Olkhinskoe Plateau

The Olkhinskoe Plateau is a forested upland in Irkutsk Oblast, straddling the border of the Irkutsky, Slyudyansky and Shelekhovsky districts, roughly fifty kilometers from Irkutsk. Average elevations on the plateau run 500–900 meters, and its highest point is Mount Kamen Moygoty (1,224 meters). Lake Baikal borders the plateau from the south, the Irkutsk Reservoir from the northeast, and the Irkut River from the northwest. The area is best known for its bizarrely shaped rock outcrops, which have made it a popular rock-climbing and hiking destination near Irkutsk.

Rock outcrops

The plateau holds several dozen granite and rock outcrops up to 75 meters tall, many named for their resemblance to recognizable figures. The best known is Vityaz (Knight), a thirty-meter rock whose silhouette resembles an ancient Russian warrior in armor. Nearby stand Idol, about 20 meters tall, and Starukha (Old Woman, 25 meters), whose outline looks like the profile of an elderly woman. The Cherepakha (Turtle) outcrop is compared to a turtle's or crocodile's head, while Staraya Krepost (Old Fortress), built of pink granite, resembles the ruins of a medieval castle. Other outcrops include Voronii Kamen, also called Yashcher (Lizard), which looks like a prehistoric reptile; a fifteen-meter wall of flat granite blocks called Zerkala (Mirrors); a natural arch called Tsarskie Vorota (Royal Gate); a rock called Faraon (Pharaoh), resembling the silhouette of an ancient Egyptian ruler; Gepard (Cheetah), shaped like a large cat; a rock ridge called Belaya Tserkov (White Church), also known as Plavniki (Fins) for its resemblance to shark fins; and a boulder field called Shakhtai. The Vityaz, Idol, Starukha, Tsarskie Vorota and Shamansky Utyos outcrops hold the status of regional natural monuments.

Legends

Legends connected to the rocks' names were once recorded by Valentina Koksharova, a librarian from the village of Bolshoy Lug, who heard them from an elderly Yakut woman. The stories about Vityaz, Idol and Starukha explain why the outcrops look the way they do and how they got their names.

History

The Trans-Siberian Railway and the R-258 "Baikal" federal highway both cross the Olkhinskoe Plateau, connecting it to Irkutsk and Shelekhov.

Getting there

By car, reach the plateau via the Kultuk highway through Shelekhov to the Orlyonok or Podkamennaya stations; intercity buses also run there. Without a car, the easiest way is by suburban train (elektrichka): convenient stops include Orlyonok, Ogonki, Trudny, Podkamennaya, Sanatorny, Glubokaya, Pereezd, Andrianovskaya, Povorot and Tyomnaya Pad, from which hiking trails lead to the rocks.