Best places in Burabay National Park –
One-day and multi-day individual tours in Akmola region –
Lake Shchuchye is a living organism, breathing cold depths and pulsating with underwater currents. When you stand on its shore, especially in the pre-dawn hours, it seems as if you have entered a parallel world – everything here is so different from the usual reality. The water here has a strange property – it is not just cold (even in July it does not warm up above +18°C at the surface), but somehow... alive. Local old-timers say that in ancient times shamans buried their dead in these waters – it was believed that the lake preserves souls. And who knows, maybe that is why today divers sometimes see strange glowing balls in the depths, which local hydrologists cannot explain. The length of the lake is 7.5 kilometers, the width is 3 kilometers. The lake is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest along its entire perimeter. The village of Shchuchinsk is located nearby. The lake is part of the Burabay National Park. In the same area there are other interesting natural attractions such as: Lake Maloye Chebachye, Lake Bolshoe Chebachye and Lake Borovoe (Auliekol). There is tourist infrastructure, holiday homes and hotels in several places around the lake. You can also rent a boat or catamaran for a walk around the lake.
How to get there and visit –
Lake Shchuchye is located near the village of Shchuchinsk in the Burabay National Nature Park, Burabay District, Akmola Region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 52°58'43"N 70°12'36"E
Information –
The main feature of Shchuchye Lake is its depth. Despite its relatively small size (only 3.5 km in length), the lake's depths goes down 36 meters - this is like a 12-story building placed vertically. And imagine - at the bottom there are real underwater rocks, caves and even a small canyon where sunlight does not penetrate. Fishermen swear that there is a pike the size of a person - they called it "Queen Pike" and say that it appears only before serious changes in the weather. In the summer, the lake is transformed - its banks are covered with a carpet of fireweed and wild carnations, and the air is filled with the aroma of pine needles and honey. But only the desperate swim here - even in the heat, the water does not warm up above +15 ° C at depth. But fishermen have a field day - in addition to the legendary pike, there are burbot, whitefish and vendace, which the locals call "goldfish" for its bright fins. In winter, the lake becomes a place of pilgrimage for ice fishing enthusiasts. The ice here is crystal clear, and through it you can see schools of fish moving in the depths. But old fishermen always pitch a tent in certain places - they say that closer to the center of the lake the ice is thinner, as if it is being undermined by a warm current from below.
Lake Shchuchye is not just a point on the map of Burabay, but a living organism with its own character and secrets. Here, the depth is not only in meters (although 36 m is serious!), but also in those inexplicable sensations that overwhelm everyone who stops on its shore.
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