The Barguzin River: description, attractions and reviews

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Baikal is one of the most famous lakes on the planet. Lies in Eastern Siberia. It is deep-sea, it is the largest reservoir in the world of the purest fresh water. One of the significant tributaries of Baikal is the Barguzin River, the description and main characteristics of which are given in the article.

Description

The length of the Barguzin River, which flows through Buryatia and is its main waterway, is 480 kilometers, the basin area exceeds 21 thousand square kilometers. The source of this reservoir lies to the east of Lake Baikal, at the point where the Ikatsky and South Muysky ridges converge. Further, the Barguzin River carries its waters through the relic glacial Amut Basin through the territory of the Dzherginsky State Nature Reserve.

Below the channel passes through the taiga swampy valley, which is gradually transformed into a deep gorge. Here the river is very picturesque, forming many rapids and powerful plums.

The next section of the flow is represented by a flat area, which forms the intermountain Barguzin basin. The local waters flow relatively calmly to the villageBarguzin.

Near the northeastern shore of Lake Baikal, the river passes the Barguzinsky Range and flows into the largest and deepest Baikal bay - Barguzinsky. The mouth of the reservoir is located on the eastern side in the central part of the lake. Its waters in this place pass through small rapids, go around the rift - underwater and protruding stones, clouded by numerous silt and rainfall.

Hydrology

The river basin is mainly fed by rainfall. The water content of the river varies with the flow: the minimum is 130 cubic meters. m / s, maximum - 670 cubic meters. m/s.

The reservoir is navigable all year round within the Mogoito pier, which is located 226 km from the mouth. During spring floods and during summer floods, ships reach the tributary of the Garga, which is located 250 km from the mouth of the Barguzin River.

Part of the river valley is used for agricultural land, and its waters irrigate fields and gardens.

Tributaries

The Barguzin River has many small, medium and large branches. The main tributaries are:

• the swift river Garga with clean clear water feeds the main artery of Buryatia on the left;
• Argada river - on the left;
• Ina - left tributary, almost completely flows through the mountainous taiga area;
• Wulyun River - right arm.

Flora

On the banks of the river, leafy trees grow - light coniferous forests, the main species of which is larch. The undergrowth is formed by alder, shrub birch, willow,rhododendron, elfin cedar, wild rosemary (this medicinal plant is successfully used in folk medicine). In total, more than 650 plant species have been studied in these places, more than 30 of which are rare or endemic.

In addition to the forest belt, the river valley is characterized by meadows, wetlands and willows.

Fauna

The riverside has become home to many animal species. The upper reaches were chosen by the river otter. Sables, squirrels, foxes, Siberian weasels, ermines, lynxes, roe deer, musk deer, and deer live in the forest belt. Of the large animals, there are Siberian roe deer, elks, wild boars and brown bears. The black-capped marmot settled in small colonies on the slopes of the hills.

In winter, you can stumble upon a nomadic herd of reindeer near the river. True, they are very rare.

A lot of birds nest along the banks of this reservoir. Here you can observe black-throated loons, the meat of which the indigenous population eats, graceful whooper swans, black mallards, hook-nosed scoter. In the summer, a hobby falcon arrives in this area - a medium-sized bird of prey belonging to the falcon family. The competition in the hunt for prey is made up of the white-tailed eagle - a feathered predator from the hawk family, the hawk owl.

The Barguzin River is very rich in fish. The impression is made not only by its quantity, but also by species diversity. Graylings, lenoks and huge taimen, which are listed in the Red Book, burbots, river minnows, Siberian loaches, perches, Amur spikes live in the reservoir. There is also a lot of "sorova" in the riverfish: these are pike, carp, crucian carp. The Barguzin omul comes here to spawn, although recently its population has declined sharply.

Where is the Barguzin River

It flows through Buryatia in the Barguzinsky and Kurumkansky districts. River coordinates: 55 degrees and 05 minutes north latitude, 111 degrees and 50 minutes east longitude. As mentioned above, it flows into Lake Baikal, and from there through the Angara and the Yenisei reaches the Kara Sea.

Infrastructure

Single settlements are scattered along the banks of the river. As a rule, these are small settlements, the number of inhabitants in which rarely exceeds several hundred. Biggest:

• Kurumkan village with a population of 5.4 thousand people (according to the 2010 census), the administrative center of the Kurumkan region;
• the village of Barguzin, which is home to more than 5, 7 thousand people, which is confirmed by the 2010 census, the administrative center of the Barguzinsky district.

Indigenous people - the Buryats - are known for their peacefulness and hospitality.

There are practically no settlements in the upper reaches of the river. For many kilometers the riverbed is surrounded only by wild taiga and rocky shores.

Recreation and tourism

Throughout its length, the river described in the article is very picturesque. Its coasts attract lovers of outdoor activities and eco-tourism. What leisure activities can the Barguzin River offer? Rafting along its many rapids inhas recently become a very popular tourist destination. In the upper course, this is a real mountain river, the waters of which break through the riffle, rapids, rifts, plums, clamps and standing shafts. A big plus is that the complexity of the sections is different, it changes incrementally, which makes it possible to raft along the channel for beginners and experienced watermen.

Besides rafting, what else attracts the Barguzin River? Fishing for grayling, lenok and taimen is excellent here! Fans most often use spinning, spinners or reels. The place is also known for its healing mineral springs, which were discovered recently.

12 km from the village of Barguzin is the famous Shamansky threshold, high banks on both sides of which are decorated with ancient rock paintings.