Summer Bashkiria is a land of green hills, clear lakes and mountains with stunning views and blooming ski slopes. On Lake Bannoy, located 55 km from Magnitogorsk, everyone will find something to their liking. Beach or extreme recreation, rapid descents along downhill trails or hiking in the mountains in search of an ancient petroglyph, SUP riding or conquering rock climbing routes, horseback riding or paintball – the choice of adventures here is huge, and the emotions from them and the surrounding nature are unforgettable.
According to legend, during the campaign, the army of Emelyan Pugachev stopped here for a bath day – since then the lake, which the Bashkirs call Yakty-Kul, began to be called Banny.
How to get to Lake Bannoe
A plane ticket from Moscow to Magnitogorsk will cost 9,000 rubles* per person round trip. Then you can get to your destination by taxi for about 1000 rubles*.
Where to stay on Lake Bannoye
In the village of Zelenaya Polyana you can choose accommodation to suit every taste – from hostels and sanatoriums to an eco-hotel in an alpine style. We have selected several good options:
AlpenHof – from 1000 rubles* per night per person;
Hotel “Mayak” – from 2800 rubles* per night per person.
What to do on Lake Bannoye
The resort has two centers of attraction for tourists – the lake of the same name, the deepest in Bashkortostan, and the Metallurg-Magnitogorsk ski center. Let’s start our walk from the reservoir – its maximum depth reaches 30 meters, and the purity of the water allows you to see the bottom from 4-5 meters.
Lake Bannoye
Here you can go SUP riding (rent from 300 rubles* per hour), water catamarans (from 200 rubles* per hour), wakeboard (from 400 rubles* per lap), kayak (from 400 rubles* per hour) or boat (700 rubles* for 5 minutes).
Sunbathe on numerous beaches, developed and wild, and also take a scenic walk – the fields and hills around the lake are strewn with strawberries. For a large glass they ask from 200 rubles*. But it’s nice to pick the berries yourself – just leave the village and the red-green meadows will not let you go.
For transport, use well-groomed Bashkir horses (a walk – from 700 rubles* per hour) or rent a bicycle (from 200 rubles* per hour) – a 15-kilometer route along the coast is suitable for everyone. & nbsp;
The walk will be diversified by local gophers – you can watch funny animals in their habitat right from the saddle. The animals are so accustomed to the attention of tourists that they allow people to come within arm’s length.
In addition to gophers, local horses graze in the fields, and at the beginning of summer among them there are many foals that have just gotten to their feet. Stop and admire the serenity of a thin-legged baby under the supervision of its parents – or the rapid gallop of a herd rushing among the green hills to the sound of a botal.
And in these fields there is also an epic feather grass growing – the same one from the steppe, softly creeping in the wind.
GLC “Metallurg-Magnitogorsk”
In summer, the ski center on the Yamankaya ridge turns into an Alpine-style resort: the Doppelmayer gondola lift takes tourists to a height of 948 meters in 10 minutes. There are observation decks with hammocks and cute gnome sculptures, as well as hiking and biking trails. The cost of an excursion climb is 400 rubles*, a bike pass for seven climbs is 900 rubles*. By the way, you can carry a bicycle inside the cabin.
Downhill, hiking, rock climbing, yoga with a view of the mountains or a leisurely photo hunt for panoramas, flowers and desperate extreme sports – in the summer at the GLC everyone will find entertainment to their taste. From the observation deck next to the ski lift, you can clearly see a chain of lakes framed by green hills: Bannoye itself, neighboring Sabakty, as well as Karabalykty and Ulyanda located in the distance.
Those in love with bicycles and steep descents will love the downhill trails – from green ones for beginners to black ones that only true professionals can handle. During the summer, stages of the Ural Cup in mountain biking in the downhill discipline are held at the GLC.
Both amateurs and professional athletes come to the competition – a breathtaking spectacle is guaranteed, participants literally fly along the track, dashing into turns and jumping over stones on a steep slope.
From the highest point of the lift, a path through a deciduous forest and observation platforms leads to the spurs of the Kryktytau ridge, famous for its picturesque rock formations. Here, between the Yamankaya and Kryktytau ridges, lies the Mountain Gorge – the valley of the Kuruzyak River with waterfalls and numerous rocky outcrops: Devil’s Finger, Castle with a Fireplace, Baba, Elephants. The last array resembles in shape the head of an animal lurking in the green sea.
Climbers will appreciate the choice of routes – there are more than 30 routes from simple 5c to the most difficult 8b, and it is convenient to set up a camp under a rock right on the river bank. You can climb to the top of the Elephants without special equipment – and admire the surrounding rocks and open spaces from above.
If you’re into archeology, look for a petroglyph here – a carved image of a bird in stone. According to one version, it dates back to the 1st millennium BC, according to another, it is the creation of modern climbers; scientists have not yet come to a consensus. Maybe you can solve the riddle?
After walking around the mountains, you can go down to the village or return to the cable car station and have lunch at the high-mountain restaurant “Mountain Gorge” with the best views in the resort. If your accommodation does not include meals, try dinner at Salvador, which offers European cuisine, tables in the fireplace room and panoramic views of the lake.
There is also something to do downstairs – there is also karting (320 rubles* for 5 minutes), and paintball (from 200 rubles*), and an adventure park with an obstacle course (from 100 rubles* for 20 minutes), and picnic fields (rent from 1800 rubles* per day, capacity – 15 people).
In Magnitogorsk itself, check out Central Beach and the park near the Eternal Flame nearby — it was recently restored. Now it’s nice to take a walk here, train on two pump tracks (a special cycling track with alternating holes, bumps and counter-slopes) or lie on the beach. And don’t forget to take a photo with the buried Gulliver – the giant art object installed last year attracts attention from afar with body parts sticking out of the sand, creating the illusion of a huge man buried in the sand.
*Prices valid at time of publication
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