and Mountain Spirits, Molodezhny and Parabola passes, as well as areas Hanging Stone and Marble Falls.
View of Lake Svetloe from the Ptitsa pass.
According to experts, Ergakov’s modern natural and environmental capabilities allow it to receive about 80 thousand visitors annually, and in the future - up to 120 thousand people per year.
- February 15, 2016
In the list of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), this natural park is the hundredth anniversary. Ergaki, the Western Sayan ridge in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, received a special status quite recently, in 2005. But tourists have known about the local beauty for a long time and come here from all over the world - for the calm lakes, noisy waterfalls and breathtaking views of the mountains and from them.
You can fully experience the charm of Ergakov only on a multi-day tour, and better yet, in a tent camp.
How to get there
First you need to get to Krasnoyarsk. Several planes a day fly to the regional center from Moscow; the journey takes about 5 hours; now a ticket for June can be bought for 8 thousand rubles. By rail it is better to get straight to Abakan (this is the capital of Khakassia), the journey is not short - three days, and a ticket in a compartment carriage costs the same as an airline ticket. You can get to Ergaki from Krasnoyarsk or Abakan by car along the M-54 “Yenisei” highway leading to Tuva. You can also go to the park by bus from the bus station at Vzletka (Krasnoyarsk): the journey will take 12 hours. If you have purchased a ticket (this can be done at all city agencies or on the Internet in advance), then the tour already includes a transfer.
Search for air tickets to Krasnoyarsk (the nearest airport to Ergaki)
Weather in Ergaki
You can relax in Ergaki all year round. But it should be remembered that the weather in the mountains is very changeable and there is a lot of precipitation. In winter there is constant snowfall, although this is to the advantage, or rather to the detriment, of skiers. You can ski on the slopes of Ergakov from the end of September to mid-May. Temperatures can drop to −40 °C, so you can’t do without thermal underwear in winter. Summer in Ergaki is cool, with temperature changes; it can rain at any time and last for a week. Experienced tourists say that this often happens at the end of June - in July, but in August it is much drier and sunnier, so for those who like to climb mountains, the best time is the first half of August. Although in June-July the park is full of tourists, this is the time of flowers that strew the slopes, and the aroma is indescribable.
Pearl Sayan
You can fully experience the charm of Ergakov only on a multi-day tour and in a tent camp, of course, in the summer, anyone who has already been here will tell you this. Comfortable bases are located near the highway and to any interesting point you will have to travel 8-15 kilometers every day. And from the tent city - there are dozens of them - you, together with a group and experienced instructors, will make radial exits, as they say, lightly.
A 9-day trip to Ergaki costs on average 8-10 thousand rubles. This is an “economy” option - with your own tent, rug and sleeping bag. A comfortable holiday, including accommodation in 1-4-person tents installed on wooden decks, will cost more than 3 thousand. All tours include transfers, excursions and three meals a day.
The journey through Ergaki begins with dropping into the camp - you will have to walk along the taiga trail for 8 km. But even an unprepared tourist can do this, since no one is in a hurry, and for an additional fee, instructors will carry your things. Then everything depends on the program you choose. Almost all tent cities hold morning exercises, competitions, in the evenings - a bathhouse, and then, if not an entertainment program, then at least gatherings around the fire with a guitar. Some camps offer yoga and fitness tours, self-development training, a mountain tourism school, bike tours, photo tours, and rafting on the Oya River. But the main thing in all of them is hiking to local attractions. You will visit Molodezhny Peak, Teachers Pass, see the famous Sleeping Sayan, Parabola, Marble Waterfall.
Sleeping Sayan
The main attraction of the park is a chain of rocks that closely resembles a person sleeping on his back. What is surprising is that the face, long hair, arms and legs folded on the chest are visible from absolutely all sides. This unique creation of nature is called the Sleeping Sayan. Naturally, there are many legends about him. According to Russians, this is the hero Svyatogor, who protects these places.
Parabola
A parabola consists of two connected vertices of different sizes and heights; the contour of these vertices has regular parabolic shapes. It is also called Brothers because it looks like two brothers are holding hands.
In Ergaki it is customary to greet all tourists passing by. So don’t be surprised by the frequent “hello”, “hello”, “good afternoon” and be sure to answer them in kind.
hanging stone
The sleeping Sayan will wake up when the Hanging Stone falls into the Rainbow Lake and splashes the giant, says the legend. What will happen next is unknown. The Hanging Stone rock is also a landmark of Ergakov. The illusion is created that it is about to fall, but many times groups of tourists of 30-40 people tried to push the stone, all to no avail!
Peak Zvezdny
The highest peak is Ergakov, its height is 2265 meters. Zvezdny Peak looks like a sea liner. Another famous peak is Bird, you don’t even have to look closely to see the eagle spreading its wings.
Lakes
There are a lot of beautiful lakes in Ergaki, usually of glacial origin. The most famous are Svetloye, Raduzhnoe, Karovoe, Mountain Spirits, and Marble. Lake Svetloe is also called Bolshoy; it is surrounded by a dense spruce-cedar forest. The surface of the lake, like a mirror, reflects the peaks Zvezdny and Bird. Bear Lake is calm and quiet, and Mramornye has clear glacial water. Nearby there is a waterfall with several cascades. Lake of Mountain Spirits is emerald in color, in the form of a triangle with rounded edges.
What to take with you
Even if you bought a comfortable tour, take a sleeping bag with you: it’s more hygienic, and it’s more comfortable to sleep on and in the sleeping bag. Warm clothes - windproof and waterproof, shoes - preferably trekking ones with non-slip soles, raincoat. In June there are a lot of mosquitoes and midges in the park, so repellents are required. The list of “necessities” is on the website of every company organizing trips to Ergaki.
The period of holidays, tourist activity, heat and blooming greenery - It's time to talk about the bright heritage of the Russian land - about one of the most popular, beautiful national parks - Ergaki.
About Ergaki Park
In the collection of natural values of Russia, it undoubtedly ranks first. Every season and every time of the year is displayed in Ergaki in its own beautiful way, and today’s summer is no exception: a sea of flowers, waterfalls, taiga and... bears, mosquitoes. If possible, be sure to visit this wonderful place.
In 2005, due to excessive intrusiveness of tourists and in order to preserve nature, the Ergaki mountain range, located in the central part of the Western Sayan (southern Krasnoyarsk Territory), officially acquired the status of a national park.
The area of the park is 342,873 hectares, the special protection zone is 54,200 hectares (15.8%).
There is a protected area where “cruel conquerors of the virgin taiga” are prohibited from entering, and there is a tourist space where movement is allowed for everyone. The territory allowed for visiting is completely teeming with routes and paths that tourists have laid through passes and rocks.
Commentary to the photo: Hanging Stone rock
In addition to simple and easy paths, there are also difficult routes for rock climbers; mountaineering championships were held in Ergaki twice. Despite the fact that the height of the most impressive mountain is slightly less than 2.5 thousand meters (Zvezdny Peak is 2281 meters above sea level), the routes are full of cliffs and other challenges that the most avid climbers cannot live without.
Ergaki is an array of multidirectional manes and forts, many of which have names corresponding to their character and position.
« Individual mountain peaks have bizarre shapes and their own names: Zvezdny (the highest peak of Ergaki), Dragon's Tooth, Bird, Parabola, Molodezhny, Zerkalny, etc. The uniqueness of Ergaki is given by the many lakes, usually tarns, of glacial origin” (Wikipedia).
Every year the park is visited by tens of thousands of tourists, to be more precise - about a hundred thousand tourists, and these are only registered ones. On weekends, near the most popular mountains there is an influx of people wanting to wander among the rocks shrouded in fog and taiga.
“On weekends, Nizhnyaya Buiba looks like a hypermarket parking lot: hundreds of cars stand in dense rows waiting for their owners.
People are not visible - they wander somewhere in a thick white fog that covers the surrounding mountains like cotton wool.
By the evening, when the fog clears, the landscape will become completely fantastic: the mountains here are entirely sharp rocky peaks of some unimaginable shapes, crashing not only into the low gray sky, but also into human consciousness” (National Geographic).
There are recreation centers in Ergaki (about 20 bases that can accommodate up to 500 people), operating year-round, winter is also a favorable time for tourism business. Excursions, rafting, hikes, picnics, events organized collectively will reveal the nature of the taiga from a new side. And they travel alone, but this is within the power of experienced or brave tourists.
In areas far from the epicenter of events and in protected areas, there are predatory animals, people often meet bears, fortunately, if everything ends well, but there are also tragic cases. In addition to bears and ticks, desperate, unprepared climbers can be in wait for obstinate mountains: most tourists die from accidents due to careless climbs to foggy heights.
“From the Khudozhnikov Pass, one of the most famous among the Ergak ones, you can see an impressive view of the main peaks of the massif: the Bird, Zvezdny, and Dragon’s Tooth peaks - and the fabulously beautiful valley of the Left Taigish River. Of course, if the mountains are not hidden by clouds.
But even in the clouds, going down the trail from the Khudozhnikov Pass to the lake, it’s hard not to notice the ruins of a hut built under the ledge of a small rock. Nearby, on a stone, the name of the site is painted - “Dream” and the date of construction of the shelter - 1960. Only a few people came here then. Now Ergaki is visited by about 85 thousand tourists a year, and these are only registered groups” (National Geographic).
Lakes, rocks, waterfalls Ergakov
We talked about the most important mountain peaks.
The lakes are called the hallmark of the park; they create a special atmosphere, but you must admit that the lakes would look dull without all the other delights.
« The most famous lakes are:
Buibinsky lakes (Rainbow, Karovoe, Svetloye), Marble (Jerboa), Zolotarnoye, Mountain Spirits. The largest lakes are Bolshoye Buibinskoye, Bolshoye Bezrybnoye and Svetloye.” There are many admiring stories from tourists about visiting Zolotarny, Svetloye, and Rainbow lakes.
Ergaki is a separate world, incredibly beautiful, capricious, poets, musicians came here in search of muse and inspiration, tourists who once visited the park strive to return here again.
From the experience of “experienced”:
“Lake Svetloye welcomes travelers who climbed along the Jerboa stream. The reward for the climb is an impressive view of the rocky peaks of Bird and Star. From the highway to Lake Svetly there are 8 kilometers, which take three to four hours. The trail goes through the taiga area along the Jerboa stream...
...The recreational and tourist zone of the park is 160 thousand hectares, on which more than sixty peaks, mountain ranges and passes stretch. There are many waterfalls here, and some of them cascade from a height of 200 meters or more.
Views of cliffs cutting through the clouds give way to cedar forests or alpine meadows and swamps, white glaciers are adjacent to fiery heat, and turquoise lakes are adjacent to clear streams. You can’t buy water like the one in Ergaki in any city in the world: it’s ice-cold, pure and tastes sweet.”
Natural Park "ERGAKI". Studio RusEcoFilm, 2010 (if you don’t pay attention to the “boring” presentation of information - the pictures and views are very beautiful)
Fauna, flora Ergakov
The Russian land is rich in coniferous forests, and Ergaki especially; dense boreal vegetation covers a huge part of the park.
In forests and fields you can find many plants from the Red Book: Siberian pine, frosty rhodiola, false Cossack juniper, Siberian kandyk, mountain fireweed, maral root, Adams rhododendron, dark purple violet, frying, etc. There are 48 species in total.
In Ergaki you can find 19 species of insects listed in the Red Book, 41 species of rare birds, including: black stork, gray bullfinch, gray duck, gray goose, spotted thrush, gray crane, spotted blackbird, whooper swan, etc.
The list of rare mammals of the Ergaki Natural Park includes 10 species: lynx, Siberian wild boar, deer, elk, northern forest deer, otter, etc.
Destruction of animals and plants listed in the Red Book on the territory of the park entails criminal and administrative penalties. However, despite the warnings, it is still possible to periodically catch treacherous tourists with guns in the park. All security measures are unable to control the poaching situation.
Among the coniferous thickets, flower-strewn slopes between the lakes, you can casually meet martens, foxes, jerboas, otters... and sometimes wolves and bears.
Bears are becoming an increasing problem for tourists, and it is the people themselves who are to blame, according to experts: They leave a lot of garbage in the park, which attracts hungry predators to search for food in a previously forbidden area.
“According to park staff estimates, there are more and more bears in Ergaki. And what attracts them here is not the feeling of security in a protected natural area, but the abundance of easily accessible food.
The park management is well aware that tourists are primarily to blame for the clubfoot invasion. At the same time, shooting bears in the most visited places is not a panacea. Firstly, this contradicts the main idea of the park, and secondly, it is not a fact that even more aggressive individuals will not appear in the place of the killed animals” (National Geographic)
“The wild animal here has long been fed by careless tourists: it learned to deftly pierce condensed milk with its claw, tasted stewed meat, and fell in love with factory-made sweets. But the main thing is that he stopped being afraid of people, which annually adds more work to the rescuers of the natural park.«.
When going on an independent hike, still follow some basic safety rules:
put up a tent in the middle of the camp, so that there are neighbors and help nearby if something happens; if you meet a bear, you can’t look him in the eye, be calm; when a bear approaches, you can scream and wave your arms, this tells the clubfoot that you are not intimidated; if there are still people nearby, it’s better to stand together to scare away the bear that will accept the group people for the big beast. Ask the Ministry of Emergency Situations specialists to provide instructions on how to properly respond in emergency situations.
There are poisonous snakes in the park: the common viper, the common copperhead.
« The mammal fauna consists of 49 species of animals from six orders: insectivores (9 species), chiropterans (4 species), lagomorphs (3 species), rodents (15 species), carnivores (11 species) and artiodactyls (6 species). Of these, 4 species are included in the Red Book of the Krasnoyarsk Territory - northern forest deer and 3 species of nocturnal bats: mustachioed, water and Ikonnikova (representatives of the order Chiroptera).
The Appendix to the Red Book of the Krasnoyarsk Territory includes 6 species of mammals living in the park: river otter, common lynx, Siberian wild boar, musk deer, deer, elk” (ergaki-park.ru).
The symbol of Ergaki Park is a logo depicting a musk deer against a background of mountain peaks. This is the smallest and only hornless representative of the ungulate fauna of Russia, a timid, cautious animal, destroyed by poachers, as it possesses a valuable substance - “musk”. Now the musk deer population in Ergaki is recovering thanks to the efforts of conservationists.
Among other things, Ergaki was a sacred territory, especially for Tuvan shamans, and today many who visit these places feel the secret power around them. But still, people of Christian and other faiths, atheists, can also breathe well here.
How to get to Ergaki? And is it possible to visit the park alone?
To help tourists. You can view routes, learn about recreation centers, and download an interactive map on the websites: ergaki.krasu.ru, www.ergaki-park.ru, ergakitur.ru(on the last resource you can contact the organizers of the tent camps and discuss many points).
How to get there:“The cities closest to Ergaki are Kyzyl, Abakan, Minusinsk and Krasnoyarsk. But the most convenient way to get there is from Abakan. By car from the capital of Khakassia - 2-2.5 hours drive along the Abakan-Kyzyl highway (M54, also known as the Usinsky tract).
You can leave your car in the parking lot for a fixed fee. You can take the Abakan-Kyzyl regular bus along the same road, the disembarkation point is Tormozakovsky Bridge, the Tushkanchik River or the Podjemny Stream, depending on your route” (siburbia.ru).
Accordingly, those who live outside Siberia first need to get to Krasnoyarsk (if air travel), or to Abakan (if railway transport).
It is forbidden to cut down forest for fires in the park, so if you decide to stay not in recreation centers (and, given that they can accommodate only 500 people, with an influx of thousands of tourists), but in a tent camp - In addition to groceries, do not forget to take a portable gas stove.
If you intend to relax in winter (and in winter the park is full of entertainment), then remember that this is Siberia, and the temperature can easily drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius or lower. “Arm yourself” with the appropriate equipment and clothing to stay warm.
At the entrance there is a post of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where tourists are registered, and if something happens, they can ask for help.
Holidays at a camp site can cost a pretty penny , for example, prices for 2013 read: from 30 to 70 thousand rubles per week, the amenities are quite ordinary. You can buy a ticket for 7-8 thousand for the weekend.
Accommodation in a tent camp will, of course, be cheaper: 11-13 thousand per week (prices for 2013), they will give you a tent, there are primitive amenities, the main thing is to be lucky with the company.
On thematic forums you can find like-minded people, and if you are ready to carry a 10-15 kg backpack, it is more profitable to team up with a group of tourists and create your own camp, it will cost 10 thousand for two weeks.
It is, of course, theoretically possible to pitch a tent in the middle of the remote taiga, climbing into the very wilds of the park. But firstly, it is dangerous (bears, cold, other threats), and secondly, Ergaki is not only a beautiful place, but also an unknown one, rich in routes, paths, among which an inexperienced layman can get lost once or twice.
About the park from the words of those who return here again and again: “It is not surprising that for us, who come from a boring urban environment, majestic mountains and quiet forests become an alternative to the monastery, a successful escape from civilization, only tasted Siberian exoticism.
And what is more in our campaigns: consumerism or love for Ergak - that’s the question. I’d like to believe it’s the second.”
Video of a tourist who visited Ergaki:
Ergaki can be called the natural “pearl” of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. This amazingly beautiful place is located in the south of the region and is a mountain range with many bizarre peaks, lakes, waterfalls.. I have already visited many natural attractions of Siberia, but this was my first time here. Still, going to Ergaki is far from the same as running to Stolby on the weekend. Due to the considerable distances and difficult terrain, a walk through the natural park usually involves several days of walking through mountain passes with a heavy backpack. But finally, in the second half of August, two comrades and I finally got to this interesting place.
1. Travel from Krasnoyarsk by car almost the whole day - 600 kilometers south along the M-54 highway. 
2. The ridge is clearly visible from the highway if you stop in front of the so-called “shelf” (avalanche gallery on the Buibinsky Pass). 
3. A few kilometers from the pass, a hiking trail to Lake Svetloe begins. This lake is a traditional stopping place for many travelers. The walk from the highway to it takes 2-3 hours, depending on the weather and the load on your back. We arrived at dusk and immediately set up camp. 
4. From Svetly there is a picturesque view of the Ptitsa (left) and Zvezdny (right) peaks. 
5. Peak Zvezdny - the highest point of Ergakov (2265 meters). 
6. In the morning the weather deteriorated - it drizzled periodically, but there was nowhere to go. To have time to see something, you had to go out. Initially, the plan was to set up a camp on Svetly and travel lightly for two days. On the spot, it became clear that it would be very difficult to survive two days in this mode, because in order to get somewhere from Svetly you must climb through one of the passes, go down, climb to some peak, and then repeat all this in reverse order . Therefore, we decided to take our backpacks and make a circle, seeing the main attractions of the park in two days. 
7. At the end of August in the taiga you won’t die of hunger - there are mushrooms, blueberries, lingonberries, and pine cones all around. We periodically refreshed ourselves along the way with blueberries. 
8. Climbing to the Bird Pass (2097). 
9. In general, the climb from Svetly, which is about 600 meters, is quite gentle on this side and is quite calm, especially when you come out of the forest where the path passes through mud and stones. 
10. At first it seems that the clouds are running somewhere far away. But the higher you go, the closer they become and sometimes they pass very close. 
11. Pass. 
12. Basically, this is where we managed to take the best shots. 
13. View of Svetloye. Somewhere there is the Aradan Range and behind it is Tyva. 
14. Marble Lake. 
15.
16. Peak Molodezhny and Zerkalny, Kursantov Pass. 
17. It is interesting that around the ridge all the mountains are more rounded and covered with forest. Ergaki stands out very much against this background. 
18. In some places the path through the pass passes literally half a meter from the cliff. 
19.
20. Bird. The best view of the bird's head is from its shoulder. Theoretically, you can climb to the “head” without equipment, but after the rain it was quite risky, so we decided that it would also be nice to shoot from the shoulder. 
21. View of Parabola and Lake of Mountain Spirits. 
22. Dragon's Tooth. 
23. But the descent into the valley turned out to be more difficult than the ascent, although perhaps fatigue was already taking its toll. 
24. As soon as we got down, it started pouring rain. We went to the camp, which was located not far from the lake, hoping to wait out the downpour under an awning. But after some time, water began to flow down from the mountains in streams, the stone “mirrors” turned into real rivers. The tents ended up in the water, and the barely smoldering fire, fenced with stones, turned out to be an island among the stormy streams. It became clear that there was simply nowhere to put a tent and we decided to look for shelter under the huge boulders at the foot of Zvezdny. 
25. After some time, several seemingly dry places were still filled with water, but finally, almost after dark, we found a good shelter. There was enough space here to throw three carimats and no water would flow in here. 
26. Of course, there was no talk of any fire. The gas burner came to the rescue. To warm up, they also came up with a “gas candle” - they put bread in a can of stewed meat, sprayed gas from a cylinder and covered it with a piece of bread with a hole on top. This design burns for several minutes. Overall we had a fun evening. We raked up the stones a bit and got exactly three almost horizontal places for sleeping bags. We covered the top with a tent awning, thanks to which it was generally not even cold to sleep. 
27. We hoped, of course, that the weather would improve, but this did not happen. In the morning it rained almost continuously, although not too heavily.
Vanya and Lesha kapolov
a little depressed, but not desperate. Things hardly dried out in such humidity; it was a good idea to take a dry set with you. So we changed into dry clothes and hit the road. 
28. Everything around was foggy. During the whole day I couldn’t take a single shot without him. But this, too, of course, has its own kind of beauty.
Lake of Mountain Spirits. 
29. Waterfall near the Lake of Artists. Initially, on the second day we wanted to go down here to the lake and put up a tent below. It’s good that we didn’t decide on this forced march, because descending on slippery stones in the dark could lead to very sad consequences. 
30. Everything is in the fog. 
31. Lake of Artists is one of the most famous places in Ergaki. 
32. In theory, there is a gorgeous view of Parabola from here, but we never saw it in full. 
33. That day we practically didn’t photograph anything - carrying a camera around your neck in the rain is quite risky, and stopping and taking off your backpack was difficult. 
34. I didn’t really want to spend another night, only this time not under dry stones, but in a wet tent in the taiga in the rain, so we just walked all day from morning to evening, periodically making short stops for a snack. 
35. Ahead lay a difficult road through a huge kurumnik, the Khudozhnikov Pass, which in the rain turned out to be quite dangerous in places, and a long, long descent to the Ministry of Emergency Situations base through lakes Karovoe and Raduzhnoe. 
36. The final shot is Lake Rajuzhnoe, in theory, from here on the top of the mountain you can see the famous Hanging Stone. And again, almost at dusk, we reached the road, wet, dirty and tired, but happy :) 
In a good way, you need to go to Ergaki not for three days, but for at least a week and better in July, when there is almost no snow and it doesn’t rain so often. But as practice has shown, in express mode you can get a lot done in three days, although you will have to work pretty hard. So I think I’ll come back here more than once!
See you later, Ergaki!
Forward! To the west! On Ergaki, from the smog of fires and crowds of resting bodies, to rocky peaks, crystal streams and the blue of the sky!
With such thoughts we rushed with Baikal, to the blessed land of rocks and taiga.
But at that moment we knew almost nothing about the area except that these are the Sayan Mountains, these are rocks, these are frequent bear attacks, and that this is an excellent option to save August.
Along the way, without stopping, we passed through Krasnoyarsk, almost on the go, consulting and sketching out a route with a guide and a wonderful, responsive person Reliable Nekrasova .
On the descent into the Minusinsk Basin, the rain catches up with us and accompanies us the entire remaining, not long, road to Ergak.
Descent into the Minusinsk Basin
The first look from the road at the peaks lost in the rainy gloom...
View of Ergaki Natural Park from the M-54 Abakan-Kyzyl highway And we're in Visit center, a logical and very convenient place to start your journey through the Ergaki Natural Park.
Free registration, consultation and forward to the world drowning in clouds and water.
On the day of arrival, it’s well past noon, we decide to get out of the forest zone as quickly as possible, because our style is to spend the night at the top.
Where there are no midges, where there are beautiful views, and the sun rises in the right vestibule of your tent, and sets below the horizon in the left.
And it doesn’t matter that it’s pouring like buckets around us, and clouds are flying through us, because in the morning everything can be different.
We climb along the gentle spur of the ridge, clouds begin from a height of 1500 meters.
Ergaki Natural Park We stop for the night on a more or less level place at an altitude of 1700 meters.
Overnight on the slope of the ridge In 3 hours we walked 7.7 km.
The morning begins bleakly, clouds are still flying through our tent, but while I am preparing breakfast, in no hurry to get out of my sleeping bag, it begins to clear up.
Better weather This magic of unseeing always delights me. A piece of rock appears from the clouds flying past, and immediately hides. Here the distant slope is outlined in a broken silhouette, only to drown at the same moment in milk. Here and there rocks, valleys, ridges and kurums begin to appear, and not even half an hour passes before a mountainous country opens up before us, sleek and covered with taiga.
View of our yesterday's path But where are the famous rocky peaks of the Ergaki Natural Park?
Hurry to the ridge, who knows how long the weather window will last.
Gentle slopes of the side ridges of the Ergaki Natural Park We climb the ridge and begin to move along the watershed to the east, towards the Sleeping Sayan.
Rock Whale and Sleeping Sayan We admire and photograph one of the wonders of stone architecture, the Whale Rock.
First look at the sharp peaks of Ergaki Natural Park The weather is getting better every hour.
We meet a lonely photographer under one of the peaks Sergei Shmidt, more than 2 weeks traveling around the park. His eyes are inflamed from the smoke of the fires, he has a homemade staff in his hand, and behind his back is a backpack full of photographic equipment. It all looks impressive, I can’t resist taking a portrait.
Photographer Sergey Shmidt We have lunch in the area of a beautiful rocky outcrop, a stone nose.
Stone nose And we descend through the Krasnoyarsk Pass to the epicenter of the tourist movement. There is a hanging stone on the right, we don’t go there, it’s not at all interesting to look at what can be seen in a million photographs of excellent quality.
Circus formed by the Sleeping Sayan massif We descend along the 1A Sleeping Sayan pass and ascend to the 1A Taigish 2 pass.
Climbing to the Taygish 2 pass The pass is rarely used, which is what we need. Great place to park.
Parking at the Taigish pass 2 Flat area, magnificent view of Zvezdny Peak and Parabola.
View of Zvezdny and Parabola peaks from the Taigish pass2 We set up camp, eat, and film the sunset.
View at sunset from the Taigish pass2 
View at sunset from the Taigish pass2 On the second day we walk 12 km.
I get up early, before dawn.
I admire the jagged panorama of the mountains and greet the sun.
A new day fills the sea of taiga with light, spread out under your feet, there are sharp peaks around you, you can breathe easily and freely, and it blows your mind!
We pass through a picturesque mountain lake, Lazurnoye, a popular stopping place.
If I’m not mistaken, it was here that one of the tragic incidents of a bear attack on tourists happened in 2015.
There were several attacks in total in 2015, mostly at night and, as I understand it, people were not the main target.
The careless attitude of vacationers towards the storage and disposal of food has taught bears to perceive campsites and people as a source of food, and in search of food, animals come to camps, climb into tents, injuring people along the way.
And without going down to the lake of the same name, we climb to the pass of the Norilsk Tourists Club.
From the pass there is a wonderful view of the double lake Eight, which lies below,
and to all the surrounding peaks.
We admire it a bit, relax, and go down to the lake,
The lintel, which seemed small from above and not deep, turns out to be quite wide, with slippery, but damn beautiful yellow slabs.
It’s getting close to evening, but we decide to try to cross another pass 1B Mezhozerny, and spend the night near Lake Severnoe, at the highest local waterfall, with the logical name Bogatyr. But our strength is not the same, and the pass turns out to be long and steep, so we wisely turn around and set up a tent in a magnificent place on the edge of a sloping stone forehead, with a wonderful view of the surrounding peaks.
But there is no time to photograph the newly created camp,
the sun is rapidly running behind the pass of the Norilsk Tourist Club, so leaving Tanya in charge, I run away in its wake, climb the pass and spend about two hours alone with the mountains and the sun.
And photographs speak better than any words...
The last peak is burning down, the world is plunging into night, and it’s time for me to go down.
Here is our camp, overlooking the sleeping rocks.
While I was walking, up in the valley it became crowded, and a group camped next to us for the night. Let’s introduce ourselves, the leader, two females and a child, nice people. Tomorrow I propose to join us on a radial trip to the Bogatyr and Gratsia waterfalls, which is what we agree on.
We covered 12 kilometers in a day.
Day 4 of our easy hike along Ergaki becomes the day of a radial trek.
The morning sun pleases with good weather and beautiful light falling from around the bend of the gorge onto the rocks.
We climb the pass 1B Mezhozerny.
The ascent from our camp: a steep path, along the edges overgrown with lush and slippery vegetation.
The descent is more difficult and longer than the ascent, with small stone ledges, loose rocks and smooth inclined slabs. Can be dangerous in wet weather.
We are glad that we decided not to walk along it last night tired and with large backpacks.
We go down to Lake Severnoye, from which a stream flows, cascading down, this is the highest waterfall in the area - Bogatyr, and then to the very base of the waterfall.
And we find ourselves in impenetrable blueberry thickets.
The large berry, the size of the phalanx of the little finger, catches the eye with a death grip and does not allow one to go further.
At least 30 minutes, we barely overcome the 200-meter clearing.
At the entrance to the neighboring circus, the Grazia Waterfall flows; sparkling streams of water fall into a hard-to-reach well on the side.
Having climbed down to the waterfall, we climb up large boulders to Lake Glubokoe.
The sun is burning mercilessly, so we find no reason not to take a swim in this refreshing font.
We cross the N/A pass into the valley of Lake Severnoye and, without going down, we go to the camp.
We spend the evening in pleasant conversation, drinking herbal tea.
It's nice to talk to people sometimes.
15 km covered in a day.
Day 5, begins with how the day before yesterday ended, I got up earlier, a couple of hours before sunrise I climb the NKT pass, someone will think, why? after all, I was there at sunset, but I would reasonably argue that sunset and sunrise are two completely different entities, and it’s stupid to sit below, surrounded by mountains, when you can go up and shoot something interesting.
While I’m waiting for dawn, I watch the highway along which rare cars are driving, it was from that place that we photographed the “peaks lost in the rainy gloom” (see photo 2)
The sun rises everyday
and I'm hurrying down
We have a long way to go to Dragon's Tooth Peak.
We get ready, say goodbye to our neighbors and down into the forest zone, we get lost a little, having lost the path, in a place where the rocks are adjacent to the first low spruce trees, but after walking a little along the azimuth we come to a good trampled trail and climb along it to the wonderful Taigishonok waterfall.
Again, there is no reason not to take a swim, and at the same time take a photo for one of the months of the outdoor calendar created by Tanya.
Waterfall in Ergaki 
We splashed around in the icy water for about an hour, sunbathed on dry smooth stones, and took pictures. Of course, in the costumes of Adam and Eve.
After swimming, we go down to the Left Taigish River, to a place called Strelka. The place is popular, and very dirty, which is why we prefer to camp outside popular places, since we have everything to not leave any traces behind.
A couple of kilometers upstream of the Left Taigish and, taking the slope head-on, we go out in azimuth to Lake Teploe.
The place is stunningly beautiful and cozy. Surrounded by cedars and mountains.
View of Dragon's Tooth Mountain We have lunch and start climbing the Dragon’s Tooth along the trail.
The trail immediately climbs steeply and jumps over rocks and screes until it reaches the ridge. The hard climb ends in tundra dotted with rocky outcrops, with beautiful rock outcrops along the mountain ridge and stunning views.
We decide not to climb all the way up, but to camp 200-300 meters below the top; we find it difficult to find a level place.
First of all, I provide the camp with water, for this I have to go down 200 meters lower, and without stopping, just leaving the water, I go up, trying to reach the top in time for sunset.
Tanya is freeloading and remains in the camp.
The peak visible from the camp, as one would expect, turns out to be not a peak at all.
I make my way through the stone labyrinths for quite a long time until I reach the top, looking up at a platform that ends with a cornice into the abyss.
I spend about half an hour at the top, admiring the surrounding peaks.
At sunset I set off on my way back.
I slowly walk down, photographing beautiful flowers huddled in thoughtless places, in the crevices of rocks above steep cliffs.
The sunset this evening is beautiful and gentle, at such moments you want to sit on a warm stone heated during the day and think about something big and good, about the laws of existence, love, the meaning of life, or not think at all, but just smile, reflecting the mountains in your eyes .
In the dark I go down to the tent, where tea, hot food and my beloved woman are waiting for me.
The day was definitely a success.
Walked 10 kilometers in a day.
I open the tent flap, and lo and behold!
It is precisely for such moments that we carry backpacks upstairs, carry water with us, and sleep on inclined surfaces.
In order to be guaranteed to admire the most beautiful moments of the day.
We descend from the Dragon Peak mountain not along the ascent path, but along a kulurau leading to the foot of the peak to the area of Lake Tsvetnoye.
The descent is easier and more convenient than the ascent yesterday, and is more frequently used. But when moving in a group, it is possible to lower the stone.
We go around Mount Antey along the border of the forest, jumping over huge kurums.
And we go out to the “densely populated” Lake of Artists.
With a classic view of the Parabola Mountains and Zvezdny Peak.
Not feeling any particular desire to be among the idle camps for a long time, we leave through the beautiful Kamenny Gorod tract to the 1A Kursantov pass (west).
From the pass to the South, a completely unusual picture opens up, gently sloping peaks overgrown with forest, and no rocky landforms. This is where the amazing country of Ergak ends.
We descend into the valley of the Jerboa River, planning to spend the night at the Mramorny waterfall,
but the sight of crowds of vacationers wandering towards us and the abundance of camps around the lake and waterfall force us to reconsider our plans, push ourselves and walk a few more kilometers to the Jerboa Pass, at the top of which, near a rock with a memorial sign, we stop for the night.
We spend our last evening in hospitable Ergaki leisurely and with pleasure, basking in the setting sun and eating leftover food.
The last sunset of the trip to Ergaki
Traveled per day: about 10 km.
In fact, this is where the hike through the Ergaki Natural Park ends.
On day 7, we slowly walk along a good marked trail to the visitor center for 7 km, say goodbye to the beautiful mountainous country, and leave for the wonderful city of Krasnoyarsk.
