Red lakes of Crimea. Lakes of Crimea Salt lake in Crimea on the map

There are many unique natural phenomena that are very difficult to find in other parts of the world. One of these places is the pink-colored Koyash Lake. People come from all over the world to see it, because it’s hard to imagine more beautiful and unusual landscapes. Hurry to see the rare beauty of nature in Crimea, especially since visiting the lake is cheap, and its mud and salt have a healing effect.

Koyashskoye Lake is located in Eastern Crimea on the Kerch Peninsula in the Opuksky Nature Reserve, for which it is also called Opuksky Lake. It has a small area (only 5 km2), and its depth is 1 m, but a more unusual place is difficult to find in Crimea. Everyone who has been here has a question: Why is Koyash Lake pink? The fact is that in its place once upon a time there was a mud volcano in which the algae Dunaliella Salina developed. It is because of this that water and salt acquire the pink color and violet smell that distinguishes the algae.

Looking at Lake Koyashskoe, it seems that it is part of the sea - only a thin sandy isthmus separates the reservoir. Millions of years ago this was true, but under the influence of the surf a separate lake was formed. It is salty and even resembles the Dead Sea in Israel. By the way, there is another pink lake in Crimea - Sivash, not far from Yevpatoria in the west. It is also very beautiful; people often come there for therapeutic mud treatments.

When is the best time to come to the lake?

The peculiarity of this place is that its color changes throughout the year. If you are wondering when Lake Koyash turns pink, you will be pleased to know that any vacationer can see this phenomenon, because the peak flowering period occurs in spring - summer. In July, the water acquires its brightest, almost red hue. However, it is difficult to recommend a specific period for visiting when Koyash Lake turns pink, because at different times of the year the water and surrounding nature are different:

• In April and early May, the water takes on a pink tint, and meadows bloom around Lake Koyashskoye. This is an amazing time that occurs only a few weeks a year. The grass is green all around, wildflowers and tulips are blooming. The color of the water may not be very bright, but nature is at its most beautiful at this time.

• In summer, Lake Koyashskoye looks completely different: the heat dries up the water, leaving only small areas with bright pink liquid. The grass dries up around, and in place of the lake, only salt remains, which the wind carries across the steppe. During this period, the landscapes here resemble a desert, but very strange. The ground is covered with white salt with a pinkish tint. When you walk along it, footprints form, as if in the snow. But be careful - there are sources of dirt under the salt. In addition, on Lake Koyashskoye you can find many crystals and even salt icebergs that take on bizarre shapes.

How to get to Koyashskoye Lake

The most convenient way to get to Pink Koyash Lake is from Kerch. If you come to Crimea through the ferry, be sure to visit it. Auto travelers will be able to do this without any problems - they just need to get to Maryevka (via Kamysh-Burshtun or Gornostaevka). You can also get there by bus from the Kerch bus station. We need route No. 78, which goes to Maryevka. Having reached the final point, walk 5-7 km towards Mount Opuk, next to which the lake is located. By the way, if you get off one stop earlier, in Yakovenko, you can walk along the shore of the Opuksky Nature Reserve, enjoying the unique nature of this place.

What a tourist needs to know

• Lake Koyashskoye has become the abode of many rare waterfowl; only in summer do most of them leave the salt waters. If you are interested in watching them, it is better to go to the lake in spring or early autumn.
• The salt, mud and brine of the lake are healing, so you can arrange beauty treatments on the shore of the lake.
• Visiting the lake is not free - you will need to pay for the entrance to the Opuk Nature Reserve. In 2016, the cost was 200 rubles for adults and 100 for children.
• There is a lot to see in the area of ​​Lake Koyash: in addition to the reserve, there are also the Elken-Kaya rocks and the ruins of the ancient city of Cimmerick.

Attractions

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There are few lakes in Crimea, but those that exist are so diverse that a trip through them will be remembered for a long time. You can plan a vacation format to suit every taste: fishing and barbecue near an artificial lake, swimming in a flooded quarry or a photo trip to azure mountain lakes, or perhaps a visit to healing salt lakes or reservoirs where swans nest.

This lake is located between Alushta and Sudak, near the village of Zelenogorye. From the name of the village it is clear that the area is surrounded by mountains, which are reflected in the surface of the lake. In early spring it is especially picturesque here thanks to the lush grass around. This lake is located at an altitude of 290 meters above sea level. Nearby is the complex of Arpat waterfalls, formed by a river flowing into the lake. You can swim in this lake, which locals often do, since the water here heats up faster than in the sea.

This lake is one of the first impressive sights that tourists encounter when entering Crimea through Kerch. The lake is located on the territory of the Opuk National Nature Reserve and is connected to the sea. This salt lake is filled with water of a unique pink color. In summer, however, the lake dries up, leaving whitish salt icebergs of bizarre shapes along the shores. The lake was formed in the crater of an extinct mud volcano, and the color of the water is due to the growth of algae and crustaceans. In spring, the lake is most picturesque - full-flowing, less aggressive for the environment, it attracts migratory birds and is surrounded by lush grass, which in the summer the sun and salt crystals will scorch. In summer, the lake is almost 20 times saltier than the Black Sea.

This salt lake is located between Evpatoria and Saki. It is divided into two areas, a saltier one with healing mud and a fresher one in the north; there are usually a lot of swans and ducks, which families with children come to feed. There’s even a gazebo built here, from which you can take pictures of the swans and yourself against their background. However, this fresher area carries a threat - it can flood the southern salty area, and then the unique natural formation will disappear. Previously, salt was extracted from this lake, which was sold all over the world. Now the Solprom enterprise attracts only those who like to travel to abandoned places: the equipment is rusty, the narrow-gauge railway is covered with sand, the salt pools are unkempt.

This lake is famous for its healing properties, thanks to which Evpatoria acquired the status of a balneological resort. On the banks of Moinaki there are many sanatoriums for the rehabilitation of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The water of this lake has a truly unique composition of salts and minerals, and at the bottom there are deposits of healing mud and silt. In the summer you can find groups of people covering themselves with this black-green mud, but it is worth remembering that it is better to consult a doctor before such procedures. The smell that can be alarming when you are near a lake is caused by the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the water. There are especially beautiful sunsets over the lake.

This deepest lake in Crimea even served as a base for the Black Sea Fleet. Its waters mix with the waters of the Black Sea and form very picturesque estuaries. Now this lake is even classified as a man-made bay, since when the naval base was built here in 1961, the isthmus was dug up, and the waters of the Black Sea connected with the water of the lake. It is considered the most picturesque to drive here along the Belyaus spit, then you will find yourself on an absolutely deserted thin strip of beach between the lake and the sea.

This lake is located in the village of Zaprudnoye, between Yalta and Alushta. The name Yubileiny has long been forgotten because of the beautiful color of this mountain lake, and it is located at an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level. The lake is fed by underground springs, so the water here is always clean and cool. There are forests and high mountains around, so there is almost no wind and it is not so hot in summer. Near the lake there is a tourist parking lot and places for recreation.

In Crimea there is another lake with turquoise water, but it is usually called marble or Martian. Marble - in honor of the legend of a flooded quarry, during work on which an underground source was damaged, and water filled the entire volume of limestone rock damaged during mining. Martian - for the unusualness of the landscape and the color of the water, which together create a picture of truly extraterrestrial beauty: loose white limestone shores, on which there is practically no vegetation, and bright turquoise water in a reservoir of almost regular rectangular shape. This lake is really worth seeing, but it is not recommended to swim in it - there is absolutely no infrastructure for this, and it is deep - to the bottom of 16 meters.

This artificial lake is a favorite vacation spot for fishermen. Several species of freshwater fish have been released into the lake, and there are comfortable picnic pavilions and bridges for fishing around it. Near the lake there is a unique rock called Red Stone, around which the vineyards of Massandra stretch. The landscapes and views of this lake are peaceful and relaxing. However, there is an entrance fee here, as this is the territory of a private fishing club.

This lake was made famous by political bikers from the Night Wolves group, who for several years in a row organize a motorcycle rally here in August with a concert and show program. The lake was created as a reservoir, later fish were released there, and now fishing and even organized recreation with tents are possible there. In the background by the lake is an abandoned quarry building, which adds to the atmosphere of the place.

This is the bottom of the most beautiful and fantastic places in Crimea.
Near the lake, the shores of which consist of crystallized salt with the smell of violets, the water has a color from soft pink in the spring to deep red at the peak of the summer heat, and on the mirror-like surface you can see incredible landscapes of frozen stone and salt icebergs...
It is located where, it would seem, there could be nothing beautiful at all - among the windswept, literally sprinkled with salt and scorched by the sun Cimmerian steppe.
A kind of bright pink spot that from above looks like it was stolen from the sea and repainted a different color.
In fact, this lake is something of a giant natural chemical laboratory for studying the survival of living beings and microorganisms in an aggressive environment. It’s hard to imagine, but the bottom of the lake is an extinct mud volcano, and this pink water is a direct consequence of the vigorous activity of... microscopic green algae.
Yes, and this is the saltiest lake in Crimea.

2. It’s a rare time when around the lake there is not sun-bleached steppe, but lush, although not tender, greenery.
It is mid-April, a short period when the grasses have not yet died under the hot sun, various wildflowers and wild tulips are blooming.
Lake Koyashskoye is separated from the waters of the Black Sea by a narrow strip of land and really looks like it was stolen from the sea.
It was once part of the sea, but under the influence of the surf over the past two thousand years, a separate body of water less than a meter deep appeared, stretching 3.7 km in length and almost 2 km in width.

3. Three months have passed since the date of the previous photo, the steppe has acquired a completely different look, just as the color of the water in the lake has changed. it became much more intense.
Below you can see how much.

4. A strip of land separating the lake from the sea. It is called the Koyash bay-bar, its length is about 3 km, and its maximum width is 100 meters

5. In spring, the water in the lake is still quite far from pink, and the salinity has not yet gone off scale.
In April-May there are quite a lot of waterfowl here. Later, for many of them, the water will be too aggressive

6. True, this does not apply to various waders. Avocet can be found on the lake in spring, summer, and early autumn.

7. In spring, the shores of Lake Koyashskoye are not yet covered with a salt crust, and laughing gulls make their nests here.

8. Sunset over the pink lake...

9. ... and moonrise

10. But summer comes, and the drying heat comes (some scientists equate small areas in this part of the Kerch Peninsula not even with the steppe zone, but with semi-deserts).
The water in the lake becomes significantly less, it retreats from its usual shores, leaving salt in its place. Lots of salt.
It is the wind that gradually carries it across the surrounding steppes, making them practically dead and unsuitable for life or cultivation.

11. There was water here in the spring. It is in this place that photo No. 5 was taken. Now there is a salt desert, through which we carefully wander towards the water.
Why neat?
The fact is that the bottom of the lake is an extinct mud volcano. In fact, underneath the salt there is a very thick layer of dirt. Viscous and sometimes unsteady.

12. Salt of Koyash Lake

13. The peak color of the lake occurs during the hottest months of summer.
It is during this period that there is least water, the salinity of the lake increases significantly - up to 35% (for comparison, the salinity of the Black Sea is 1.8%), which leads to a peak in the development of green algae. which gives such an incredible color to the water.
Her name is Dunaliella Salina.
It produces beta-carotene, which colors the waters of the lake, as well as its salt crystals, in a soft pink, and in some places almost red, hue. Interestingly, in addition to color, the algae also gives the local salt a characteristic smell of violets.

14. The water receding in the heat gives the shores an absolutely fantastic look.

15. There is so much salt here and it crystallizes so quickly that many stones simply turn into salt icebergs

16. If water could completely cover these boulders, they would be completely covered in salt

17. You can even see how the water receded, slowly revealing the stone

18. Iceberg

19. Some salt crystals are simply huge. I found it the size of a fist. One crystal

20. This was once a living plant.

21. Another large crystal

22. Salt landscapes of Lake Koyash

23. There is hardly any need to caption this photo, do you agree?)))

My previous photo reports and photo stories:

Crimea seems like a parallel world where you can find everything. More than 200 kilometers away from the Mediterranean climate lies a completely different world. These are salt lakes. Many guests of the peninsula who come for treatment pay attention to this region.

What are the largest lakes in Crimea?

Sasyk-Sivash

Between Saki and Yevpatoria there is the largest lake in Crimea - Sasyk-Sivash. Its area covers more than 75 square kilometers. This figure is equal to two-thirds of the area of ​​Evpatoria. But the maximum depth of the lake is only 1.2 meters. Tourists with children pay attention to this place because of this very factor. Those who cannot swim will not drown here.

Including children, who can easily swim too deep here. The wonders of healing mud attract many tourists, and almost all local residents know about it.

It is worth saying that the lake has a slightly pinkish tint due to the algae Dunaliella salina, which produces beta-carotene.

Donuzlav

Lake Donuzlav has an area one third smaller than Sasyk-Sivash, but it is the deepest lake in Crimea. And its depth reaches 27 meters- the size of a nine-story panel house from the 70s.

In Soviet times, the territory of the “blue eye” was a secret place, because a naval base was located very close by. And secrets and legends around Donuzlav have existed since Antiquity. There is a version that in his writings the current Donuzlav Herodotus called the river Hypakiris.

However, few people believe in the version about a river in place of a lake. There was no evidence that would decisively confirm Herodotus's assumption. But it doesn’t matter: science allows even the greatest to make mistakes, because putting forward a hypothesis is not superfluous. And in 1961, the wreckage of a ship of the ancient Greeks, which dated back to the 4th-3rd centuries, was discovered here. Ekami BC e.

Aigul Lake

Located near Krasnoperekopsk. Its area is 38 square kilometers, depth - 4-5 meters. But from the point of view of using the recreational potential, the reservoir is not used in any way, serving only as a decoration for the Krasnoperekopsk region and Crimea in general. Of course, the water in Lake Aigul is not the lagoons of the Caribbean Sea, but it is distinguished by its brilliance.

The landscapes of the coastal lands are also striking in their beauty: one gets the impression of a forest-steppe on the seashore, like on the Mediterranean Sea or in South Africa.

Aktash Lake

The waters of Lake Aktash are so salty that they are not used in agriculture or industry.

The saltiest lake in Crimea is Aktashskoye

It is not yet an unknown tourist destination, but its waters are drying up. The area of ​​the lake is 27 square kilometers.

Red Lake

Lake Red (also called Old Lake) is exactly like a Crimean leper colony in its landscape. Or the feeling of being on another planet. It got its laconic name, of course, because of the water. When the water dries up, the lake appears red. In normal times, it has a very beautiful turquoise color.

The reservoir itself can be divided into two parts. The northern part is famous for its industrial potential. Yuzhnaya is a vacation spot, and almost all vacationers are residents of Krasnoperekopsk.

From a distance, Red Lake appears to be a large pile of salt. The hot Crimean weather and the location of the bottom in an extinct mud volcano make the color of the lake Red.

How are salt lakes used?

Crimea is famous not only for its sea. Anyone who has not been to the salt lakes of the peninsula is missing out on a lot. The salt lakes of Crimea are a key tourist site and one of the main attractions of Western Crimea. All four of the largest Crimean lakes are located here, and for Sasyk-Sivash it is considered a small sea.

They originate from Sasyk-Sivash and are widely used in medicine. Already the ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder praised the healing potential of Tauride mud. Many lakes in Crimea are considered medicinal, but many of them are small in size.

Therapeutic mud of Lake Saki

The Perekop group of lakes is not suitable for treatment and is not so popular. It was previously mentioned that there is a very high concentration of salt in Lake Aigul, which is why no economic activity is carried out here.

Not far from it is Lake Krasnoe, which is used by a soda factory. We are talking about the northern section. The southern section of the lake is used for recreation, but the Perekop group is unattractive for tourists. It is more suitable for those who like to relax on wild beaches. It is more difficult to find housing here than in Saki and Evpatoria; there are practically no sanatoriums.

But the Evpatoria lakes and lakes are much more suitable for sanatorium holidays. Not far from the shore there are rocks that resemble a sailing fleet moored to its eternal mooring. And the real ship sank back in Antiquity, 16 kilometers from the sea.

Where is the pink lake in Crimea?

Many people are interested in the location of the pink lake in Crimea. This is the same lake called Koyashsky. This is a red-pink chameleon that changes its color from dark pink to pale and delicate shades. Such beauty is rare, so it’s not a sin to wonder where exactly you should go to admire the pink miracle of nature.

And it is located between and, but the latter is closer. If a car enthusiast decides to go from Feodosia, then along the way you will first encounter 100 kilometers of asphalt roads, then you need to drive 30 kilometers from Feodosia along old roads, where the last 20 are a view of the pink lake. The pink lake is one of the main attractions of the eastern part of Crimea. From Kerch you can take buses to Yakovenko and Maryevka.

The lake is located on the site of an extinct mud volcano, which was located almost on the shores of the Black Sea. Over time, a three-kilometer strip of sand was formed, which now separates the lake from the sea. Its inhabitants, crustaceans, also help give the lake its pink color. Beta-carotene also affects its color. Nowadays, the territory of the lake is the vicinity of the Opuksky Nature Reserve, which has become a protected area since 1998.

The water and mud of the pink lake are famous for their healing properties. The landscapes of the Cimmerian steppe are also interesting. In summer it is a steppe with scorched earth. The nature is the same as in South Africa and on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Cimmerian steppe is, of course, smaller than the Veld plateau in South Africa, but it can be as beautiful as it. In spring, the territory presents fragrant flowering meadows. It’s a pity that they cannot be called alpine - in eastern Crimea the mountains are no longer so high. But this still does not prevent us from admiring the awakening of nature in spring.

Koyash salt lake on the map and how to get there

Koyash Lake in Crimea is easy to find. Because of its uniqueness, it is difficult to confuse it with anything else. The pink lake is located on the Kerch Peninsula, namely in the Cimmerian steppe. It is separated from the Black Sea by a narrow sandy isthmus. Kerch and Feodosia are at the same distance from the pink lake, but in terms of public transport, Kerch is much closer. There are no routes from Feodosia to Lake Koyashskoye.

Koyash pink lake on the map:

It is not for nothing that the lakes of Crimea are considered one of the symbols of the peninsula. Their healing potential was noticed by our distant ancestors from Antiquity. In addition to its healing nature, these regions are famous for the beauty of their landscapes. Somewhere small tourist towns have formed, like in Saki and Evpatoria. These microdistricts have successfully merged with sanatoriums.

But still, many lakes of Crimea are masterpieces of wild nature. Once a lover of traveling to distant lands comes here at least once, he will find it very interesting. For a long time he will decide whether to go to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea or to the endless expanses of the deserted Veldt plateau in order to compare their merits with the natural beauty of one of the corners of the Russian land. Or why go beyond the seven seas when you can see the same thing in Russia?

Video about the pink Koyash lake in Crimea:

There are many attractions in Crimea. The most famous of them are: the Grand Canyon, Mount Ai-Petri and Swallow's Nest. However, there are other very interesting, but, unfortunately, little-known places on this peninsula. The Pink Lake also falls into the category of such attractions. In Crimea it is the saltiest.

Where is it located?

This interesting tourist attraction is located on the territory of Cape Opuk, approximately 30 km from Kerch. Once upon a time there was a military training ground in this place. But not so long ago the Opuk Nature Reserve was created here. The area of ​​this reserve is not too large. But at the same time, a huge number of different kinds of rare birds live on its territory. Opuk was removed from the command of the military training ground in 1998. At the moment, it includes not only this cape itself, but also part of the coastal territory, as well as outcrops standing in the sea, called “Ship Rocks” for their unusual shape.

The Pink Lake itself in Crimea is located on Opuk in close proximity to the Black Sea. This body of water is separated from it only by a not too wide sandy embankment.

A little history

Story ( bcnjhbz) near the Pink Lake in Crimea is quite interesting. It belongs to the group of volcanic ones. That is, it was formed a very, very long time ago. In fact, even today its bottom is a dormant volcano. Not so long ago, Pink Lake was part of the Black Sea. However, later the surf brought a lot of sand here. Because of this, an embankment-lintel was formed.

Short description

So, we found out where Pink Lake is in Crimea. It is located near Kerch. Its official name is Koyashskoye. This unusual body of water is quite large in size. Its total area is about 5 hectares. The lake reaches 4 km in length and 2 km in width. You will not be able to swim in this reservoir. Its depth in spring reaches only 1 meter. By autumn, the lake dries up completely. This reservoir is actually very salty. Therefore, practically no living creatures are found in it. The salt concentration in it reaches 350 grams per liter. This is definitely a lot. Koyashskoye is the saltiest body of water on the Crimean peninsula.

The mud in this lake is healing. They are mined and supplied for the treatment of vacationers to local sanatoriums. You won't be able to swim in this lake. However, you can smear yourself with mud on the shore. There is enough water to wash them off.

Why pink?

The main feature of this reservoir that attracts tourists to it is, of course, not its shallow depth or high salt content. Of course, it was not for nothing that the lake was called pink. The water in it really has this color. This body of water looks especially beautiful at sunset. In fact, the name Koyashskoe itself translates as “the lake in which the sun hides.”

In spring, the water in this reservoir has an ugly brown-brown dirty color. However, already in June, with an increase in air temperature, its shade begins to change rapidly. This is primarily due to the vital activity of algae breeding in the lake Dunaliella Salina.The beta-carotene it produces gives the water a delicate, juicy pink hue.

When is the best time to go?

In spring, the water in Lake Koyashsky is not very beautiful. But you can admire the surroundings of this reservoir in April-May. At this time, a huge number of tulips bloom along the shores of the lake. They almost cover the local hills with a carpet.

In order toappreciate beautyhimselfPink lake in Crimea, it’s worth coming here in mid-late summer. It is during this period that algae develop most actively, and the water acquires a truly beautiful shade.

Closer to autumn, the lake, as already mentioned, dries up. But even at this time it looks quite impressive. The fact is that the beta-carotene contained in its water turns salt pink.

Later, in the fall, due to rains, the lake begins to fill with water again. At this time of year, the layer in its bowl is not too large - about 2 cm. But because of it, the lake looks like a huge clear mirror. Tourists walking along the pond at this time of year feel like they are floating in the air due to the reflecting clouds.

How to get to Pink Lake in Crimea?

Get to this unusual natural siteon the peninsula you can follow the Feodosia-Kerch highway. At the sign "Marfovo-Marevka",not reaching about 20 km to the city,you need to turn towards the Black Sea. The road ahead will not be very good. You should be prepared for this. Having reached the village of Maryevka, you need to turn straight towards the coast onto a country road. It may not be possible to drive through it in a regular car, as it is heavily rutted. Some part of the journey will most likely have to be covered on foot. But get to the cape by jeepThe dough will turn out without any problems.

Opuk Nature Reserve

Where is the Pink Lake in Crimea located specifically -It's clear. But it’s still not worth going on an excursion to see him spontaneously.Illegal entry into the reserve territoryat Cape Opukprohibited. In order to get into the reserve, you needat firstobtain a pass by first submitting an application to its administration. Hereshouldindicate the purpose of the visit, the number of people wishing to see the cape and their age.You don't need to travel anywhere to apply. Do itYou can, for example, via the Internet. The reserve has its own VKontakte group.

Other Pink Lakes of Crimea

Koyashskoye actually looks very beautiful. However, in Crimea there are other salt lakes of the same pleasant color. In this case, the effect is caused by the same algae. Lakes such as Krasnoi and Staroye, for example, have a pink tint on the peninsula.

Both bodies of water are located on the territoryKrasnoperekopsk City Councilin the west of the peninsula. These lakes also look very impressive.