Ergaki (from Old Turkic erŋäk - "fingers") is a natural park of
regional significance, located in the south of the Krasnoyarsk
Territory. As a specially protected natural area, the natural park
was organized on April 4, 2005. The area is 342 873 hectares. The
tourist center of the Ergaki ridge in the Western Sayan. It is
located at the headwaters of the Bolshoi Kebezh, Bolshoy Klyuch,
Taigish, Upper Buiba, Middle Buiba and Lower Buiba rivers. It is
part of the Association of Nature Reserves and National Parks of the
Altai-Sayan Ecoregion.
The park has developed a system of
marked trails that lead to all the main attractions.
It is an array of multidirectional ridges, spurs,
largely processed by a glacier. The mountainous relief in the
central part of Ergakov on the periphery is replaced by a mountain
relief with separately located mountains and spurs of smoother
outlines with peneplains on the peaks. Separate mountain peaks have
bizarre outlines and proper names: Zvezdny (the highest peak of
Ergakov), Dragon's Tooth, Bird, Parabola, Molodezhny, Zerkalny, etc.
The uniqueness of Ergaks is given by many lakes, usually karst, of
glacial origin. The most famous are: Buibinskie lakes (Raduzhnoe,
Karovoe, Svetloye), Marmornoe (Jerboa), Zolotarnoe, Mountain
Spirits. The largest lakes are Bolshoye Buibinskoye, Bolshoye
Bezrybnoye and Svetloye.
The symbol of the park is a logo
depicting a musk deer against a background of mountain peaks.
The Ergaki Natural Park is located in
the center of the continent, which leaves an imprint on its nature:
continental climate, dominance of boreal vegetation, characteristic
features of flora and fauna. The relief factor also has a great
influence. The park is located within the Western Sayan, and due to
its length it covers various high-altitude mountain belts. The
length from north to south is 75 km, and in longitude - about 120
km. This significantly increases the diversity of natural conditions
and, as a consequence, the diversity of living nature: plant, animal
and fungal species. At the same time, the northern half of the park
is located on the northern macroslope of the mountain system and
receives the maximum amount of precipitation, while the southern
part of the protected area is in the rain shadow. Due to the high
humidity, the climate of the northern regions of the park is milder,
slightly continental, while in the south, continental increases
sharply.
You can get to the park by the federal highway P257
"Yenisei", the distance from Abakan to the visit center of the park
"Ergaki" is about 200 km.
Over 700 species of plants, mushrooms, mosses and lichens grow on the territory of the natural park. Only in this region grow such plants as Yastrebinochka Kebezhskaya, Wrestler Cherepnin, Wrestler Tanzybeysky and Wrestler Buibinsky. The natural park is home to 49 species of mammals. Hare, lynx, reindeer, beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, etc. are widespread. 163 species of birds nest on the territory.
The Usinsky highway (route P257 “Yenisei”), connecting Khakassia and
the Krasnoyarsk Territory with Tuva, passes directly through Ergaki.
Public transport on this road comes down to Krasnoyarsk-Kyzyl buses
passing through Minusinsk and Abakan. Buses run 3 times during the day
and once again at night; they stop in the area of the tourist centers
and the visitor center. Theoretically, there are Tuvan private travelers
who gather at the Abakan station for the arrival of the train, but the
possibility of leaving with them to Ergak has not been explored. The
flow of cars along the Kyzyl highway is quite large for such a
wilderness; during the day, cars pass every 3-5 minutes, and it is
apparently possible to hitchhike. If you start from Abakan, it is best
to take a Minusinsk minibus to the circle at the entrance to the city
(Minusinsk) and catch a car there.
In the northern direction, the
nearest center of civilization is the village of Ermakovskoye, where the
highway runs along the outskirts, and you can, if necessary, take a bus,
simultaneously visiting pre-revolutionary houses and a museum created
based on Lenin’s exile. Shushenskoye is less convenient because it is
located away from the highway. To the south, the nearest populated area
is the Tuvan town of Turan. It is also located on the highway, but you
can safely skip it if you have transport all the way to Kyzyl.
The distance from Abakan and Kyzyl is 200 km each. Ergaki is located
exactly in the middle, the drive takes 2.5-3 hours. As of the summer of
2016, the road has been repaired, the surface is good everywhere, and
the views from the highway are unforgettable, especially on the Tuvan
side.