The greatness of karst caves attracts many cavers. However, lovers of beauty and amazing sensations, too, only after seeing Pinezhsky caves in the photo, are eager to visit there. The reserve is a state-protected zone, and therefore its wealth and nature are still not destroyed, but beautifully ennobled. Understanding that to forbid those who wish to visit it is to provoke them to illegal entry, an excursion was organized. What is included in the tour? Why are the caves so beautiful? What else does the reserve keep in itself?
Rich Pinezhye
This region has special beauty because of the forest. About 505 species of pines, deciduous trees and spruces grow in it. In addition, here you can find about 40 species of edible mushrooms! Aphyllophore is distinguished by special beauty - they grow from the bark of a tree and hang from it. They give the feeling that a tourist who wandered here was in a fairy tale.
The flora and fauna of the Pinezhsky reserve is distinguished by its history. Researchers are especially looking at Sotka, namely, the section of deciduous trees near the reservoir, which at this time is approximately 200-300 years old. The age of the trees allows us to trace which years were especially arid and unfavorable for the vegetation of this region, and which were fruitful.
The Sotka River is also distinguished by its inhabitants: salmon, grayling, whitefish and many more common fish species found their homes here. Thus, the fauna helps preserve the unique conditions for the growth of endangered plant species. Among vascular, and 213 of them are known to be endangered species, in the reserve you can find 30% of plants that quietly exist next to each other.
Caves - pearls of the Pinezhsky region
The pride of the reserve can be considered Pinezhsky caves, going deep underground and forming among themselves a curled network of galleries and narrow passages. In total there are 467 in this region, and in the reserve itself - 91. Ten of them are 1 km long and are both independent units and interconnected, forming a network of exits and passages.
Exits are most often located on the side plots of land near the coast of Sotka, have a horizontal arrangement. Vertical happens, but rarely. The tunnels are also often located horizontally, sometimes going diagonally down. Depth ranges from 10 to 30 meters. Here, in abundance, you can find tunnels connected in labyrinths, galleries and halls, which have their names according to external signs or historical incidents.
The age of some Pinezhsky caves reaches 8 thousand years. Almost all are formed in tectonic cracks periodically filled with water. So, the formation of underground passages was facilitated by spring floods, flooding individual halls entirely, lakes inside the cave, underground streams and even several waterfalls.
Golubinsky failure
The longest, but at the same time, safe, is the Golubinsky failure - a cave located on the territory of the Golbinsky karst massif. It reaches 1620 m, throughout its entire length showing tourists its beauties in different halls in height and width in tunnels. The beauty and uniqueness of each cave is formed by sediments, which are abundant: carbonate sediments, stalagmites, crusts, stalactites, stalagmates (interconnected growths of stalactites and stalagmites).
Especially beautiful can be called ice formations: through a transparent screen you can see the fantastically distorted relief of the cave. Ice ridges and crusts hang from the arches of the halls along with stalactites, and the icefall reminds us that in its place there was a real waterfall, frozen due to cold temperature. Overhead, almost all the time there are crystals, fantastically shining under the rays of light.
Variety of the Pinezhsky system of caves
The next most frequently asked question, after where Pinezhsky caves are located, is the question which are the most beautiful. The most impressive are:
- Ice wave
- Kumichevka-Vizborovskaya.
- Palace of the Snow Queen.
- Crystal
- Constitutional.
- Winter fairy tale.
- Refrigerators (Big and Small).
- Pekhorovsky failure (Golubinskaya).
- Northerner.
- Geographical Society.
The location of large caves
These are far from all the underground labyrinths that are part of the Pinezhsky caves system. Among them are Bolshaya Pekhorovskaya, Severyanka and Leningradskaya - the largest, located in the reserve. Kulogorodskaya cave is also located in the reserve, but is located under the village of Kologor. It is horizontal and contains several lakes deep enough to impress inexperienced adventurers.
The Leningrad cave is also horizontal, but you will have to work hard to find its location. However, you can’t climb unprepared there - after about 1600 meters there will be flooded areas.
How to get there on your own?
You can visit the reserve with a guide, but there are tourists who want to make an independent trip to the Pinezhsky caves. How to get to them is of interest to many who have not been to these parts, but who dream of seeing their beauty.
On almost all maps you can find Pinega of the Arkhangelsk region (Russia). Because autotravel to Pinezhsky caves are real and feasible. There is an asphalt road to Pinega , on which both a bus and a passenger car will pass well.
There are two ways to go:
- The first - turning from Arkhangelsk, get to the village of Pinega, then Golubino, and in Krasnaya Gorka there is a guest house where you can stay.
- The second method is bypassing Arkhangelsk, via the M8 highway towards the village of Kholmogory. You don’t need to drive to the village itself, but you need to turn to the village of Ust-Pinega. It is across the river. Ferries go in summer, and in winter - ice crossing. From there, you can already reach the village of Pinega, Golubino and Krasnaya Gorka.
General tips for "beginner cavers"
The caves have high humidity, and these are not the cleanest places - you should wear clothes that no one will grieve if they accidentally tear or get dirty. In addition, the temperature in Pinezhsky caves is kept at 2 ° C all year round, which is why a scarf, a warm hat and gloves should be with you. It’s best if a second pair of warm clothes is prepared nearby at the base. After long hours of travel, you will want to wash and keep warm.
Flashlights are an important part of the equipment of cavers. They must be powerful and reliable. It will be useful to take spare batteries. The boots should be waterproof, because if they are wet in the cave, the risk of freezing faster increases, and the victim will still have to wait for the road back covered with snow.
It is best to visit the cave in winter and the first month of spring - stalactites are impressive in size, while the rest of the time the ice melts, and such splendor is no longer observed. Late spring and summer are fraught with the fact that many caves will be flooded and most of the colorful places can simply not be seen.
Pinezhsky caves. Excursion from Arkhangelsk
However, you can get there not only by road, independently traveling and studying the nature of the region. There is an excursion to Pinezhsky caves, which is organized by tourist centers. So, the tourist center of Victoria Bulatova offers a whole program:
- Tea drinking, where Pinezhsky cheesecakes - shanezhki - are included in the treat.
- Visit Golubinsky failure - caves in the reserve.
- Dinner.
- Returning through the forest through the “Holy Spring” is an amazing waterfall.
- Krasnogorsk Bogoroditsky Monastery, currently inactive.
Departure is organized at 7:00, and departure at 17:00 to Arkhangelsk. The excursion will be held by children of preschool and early school age, since for them these beautiful places will be a real fairy tale in reality. The cost of trips will vary depending on the composition of the group: you can contact the tourist center with an already formed group of 20-30 people or wait for those who want to pick up. In the latter case, you cannot count on a certain date - you should wait for a message about when the tour will be scheduled. The most expensive option is an individual trip or a mini-group trip of up to 10 people.
Beautiful motherland
The fact that Russia is a beautiful country is undeniable. Places protected by the state and having the status of a reserve can often compete with well-known resorts in Turkey, Egypt or European countries. And the comfort of the Russian hinterland is able to transfer many in time: there are no more debts, problems and work. It seems as if grandmother’s cakes would soon be finished, and she would again call home for lunch.
With such warm feelings, many leave the reserve. And the caves, physically exhausting even a specialist trained for them, impress with crystals, bizarre shapes and their history. Sometimes a homebody who has visited caves for the first time can become an avid caver who does not see the meaning of life without the kingdom of underground labyrinths, collapse halls and cramped tunnels.