Elton fresh or salted. Elton is Russia's number one salt lake. What is the reason for the therapeutic effect?

Elton is the largest salt lake in Europe. It is located on the border of Russia and Kazakhstan in Volgograd region(Pallasovsky district). Occupies an area of 180 sq. km. It has the shape of an almost even circle. Despite the fact that it is quite large, its average depth is several centimeters. Really very small. 7 salty rivers flow into Lake Elton. There are 2 fresh springs.

See where Lake Elton is located on the map.

There are two theories about the origin of the name. In Kazakh “Altyn-Nur” means “golden mine”. And since the red color of the water in July shimmers with gold, this is what happens. According to the second version, the lake began to be called that in 1741, when the governor of Astrakhan Tatishchev brought an Englishman, engineer John Elton, to the lake, who explored the reservoir, described it, put it on a map and immortalized his name. But the Polovtsian khans considered these lands sacred. Kazakhs today still believe in a pagan legend that says that the lord of heaven, Tengri Khan, sometimes descends into the waters of the lake to prolong his eternal youth.

What is unique about the lake?

Its uniqueness is amazing. Firstly, the area around the lake is an excellent balneological resort, since the concentration of salt in the lake (brine) is 1.5 times higher than in the Dead Sea. But concentrated saline solution is habitable. Halobia live here - super-surviving microorganisms. Dunaliella salina algae also grows here, giving the water an unusual pinkish hue. Even satellite photographs of Lake Elton record a pinkish color along the shores.

The royal family once vacationed here. Excellent conditions for recovery. There is a legend that there was once a “Museum of Abandoned Crutches” here, since people who arrived with disabilities were cured and left behind crutches that they no longer needed.

In addition to the fact that the lake is good for health, it is incredibly beautiful. Most suitable for relaxing, swimming and admiring the beauty of the lake east side. It is especially beautiful in these places at the end of April, when the steppe is in bloom and millions of tulips with emerald green expanses are simply mesmerizing. The lake itself is surrounded by salt crystals that resemble snow flakes. Sometimes there are different forms of formation. Under the salt is the famous healing mud.

Lake Elton (Volgograd region), stretching its salty shores on the territory of the Caspian lowland, is rightfully considered a natural wonder of Russia. On the map it is just a small blue spot on the border with Kazakhstan. In fact, it is a reservoir with an area of just over 150 square meters. km. The reservoir is one of the largest salt lakes in Europe.

In contact with

Its healing potential is so high that it is fair comparison with Dead Sea , having a salt concentration 1.5 times less than Elton. And, if we take into account the presence in the lake of deposits of hydrogen sulfide sediment and silt sulfide mud containing:

iron salts,
carbon dioxide,
amino acids,
iodine impurities,

then its healing power will become clear.

The lake is fed mainly by snow reserves and the waters of seven mineralized rivers, and salt is born from the depths of underground deep springs. The favorable climate of the region and the absence of the need to preserve the life-giving mud made it possible to use the Elton resorts all year round.

From Ivan the Terrible to the present day

However, all the charms of the reservoir were not noticed today. Already during the time of Ivan the Terrible Salt was mined from its banks, which enterprising merchants of Rus' subsequently sold not only to their compatriots, but also sent to the tables of European sovereigns.

The special pink color of the mineral, obtained from the “Dunaliella salina” algae that lived at the bottom, added to the product’s popularity, novelty and demand. IN late XIX century, salt extraction was suspended, and travelers, doctors, and climatologists increasingly began to visit the region to study the properties of salt crystals and their effects on humans. Scientists assessed the advantages of brine solution and the unique antioxidant tendencies of dunaliella, which gave birth to a new line of production of cosmetics and dietary supplements.

From this time on, commercial development of the territory and its improvement for complete recreation begins. In 1910, the first resort opened, and in the post-war years it was formed a whole balneological complex. The map of the Caspian lowland near the lake is gradually overgrown with new settlements.

The healing power of salt waters and relaxation by the lake

Rebuilt modern buildings and rooms for spa treatments gradually replaced the spontaneous mud pits set up by savage tourists. Lake salts have become the “carrot” that attracts many people today, suffering from various ailments, among which:

diseases of the musculoskeletal system,
diseases of the genitourinary system,
disorders of nervous origin,
skin diseases,
endocrine abnormalities.

In addition, therapeutic baths can strengthen the human immune system, improve metabolism, rejuvenate the body and simply create a good mood.

Available on site and mine mineral spring , located 3 kilometers from the healing mud. Its popularity among vacationers is very high. Still would! After all, the chemical composition of its water is similar to the famous healing brand “Essentuki-17”.

Holidays on Lake Elton in the Volgograd region will bring pleasure to even the most skeptical people. After all, this is the place where the healing power comes together with the recreational component of the area. Numerous parks, picturesque rivers, pink and white salt marshes, lake shallows, mysterious haze - this is not a complete list natural beauty this region.

Elton and Baskunchak

Flora and fauna lovers will not be disappointed. Thus, the collection of birds nesting here exceeds 250 species, including various duck families, cranes, waders, and bustards. If you're lucky, you can bring home great photos and videos! And how much joy a horse ride through the surrounding steppes can bring, when the wind is in your face and adrenaline is playing in your veins!

You can come to Elton either from one day excursion, and independently for several days. Prices for accommodation, treatments and horse riding are moderate. After all, the resort area does not yet have the world fame of the Hungarian baths or the same Lake Baskunchak, located only 103 km in a straight line from Elton. And, although Elton and Baskunchak are approximately equivalent in terms of healing properties, they are completely different in terms of bathing quality. You can go ankle-deep into Elton, no more, so as not to expose yourself to the risk of drowning in its suctioning dense waters. In Baskunchak you can actually float on your back with a book in your hands, and also get pleasure from a cool novel.

Prices and tourist infrastructure

Cost of living in well-equipped sanatoriums in resort area Elton will be from 1700 rubles per day per person. Rented housing in the private sector within a 7-kilometer strip from the lake can be found for even more low price. This does not require the help of aggregator sites at all. Everything can be done upon arrival in the village. Locals They will be happy to provide hospitality by offering an apartment or even a whole house for accommodation with a bicycle in addition - with it it is cheaper and more convenient to get to the healing brine.

The tourism infrastructure on Elton, as well as throughout the Volgograd region, has received a boost and is now developing every season. There are cozy hotel rooms, catering outlets of varying prices, equipped sports grounds, modern shops, beach equipment rental points, and a developed network of main and secondary roads for transport crossings. So it’s easy to get to your destination both from Volgograd and points in the region, as well as from Kamyshin, Saratov and Astrakhan by your own car or by minivan taxi. Travel time is about 6 hours.

In addition, through the village of Elton, located on east coast lakes pass railway tracks and sidings. Traveling by train will be an interesting prelude to an excursion to the magical healing waters.

This is such a gorgeous point on the map of Russia! Soon the rest of the world will appreciate it.

In the Pallasovsky district of the Volgograd region, not far from the border with Kazakhstan. This is the largest mineral lake in Europe and one of the most mineralized in the world.

The name of the lake may have come from the Mongolian “Altyn-Nor” - “golden bottom”.

The water's edge is located 15 m below sea level. The area of the water surface, according to the State Water Register, is 152 km 2, according to literary sources, 182 km 2. The length of the lake is 18 km, width – 13 km. The average depth of the lake is 0.05–0.07 m (in summer), the greatest is up to 1.5 m (in spring). Elton – largest lake Volgograd region and the 84th lake in Russia in terms of water surface area.

The catchment area is 1640 km2. Most of it is deserted Trans-Volga steppe. Seven rivers flow into the lake from the southeast and northwest: Bolshaya and Malaya Smorogda, Karantinka, Solyanka, Lantsug, Khara and Chernavka. The lake is also fed by several fresh springs and small rivers with bitter-salty water. At the bottom there are outlets of salty springs.

The lake is a depression between large salt domes in the far north of the Caspian Lowland. It has a rounded shape, slightly elongated from south - southwest to north - northeast. The coastline is slightly indented.

The lake is fed mainly by snow. The water level begins to rise in the spring during the snowmelt period; by summer it drops sharply. After the flood subsides, the level decreases until the next spring, while the lake gradually dries out.

The lake is highly mineralized, the water is golden-pink. Filled with a saturated saline solution, which desalinates in the spring. Salinity is 200–500‰, which is 1.5 times higher than the concentration of salts in the Dead Sea. In wet years, mineralization in the spring can decrease to 180–200‰, and in dry years in the fall it can reach 525‰. At the bottom of the lake there are salt deposits and under them there is a layer of mineral hydrogen sulfide mud. Salt deposition to the bottom of the lake occurs almost all year round: in summer due to intense evaporation of water and an increase in salt concentration, in winter due to a decrease in salt solubility at low temperatures.

Due to extremely high mineralization, the lake is virtually devoid of biota, but the water contains algae Dunaliella salina, giving the lake a reddish tint in summer.

Lake Elton is unique in terms of reserves, quality and balneological properties of medicinal mud and brine. Until 1882, salt mining was carried out on the lake; in 1910, the Elton medical sanatorium was founded on its shore (moved to a new location in 1945).

Near the lake there are settlements - Elton (in the east), Priozerny (in the southeast), Krasnaya Derevnya (in the west).

Around the lake Elton preserved large areas of slightly disturbed desert steppes of the Northern Caspian region. The Elton region is of exceptional importance for the conservation of birds and their habitats and is classified as a key ornithological area of international importance. In river valleys, in the upper and middle reaches, among reed thickets, aquatic and semi-aquatic animals find refuge, and in the estuaries in spring and autumn you can see thousands of migrating birds belonging to different types the duck family, as well as waders.

Lake Elton is part of the specially protected natural area “Natural Park “Eltonsky”” with an area of 106 thousand hectares.

Despite its enormous environmental significance, the Elton region is characterized by a complex of environmental and socio-economic problems caused by both the widespread development of irrational forms of environmental management and ineffective management.

Our nature has special treasures. Some of them await travelers where Lake Elton is located. Many publicists have dubbed this salt marsh “the charm of the semi-desert.” It changes its colors depending on the time of day and season. In addition, its different parts are not the same in shades. After reading local history literature, you will see that Elton’s story is further proof that people considered him handsome and useful. Nomadic peoples came up with vivid myths about it, and salt carriers came up with warning stories about “devil” places on the salt tract (passing through some rivers flowing into the “salt tank”). Russian balneology experts devoted interesting research to this natural object.

The location of Lake Elton dictates a long journey for us. Many Russians will have to spend more than a day to get to this desert area, which has truly alien landscape. The Elton Lowland and the only railway station on its territory lie far from cities and strategic highways. On the map of Russia, Lake Elton is found in a patch of the Volgograd region, strongly “deepening” into Kazakhstan (one of the 5 most accessible CIS countries for recreation). From Russia there is only one highway and the only railway that directly connects the Saratov and Astrakhan regions. But the difficulties of your path will be worth it.

In this review, you will also learn that the Elton brine and its silt deposits promote health improvement, in the settlement of the same name you can rent hotel rooms and housing in the private sector, and you can actually use it for traveling here shuttle bus, hitch ride or train to Elton, running from one of the cities of the Saratov region to Astrakhan. It makes sense to use a sightseeing bus (which takes people interested in the nature of the Eltonsky Nature Reserve on exciting tours).

Lake Elton. Historical sketch

The history of Lake Elton is closely connected with the Kazakhs and Kalmyks living here, who consider this “sea” (the bowl has an area of 180 square kilometers) sacred and for a long time did not allow any strangers to approach it. The neighboring hordes lost many people in battle, trying to capture local nomads from the aborigines.

Having agreed with the nomads, the government of Ivan the Terrible established salt production on this salt marsh. It was entrusted to Chumakov professionals, originating from Little Russia. But the Russian farm laborers had a hard time here. The salt severely corroded the skin, and the poor fellows had to stay in the brine (breaking off pieces of it with a special stick and putting it in a huge basket) from dawn to dusk. Many even died from such work. Over time, a village was formed on the salt marsh, named after the reservoir.

Where Lake Elton is located, there were not only salt tracts (transferred to private hands in 1865). In 1904, the first “salt resort” appeared here. The buildings of the Elton dispensary now stand in its place. We will talk about it in the next chapter.

The legends of Lake Elton, first of all, explain to us its current name. Mongolian peoples language group they called this place Altyn-Nor (“Golden Bottom”). The fact is that an algae and a variety of crustacean that has lived here for thousands of years contain hematochrome - a pigment that “gives birth” (when the algae blooms and the crustacean reproduces) five shades of a warm range - from golden to pink (including orange). The nomads who lived here in the Middle Ages admired the “gilding”. And “Elton” is a Russian-language phonetic simplification of the “gold-bearing” hydronym.

Treatment on Elton

The climate on Elton allows you to relax in the deep lake basin during the 3 summer months (as long as there is no rain). Where Elton is located, the air is literally saturated with useful minerals. All of them are contained in the salt of this huge reservoir.

Seven streams flow into the water bowl. The only one of them that does not look like a stream is Samaroda. It contains iron and radon gas. The named elements of Mendeleev's periodic system tone the skin and cure us of some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. They also improve blood circulation. Washing in this water gives you freshness and strength for a whole hour. And swimming is for the whole day (if you are young). True, the water flow is so weak that you can immerse your entire body only in a storage spring located on the section of the riverbed that is closest to the above-mentioned village (you can ask any local about the trail). And it is often almost empty.

This river passes just a couple of kilometers from the center of the settlement (in which the buildings are located sanatorium complex, named after the lake). By the way, about this medical institution. The brine and mud of Lake Elton are the main medicines used here (after all, in some areas of the “natural capacity” the saturation with minerals is 1.5 times stronger than in the Dead Sea). Wherein maximum depth reservoir - only one and a half meters, and not always. There is a rare component in rivers, which is contained only in the Essentuki-17 mineral water. It restores the peripheral nervous system.

Smearing with mud, rubbing and taking brine and radon baths improve the health of patients of the institution owned by Elton-Med LLC. Not entirely healthy Russians experience some skin diseases, abnormalities in the functioning of the cardiovascular system and respiratory tract. It is asthmatics, allergy sufferers and patients with various bronchitis who place their greatest hopes on this sanatorium. In order not to wait for the day when serious treatment is needed, healthy people who have a strong tendency to cough are also engaged in prevention at Lake Elton. The local air itself soothes the nasopharyngeal mucosa. After all, she receives all the microelements.

Speaking of the skin, the “richness of the lake” makes it less sensitive to irritation and inflammatory processes - through the effect of hyperthermia (warming up) of the skin.

It has long been proven that the specific sulfide mud of Elton (a peloid similar in composition to sediments Dead Sea) is quite saturated with hydrogen sulfide, active acids and useful minerals. By “warming” you, it helps well with skin diseases, loss of general immunity and circulatory disorders.

Basically, brine and sludge solve the same problems, but in different ways. Treatment at Lake Elton associated with peloids is carried out using the application method, and the hyper-mineralized salt penetrates into our body through bathing and inhalation.

In case of psoriasis, mud from Elton can be a significant addition to the procedures prescribed by doctors, and in mild stages of this disease, treatment on Elton will generally become the only set of health-improving measures. After all, the local peloid will make the skin insensitive to certain types of fungus that cause this disease in a few weeks.

However, Elton's salt and mud can also have side effects. These “medicines” are contraindicated for heart patients, people with malignant tumors, overly sensitive skin, those with hyperthermia, as well as patients suffering from salt deposits in the joints. Swimming in the lake for more than 30 minutes is dangerous for healthy people, especially pregnant women. So what is its danger? The fact is that the substances described above, actively penetrating the skin, increase the speed of blood circulation. In heart patients and pregnant women, the pulse and breathing will increase, which is unacceptable for obvious reasons. Those who suffer from overheating (hyperthermia) will have an even higher temperature increase. For the same reason, the rate of tumor formation in those with cancer will increase. Elton's brine will corrode sensitive (very white) skin too much and will play a cruel joke on bathers who already have excess salt in their bodies (meaning bones and joints). The same applies to river radon.

Holidays on Lake Elton

It is not only the treatment at Elton that draws thousands of Russians and citizens of Kazakhstan to the lowlands. After all, this area is also an excellent recreation. The weather in Elton (as well as the surrounding landscape) can have a significant impact on your mood. Holidays on Lake Elton mean enjoying the fantastic landscapes of the small hill Ulagan, studying the fossilized prehistoric fauna of the Elton Lowland, which lies even deeper than the Caspian. Convenient observation of some birds and plants - from the Red Book of Russia. Eltonsky Park is at your service.

Holidays on Elton are sometimes associated with heat, but at sunset the air cools down greatly, and the local landscape becomes an inspiring subject for artists and photographers. The fact is that Elton’s brine attracts not only those who suffer from skin and pulmonary diseases, but also creators who are able to amazingly capture this mysterious surface using a professional camera lens. Know that the salt layer is not white everywhere. In some areas the reservoir has a pinkish and even orange tint... The weather on Elton gives the opportunity to get unusual shots at sunrise and sunset, it is the background for romantic dates sanatorium patients...

Holidays on Elton by savages are well worth attention. There are plenty of parking places. Sources fresh water They are so shallow here that night flooding of their riverbeds is impossible in principle. But a tent city on the specially protected hill of Ulagan can become a reason for a clash with the guards of the reserve. It is best to rent an inexpensive room, which will be mentioned in the following text. There are also shops and cafes here, so you can really do without a custom tour.

However, if your company is still fans of bivouacs, set up a tent camp at least 500 meters from the lake itself and from the Samarodinsky (Smorogdinsky) radon source. Motorists who enter the protected area on wheels face a fine of 5,000 rubles. Believe me, the inspectors of the protected area are not asleep. It's easy to avoid trouble - just follow the huge sign boards... Spend the night near the sand pits near the village - a proven place.

How to get to Elton

How to get to Elton? For lovers of treatment on Elton and those who are eager to experience the conditions of the classic semi-desert, we will explain some methods of transportation.

Are you going to Elton by car? Then each of them will suit you. You can get to Elton from the cities of the Volgograd, Saratov and Astrakhan regions, as well as from Kazakhstan (if you are coming from Siberia).

Don't have a car? Use commuter flights from Bykovo or Nikolaevsk (via Pallasovka). As for the Saratov region, you can get to the salty “miracle of the world” from Krasny Kut or Rovny. There is also a train to Elton (passing, of course).

To Elton from Volgograd

One of the routes starts from the hero city on the Volga, where you can fly from Moscow in just an hour and a half. Most often, tours to Elton are sold in this unusually elongated metropolis. You can also rent a car. You can get to Elton from Volgograd through two regional centers, administratively subordinate to the 34th region.

From Bykovo the road is newer. You get to the village itself along the Volgograd-Engels highway. It passes through 1st Prodolnaya, through a hydroelectric power station and an industrial site in the city of Volzhsky. After the regional center of Bykovo, you pass 5 more settlements. The last one (Kaysatskoye) opens up the railway for you. How to get to Elton from the “meeting point” of the described highway with the Pushkino-Krasny Kut-Pallasovka-Verkhniy Baskunchak-Astrakhan railway (which the train goes to Elton)? There is only one way. Follow the road that runs along this railway line - due south. Here and there they diverge, but not for long.

From Volgograd they go to Elton via Nikolaevsk and (further) through Pallasovka. This refers to the old (“Chumak”) path, filled with asphalt. It is convenient for those who live in the north of the 34th region or in settlements located on the borderland of the Volgograd and Saratov region. We are talking about the Left Bank - Nikolaevsk, Staraya Poltavka, Krasny Kut, Rovny, Privolzhsky and Engels. In winter, residents of the Volgograd Right Bank cross the Volga on foot, ending up in Nikolaevsk.

To Elton from Saratov

The road to Lake Elton is laid according to the navigator from Saratov (via Engels and then through Volgograd Pallasovka). From Saratov airport (the flight from Moscow is only one hour) you immediately head to Engels (Simbirskaya and Sokolovaya streets lead to the satellite city). The latter crosses the bridge across the Volga, which connects both cities. From Engels there is a path to Pushkino, from which there is an exit onto a “tolerable” asphalt road to Krasny Kut. The town communicates with Pallasovka. The route is acceptable.

You can also travel to Elton from Saratov by train if the train passes through Pushkino. The fact is that a branch line to Astrakhan-Makhachkala goes through this junction.

To Elton from other cities

By the way, about this railway track. Siberians, Muscovites or residents of St. Petersburg follow it (trains numbered 109A, 109Zh, 085S, 250N, 546S, 549E, 573S, 249N, 545U, 147E, 005Zh, 086B, 373E, 147ZH, ). The Elton station is located right on the line (if you time it, “starting” from the Saratov town of Pushkino, you will reach the desired station in 4 hours).

It is worth saying that in these parts it is not so difficult to hitch a ride knowing how to hitchhike correctly. Russian residents of the semi-desert do not abandon people in trouble. For the most part, these are good-natured pastoral entrepreneurs.

Moving to Elton from Saratov (starting from the branch passing through Pushkino and Krasny Kut), the railway train passes some sections of Kazakhstan. The only railway track is the fastest of all ways to reach our goal.

Knowing how to hitchhike correctly in Russia and the CIS countries, you can get to Elton by other roads - from Astrakhan or Orenburg. But in the latter case, you will find yourself bumping along some bad tracks, sometimes inferior in quality even to dirt roads.

The exception is the Kazakhstan highway (Taskala-Kaztalovka-Zhanibek). There are no difficulties in getting around this road. Having departed from Orenburg, you go through a quick procedure at the Ilek checkpoint (Kazakhstan is part of the Customs Union). By the way, not far from Ilek there is a salt lake (Razval in Sol-Iletsk). Then you drive through Kazakh Uralsk along the beautiful A-30 and only in Tazkal get on the highway to Kazakh Zhanibek. Road troubles begin only on the Zhanibek-Elton section. After passing the next checkpoint, alas, you will have to be shocked.

Difficulties of the way

It is worth understanding a few nuances. No matter where you start your trip, the few asphalt roads leading to the water tract pass through the neutral zone of the Russian-Kazakh border. Therefore, on your way (whether you are in your own car or in excursion bus) border guards can stop you at any time to ask a couple of formal questions and inspect the car. They are the local traffic police.

Speaking about those “spikes in the wheels” that nature itself inserts, it is necessary to talk about such cruel factors as mud and metal corrosion. The first one prevents your “iron horse” from passing in the spring and autumn (with the exception of the roads from Bykovo and Pallasovka). The 2nd is capable of damaging the car body. Sometimes the winds are strong. And on the way, salt and sand are sprayed onto the body, scratching it. May become clogged chassis and other important nodes. It is worth following the weather forecasts or choosing an “extreme” jeep.

Excursions to Elton

The healing mud of Elton is not the only source of income for residents of the village of the same name and guides from nearby regions. In the summer, and sometimes throughout May, the weather on Elton will allow you to take part in many educational excursions.

For many Russians (especially the enterprising ones), excursions to Elton mean purchasing high-quality, but unusually cheap Kazakh alcohol, which is sold in abundance in the settlement of the same name. We are talking about cognacs and vodka.

The natural attractions of Elton and the review of a local historian on the way to it attract already inquisitive Russians. Often tours to Elton become part of a trip to all the salt lakes of the Pallasovsky region, equal in size to Israel!

The sights of Elton are concentrated on the lowlands around the lake itself (this place is called “Semirechye”), as well as on the small Ulagan plateau (this is a growing salt dome, the top of which is marked “69 meters above sea level” and the relief is dissected by bizarre canyons). Its slopes and surface have a very fabulous configuration, caused by erosion and the release of the rocks lying here. Most tourists associate them with the lunar or Martian landscape. Underfoot, visitors will find many unusual shells (ammonites). This is the oldest fauna of these places (once swimming, crawling, running and even flying...). There are canopies for rest and visual communication signs. Sorocha Balka has no less amazing geological formations... Finally, visitors will be amazed by the view of the Devil's Bridge - a long-standing obstacle on the way of the Chumaks. Talk about the most difficult section of the channel of the “unpredictable” Khara River. During the day the water appeared and then disappeared.

Trips here are organized by many agencies from Volgograd, Volzhsky, Kamyshin, Engels, Saratov, Astrakhan, as well as Kazakh Zhanibek.

Elton Hotels

Even those who do not have enough money to arrange accommodation on Elton still flock to this famous body of water. Lake Elton attracts Russians very much. Treatment is sometimes unorganized. Sick people, and simply curious visitors, smear themselves with mud, and in the evening they find a place to sleep. Elton hotels, as a rule, are private and employ hired staff originally from neighboring Kazakhstan. The guides of the local reserve are also Russians of Kazakh blood.

Elton hotels offer rooms of different classes - from “Budget” to “Lux”. Excursions to Elton can be completed comfortably in one of these room types. Prices range from 1,500 to 3,000 rubles per day of stay. It’s a pity that the hotels are not listed in any online directory (the locals generally have very poor Internet access).

Private sector on Elton

Holidays on Elton by savages favor not only tents. In the village of the same name there are also hospitable farmsteads. For vacationers in the village of Elton - private sector. Some Soviet mansions converted into guesthouses are not uncommon for this settlement. Therefore, Elton hotels often cannot compete with family estates (today they are not inferior to them in design).

The adventure of getting to Elton, seeing the sights of the local nature reserve and organizing decent accommodation on Elton will be quickly and easily arranged by a reputable tour operator. But, having the necessary information, you will understand that you will not need the services of an intermediary.

Arriving in Elton, housing in the private sector is not difficult to find. The fact is that treatment and housing in the Elton sanatorium are quite expensive (a week’s stay in the Standard will cost 21,000 rubles, and in expensive option– “Apartments” – 84,000 rubles). That is why the private sector on Elton is especially popular among insolvent people. Even in high season(when the lake begins to turn red due to “waking up” algae) the price for daily use of the extension of a wooden (stone) house does not exceed 500 rubles. You can often find housing for 300 rubles (just check with the owners of local cafes - everyone knows each other here). For 1,500 – 2,000 rubles you can rent an entire hut, placing your entire family at the “salty” resort. A well-equipped cottage will cost 3,000 – 5,000 rubles. Yes Yes. There are even such proposals here.

We are confident that you have realized what a holiday on Lake Elton is worth. Interested? Don't think twice about it. The weather in Elton is beautiful from the end of May to the end of August inclusive (for residents of the Central Federal District, a problem can only be created by unusual strong wind). However, the mud of Elton (as well as the rest of the riches of the Eltonsky Nature Reserve) awaits you every month. The local sanatorium keeps them in reserve.

. This is a real miracle of nature, the pearl of the Volga steppe - the largest salt lake in Europe, spread out among the flat steppe terrain on an area of 152 square meters. km. Among the deserted Trans-Volga steppe, a huge bowl of a lake with golden-pink water is bordered by a wide strip of snow-white salt crystals sparkling in the sun. It is difficult to find a place that could compare with Elton in the beauty and diversity of landscapes: lake shallows, beaches, salt marshes, picturesque deltas of flowing rivers, ravines, ravines, valleys.

The name of the lake comes from the Kazakh “Altyn-Nur”, which means “Golden Lake” because of the purple-red color of its water (brine), which turns golden, which happens temporarily, usually in the afternoon, when the sun leans towards the west.

Several fresh springs and rivers with bitter-salty water flow into the lake. The hot sun evaporates the water, leaving a salty residue - brine. In addition to table salt, brine contains other bitter salts. Lake Elton appears to be the largest and richest of all known salt lakes in the world. The thickness of the salt layer has not yet been precisely determined. Research carried out during the construction of the Astrakhan railway, it has been established that the depth of salt becomes greater as it moves away from the shore to the middle of the lake, where it, in any case, reaches several tens of fathoms.

Along the shore there is a deep layer of salty mud, characterized by high healing properties. At the bottom of Elton there are deposits of salts and hydrogen sulfide mud, which are used to treat the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Therapeutic resources are: silt mineral mud of Lake Elton, brine, mineral waters of a very rare chloride-sodium-magnesium type, which have a rejuvenating effect, stimulate blood circulation, accelerate skin renewal, improve metabolism and strengthen the nervous system. The silty mineral mud and brine of Lake Elton are not inferior in their healing properties to the mud of the Dead Sea. Even the ancient nomads knew about medicinal properties Elton mud. The traditional treatment of that time looked like this: a hole was dug in the coastal soil layers, where the patient was placed, whose body was covered with mud. An hour later he was washed in the brine of the lake. Several similar procedures, and the ailments receded. The fame of the miraculous lake was spread around the world by salt carriers from the local mines.

At a distance of 3 km from the sanatorium there is a mineral spring, the water of which chemical composition similar to the well-known “Essentuki-17” and Smirnovskaya (Caucasian Mineral Waters). It’s not only mud and brine that heals here, mineral water. Nature itself heals - calm, leisurely, pacifying.

The Elton mud contains impurities of iodine, iron salts, hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and amine bases. Elton mud is thicker than Odessa mud and therefore more convenient for export; it is suitable for preparing mud baths and poultices immediately without preliminary processing, as is necessary with Franzensbad, Lipetsk and others. Elton mud retains its external properties and healing properties for more than a year. The spectacular and extremely rapid healing of patients led doctors to the conviction that Elton mud was, apparently, the most effective of all others. Climatic conditions here are very favorable for treatment. The air above the lake is remarkably clean, you can breathe unusually easily and you feel a special vigor and surge of strength. There is no loss of morning or evening dew here, which is important for patients prone to colds. In the past, holidays and treatment on Elton were considered very prestigious and expensive. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of the Astrakhan line of the Ryazan-Ural Railway passed through this area, and a mud bath was created on the lake. Representatives of the Russian aristocracy and members of the royal family came here to the desert to improve their health. The famous doctor, founder of Russian gynecology, Snegirev, wrote about the steppe resort: “I have never seen such brilliant results from treatment with healing springs as in Elton, neither in Russia, nor in the Caucasus, nor abroad.” A unique combination of natural healing factors brings healing from many diseases. Nowadays, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, musculoskeletal system, skin, nervous system, respiratory system, genitourinary system, digestive system, consequences of injuries, and metabolic disorders are successfully treated here.

They tell a story that there was a museum of “Abandoned Crutches” at the sanatorium. People came on crutches and returned home after a month or two, leaving their crutches at the sanatorium. After some time, so many of them accumulated that it was decided to get rid of the museum. One of the village residents made a fence for his house-garden from the released crutches.

In the vicinity there is Mount Ulagan with a rarely seen landform - a salt dome corresponding to the depression of Lake Elton. Translated from Turkic, its name sounds like “mountain with gentle slopes.” Characteristic of these formations are outcrops of rocks of different ages, starting from the Jurassic period, with fossil flora and fauna. The Elton region has preserved the almost pristine appearance of virgin feather grass and chamomile steppes and semi-deserts, meadows on estuaries and depressions, herb and reed swamps in floodplains and on the coast.

Mount Ulagan is a growing salt dome, which annually adds several millimeters in its height. Walking around the mountain and doing virtually no excavation, you can find fossils of various ancient mollusks, for example, ammonites, named after the ancient Egyptian god Amun, and vulture shells, so called for their resemblance to the beaks of vultures. Moreover, archaeologists find them far beyond the Elton steppes. And, by the way, the nomads used griffins instead of spoons. From the top of Ulagan an extraordinary beautiful view of Lake Elton opens.

But this is not the end of the amazing sights near Elton. On the other side of the road from Mount Ulagan is the Grand Canyon.