5,000 kilometers in 14 days: from Chelyabinsk to the Caspian Sea and back

Personally, during such a trip this summer, we found lotus fields, visited excavations in the desert, caves, salt lakes, not to mention rivers, seas, cities, etc. We just got in the car and went where our eyes were looking. As we browsed the web and talked to new people, we learned what to see and where to go next.

 

For the trip I needed: a husband who suddenly offered to go on such an adventure, a vacation application written in hindsight (because if you go on a spontaneous journey, then, of course, no later than right now), a tent and a pinch of courage.

 

 

 

 

From the rainy Chelyabinsk we headed to the sunny Bashkiria. Those who have been to these lands know the richness and charm of the Ural Mountains. The Internet read about Muradymovskaya cave 300 kilometers south of Ufa and, without thinking twice, went straight there. Not only did it go on the road all day, but it rained by the evening. There's no hotel on the way. I thought I'd have to sleep in a tent on wet grass. And yet, when it was completely dark, we reached the sanatorium, where just one spare room remained - there we spent the night.

 

Early in the morning we went with a guide on an excursion to the famous cave. It just so happened that the rest of the vacationers slept at such an early hour, and we ended up in the Muradymov gorge three of us: me, my husband and a guide. The husband, due to ligament problems, reached halfway along a very slippery route and turned to the exit. After a while, the guide became ill in the cave and he too rushed out. And I was alone. In the cave. I had to get out on my own. There.

 

 

 

 

From the sanatorium near Muradymovskaya cave we went towards Samara. The farther away from home, the warmer it became outside the window. As a result, when we got to the place of overnight stay, there was thirty-degree heat. We stopped near a village near Samara. We set up a tent by the pond. As a result, we were robbed at night by a water rat who stole a fae from a tent. Well, it happens.

 

 

 

 

The next destination was the city of Engels. On the way there managed to eat the most delicious Ossetian pies in Volsk.

 

 

 

 

We crossed the vast Volga and finally found ourselves in the suburbs of Saratov. On the avito found an apartment overlooking the embankment with the beach and filmed it for the night. I did not want to leave there - the city was small, old and colorful, very picturesque. But we had to go because there was so much more to come.

 

 

 

 

And we went to the landing site of Yuri Gagarin. And from there to the salt lake Elton near the border with Kazakhstan. We drove all day through the endless steppes on deserted roads, where it seems that a man has not stepped for a long time. Elton is literally another planet - such amazing sunsets on Elton.

 

Then there was a long road to Volgograd. It got dark, and there was no light or soul around. Wherever you look, steppe. I didn’t want to spend the night in a clean field. So at two in the morning we were in Volga, rented an apartment there, and in the morning we went to the long-awaited Volgograd. From Volgograd our way lay on Ahtubinsk.

 

 

 

 

In Akhtubinsk, we settled in a hostel and there rested: fishing, sunbathing. During the rest, I read that somewhere under astrahano There are lotus fields. And of course, we went looking for this place.

 

 

 

 

Along the way, we visited the excavations of Sarai Batu, the capital of the Golden Horde. I’ve never been to a place like this and I’m very impressed by the remains of an ancient city that seems to be reborn from the sand.

 

 

 

 

As a result, by night, instead of lotuses, we found only a recreation center on the river Kamardan near Astrakhan, where we stayed for two whole days. My husband caught a bucket of pike in an hour. And in general, we really enjoyed resting at this base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the morning, we asked the locals where to look for these mysterious lotuses, we finally found them. Huge pink flowers the size of an adult’s head on green leaves the size of an umbrella of a river spread out to the horizon – an incredible sight. You can't confuse anything, that's for sure.

 

 

 

 

In the same parts near Astrakhan came to see the beautiful snow-white mausoleum of Kurmangazy, Kazakh folk composer, musician and author.

 

It was not without difficulties and curious situations. On the way back, we ran out of gasoline, and around for many kilometers only one gas station, and it was closed for repairs. As a result, good people - Dagestani guys - helped us with gasoline.

 

Before. Volgograd They punctured the wheel, but safely changed and set up a tent in the field for the night. I couldn't sleep in the tent, so at five in the morning I went out for a walk. There was a car in the distance. Having approached me, the car braked and the man and woman driving in it gave me a watermelon for breakfast. They were carrying a whole trailer of watermelons and melons.

 

In short, in chelyabinsk We came back tired, tanned and happy. I was very impressed with our adventure. I advise everyone to try. After all, our country is huge, nature is contrasting, and life is full of surprises.