Skalnik Cherepakha

Skalnik Cherepakha (literally "Turtle Rock") is a rock outcrop on the Olkha Plateau in the Shelekhov district of Irkutsk Region, in the foothills of the Eastern Sayan Mountains near the town of Shelekhov. The rock rises about 15 meters and is shaped like a turtle with its head raised, which gave it its name; it is sometimes called "the Turtle with its head raised."

Nature

The Olkha Plateau sits on the Sharyzhalgai outcrop, an ancient geological formation that forms part of the Eastern Sayan foothills. The plateau's rock outcrops, including Cherepakha, are made of hard rock: over hundreds of thousands of years of weathering they ended up atop low hills 500-800 meters high, while the softer surrounding rock around them eroded and washed away by water and wind. This is how the plateau came to have many separate rocks of unusual shapes scattered among the taiga.

What to see

Within about half a kilometer of Cherepakha stand several other rock outcrops with a similar origin: Vityaz, Malaya Starukha, Idol and Zerkala, with the Volglaya and Radostnaya caves nearby. Together these outcrops form a group of rocks on the Olkha Plateau well known among tourists. Each rock has its own shape and a name given by resemblance to a person, an animal or an object, just like Cherepakha.

Legends

According to local accounts, the rock got its name from its resemblance to a turtle stretching its head upward. Names like Vityaz, Idol and Zerkala were given to the plateau's rocks by tourists and locals over decades, and over time these names became fixed on maps and in guidebooks.

Getting there

The Olkha Plateau is reached by car through the town of Shelekhov, the village of Olkha and the Orlyonok railway station. From the road, a hiking trail leads to the rocks: first reach the Idol outcrop, then turn left off the main trail and walk for about another 20 minutes. The plateau is popular for one-day hikes from Irkutsk and Shelekhov, so the trails to the rocks are generally well trodden and easy to follow.