The nature of the Crimean peninsula is known for its pristine and stunningly beautiful corners: mountain ranges and rocks, caves and waterfalls, forests and steppe wastelands. But the lakes are especially good in Crimea: many of them are unique in the composition of the water, its surrounding flora and fauna. One of such colorful places is Panagia, nicknamed the Emerald Lake in Crimea, where the place of the Earth Force is located, judging by the legends and beliefs of old-timers.
Geographical location and description
The reservoir is located in the Alushta district, in the small village of Arpat, which after the war was renamed Zelenogorye. The village is located in a mountain gorge with a fabulous view: and this is not an exaggeration or a marketing move - the one who was in these places will never forget them and will only respond with the same epithets: “magically” and “like in a fairy tale or movie”.
The emerald lake of Crimea is located at an altitude of almost 300 meters above sea level, which gives another positive aspect: the air is clean and saturated with the aroma of the local flora. It is noteworthy that the reservoir acquires the maximum green tint in late spring and then its waters are full, and near the end of summer it dries out by almost half, exposing the coastline by 5-10 meters.
To the question of tourists with backpacks about where the Emerald Lake is located, the locals answer: "Go to the Muezzin!" Many knowingly shake their heads: "Place of power."
The lake is located between two majestic mountains of the Crimean peninsula: Muezin-Kai and Choksary-Kai. They, like two lighthouses, direct tourists and connoisseurs of natural landscapes to the Emerald Lake. In Crimea there are quite a lot of diverse lakes with beautiful views, but Panagia is something special: the water in it is crystal clear and really has a bright green color due to optical illusion - this is just a reflection of the bushes and trees surrounding it, which at the time their intensive growth and flowering occupy all the space around.
Tract Panagia
The emerald lake of Crimea belongs to the tract Panagia, which foreign tourists with surprise and delight call the Crimean Switzerland. In addition to the Emerald Lake, these places include Arpatian waterfalls, a spring near the Kushen-Uzen river, the Bath of Love - with a heart shaped small lake and the Health Bath - with warm healing water formed by nature near the waterfall. There are legends that a woman who bathed in these lakes will be cured of infertility and become happy in marriage.
Even in the distant XVIII century, these places were visited by Catherine the Great - she gave such an unusual name for this area: Panagia in Greek means "the Most Holy". They say when at dawn small clouds intersect with the first rays of the sun, glare and shadows on a rock take the form of a saint, and sometimes an angel.
How to get to the Emerald Lake?
Crimea is quite mobile and you can get to any place of interest by bus, minibus or private drivers, of which there are a great many. The easiest way is to arrive in Sudak, and from it by bus - to the village of Morskoye, since fixed-route taxis run almost every hour. But the way from the Sea to Zelenogorye, where the Emerald Lake of Crimea is located, has two options:
- Hire a taxi and, with a breeze, drive home to your destination. The distance is small: about 12 km, but given the proximity to resort places and popularity among travelers, the price can be exorbitantly high. Although some impatient tourists hire a taxi immediately from Sudak, which is about 30 kilometers away.
- For a tourist 12 km with a backpack behind him is a mere trifle! You can walk this distance in good company for a fun conversation and jokes.
The invigorating water of Panagia will relieve fatigue, and beautiful views will raise the "charge level" several times.
An interesting sight of the lake
Those who visited Lake Panagia, with rapture and puppy's delight, recall the bungee stretching across the entire lake, which is the main entertainment of local children in the summer. Its main feature is its height: in the middle of the lake it rises to the level of a three-story building, so not everyone will decide on such a test of their courage, and whoever has decided it can hardly stop, repeating over and over the exciting jump into emerald waters from the highest point "Flight".
Twin Lake from Cisbaikalia
There is another Emerald Lake - in the Irkutsk Region, in the Snezhnaya River Valley, with the eponymous hostel on the lake. Lovers of cold water will love to visit this place, tempering their body. The water in the Emerald Lake is not warm Crimean, the swimming season lasts only a month and a half, and water above 25 ° C does not warm up, but it also has a saturated green color due to the reflection of coniferous dense trees along the coast.
The average depth is about six meters, but there are places where it reaches 47 meters! It is worth noting that the lake was formed on the site of a sand pit, which was used in the construction of the famous BAM (Baikal-Amur Railway).
