Dzherginsky Nature Reserve, Russia

The Dzherginsky Reserve is a complex of unique geological and water objects, peculiar landscapes, centers of concentration of rare or endangered species of plants and animals. A distinctive feature of the reserve, which is spread over an area of 238,088 thousand hectares, is that the impact of the anthropogenic factor on the ecosystem of even border areas is almost minimal due to the lack of industrial centers and large settlements within a radius of more than 200 km. In winter, along the Tazy-Uoyan road, you can see elk and red deer, and towards the Amut lakes, you can see herds of reindeer. From May to June you can meet bears, red deer, roe deer, elks, wild boars. In the summer, you can admire the birds - golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, swan, loon. In autumn, you can hear the "concert" of mountain deer and even see them. The uniqueness of the reserve is that here you can watch wild animals in their natural habitat, accompanied by professional guides of the reserve. Currently, 1208 species of animals have been recorded in the protected area, including invertebrates - 1003 species, fish - 8, amphibians - 3, reptiles - 5, birds - 146, mammals - 43. The floristic list is 1170 species. 3 species listed in the IUCN Red List, 19 species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and 66 species in the Red Book of Buryatia live and grow on the territory of the reserve.

The reserve is home to 29 species of fauna listed in the Red Book of Buryatia, of which 7 species are listed in the Red Book of Russia: black stork, imperial eagle, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, river otter. In addition, the white-tailed eagle is also listed in the Red Book of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

 

Sights

Amut basin
Of all the varieties of natural attractions, the relict glacial Amut Basin, which is an underdeveloped (embryonic) basin of the Baikal type with a chain of unique large and small lakes, stands in a special row. The Amut Basin is located in the north-eastern part of the reserve in the form of a bowl elongated from the south-west to the north-east for 16-17 km, and from the south-east to the north-west for 8-9 km. The absolute height above sea level is 1210 - 1240 meters. All lakes of the Amut Basin are of great scientific, educational, recreational, health-improving, spiritual and aesthetic significance.

The Amut Basin has a peculiar geographical position at the junction of the closures of three large mountain ranges - the Barguzinsky, Ikatsky and South Muya ranges. The lakes of the Amut Basin are moraine-dammed. They were formed as a result of the passage of a glacier. Lakes Am vsscht, Churikto and Balan-Tamur are separated by ridges and are located at different heights above sea level. In the chain of alpine lakes of the Amut Basin, several large ones stand out - Amut, Yakondynko, Tamur and Churikto, Lake Malan-Zurkhen. In addition, the Amut basin is strewn with countless small lakes. Lake Amut (from the Evenk. "Lake, sea") is the largest in the reserve, located in the northern part of the Amut basin at an altitude of 1400 m above sea level. It has a T-shape, 4m wide and 8.5m long, with an absolute depth of 70m. A characteristic feature of Amut is its heterogeneity in terms of thermal regime. In summer, there is an inconstancy of temperature indicators (up to 5-6 degrees). In general, the lake is characterized by low temperatures. This is the most transparent lake in the Amut Basin, it has 4 small tributaries and the only source is the Amut channel. Species composition of the lake: grayling, lenok, burbot, river minnow.

Lake Yakondykon - (perch lake) is located in the northeastern part of the Amut basin between two moraine ridges, witnesses of ancient glaciers. The lake has a T-shape, the width at its widest point is 0.8 km, and the length is 1.2 km. the average depth is 15-20 m. The lake is picturesquely buried in the greenery of elfin cedar. Lake Yakondykon is connected to the Barguzin River by the Amut channel. This is the only lake in the Amut Basin inhabited by perch. Lake Balan-Tamur is a lake-like extension of the Barguzin River of almost regular rounded shape with large differences in depth from 1-2 to 10 m. The bottom of the lake is dotted with many large boulders. Lake Balan-Tamur is very rich in fish. Taimen, grayling, burbot, river minnow live here. According to Buryat and Evenk legends, Lake Balan-Tamur bears the name of the Evenk shaman Balan-Tamur and is considered sacred. From ancient times up to the present day, elders of clans come to the lake and ask “for more rain, no forest fires, a lot of animals and crops in the forests, and more health.”

Lake Churikto, as well as Lake Blanc-Tamur, is a lake-like extension of the Barguzin River, up to 5 meters deep. A small stream flows into the lake. Lake Malan-Zurkhen is endorheic, without fish. It is not the deepest lake (14 m), the lake is interesting with a ghostly island that appears every 10-15 years. The following types of fish are found in the lakes: Baikal-Lena grayling, lake grayling, Siberian char, perch, Amur spike, burbot, river minnow and Red Book species - lenok (Red Book of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation) and taimen (Red Book of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, IUCN Red List) . Black-throated diver, whooper swan, black mallard, hawk-nosed scoter, hobby bird, hawk-owl, and white-tailed eagle nest on the lakes (Red Book of the Republic of Belarus, RF, Red List of IUCN). In the upper reaches of the river Barguzin is inhabited by the river otter, also a rare protected species. The forest subspecies of the reindeer is constantly kept on the high-mountain tundra. On the slopes of the ridges framing the Amut Basin, small colonies of the black-capped marmot were noted. The Barguzin River is one of the largest rivers in the Baikal region, the third largest after the Selenga and the Upper Angara, with a length of about 480 km. This is a mountain river, originating from the spurs of the Ikat and South Muya hebts, with a winding channel, a fast current, an abundance of rapids and rifts, with steep banks made of bedrock, pebbles and sandstone. During 5-6 months of the year the river is ice-bound. Barguzin is notable for the lake Balan-Tamur, which is an extension of the riverbed. The Barguzin River is born very beautifully - hundreds of streams flow down, uniting into a single stream, forming a mountainous rapidly-stormy Barguzin. Falling from the mountains, uprooting trees with roots, sweeping away stones in its path, washing away the banks, it rushes along a winding channel. In the middle of its turbulent flow along the Amut Basin, it overflows, forming Lake Balan-Tamur. The Barguzin is the main artery of the Barguzin Valley and flows into Lake Baikal.

Waterfall on the river Yurgon
On the river Yurgon, in a small picturesque canyon, there is a waterfall Yurgon. Its height is about 4 meters, width - about 3 meters. The stream falls from a narrow rocky section into an azure lake, and a pebble island is located a little lower than the lake.

Thermal spring Megdelgun (Megdylkon). The source of Megdylkon is located. 26 km from the Umkhei thermal spring on the left bank of the Barguzin River. Water temperature 40oC. Coordinates 55о12/s. sh. 111o13/v. d.

In the area of the Megdelgun thermal spring, forb birch-spruce forests, thickets of bird cherry and fieldfare, plants similar to low-grass plain steppes grow. All these communities are completely uncharacteristic of the rest of the protected area and are very rare in Northern Transbaikalia.

You can stay overnight in the village. Maysk. Hotel at the office of the protection department of the reserve (7 beds) You can also spend the night on the territory of the reserve in cordon houses, in tents.

 

Ecological Routes

Ecological route "Stars of Balan - Tamura"
The length of the route is 38 km. Estimated travel time: 120 hours. Method of movement of visitors along the route: on foot, horseback.Seasonality of using the route: the route is valid from June to September.Maximum permissible load on the excursion trail: no more than 10 groups per month, the maximum group size is 15 people. behavior in the reserve. Description of the route: The trail starts from the cordon "Kovyli" to the cordon "Balan-Tamur" through the cordon "Amut". The trail runs along the Barguzin River in the upper reaches to the lakes of the Amut Basin with beautiful landscapes. Picturesque waterfall on the river. Yurgon, unique water bodies of the Amut Basin: mountain lakes Amut, Balan-Tamur, Malan-Zurkhen, Churikto and Yakondykan. Recommended target audience of visitors: nature lovers. Arrangement and equipment of the route: 4 huts, tables, benches, fireplaces, stoves, information boards. Duration of the tour - 7 days / 6 nights

Ecological route: "Jirga"
The length of the route is 34 km. Estimated travel time: 120 hours. Method of movement of visitors along the route: on foot, horseback. Seasonality of using the route: all year round. Maximum permissible load on the excursion trail: no more than 10 groups per month, the maximum group size is 15 people. Requirements for the mode of stay on the route: compliance with the rules of conduct in the reserve. Brief description of the route: The trail starts from the cordon "Jirga" to Lake Jirga. The length of the trail is 34 km. The trail passes through the river valley. Jirga in the lower part with meadow vegetation, in the upper part of the bush, shrub-moss swamps, alpine light forest, mountain lake Dzhirga, located on the watershed. Recommended target audience: nature lovers. Arrangement and equipment of the route: 3 huts, information boards.

Ecological route: "Trail of the old Evenk"
The length of the route is 28 km. Estimated travel time: 72 hours. Method of movement of visitors along the route: on foot, horseback.Seasonality of using the route: the route is valid from June to September.Maximum permissible load on the excursion trail: no more than 8 groups per month, the maximum group size is 15 people. behavior in the reserve. Brief description of the route: The trail starts from the cordon "Balan-Tamur" to the road "Tazy-Uoyan" in the area "81 km". The trail runs along the banks of the river. Barguzin. Main attractions: unique sections of the upper reaches of the river. Barguzin with rocky clamps, white-tailed eagle nesting (IUCN), section of the Quiet Plesy river. Recommended target audience: nature lovers. Arrangement and equipment of the route: trail marking, 4 huts, tables, benches, fireplaces, stoves, information boards.

Ecological route: "From the sources of Barguzin to Northern Baikal"
Route length: 90 km. Estimated time of the route: 72 hours. Method of movement of visitors along the route: on foot, horseback, automobile. Main attractions: the Pass area (panoramic view of the Barguzin valley), the Shergikan area, the mouth of the Kovyli River (non-freezing lake) , Birankhur (ilakan - steppe slopes - the opportunity to see brown bears during the rut, ungulates all year round), Kovyli area, Quarry area, ford 81 km, Pass 96 km area (panoramic view of the northern part of the reserve). Seasonality of using the route: all year round. Requirements for the mode of stay on the route: compliance with the rules of conduct in the reserve. Brief description of the route: the route passes through the territory of the reserve, along the western border and completely crosses the territory of the reserve from south to north. The route is being developed within the framework of the Federal Target Program "Protection of Lake Baikal and socio-economic development of the Baikal Natural Territory" for 2015-2020. The trail starts from the Umkhey cordon along the Tazy-Uoyan fire-fighting road. Recommended target audience: nature lovers. Arrangement and equipment of the route: the route is equipped with information boards and signs, recreation areas, parking lots, observation and observation towers.

 

Geography

Located in the upper reaches of the Barguzin River at the junction of three large mountain ranges - the Barguzinsky, Ikatsky and Yuzhno-Muisky ranges. Occupies the Amut Basin with the adjacent slopes of the ranges up to their watersheds in the north and east. In the south, the border runs along the valley of the Seya River, in the west - along the left bank of the Barguzin.

The area of ​​the reserve is 238,088 hectares; of these, the area occupied by water is 894 hectares. A 2 km wide buffer zone with a total area of ​​about 7.5 million hectares has been created around the reserve. Due to the mountainous relief and inaccessibility, the territory of the reserve has suffered little from human activities.

 

Climate

The climate is characterized by a sharp continentality, harshness and aridity. The frost-free period lasts an average of 83 days.

Flora and fauna
The forest belt is dominated by larch forests. At the moment, more than 650 species of vascular plants, 29 species of rare and endemic plants have been identified in the reserve, 201 species of vertebrates are noted: fish - 6 species, amphibians - 3, reptiles - 4, birds - 145, mammals - 43. Elk live in the reserve , musk deer, red deer, wild boar, Siberian roe deer, rarely - reindeer.