Lake Kardyvach

44 km from the famous resort of Krasnaya Polyana, at an altitude of 1838 m above sea level there is the lake Kardyvach, a favorite by tourists - one of the most beautiful in the Krasnodar Territory. This is one of the most popular areas of the Caucasian state natural biosphere reserve.

The name of the lake came from Karachai and Abazin languages ​​- the border with Karachaevo-Cherkessia runs alongside, and the Abasinian language refers to the Abkhaz-Abazin branch of the Caucasus languages. One of the given values ​​is "on a clearing in the hollow": from the "kuar" - the gully, the hollow; "Dy" - glade; "Gvach" - inside. And there is a version where the peaks of the nearest mountains "shared" the name with the lake - Kardyvach Chief and Kardyvach Uzlovaya. According to this version, this is a modified Kar Bash - "snow head", or from the Turkic "black top" or "top of the earth".

Lake Kardyvach was formed as a result of the movement of glaciers about 3.5 thousand years ago. Once the lake was more elongated: mountain streams, for years bringing fragments of rock, contributed to its shallowing and reduction in size.
Lake Kardyvach is almost oval, except for the bay in the south, and stretched from west to east. The length of the reservoir is 450 - 500 m, width - from 230 to 360 m. The area of ​​the lake is 133 thousand square meters. M, the maximum depth is 17 m. The lake is located at the southern slope of the Main Caucasian Range and is surrounded from the west by the Loyub peak (2970 m), from the north and east by the Kardivach mountain node with snow tops of Tsyndyshha (3139.5 m), Kardyvach Chief (3140, 5 m), Kardyvach Uzlovaya (2960 m), from the south-east - the ridge of Kutekeku (2558 m).

From the southwestern part of the lake, the Mzymta River, the longest of the rivers of the Russian Federation, flowing into the Black Sea, begins. Upper Mzymta flows from the north to Kardyvach, flowing from Lake Verkhny Kardyvach at an altitude of 2472 m, where the snow lies all summer. In addition to it, two streams flow into the left part of the lake - Kutahyeku (Sineozerny) and Lagerny.
Along the shores of the lake grows a rare, crooked avalanches and snow fir-birch forest. But in the summer the surroundings, as they say, "bloom": the meadows are full of azure forget-me-nots, white daisies, sun arnica and oregano, numerous red, crimson, pink, blue flowers are fragrant, making the air sweet and vivifying.

7-8 months of the year the lake is hidden under the ice. Even in summer, the air temperature hardly rises above +20 ° C, and the water does not warm above +12 ° C. Partly, therefore, the lake is almost lifeless: there are no fish in it, only small crustaceans and protozoan microorganisms. In the 30s of the last century, trout were attempted to settle in Kardyvach, but it did not take root in the lake. Plus downstream Mzymta is the Emerald waterfall, which can not be overcome by the mountain trout that inhabits the river.

In the vicinity of Lake Kardyvach, there are chamois, mountain tours, bears and a poisonous Caucasian viper.
The color of the lake varies depending on the season. In spring the water is almost green, in autumn it is blue. Often the color of the water changes depending on the weather, making the neighborhood even more picturesque: blue clouds brighten the lake's waters in cool dark blue tones, under the rays of the sun it shines with bright emerald highlights. Lake Kardyvach is also called the Mirror Lake: in the calm its smooth and even surface looks like a huge mirror.

Trekking to Kardyvach lake is a popular kind of active recreation for nature lovers and hiking tours in the vicinity of Krasnaya Polyana. The best time to visit the lake is July, August, and sometimes the beginning of September. In June, there are still places in the snow, and in October - early November, most often it falls.

The trek to Kardyvach lake consists of two parts. The first is a trip on an off-road car from Krasnaya Polyana to Engelman glades. The road is not easy, only about 20 km the rise is about 700 m. At an altitude of 1200 m, at the barrier of the reserve cordon on the Engelman Glades, a hike begins: up to the lake - 18 km along a good path along the right bank of Mzymta. Considering the ascent from 1200 to 1800 m, the journey takes about 6 hours.

There are also variants of the way through the Psdokh cardboard and the Aishkh pass, or through the Grushevy ridge, also leading to the glade of Engelman, the famous Narzan springs.

Rising to the lake Kardyvach from below, from the valley of Mzymta, you meet with him unexpectedly: behind the next turn Mzymta's noise subsides and the river slows down on an even grassy glade. Here the river can be waded and ... before the eyes there is a striking blue of quiet calm lake waters.

Due to the absence of complex technical areas and a small set of heights, a trek to Lake Kardyvach can be considered ideal for three to four days' hiking even for people with no experience of hiking.