Lake Elton has been known since ancient times, even then people were well aware of its healing properties and regularly used the services of a natural "doctor" in order to improve their he alth. At the beginning of the 20th century, a sanatorium was founded here. This is a huge s alt lake, comparable only to the Israeli Dead Sea, surrounded by natural landscapes of the desert steppe. Silt mud, brine and mineral drinking springs are valuable healing resources.
Where is Lake Elton
This is the eastern part of the Volgograd region, located almost on the border with Kazakhstan, in the Volga steppes. The depth of the lake is quite small, in summer - no more than 7 cm, in spring it can reach up to several meters. The area is 152 sq. m. A large circle of mirror surface, to which you need to walk several meters along the dried s alty crust. The required level of the lake supports 7 rivers. At the bottom there are outlets of s alty springs. The lake is located 18 meters below sea level.
Not suitable for bathing, as it is filled not with water, but with brine - an oily liquid, bitter-s alty in taste. It is oversaturated with a solution of table s alt, as well as macro- and microelements. Lake Elton is decorated with another attraction - Mount Ulagan, which is a constantly growing s alt dome.
Another interesting feature of the reservoir is that the lake is not dead, algae live in the water, which give it a pink hue.
Climatic features of the region
When planning to relax on Lake Elton or get medical treatment in a sanatorium, be sure to take sunscreen creams and oil with you. The sun is burning here, almost instantly burns both the face and other open areas of the body. The wind almost does not stop, so dark glasses will be a useful thing. They will solve two problems at once: they will protect from the bright sun and wind-blown dust. The temperature difference between day and night is very noticeable, so if you are going on a long excursion, stock up on warm clothes, they will come in handy if you return in the evening.
The heat here is hard to bear, so when leaving the hotel room, take a hat and a supply of drinking water with you. If you suffer from heart disease, then choose to travel in spring or autumn when the weather is milder.
Today the resort is open 12 months a year, the average air temperature here in the winter months is -11 degrees.
For lovers of new experiences
Natural beauty is herespecific, you need to get used to them, especially for a Russian person who likes the sound of the wind in the tops of the trees and the singing of birds. Here you will not find either one or the other. As already mentioned, the surroundings are a bare steppe, in which a pinkish lake is located. It is not recommended to drive close by car because of the s alty mud in which the wheels slip, and a large amount of s alt pretty much spoils metal and rubber. On a sunny day, the eyes are blinding as if from snow, and only in the evening, when the sunset paints Lake Elton in magical red tints, you can appreciate the beauty of these places.
This is the real kingdom of s alt. It frames the lake in the form of a wide variety of crystals. They resemble either snow flakes or bizarre snowflakes: with sharp needles, oval, cubic. Here it makes sense to walk around with a camera and look for a more interesting frame. S alt gets stuck in the hair, felt on the entire surface of the skin, settles on the lips … The smallest particles of it are constantly carried by the wind, which makes it seem that this is where the air can be tasted.
He alth tourism
To do this, there is a sanatorium on Lake Elton. It is located 6 km from the lake, so tourists receive all the procedures in the local mud bath. Thrill-seekers can take a hike to get the gifts of nature in a natural environment on their own, or take advantage of the daily tour. Twice a day, a bus leaves for the lake, which takes out those who want to take a "wild bath". The advantages of such a trip are that it is here that the high temperature works for you, and even a speci althe air of these places. Then, covered with a s alt crust, you have to drive back to take a shower.
For comparison: fresh mud from the lake is also brought to the sanatorium twice a day. It is applied as an application to the body, after which the patient is wrapped in polyethylene and covered with a blanket. The procedure lasts 15-20 minutes, then you can take a shower (without a washcloth and soap). Next, in accordance with the instructions of the doctor, a sweating procedure is performed: the patient is wrapped in several blankets and given hot tea to drink.
Not only mud, but the "water" of the lake itself is also healing. Rapa is recommended for the treatment of many diseases, and the best effect can be achieved by alternating brine and mud baths. Your choice is to use the services of a sanatorium or the opportunity to plunge into the lake itself.
What causes the healing effect
Lake Elton is very popular among Russians. The Volgograd region is much closer to Israel, and treatment can be even more effective, since the s alt content exceeds 1.5 times their concentration in the Dead Sea water. Therapeutic muds irritate the receptors of the skin and blood vessels. Organic acids, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogenous substances penetrate the skin into the bloodstream and affect the functioning of internal organs.
Mud is a natural source of vitamins, enzymes, hormone-like and other biologically active substances. The mud procedure as a whole affects the entire body, the nervous and endocrine systems.
Magical mud and brine
Treatment at Lake Elton every year are hundreds of people. The procedures bring significant relief, and subsequent therapy will give an even more tangible result. Therefore, for chronic diseases, people practice annual treatment at a local sanatorium.
High-s alt silt, sulfide, bromine mud is a homogeneous, oily mass, a bit reminiscent of grease. It is also not easy to wash, it smells of hydrogen sulfide. The crust of dirt on the body retains heat well, which is a catalyst for starting recovery processes. S alt Lake Elton is famous for the chemical composition of the mud. It contains magnesium and sodium chloride, bromine, iodine, magnesium and calcium sulfate, calcium silicate, magnesium, aluminum. There is also iron sulfide, silicic acid, organic substances.
It is precisely because of this amount of impurities that the Elton s alt lake is no longer used for the extraction of edible s alt. Thanks to this, it has retained its original appearance and today can be a place of healing for many people.
Breed is an even more amazing substance. As you approach the lake, the s alty crust begins to break under your feet and you sink into the mud. Having enjoyed these sensations enough, you can go further. Here, the crust already fully supports the weight of a person, and it is covered with an oily liquid in which undissolved s alt crystals float. In the hot season, it is completely difficult to dive into the brine, the depth barely reaches 10 cm, but the concentration of s alts is such that it begins to corrode the skin. More balanced brine baths for youoffered in the sanatorium.
They include calcium chloride and magnesium, magnesium sulfide, calcium carbonate and sulfate, organic matter, bromine and boron. During brine baths, the smallest s alt crystals settle on the skin, which continue their healing effect after the end of the procedure.
Benefits for your he alth
Rest on Lake Elton will be useful to everyone without exception. The eastern part of this mysterious reservoir is most suitable for swimming and enjoying the views. Treatment is prescribed according to medical indications, but it has a beneficial effect on the entire body. Metabolic processes are activated, hematopoiesis normalizes, immunity increases, the nervous system strengthens, the condition of the skin improves, efficiency increases, blood pressure normalizes.
Elton mud is similar to that which comes from the Dead Sea, and brine is 1.5 times higher than its waters in terms of concentration of nutrients. Many note a pronounced bactericidal effect. The mud of Lake Elton is used in the form of general and local applications. They are used to treat diseases of the joints, bones and muscles, the central and peripheral nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, and ENT organs. Diseases of the genitourinary system (both female and male) respond well to mud treatment. In addition, Lake Elton is a real panacea for patients suffering from chronic skin diseases.
Contraindications for mud treatment
Despite the widerange of indications and the undeniable benefits of Elton's we alth, consult your doctor before going to the lake. If you go to the official website of the resort, you can read rave reviews. Lake Elton easily conquers the hearts of people, but still there are contraindications for treatment that must be taken into account:
- Pregnancy.
- Any diseases in the acute stage.
- STDs.
- All blood diseases in acute form.
- Tuberculosis.
- Severe forms of hypertension.
- Any bleeding.
- Mental illness.
- Drug addiction and alcoholism.
If you should not use mud and brine baths today, this does not mean at all that you cannot visit Elton. The lake offers treatment in the form of the purest air, the famous mineral drinking spring, as well as nature itself - calm, unhurried, pacifying.
Road to Elton
Volgograd can be reached by train, car, fly by plane. Options - for every taste and budget. In the city, you can change to a bicycle or continue your journey by car. It is easy to get lost in the endless steppes, so it is better to stick to the already known route. One of these is the path from Volgograd through the village of Volzhsky and Leninsk, but a bad steppe road leads to the lake. The second route is longer, it goes through Volzhsky, Nikolaevsk, Pallasovka, but for almost the entire route it is an asph alt road. Feel free to take a trip to Lake Elton! Howget there, any local resident will tell you, even if you go astray.
Nature Park Tours
One of the most popular services is the rental of bicycles, on which you can take a tour of the surroundings. There is something to see here. The tour usually starts from the lake itself. After listening to stories about miraculous healings, tourists head to Mount Ulagan. This dome is unique not only because it is made of s alt, but its height fully corresponds to the depression of the lake. But that's not all! Here, rocks come to the surface, the history of which dates back to the Jurassic period, often with preserved samples of flora and fauna. Fossils of ancient mollusks can be found here on the surface, without excavation. This mountain is also interesting for its stunning views of the entire reserve.
If you are interested in geology, you can visit the Grand Canyon, which is located next to Mount Ulagan. But usually the tour takes place around the lake. An interesting cultural monument is the abandoned village of s alt miners, Old Elton, which is located on the western shore. Here you will be told about the hard work of the villagers who had to get and load the precious goods, protect themselves from nomadic raids and deliver the s alt unscathed through a difficult section of the steppe. An outpost was created here, which served as a fortress protecting people.
From here the path runs north, along the bed of the Hara River. The places are enchanting, with a completely unusual landscape. Even the plants here are unusual, adapted to the s alty soil and mineral water. Maybe that's why it's hereso many rare species of trees and herbs that are not found anywhere else. Surprisingly, a huge number of various species of ducks gather on this s alty river, even common cranes fly here.
A mandatory attribute of the tour is a visit to the Devil's Bridge. It no longer exists, it existed at the time of active s alt mining on the lake, almost 400 years ago. Now only the ruins of a stone dam have been preserved here. Further the route runs along the Khara riverbed to the Botanicheskaya beam. It will be of interest to connoisseurs and lovers of botany, but for an uninitiated tourist it is just bushes and herbs. About 400 species of plants grow here. Among them you can find trees - apple trees and buckthorn; shrubs - sloe, wild rose, blackberry. Interesting rare species located on the slopes. These are tulips and irises, almonds, asparagus, valerian, tansy, tarragon.
If you're lucky, you can take photos of insects listed in the Red Book. This is a long-legged kravchik, motley ascalaf.
A walk under the hot sun makes itself felt, and tourists move towards the long-awaited Smorogdinsky mineral spring. The composition of the water resembles the waters of the famous springs in Kislovodsk, although you may not like the taste out of habit.
Here, lovers of cultural recreation can leave their bicycles and take a trip to the ethnographic museum. It is unique in that it was created and maintained by one person, a history teacher. These are four buildings located side by side. The first tells about Russian life. This is a hut, cleaned for everyonetraditional canons. Nearby is a Kazakh yurt, demonstrating the life of the nomadic people. The second yurt is a dining area, here, according to your order, a real dastarkhan with beshbarmak, baursaks and delicious tea is served. The fourth house is a museum of s alt mining.
The tour is led by the creator of the museum, a historian who knows and loves his land. He will tell you everything you want to know about Lake Elton. The Volgograd region is the real passion of this enthusiastic person.
A visit to the Elton Natural Park can be a real adventure, full of new experiences, and even a budget family vacation. Therapeutic baths will improve the state of he alth, normalize the nervous system. This place is ideal for spending time in a pleasant and useful way.
