The speed of the current is white. The river is white. Ufa from A to Z – B

IN summer time here you can often see groups of people rafting along its waters on boats and rafts. And the extremely picturesque shores - favorite place for lovers beach holiday. This river has beautiful name Agidel, which translates as "White River".

Agidel is the pearl of Bashkiria. There is nowhere else where you can feel the majesty of the beautiful mountains Southern Urals, feel the spirit of the times and feel the power of beautiful legends and tales.

Geography

The beginning of the Belaya River (Agidel) is located in the very heart of Bashkiria - between the Uraltau and Avalyak ridges. As noted above, these are the mountains of the Southern Urals. The first third of the river’s path passes through the intermountain basin to the southwest, and its character is no different from other rivers of the Urals. She is just as cheerful and playful.

Belaya is the most important waterway in Bashkortostan, a left tributary of the Kama River. The area of its pool is 141,900 square meters. kilometers. The length is 1420 km. The river originates near the city of Iremel (to the east of it).

The headwaters flow through a swampy low valley. Further, below the village of Tirlyansky, it sharply narrows. Some sections of it have steep, steep slopes covered with forest. As the river enters the steppe plain, below the confluence of the Nugush (right tributary), its channel expands again, and after the river flows into it. Ufa Agidel becomes a typical lowland river.

Tributaries of the river and city

The main food is snow. At the mouth, the average annual water flow is 950 m 3 /s. Largest tributaries:

right: Sim, Nugush, Ufa, Bystry Tanyp, Bir;
left: Urshak, Ashkadar, Karmasan, Dema, Baza, Chermasan, Xun.

On the banks of the Belaya there are cities such as Ufa, Meleuz, Beloretsk, Salavat, Ishimbay, Sterlitamak, Birsk and Blagoveshchensk. And in the place where the beautiful Agidel River breaks out of the mountain gorges of the Urals into the hilly expanses, there is the huge village of Yumaguzino.

Numerous bridges were built across the river, the largest of which (railway and road) was built in the capital of Bashkiria - the city of Ufa.

Fauna and flora

In the waters of the Agidel River there is a wide variety of fish: pike, bream, perch, catfish, pike perch, chub, ruffe, buckle, burbot, gudgeon, sterlet, silver bream, gudgeon, trout (only in the upper reaches), ide, grayling, asp, dace, taimen (very little). This is a real treasure trove for amateur fishermen.

River banks for the most part covered with steppe vegetation, and forests (mostly broad-leaved) are found only in places. In the middle reaches, mainly willows, poplars and rose hips grow around. IN large quantities Blackberries grow in the lowlands near the river.

Group rafting trips are organized along the Belaya, which can be used by everyone.

A water voyage along Belaya gives you the opportunity to get great pleasure from traveling along the amazing fabulous places, learn the fascinating history of the Southern Urals, hear legends about this wonderful and mysterious region.

Agidel is one of the most popular routes on boats, rafts, kayaks and catamarans. The former All-Union route No. 59, called “On Belaya on rafts,” passes here.

Natural attractions

In addition to rafting enthusiasts, the river basin is also visited by numerous speleologists. It is here that the world-famous Kapova cave with preserved primitive drawings is located, there is the Mindegulovskaya cave, the Teatralny, Akbutinsky and Kutuk-Sumgan failures, and many other smaller caves and grottoes.

Where there are outlets of groundwater to the earth's surface, wonderful blue lakes with the purest ice water, rich in various minerals, are formed. The most famous - Blue Lake, where the Sakasska stream originates. This is the beginning of the Shulgan River, located near the entrance to the Kapovu cave, and the griffin Taraval.

Reserve "Shulgan-Tash"

The Agidel River in Bashkiria flows through the territory nature reserve Shulgan-Tash and Kandrykul Park. The cave of the same name is one of the most picturesque, and one of the largest karst caves in Bashkiria. It ranks 5th in length (2,910 meters studied length) and 2nd in depth (160 meters amplitude) among all Bashkir caves.

It is famous thanks to the ancient drawings on its walls (from Late Paleolithic times). Their age is 17,000 years, about which there is scientific evidence. Previously, similar Paleolithic paintings were found only in France and Spain.

Four halls of the cave have such ancient images - the halls of Signs, Chaos and Dome on the first floor, and the hall of Drawings on the second floor.

Most of the paintings (38%) are abstract signs, in second place (32%) are difficult to distinguish spots, but quite colorful (remains of drawings destroyed by time). In the third (27%) there are zoomorphic images, among which figures of horses and mammoths predominate, but there are also bison, bulls, rams, and deer. All these are messages from ancient ancestors, left in the underground halls of Shulgan-Tash.

A little about the history of the river in legends

A bunch of interesting facts exists in the history of rivers (Agidel among them) and Ural mountains. It is impossible to tell about all of them.

There is one beautiful folk legend “Ural-Batyr”, which goes back to ancient times. Main character legends, he performs many feats: he defeats the cruel padishah Katila, over terrible monsters in the kingdom of the snake Kahkahi, saves people, birds and animals from the padishah of the Azraki divas. Having obtained living water, the batyr sacrifices himself, and does not gain immortality by drinking it himself. He sprinkled it around himself so that nature would remain forever alive.

After his death, people built a high mound over his grave. From him the Ural Mountains were formed, and the remains of the Ural Batyr miraculously turned into gems, iron, copper, gold and silver.

This hero had assistants - three sons: Idel, Yaik and Nugush. Sakmar, who renounced his own father Shulgen (Ural-Batyr’s older brother), became the fourth. All of them, with their diamond swords, cut river beds in the mountains to save the suffering people from thirst. The legend says that the resulting rivers received the names of those same four warriors.

Now the names of 2 of those rivers have changed: Yaik became Ural, and Idel became Agidel.

The Belaya River is the most long river in Bashkiria and the longest tributary of the Kama River.

The river bed winds strongly. The general direction of the river flow from the source to the village of Suragulovo (Meleuzovsky district, Bashkiria) is south-west; further from the village to the city of Ufa, northern with a deviation of different sides. After Ufa, the direction of the current is northwest.

The source of the Belaya River originates 3 km southwest of the village of Novokhusainovo in the Uchalinsky district of Bashkiria, at the foot of the Avalyak ridge. The river flows into the Nizhnekamsk reservoir (Kama River) near the village of Tatarskie Yamaly in the Aktanysh region of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The Bashkir and Tatar name of the Belaya River is Agidel (from the Bashk. Aғiҙel and from the Tat. Agyidel). Agidel comes from the word “ak” - white and the word “idel” - Volga (in ancient times the concept of Idel (Itil) did not coincide with the modern meaning of the word Volga.

Settlements.
Near the Belaya River there are many settlements - towns, villages and hamlets. The following cities are also located on the banks of the river:

— Beloretsk is the administrative center of the Beloretsk district of Bashkiria. Founded in 1762. City since 1923. Population 68,806 people as of 2010. The city is located near the Belaya River, 245 km from the city of Ufa.

— Meleuz is the administrative center of the Meleuzovsky district of Bashkiria. Founded in the 18th century. City since 1958. Population 61,390 people as of 2010. Located at the confluence of the Meleuz river of the same name into the Belaya River, 225 km from the city of Ufa and about 150 km from the city of Orenburg.

— Kumertau is an urban district in Bashkiria. Founded in 1947. City since 1953. Population 67,078 people as of 2010. The city is located near the Belaya River, 250 km south of the city of Ufa and 102 km south of the city of Sterlitamak.

— Ishimbay is the administrative center of the Ishimbay district of Bashkiria. Founded in 1815. City since 1940. The city is located 166 km from the city of Ufa, on the Belaya and Tairuk rivers, 21 km northwest of the city of Sterlitamak and 11 km south of the city of Salavat.

— Salavat is an urban district in Bashkiria. Founded in 1948. City since 1954. Population 155,464 people as of 2012. Located on the left bank of the Belaya River, 160 km south of the city of Ufa. Is large industrial center Republic of Bashkiria.

— Sterlitamak is an urban district in Bashkiria. Founded in 1766. City since 1781. Population 274,382 people as of 2012. The city is located on the left bank of the Belaya River, 121 km south of the city of Ufa. Sterlitamak is a major center of the chemical industry and mechanical engineering.

— Ufa is an urban district and the capital of the Republic of Bashkiria. Founded in 1574. City since 1586. Population 1,086,000 people as of 2013. The city is located on the banks of the Belaya River, at the confluence of the Ufa and Dema rivers. The city is the largest industrial, cultural, sports and scientific center of Russia, largest center oil refineries and an important transport hub.

— Blagoveshchensk is the administrative center of the Blagoveshchensky district of Bashkiria. Founded in 1756. City since 1941. Population 34,239 people as of 2010. Blagoveshchensk is located on the right bank of the Belaya River, 42 km from the center of Ufa. The distance between the borders of Ufa and Blagoveshchensk is less than 10 km.

— Birsk is the administrative center of the Birsky district of Bashkiria. Founded in 1663. City since 1781. Population 43,572 people as of 2010. The city is located on the right bank of the Belaya River, 102 km from the city of Ufa.

— Dyurtyuli is the administrative center of the Dyurtyulinsky district of Bashkiria. Founded in 1795. City since 1989. Population 31,725 people as of 2010. The city is located on the left bank of the Belaya River, 124 km from the city of Ufa.

— Agidel is an urban district in Bashkiria. Founded in 1980. City since 1991. Population 16,370 people as of 2010. Located at the mouth of the Belaya River.

Routes (access roads).
The Belaya River is accessible along almost its entire length, but convenient access roads are located from Beloretsk to the mouth. In this area near the river there are the most populated areas and access roads to them. Here are some of them:
The P-316 highway “Sterlitamak - Beloretsk - Magnitogorsk” and a railway line pass through the city of Beloretsk (Beloretsky district).
The P-314 Ufa - Orenburg and P-361 Magnitogorsk - Sibay - Zilair - Ira highways pass through the village of Ira (Kuyurgazinsky district).
The R-314 Ufa-Orenburg highway and a railway line pass through the city of Meleuz (Meleuzovsky district).
The R-314 Ufa - Orenburg highway and a railway line pass through the village of Zirgan (Meleuzovsky district).
In the cities of Salavat and Vyshstroy there is also the R-314 Ufa - Orenburg highway and a railway interchange.
In Sterlitamak there is the P-314 Ufa - Orenburg highway and the P-316 Sterlitamak - Beloretsk - Magnitogorsk highway and a railway interchange.
In the middle reaches of the river, to the left of the riverbed, there is a railway line from the city of Meleuz through Ufa to the city of Blagoveshchensk.
In Ufa there are highways P-314 "Ufa - Orenburg", P-315 "Ufa - Perm", M-5 "Moscow - Ryazan - Penza - Samara - Ufa - Chelyabinsk", M-7 "Moscow - Ufa".
The R-315 Ufa-Perm highway passes through Blagoveshchensk (Blagoveshchensky district) and Birsk (Birsky district).
Numerous smaller inter-country roads and directions pass through the remaining villages.

The Belaya River is also considered an important waterway of Bashkortostan (Bashkiria). The river is navigable from the village of Tabynskoye (656 km) to the mouth. Regular communication is provided from the city of Ufa. The Belaya River is an integral part of the Moscow-Ufa waterway, along which tourist flights are organized.

Main tributaries.
The largest left tributaries of the Belaya River:
- Ashkadar River - length 165 km, basin area 3780 km², flows at 743 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Urshak River – length 193 km, basin area 4230 km², flows at 504 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Dema River – length 535 km, basin area 12,800 km², flows 475 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
- Karmasan River - length 128 km, basin area 1780 km², flows at 387 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Chermasan River – length 186 km, basin area 3970 km², flows at 332 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— the Xun River – length 209 km, basin area 4500 km², flows 83 km from the mouth of the Belaya.

The largest right tributaries of the Belaya River:
— Nugush River – length 235 km, basin area 3820 km², flows at 837 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Tairuk River – length 36 km, flows at the 771st km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Sim River – length 239 km, basin area 11,700 km², flows at 561 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Ufa River – length 918 km, basin area 53,100 km², flows at 487 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
— Bir River – length 128 km, basin area 2200 km², flows at 262 km from the mouth of the Belaya.
- Bystry Tanyp River - length 345 km, basin area 7560 km², flows 115 km from the mouth of the Belaya.

Relief and soils.
The Belaya River flows in the Southern Urals and the Cis-Urals. It flows through the entire Republic of Bashkortostan, slightly affecting the eastern part of the Republic of Tatarstan. The relief is very diverse. It was formed over millions of years. Currently, the relief form combines lowlands and hilly plains and mountain ranges. The rugged and hilly plains of the Bashkir Cis-Urals occupy approximately 2/3 of the area of the region; the mountainous Southern Urals stretch over more than 1/4 of Bashkiria.
On the territory of Bashkortostan (Bashkiria) there are 4 main types of soils - sod-podzolic, gray forest, chernozems and mountain soils.

Vegetation.
The banks of the Belaya River are mainly occupied by steppe natural communities. Forests are often broad-leaved and occur only in places. In the middle reaches, the banks of the river are covered with willows, poplars and rose hips. Blackberries grow in large quantities along the banks of the river.

Hydrological regime.
The length of the Belaya River is 1430 km. The drainage basin area is 142,000 km². The average annual water flow near the city of Birsk is 858 m³/s. The color of the water is whitish-silver. This is how limestone rocks that are dissolved in water color the water.

In the upper reaches of the Belaya banks are swampy. Below the village of Tirlyanskoye, the river valley narrows sharply. In some areas, the slopes of the valley and the banks become steep, steep and covered with forest. Below the confluence of the right tributary of the Nugush River, as it reaches the plain, the valley gradually widens. After the confluence of the Ufa River, the Belaya River is already a typically flat river. Flowing through a wide floodplain rich in oxbow lakes, the river forms many bends and is divided into branches. The right bank is more elevated than its left.
The river is fed mainly by snow. The river is covered with ice, as a rule, at the end of November. It opens around mid-April.
About 60% of the annual flow occurs during the spring flood (on average 75 days). The high water period occurs approximately from April 10 to July 23. During floods, the turbidity of the water in the river reaches 900 mg/l (at other times it is about 50 mg/l).

Ichthyofauna.
On the Belaya River it is very good fishing. Among the fish species found in the river are: roach, trout, perch, chub, pike, catfish, buckle, burbot, bream, sterlet, silver bream, ruff, pike perch, gudgeon. Declining fish stocks: grayling, taimen, asp, ide.

Water quality.
The Belaya River constantly experiences heavy anthropogenic load in the section of its channel below the city of Sterlitamak. The pollution of the river is classified as “very dirty”. Bottom silt is especially polluted due to many years of accumulation of harmful substances.
Water pollution comes from chemical, petrochemical and energy industry enterprises, located in a chain of 270 km along the banks of the Belaya in such cities as Meleuz, Salavat, Ishimbay, Sterlitamak, Ufa, Blagoveshchensk. The Republic of Bashkiria inherited this “chemical necklace” during the period of intensive industrialization of the USSR, which actively took place in the pre- and post-war years.
In 2003, out of 187 treatment facilities, only 35 operated in trial mode and met regulatory requirements. About 149 treatment facilities of almost all large enterprises in Bashkiria continued to remain among those that did not provide standard treatment. The main reasons for poor quality work of treatment facilities are as follows:
— outdated technologies and worn-out equipment;
— discharge of untreated wastewater into water bodies;
— lack of local treatment facilities and, as a consequence, their overload in terms of the concentration of incoming pollutants;
— operation with deviation from design schemes.

As a result of this, surface water bodies of the Republic of Bashkiria have been polluted for many years with petroleum products, phenols, nitrite nitrogen, manganese, ammonium nitrogen, copper, mercury, and iron.

Economic importance.
It is planned to build a cascade of 3 hydroelectric power stations on the river: in 2003 the 1st Yumaguzinsky reservoir was built, in 2005 the last unit of the Yumaguzinsky hydroelectric power station was launched. IN last years The water level in the river drops significantly as a result of the construction of the Yumaguzinsky reservoir.

Water from the river is widely used by people to water their gardens, fields, and personal plots. As drinking water rarely used. It is actively used for industrial production, for example, such as: Gazprom neftekhim Salavat, etc. Some enterprises are switching to closed water use cycles to a limited extent.

Tourism and rest.
The upper reaches of the Belaya River are popular as a place for water tourism. In summer there are many water tourists rafting and boating. Local nature and the banks of the river are extremely beautiful. The river bank is a favorite vacation spot for local people living near Belaya.
Since the Belaya River is very, very long, there are many different attractions along its banks. These are the former mining plants of Beloretsk and Kaga, and a large number of caves in the upper reaches of the river, a former salt pier in Sterlitamak and the Tabynsk fortress and much, much more.

reference Information.

Length: 1430 km.
Basin area: 142,000 km².
Pool: Caspian Sea.
River basin: Kama river, Volga river.
Source: in a swampy area at the foot of the Avalyak ridge.
Location: 3 km southwest of the village of Novokhusainovo in the Uchalinsky district of Bashkiria.
Coordinates: 54°32′6.86″ N. latitude, 59°2′39.81″ e. d.
Mouth: Nizhnekamsk reservoir (Kama River).
Location: near the village of Tatarskie Yamaly in the Aktanysh region of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Coordinates: 55°53′7.31″ N. latitude, 53°41′32.61″ e. d.

Hi guys. Our vacation this time was a little delayed, and we spent almost 10 days without communication and the Internet, alone with the wonderful nature of the Republic of Bashkortostan. My friends and I went on a wild 7-day rafting trip down the Belaya River in Bashkiria and, as usual, it was not without adventure.

In my experience, this is the longest rafting so far and the 7th in a row. We haven't rafted for so long before. Maximum 4 days.

I won't say that we were lucky with the weather. The heat was 30 - 33 degrees and there was a cloudless sky with a scorching sun. Only one day, late in the evening, there was a thunderstorm and it rained for about 20 minutes. Having learned this, everyone took sun-protective clothing with them and no one got burned.

Our rafting route on the Belaya River

As you know, we are independent and budget tourists. We don't like organized trips We try to plan everything ourselves. Relax in peace, without depending on anyone, and without large noisy companies. When you want, you swim, when you want, you stop for the night. We cook ourselves, chop wood, fish, row, etc.

All difficulties and troubles pass, wounds heal, and impressions remain for life.

The Belaya River from Perm, where our route begins, is located at a distance of 800 km, and the end point is about 900 km. According to the plan, we wanted to raft from the village of Kaga to Kutanovo. Along the river it turns out to be 156 km.

Here is a map of our route. I marked some landmarks on it. I’ll post more directions below.

We considered all the options for how to get to the place, calculated the route public transport and drop off. It turned out a little expensive. In the first case, it came out to about 40 thousand rubles for four people, and in the second, they calculated us at least 32 thousand. We had to resort to another option - rent a car and drive ourselves.

We wanted to rent a Lada Largus or some other station wagon so that we, the catamaran and all our things could easily fit in, but things are not going well with them in Perm. We only found a Toyota Corolla hatchback. We are, in principle, no stranger to driving such small-capacity cars. This time even the two rear passengers could sit! And not lie on top of everything and hit your face on the ceiling.

Renting a car cost us 1,300 rubles. per day or 11,700 rub. for the entire time (9 days), plus gasoline. A third of all expenses are on rafting.

We removed the back seats and left them at home, loaded the catamaran, all the junk, and off we went. Since the location is new and undiscovered for everyone, we had to pave the way using the navigator. Of the 3 proposed routes, we chose the shortest one and learned the first lesson of this journey - never choose the shortest route, but choose the fastest one.

It turned out that the navigator paved the way for us through some impassable expanses of our country, along which we drove until we began to run out of gas. The road is a dirt road where we met a tractor driver and asked what was ahead and whether there were gas stations. He told us that further on there was complete wilderness.

I had to turn around with the fuel light already on for a long time and drive back to the nearest gas station. At the gas station we met locals who were surprised how we ended up here in the first place, and explained that we wouldn’t get where we needed to go along that road. I had to change the route. Thus, we drove an extra almost 150 km.

From Perm it is better to go to Belaya through Ufa or, as we did, through Krasnoufimsk - Mesyagutovo - Miass - Beloretsk. The road is normal, you can drive 80 – 100 km/h.

We left home at 2 am and arrived at the place at 6 pm. We stopped before reaching the village of Kaga, near the Agidel tourist center, and then abandoned the car in the parking lot for 100 rubles per day. And on the same day we went to the bathhouse there for 2 hours. We spent the night in a clearing opposite the base on the other side of the river.

In the morning we collected the kat and set out.

The local administrator of the Agidel tourist center assured us that in 7 days we would sail only to the village of Starosubkhangulovo. But we are still raftsmen, we cost little, we row a lot. In the end we swam 143 kilometers.

Sights of the route

I'll start, perhaps, with the river itself. Summer this year is quite hot, most of our rivers in the Perm region have become shallow and it is unrealistic to raft on them. We chose the Belaya River taking into account that it is the largest and longest in the Southern Urals. As a result, from Kaga to Starosubkhangulovo, at almost every rapid, of which there are quite a few, a cat was dragged. And after that, to the end of the route, they dragged, but less.

The nature in Bashkiria, as in principle everywhere in Russia, is very beautiful. It is a little different from the Perm region in that the mountains are higher and the rocks are larger. Surprisingly, there are practically no spruces in the forests, mainly pine and birch. Amazing smell in hot weather pine forest even stronger.

There are many rest stops along the shore, springs with clean drinking water, and firewood. Everything is enough. In larger villages there are shops where you can buy the most necessary products. Especially in this heat, most food spoils quickly. We took with us only porridge, stewed meat, vegetables and fruits. Meat for barbecue was bought several times in the villages.

The locals keep a lot of livestock, which graze unattended at the watering hole along the river. You endlessly see groups of horses, cows, sheep, geese, goats, and chickens. Sometimes we even had to swim around them, they would get up and stand in the middle of the river, cooling down. Lots of wild ducks, herons, falcons. We saw snakes several times; one even clung to the catamaran, trying to bite it.

We messed up this alloy a little with the photos. We drowned the action camera at the very beginning of the journey, I thought I would mostly take pictures with my iPhone, but it took so long to turn on and we didn’t always have time to get it out. So forgive me, we will improve the quality in the future.

At one parking lot, a farmer scared us with bears. We were just getting ready to go to bed, we all climbed into the tent, and we heard someone coming. Local, at the edge of whose clearing for making hay we stopped, approached in complete darkness in the hope of buying vodka from us.

We talked a little, and he said that a couple of weeks ago, while the grass was not yet mowed, a mother bear with two cubs walked around this place. He said that if the bear returned, we should go to him, because he had two huskies with him, just for such cases.

Our imagination then ran wild to the point of a bear growling nearby. I didn't sleep very well. When we were preparing for the rafting, I read a story somewhere on a social network that the rafting guys also saw a bear on the opposite bank from them. Our overnight stay was so restless after the first day of rafting.

On the first day, if you are sailing from Kaga, you can climb a rock, the name of which we did not find, but I marked it on the map. You will have to climb a steep slope for 15–20 minutes.

There are no signs along the banks with names and descriptions of places, as, for example, on our rivers. Therefore, be sure to print out the map and directions.

The rest of the days until the village of Starosubkhangulovo we encountered no more sights. They all start after this village. There is a very beautiful rocky area and many caves. But before it there is a wilder area.

I will list in order the main places that you can see and visit (I marked all the points on the map above):

Saryn-Tash rocks,
rock Small Amphitheater,
Great Amphitheater rock,
Mindigulovskaya cave,
Lost Pit cave,
fairy tale cave,
Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve, Kapova Cave.

If I missed something, write in the comments, I will definitely add it. I can also add Kapov’s further, if necessary, but we weren’t there.

Saryn-Tash rocks

Mindigulovskaya cave

Residents of Mindigulovskaya Cave

Lost Pit Cave

Caught a pike

At the last night I caught a pike for dinner. In general, when you swim, because the water in the river is clean, you often encounter schools of fish, each half a meter long. Almost all types of our Ural fish are found in the Belaya River.

We decided to complete our rafting a little earlier; before we reached the village of Kutanovo 10 km, we landed at the main attraction - the Kapova Caves. And then we screwed up hard, having learned a new lesson.

For some reason, it never occurred to anyone that Kapov Cave has a working mode. Having arrived at lunchtime, we decided to first go after the car, and then, having gotten ready, visit this cave. But it turned out that she works from 11:00 to 17:30. We asked to at least see the entrance, but they didn’t let us in.

Entrance to the cave territory costs 240 rubles. Along the shore next to it there are dozens of houses with shops, souvenir shops, cafes, holiday houses, etc. Heaps of tourists and cars.

In principle, we were not very upset that we did not get to Kapova Cave. We met 3 people there who said that there was absolutely nothing to see at the level for all tourists, everything had been arranged a long time ago, special paths had been laid out. And they just don’t let you go further into the depths. Who has been there recently, write your review about the cave, is it worth returning to see it?

One more adventure remained - to get to the car, which is located 100 km away at the Agidel base, and return back for the wives with things. Finally got my first experience of driving in Russia. We walked along the road for an hour and a half. The road is a dirt road between the villages; cars drive very rarely. And outside, let me remind you, the heat is 33 degrees in the shade.

There was no point in going further, we stood up to wait and catch a car. After some time, one driver finally stopped and agreed to give us a free ride to Starosubkhangulovo, from which we still have 60 km to travel. There we only managed to catch a taxi for 1,000 rubles to Kaga. We took the car, returned back to the cave, loaded up, had dinner at a local cafe and drove to Perm, deciding to drop by Lake Zyuratkul along the way. We arrived at the lake early, it was still dark, and we managed to take a nap for a couple of hours before dawn.

Stunningly beautiful. You can go here for a couple of days, sleep in tents, climb mountains, go fishing, etc.

This is where our rafting on the Belaya River ended. At prices for four people, it came out to only 39 thousand rubles in 9 days.

Car rental = 11,700.
Gasoline + car wash = 6,000.
Kata rental = 4,600.
Bathhouse + parking = 1,800.
Autostop = 1,000.
Food and sundries = 13,900.

In addition, according to tradition, before a new trip, we bought new tourist things:

My backpack is 80 liters = 3,730.
Lena’s 70-liter backpack = 5,500 (we’ll still fly halfway around the world).
Two durable raincoats = 1,800.

The only loss was a broken iPad, which I somehow managed to crush while I was sleeping in the car on the way back.

That seems to be it.

Printable sailing guide

At the end, as promised, I am posting the sailing guide along the Belaya River for printing. But the route is old, made in the early 2000s, so we didn’t find some places along it, and the riffles have changed.

I wish everyone good luck! Bye.

WHITE RIVER

Latitude 45°6′0′′′N (49.94166)

Longitude 39°28′9′′′E (53.691337)

The length of the river is 273 km.

The drainage basin area is 5990 km².

Belaya River- one of the largest tributaries Kuban River. It originates at the Fisht-Oshtenovsky pass, between Mount Fisht and Oshten (Main Caucasus Range), the mouth is in the basin Krasnodar reservoir.

The water regime of the river is heterogeneous - rain and melted glacial and firn waters flow into it. In the Belaya River basin there are an average of 20 rainfalls per year. The river flood begins in spring, during the period of active melting of snow and glaciers on mountain peaks. In summer and autumn, the water level may also rise due to heavy rainfall.

Along the bed of the Belaya River from the source to the northwestern foot Chugush mountains(3238m) passes the conventional border between Krasnodar region and the Republic of Adygea.

The Belaya River washes the cities of Belorechensk and Maykop, and on its banks there are such settlements as: the village of Tulsky, the village of Shaumyan, the village of Udobny, the village of Grozny, the village of Gaverdovsky, the village of Khanskaya, the village of Verkhnevedeneevsky, the village of Protochny, the village of Velikovechnoe, the village of Beloe, the village of Adamiy .

In industry: also in Soviet times The Belorechensk and Maikop hydroelectric power stations were built on the Belaya River, forming the Belorechensk cascade of hydroelectric power stations (total power of the stations - 57.4 MW, generation - 242 million kWh per year).

The Adyghe people have another name for the Belaya River - "Shkhyaguasche", and is translated as "queen/mistress of the mountains". Another name of the river, Bela, comes from various legends composed by local residents.

Born on the mountain slopes as a small stream, the Belaya River gradually increases the width and depth of its channel with each kilometer, further forming rapids, as well as beautiful gorges and canyons. In the upper reaches, the Belaya River stretches into southeast direction, between Armenian ridge on the left side, and Mount Belorechenskaya(Khrustalka, 1972) and Mount Bzysh(2052m) on the right side. At the base Chugush R. White meets its first tributary - the Berezovaya River formed by the glaciers of the Chugush ridge. New water flow and obstacle in the form mountain range shift the direction of movement of the Belaya River by almost 65°. After 3 km of the way, it flows into the bed of the Belaya River Chessu River, which turns the current of the Belaya even more, now it moves in the opposite direction, bending further Atamazhi massif, and meandering in a northerly direction to the first one encountered along the way locality- Guzeripl village.

In front of the village of Guzeripl, r. White is complemented by waters Rivers Armyanka And Svetly Teplyak, and in the village itself it flows Molchepa river, a little further – the left bank tributary R. Gutter. Passing the village of Khamyshki, towards the river. White joins Bzykha River (Azish-Tau ridge).

The most significant of 400 known tributaries Belaya River: r. Berezovaya, r. Chessu, b. Kisha, b. Pshekha, b. Tsitsa, b. Kurdzhips, b. Deguaco, b. Dakh (stanitsa Dakhovskaya), r. Big Rufabgo (Bachurin stream), r. Mishoko and R. Aminovsk (village Kamennomostsky), r. Polkovnitskaya (railway station " Forest fairy tale"), Molochny stream (Abadzekhskaya village).

The seething Belaya River rushes along a stone bed and makes its way through blocking boulders and crevices. Along the flow, alpine valleys are formed, alternating with forest zones. The Belaya River acquires its first scope when it reaches the village of Dakhovskaya, here, the distance between the banks reaches 150 meters. Vertical rocky shores form graceful canyons, in the depths of which fresh water gurgles. Further, the channel narrows and then becomes wide again.

Near the village of Kamennomostsky it flows into the Belaya River Big Rufabgo stream, famous for its abundance of spectacular waterfalls and gorges. A little closer to the populated area of the river. White forms a narrow and deep passage called Khadzhokh Gorge. In this place, the rock walls are equipped with railings and convenient passages.

From the village of Abadzekhskaya to the mouth, the canyon of the Belaya River has almost the same width. The distance from coast to coast varies from 50 to 85 meters.

Reaching the village of Vasyurinskaya, the Belaya River flows into the main water artery Krasnodar region- Kuban River.

The Belaya River has gained great popularity among travelers and rafting enthusiasts. There are a large number of tourist shelters on the banks for a comfortable stay. All around are picturesque landscapes of rocky canyons, washed by the radiant water of a mountain river.

Famous and accessible attractions on the Belaya River (from source to mouth):

1.Eastern side of Mount Kut (2116m), Pshikhashka (2120m), Bzysh (2052m).

2. Streams from the Malaya Chura mountain (2177m) flow into the Belaya River.

3.R. White washes the western slope of Mount Atamazhi and Abago.

4. Goreloye tract. Connection of the Belaya River with the river. Svetly Teplyak and r. Armenian.

5. Goose Ford (village Guzeripl).

6. Threshold “Hatchets” (2.5 km from the village of Guzeripl).

7. Confluence of the river Belaya from the river Kisha.

The Belaya River is the most large river Southern Urals. It begins on the eastern slope of the Avalyak ridge, 4 kilometers from the village of Novokhusainovo, at an altitude of 740 m above sea level. In the upper reaches the flow direction is from north to south, then from east to west. In the middle and lower reaches - from south to north.

The length of the Belaya River is 1430 km, the basin area is 142 thousand square meters. km. The food, like all rivers of the Southern Urals, is predominantly snow-fed. The average annual flow in the lower reaches (Birsk) is 858 m3/s.

In its upper reaches, the Belaya is a typical mountain river; in the middle and lower reaches, it takes on a flat character.

Two hydroelectric complexes were built on Belaya: Beloretsky pond and Yumaguzinsky reservoir.

There are 8 cities on the Belaya River: Beloretsk, Meleuz, Ishimbay, Sterlitamak, Ufa, Birsk, Dyurtyuli and Agidel.

It is difficult to overestimate the economic importance of the river for Bashkiria, since the river is both a source of water supply and a transport artery. Nowadays, shipping along the Belaya exists as far as the city of Ufa.

In the upper reaches of Belaya, it is popular among tourists. In the middle of the last century, the 59th all-Union rafting route was organized here. With the construction of the Yumaguzin dam it ceased to exist. However, rafting on the Belaya did not stop. Nowadays, the rafting route from the village of Kaga to the village of Kutanovo is popular. Along the route, tourists get acquainted with the natural gallery of beauty, which is Belaya in this area, and also visit the famous Shulgantash cave.

The length of the route is 3-4 days. Depending on the water level in the river, rafting can begin downstream, from the village of Starosubkhangulovo (Burzyan). Best time for rafting - from late May to early September.