Mozharskoye Pink Lake

Lake Mozharskoye is a salt lake with pink water among the sands of the Chernozemelsky District of the Republic of Kalmykia, on the Black Lands of the Caspian Lowland. The pink lakes of Kalmykia are known far beyond the republic, and Mozharskoye is one of the most recognisable: in the middle of the sandy steppe, soft pink water appears, edged with white salt.

Location

Chernozemelsky is the largest district of Kalmykia, covering about 14,000 square kilometres, almost a fifth of the republic. Its centre, the settlement of Komsomolsky, lies about 190 kilometres from Elista. The lake sits in open steppe far from paved roads, with no villages, facilities or signposts nearby. The name Mozharskoye is often used not for one lake but for a whole group of small salt lakes in the area.

Why the water is pink

The lake has no outflow and dries out: water comes mostly in spring, evaporates heavily in summer, and the brine becomes very salty. Few organisms live in it, chiefly the tiny brine shrimp Artemia and microalgae adapted to salt water, and their pigments turn the water pink, crimson or orange. The shade depends on the season, the weather and the amount of water: the lake is pink while there is at least a little water in it, while a dry basin looks like a white or grey salt crust.

History and legends

The salt lakes of this steppe have long been used. In the 19th century salt was mined around Lake Mozharskoye, and up to 300,000 poods a year were shipped to the Kuban, the Terek Region and Stavropol.

Legends are told about the pink lakes of Kalmykia too. In one of them, Kalmyk warriors returning from campaigns washed their wounds in the salt water, and the water turned red with their blood. Locals put it more simply: the salt water disinfected wounds after battle.

Getting there

There is an approach from the road, but the last kilometres are steppe tracks with a lot of sand, so a 4x4 is the safer choice. In the dry season, travellers say, an ordinary car can make it, but after rain and in spring the tracks get soft. Load the lake's coordinates and an offline map into your navigator in advance: mobile coverage here is patchy.

The best time to go is spring and early summer, while there is water and the colour is bright. Summer in the steppe is very hot with no shade, so bring plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen. The district has other pink lakes too: the Mekletinsky pink lakes near the settlement of Adyk, with an eco-trail about 25 kilometres long. The Chernye Zemli (Black Lands) Nature Reserve, founded in 1990 to protect the steppe from desertification, is nearby, and saiga antelopes can be seen there.