The terrain of Kabardino-Balkaria is amazing. Ranges of the Greater Caucasus pass through the territory of the republic. On the northwest side is the beautiful Shadhurei Lake. And to be more precise, there are two of these reservoirs. The first is most often called Upper or, given its size, Big. The second is a little lower, and that is why it is called Lower or Small, since its area is less by 0.2 square meters. km It should be said that earlier one more of these lakes was included, but due to unexplained reasons, it completely became shallow at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, only the basin has remained in its place.
Shadhurei Lakes are a popular tourist attraction. Currently, a large number of tourists come here to enjoy the unearthly landscapes. It is also worth noting that this area was used to shoot the popular film "Sannikov Land." You can recognize the Lower Lake in the scene of a deer sacrifice, and near the Upper Lake in the film, the shaman conducts his rituals.
Description
There are several variants of the name of these lakes: Shanthurei, Chan Hurey and others. The reason for their occurrence was difficulties with transcription in translation into Russian. So, "Shadhurey" means "round pool." If we take the literal translation, then “round stagnant water”. But this is completely true, since not a single river flows into water bodies or flows out of it.
The only source of nutrition is groundwater. And when residents of local areas dug a canal for irrigation of fields, literally the next day the level in the upper body of water fell sharply, which is why it was decided to fill it up.
Shadhurei Lake is located at an altitude of more than 1000 m above sea level. Five kilometers from it is the village of Kamennomostskoye of the Zolsky district.
a brief description of
The described attractions are very deep. The basins have a depression of up to 180 m. Ponds of karst origin. The water in them is still, but crystal clear. Unfortunately, they are poorly studied, and the reason for this was powerful underwater whirlpools.
Upper Shadhurei Lake is larger in size than the Lower. By area, it covers an area of 0.54 km². It has an almost perfect oval shape. The length of the reservoir is 350 m, and its width is 120 m. The steep banks are covered with forests, which is why it is quite problematic to set out to the water. This is best done on the western side. It is there that there is a path that leads directly to the shore.
The lower lake Shadhurey is surrounded on all sides by mountain formations. Its area is 0.35 km². The slopes of the coastline are very steep. The lake is located in a deep hollow, and according to some reports its depth reaches 200 m. You can approach the water only from the southeast. However, tourists should be extremely careful, as the steep slope is covered with grass, and when it is covered with dew, the road becomes very slippery.
Flora and fauna
On the steep slopes that surround these ponds, beautiful alpine meadows spread. But from the west you can see low forest plantations. Wild animals such as a fox, a wolf, a bear, a wild boar live here and you can even meet a deer. And from the birds this area was chosen by pheasants, tits, quail and others.
Near the Big Lake you can see the traces of fishermen. After all, this is not surprising, since a lot of fish are found in the pond (grass carp, silver carp, etc.). There are several types of algae in the lakes that fill the water with oxygen, creating favorable conditions for underwater animals.
Shadhurei Lake: how to get there?
In order to get to the local attractions, you need to take the direction to the village of Kamennomostskoye. You can overcome this distance both on a personal car and on a bus. If you follow from Pyatigorsk, then you need to get to Nalchik and transfer there to any minibus that moves in the necessary direction.
For example, you can take a flight to Khabaz. This bus passes through Kamennomostskoe. And from here it is already very easy to get to the Shadhurei lakes. How to get to them, you can ask any local resident. Moreover, if necessary, they will be happy to take you to your destination. The path lies along a dirt road, which means that it is very important to take into account weather conditions, since sometimes it is very eroded and it is difficult to overcome this distance even on an SUV.
Waterfall "Tsar's Crown"
Shadhurei Lakes is not the only attraction of this region. 16 km away is a beautiful waterfall. It is called Gedmishkh. However, for tourists, it is better known as the “Royal Crown”, “Royal Falls” or “70 jets”.
Looking at him, we can immediately say that he is 100% justified by these names. The purest water breaks down from a height of about 60 m in turbulent streams; it consists of several thousand different streams that flow down from a semicircular steep cliff. On sunny days, by the way, here you can see how the surrounding picturesque nature is reflected in the water.
The waterfall originates from a small stream. It is of karst origin and is located in the upper tributary of the river. Gedmysh.
The nearest village from the attraction is Khabaz. A dirt road has been laid from it to the waterfall , however , only high-cross-country vehicles can pass on it. Therefore, those who want to climb to the cascade overcome the distance on foot, since the road in this place is most often very blurry.