Russia is a majestic country with many natural monuments on its territory. Mineral lake Manych-Gudilo is a natural landmark of the Republic of Kalmykia. Despite the fact that it is not rich in fish, does not have healing properties, the lake attracts travelers with many legends and myths. Manych-Gudilo is a nature reserve in Russia, which gives tourists the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the reserved nature.
History of the name of the lake
Lake Manych-Gudilo is located in the south of the Rostov region. On its territory, the borders of three constituent entities of the Russian Federation converge: the Republic of Kalmykia, the Rostov Region and the Stavropol Territory. The lake was formed quite a long time ago. It has a tectonic origin and a peculiar location. The lake is elongated for a length of about 150 m., In width - 10-15 m. In shape, Manych-Gudilo resembles a saucer.
The name of the lake originates from a legend. According to legend, noisy spirits lived over the lake, because of which a hum and noise were constantly heard from the lake to the villages. Residents believed that it was impossible to touch the spirits, they would hum, make noise and calm down. This is where the name Gudilo comes from. The word "Manych" appeared in Russian from Tatar and means "salty", "bitter". Manych-Gudilo has a high salinity, the concentration of salt in its water exceeds the amount of salt in the Black Sea, therefore it is not used for food. In addition, the Manych River passes through the lake. Since the lake is of tectonic origin, it was formed in the Kumo-Manych depression. All this taken together gave the name to the mineral lake in the south of Russia.
The first mentions of the existence of the lake date back to the time when the first Russian and Ukrainian settlers appeared on the territory of the Rostov region. The lake itself is a remnant of the ancient Pontic Sea, which several centuries ago connected the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. Today Manych-Gudilo is one of the majestic sights of the European South.
Flora and fauna of Lake Manych-Gudilo
Lake Manych-Gudilo is a nature reserve that shows every tourist the harsh beauty of the European South. Since the lake is located in a sharply continental climate, natural phenomena on its territory are unpredictable. The weather can change several times a day. The air temperature varies from very high to very low.
Despite the severity of the climate, the flora and fauna of the lake are quite diverse. Travelers can see huge flocks of birds, which are nesting on a small island - Bird. Swans nest here - mute swans, herons, pelicans. In addition, there are numerous bird colonies on the coasts.
Due to the high salinity of the water, the flora of the lake is not very diverse. Reeds and some grasses can grow here. On the coast, thickets of cattails and sedges prevail.
A unique place of Lake Manych-Gudilo is Vodny Island, which is home to a herd of wild horses. The herd is popularly called "Rostov", but there is no information about how the horses ended up on the island.
Visit to Lake Manych-Gudilo
You can get to the lake by car along the federal highway from Elista to Stavropol. Then turn at the village of Divnoye and go to the village of Yashalta, which is on the shore of the lake. There are no hotels directly on the lake, but you can find a room with local residents. There are few fish on the lake, so fishermen do not come there. Salt water Manych-Gudilo does not have healing properties, so there are no resorts and sanatoriums here. The lake attracts tourists with the beauty of wild nature, diverse flora and fauna.
On the territory of the reserve, tourists are provided with guest houses, the price of which ranges from 300 rubles to 1500 rubles. The reserve is open from Monday to Sunday, around the clock. Tours can be ordered through the website, or you can decide on them on the spot. To quickly get to the lake, you can use the maps and diagrams that are on the reserve's website.
Official address: Republic of Kalmykia, Yashaltinsky district, s. Yashalta.
