In Crimea, in the Cimmerian steppe, in the Opuksky national reserve there is a tremendous beauty Pink Lake. Moreover, its color may change. Sometimes to reddish, saturated or pale pink. The color gamut depends on sunrise and sunset. This lake is also called Koyashsky.
Koyashskoe Pink Lake in Crimea: how to get there
Getting to him is easy. Many tourists ask the question: "Where is Pink Lake in the Crimea and how to get to it?" You can get to it by buses from Kerch, which follow to the villages of Maryevka and Yakovenko. You can also get on the road leading to Kerch from Feodosia. First, the road surface is asphalted - about 100 km, then almost 30 km the path continues along the old roads. On the way there are small villages. After the last 20 minutes, a magnificent view of the pink salt lake opens up. In Crimea, it is considered one of the main attractions. It is located surrounded by the slopes of Mount Opuk.
How was this lake formed?
Salt Pink Lake in Crimea was previously part of the Black Sea. Gradually, under the influence of the surf, a small separate lake appeared, fenced off from the sea by a strip of land. Its depth is less than a meter, length - about 4 km, width - 2 km. The lake is separated from the Black Sea by the Koyash embankment, 3 km long and 100 meters wide.
Description of the lake
In addition to unusual shades of water - from pink to reddish, the lake is distinguished by its smooth surface. But it can be observed mainly before dawn, since with the appearance of the sun a breeze usually begins, due to which ripples and small waves appear.
The pink lake in Crimea attracts not only with its color. Due to the huge concentration of salt in the water, you can see amazingly beautiful landscapes. When the water recedes from the coast during the hot summer months, small stones are exposed. As a result, white growths of crystals form in the open places of these stones, which makes the landscape of the lake even more picturesque. In addition, there are small salt icebergs in the water.
In April, there is still a lot of water in the lake, but with the onset of summer, the banks are exposed and a small salt desert forms near the water. By it you can reach the very water, but you need to do this very carefully, since the bottom of the lake is an extinct mud volcano. Under a thick layer of salt there can be quicksanding dirt, into which it is easy to fall through. The latter is famous for its healing properties. Therefore, you can take a mud bath. Only after that it is necessary to rinse, as the salt content in the mud is very high. You can plunge directly into the Black Sea, which is literally nearby.
The color scheme of Koyashsky lake
Pink Lake in Crimea has a unique color scheme. From delicate to rich shades. The color of water is constantly changing. It depends on the time of day. You can see the whole gamut of flowers if you arrive at the lake before dawn. As soon as the sun begins to rise from behind the mountains, the water slowly changes its color from saturated pink to orange-red. It is at dawn or sunset that you can see almost all the shades. The peak of pink color occurs in the summer months, when there is heat.
Why is the lake pink
The pink lake in Crimea was formed on the site of an extinct mud volcano, which became its bottom. And it got such a saturated color thanks to the microscopic green algae Dunaliella Salina, which are in abundance at the bottom. The peak of their development occurs during the hot summer months, when the water becomes much less, and the salinity of the lake increases to 35%. Algae produce beta-carotene, due to which water and salt crystals turn pink. The higher the air temperature, the more the color becomes more intense. Surprisingly, algae give the local salt the smell of violets. In addition, whole colonies of the brine shrimp Artemia, which lives in huge numbers in the lake, strongly influence the color of the water.
Is there life in the pink lake
Despite the excessive salt content in the water, the Pink Lake in Crimea in the spring is framed by lush greenery on the banks. Here you can find many wildflowers and even wild tulips. They grow until the summer, until they burn out under the hot sun.
At the same time - in April-May - you can see a lot of waterfowl on the lake , which are not afraid of the salinity of the water, since at this time it is not very strong. And water at this time does not have a saturated pink tint. After May, it becomes more and more salty, because in the summer the lake is a little empty. But not really. For example, it doesn’t scare different types of waders, and they can be seen on the lake even in the hot summer months. As well as shiloklyuvku.
In spring, on the shores of Pink Lake, there are nests of laughing gulls. During this period, the salt crust had not yet formed on the banks, and the birds willingly make their nests there. The fact that quite a lot of birds live on the lake is explained by the fact that huge colonies of the brine shrimp live in the water. And he is the favorite food of birds.
Most places near the lake are equated with a semi-desert. In summer, salt is carried by the wind over long distances. For this reason, the vast territory around this reservoir is completely unsuitable for cultivation. This lake is considered the most saline on the entire peninsula. The concentration of salt in the hot months reaches 0.35 kg per liter of water. For comparison: the concentration in the Black Sea is 0.018 kg per liter. In the Middle Ages, there was even a salt mining fishery on the Pink Lake.