Among the reservoirs of Kazakhstan there are lakes with the same names - Shalkar (Chalkar, Chelkar). One of them is located in the West Kazakhstan region (WKO), the other - in the North Kazakhstan (NOR). Another small lake is located southwest of the Chelkar city of the same name in the Aktobe region. Transcription of titles since 2000 changed to Shalkar. This Kazakh word means "big", "huge". The steppe wind raises waves with a white cap of foam on the surface of the lakes, which resembles the expanses of the sea.
Lake Chelkar - the sea in the steppes of Western Kazakhstan
The natural reservoir is located in the West Kazakhstan region, in the southeast of the Terektinsky district, south of the city of Uralsk. The mysteries of the steppe sea occupy the minds of researchers, and the originality of nature, clean air, soft clear water and warm sandy beaches attract thousands of tourists to its shores.
The lake is about 18 km long and 14 km wide. The oval basin is slightly elongated from north to south. The average depth of the reservoir is 5 m, the maximum distance to the bottom is 18 m. The surface of the lake is at around 17 m in relation to the level of the World Ocean, and its origin causes a lot of controversy. A number of scientists consider the deepening to be a trace of the ancient Khvalyn Sea, which gradually retreated and remained within the Caspian.
Two rivers flow into Lake Chelkar (the photo is presented in the article) - Big and Small Ankaty. Only one flows out - Solyanka, a drying up tributary of the Urals. The hollow is filled with clean and transparent water from underground sources, reminiscent of the Black Sea in its chloride-sodium composition. Mineralization varies by season, averaging 14 mg/l, the reaction is slightly alkaline (pH 8.5). Water and sediment contain components with he alth benefits.
How to get to Lake Chelkar. Rest on the shores of the steppe sea
Tourists have chosen a site on the southern coast near the village of Saryumir, Shalkar district, Terektinsky district. The area lies to the southeast of the administrative center of the West Kazakhstan region (WKO). This territory is a historically important link between the Old World and the Asian part of the mainland. In ancient times, the caravan Great Silk Road passed here.
Modern transport has changed, rail, road, air prevail. A paved road leads to Lake Chelkar. On the route Uralsk - Chelkar, the distance is approximately 75 km.
Tourists stay in boarding houses on the coast, where the benefits of civilization are available. On the coast, vacationers can rent a yurt for the night and feel like ancient nomads on the Great Silk Road. Steppe plants exude spicy aromas into the air, the banks, composed of bizarrely shaped stones, sometimes covered with fine sand, gently descend to the water. Its temperature in the height of summer reaches 24°C.
Nature of Lake Chelkar (WKO)
In the south and north, Lake Chelkar is bordered by the Sasai and Santas hills. The second array is a regional geological and botanical monument. Features of the territory - the presence of solonetzes and a high degree of mineralization of groundwater. In these most difficult conditions, endemic species of flora, calcephytes, adapted to life on limestone deposits, grow. On the southern shore of the lake, opposite the village of Saryumir, there is a sandbank, its length is 8 km. There are carp, bream, pike, pike perch and other fish species in the catch of fishermen. The feathered world of the lake is rich, many species of mammals, typical for the steppe zone, live on its shores.
Ecology of Lake Shalkar
In July 2014, there was a short-term clouding of the water and pollution of the coast with greenish silt, caused by natural processes. The incident affected the mood of tourists who dreamed of visiting Lake Chelkar. The recreation area was quickly cleared, but many travelers did not dare to go to the reservoir, not knowing the causes of the natural phenomenon. The pollution turned out to be short-lived, and the very fact of its appearance confirmsthe need for further research and protection of the nature of the lake. In recent years, its level has been decreasing, a lot of water has gone after the earthquake.
Infrastructural problems
The advantages of resting on the coast are in the unusual properties of lake water and air, which have a bactericidal and regenerating effect. Some tourists are calm about the fact that there are not enough yurts to accommodate all the guests and food points on the coast for everyone who wants to visit Lake Chelkar (Kazakhstan). The recreation center needs to carry out work on the improvement of the beach, landscaping, modernization of access roads, which become impassable during rain. There are vacationers who consider the current intrusive low-level service to be a temporary phenomenon, counting on improving conditions.
Will the "Pearl of the Urals" become an international resort?
Travel to the coastal zone of Lake Chelkar is paid. Several types of entertainment are available here, including trips on catamarans, boats, horseback riding. The number of services for tourists will increase significantly after the creation of an international level recreation area on the coast. According to the press service of the regional akim, at the first stage, the authorities will develop regional tourism (until 2020). As a result, holidays in Chelkar should become more comfortable and versatile.
On the shore of the lake, it is planned to build hotels, campsites, summer houses that can be rented. The new road will connect the regional center and the coast. The firstthe stage will be completed with the creation of a he alth complex, and the final stage with the commissioning of an international tourism facility (until 2050). A ski resort and a mud bath using local peloids will be built.
Shalkar in the North Kazakhstan region
Chelkar lake is located in the east of the Aiyrtau district of North Kazakhstan region (the photo is presented in the article). The name of the reservoir is now commonly used in accordance with the traditions of the Kazakh language (Shalkar). The length of the basin, elongated in the west-east direction, is 12 km, the width is over 3 km, the maximum depth is 15 m. The lake is fed by springs and snow. Not a single river flows out of the reservoir, it is drainless, its sodium chloride composition resembles sea water.
Differences in relief in the vicinity of the lake - from steppe foothills to mountains of medium height (1500 m). The flora is characterized by the predominance of steppe and forest-steppe vegetation. The islets of the forest are represented by pine forests, the steppe areas are represented by a feather-grass-forb "sea". Typical representatives of the fauna are ungulates (wild boar, elk, roe deer, Askani deer). There are hares, squirrels, predators (steppe polecat, corsac, weasel, wolf, fox).
The southern part of the coast of the lake is higher, rocky ledges are exposed here, covered mainly with coniferous vegetation. On the southeastern coast, gentle slopes to the water and sandy beaches open up. The narrowed part, the pereuzina, separates the large and small Shalkar. The width of this small strait is 200 m. There are commercial fish in the lake: perch, crucian carp, carp andother species.
He alth season on Lake Shalkar
The healing properties of water, good opportunities for recreation and fishing glorified Lake Chelkar. The recreation centers "Springs", "Turpan", "Gornyak", "Quiet Harbor", "Pearl" and others accept tourists visiting this fertile corner. The resort is located at a distance of 70 km from the city of Kokshetau (Akmola region). The peak of tourism in the vicinity of the lake is in the summer, and the season ends in early October. The sandy beach opposite the village of Aiyrtau begins to fill with vacationers from the end of May. In the village itself, on the lands of the private sector, guest houses have been created that receive Kazakh and foreign tourists.
Turquoise lake, mountain springs, clean air, steppe sand and pine forest - all this attracts vacationers. Mixed coniferous-small-leaved forests come close to the beaches on the coast. It is nice to refresh yourself in s alt water, admire the beauty of the coast, take advantage of excellent opportunities for outdoor activities and recreation. Camp sites do not lack people who want to spend time on Lake Chelkar (the map shows the location of recreation facilities on the coast).
Bases and holiday homes
Stone buildings of rest houses rise on the banks of the reservoir, there are tent camps, campsites, which is very important for owners of their own vehicles arriving at Lake Chelkar (Kazakhstan). The recreation center "Gornyak" is located next to the rocky island. Other institutions are located in the vicinity of the lakelagoons. Tourists are accommodated in the rooms of stone multi-storey buildings, cottages, and summer houses. Most of the structures are located in the forests approaching the coast.
On the southeastern shore of Lake Chelkar there is a two-story building, a one-story cottage, 12 bungalows at the Rodniki holiday home. The distance from here to the city of Kokshetau is 70 km, to Omsk - 480 km. There is a cafe in the main building, where three meals a day are organized for vacationers. Tourists come to the lake and stay in a rest house who want to swim in the crystal clear water and take advantage of the healing properties of bottom sediments (mud). Outside of the beach season, the Rodniki rest house and other institutions on the coast do not accept tourists.
Sanatorium "Shalkar Su"
The Shalkar Su sanatorium treats and prevents diseases of the respiratory, musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine are used. The clear water of the lake has healing properties, especially useful for skin diseases. The peloids of the Borovsky deposit and healing clay, the reserves of which are located in the southern part of Lake Shalkar, are used for procedures. Lake Chelkar is a whole set of natural healing factors:
- clean air of pine forests;
- phytoncides and smells of coniferous oils, resins;
- lake water, similar in composition to sea water;
- healing mud.
Guests of the he alth resort can go on exciting walking tours around the area, ride catamarans. There is a sanatoriumShalkar Su only in summer.
Chelkar Lake in North Kazakhstan region. Recreation and entertainment
Many water activities are available in summer. You can rent a boat, catamaran, sail on a yacht. Children like the water slide, and adults are not averse to swimming in the pool with water from the lake, using the services of the sauna, bathhouse, and sports facilities.
Boat trips, walking and bus tours are organized for tourists. The route of one of the water trips runs along the southern shore of the reservoir - an integral part of the national natural park "Kokshetau" (located on the territory of North Kazakhstan and Akmola region (Kazakhstan)). Lake Chelkar, holidays on its coast are especially remembered by tourists who visited the sandy spit and the pereuzina, the southern coast surrounded by mountain forests.
The routes of many excursions pass through the North Kazakhstan region, rich in picturesque natural sites, monuments of archeology, history, national culture of the Kazakh people. There are 3,000 s alt and fresh water reservoirs in this territory. In the Aiyrtau district, tourists can see the memorial complex of Karasai and Agyntai, in Petropavlovsk - the regional museum of local history, a mosque and Orthodox churches.
