Ergaki Nature Park

Ergaki is a compact granite massif in the Western Sayan where the highway from Abakan to Kyzyl crosses the range, which is unusual - most Siberian mountains take days to reach, and here the trailheads are at the roadside. The rock is sharp and vertical: the Parabola, two towers joined by a smooth curve; the Hanging Stone, a large block balanced on the edge above Lake Raduzhnoye and photographed by everyone; the Bird, the Molodozhny pass and a set of lakes in rock basins - Svetloye, Zolotarnoye, Raduzhnoye, Gornykh Dukhov. From the road the Sleeping Sayan is visible: a ridge whose profile from a particular angle reads unmistakably as a reclining man with folded hands, which local Tuvan and Russian tradition has stories about. Trails are marked and busy in August; the weather turns fast and mountain rescue registration is required.

What you actually see

• The Parabola - two granite towers joined by a smooth curve.
• The Hanging Stone - a large block balanced on the edge above Raduzhnoye.
• The Sleeping Sayan - a ridge profile reading as a reclining man, seen from the road.
• The roadside access - trailheads directly off the Abakan to Kyzyl highway.

When to go

July to September for walking; March for ski touring. Three days to a week. Registration with the rescue service is required.

Honest expectations

Weather changes violently and snow falls in summer. The trails are busy in August with limited camping. Rock scrambling on the towers is serious and unroped attempts have killed people. Bears are present. Mosquitoes in July.

Nearby

The Yenisei highway runs through the park; Kyzyl and Tuva are south.