Udobnaya Bay

Udobnaya Bay lies on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Terneysky municipal district of Primorsky Krai, within the boundaries of the Sikhote-Alin State Nature Biosphere Reserve. The bay is bounded on two sides by capes Severny and Blagodatny, and its shoreline stretches for about three kilometres: the left part of the shore is rocky, the right one sandy.

Nature

Next to the bay lies Lake Blagodatnoye — it sits only a few metres from the open sea and several times a year turns brackish, as ocean water seeps through the sandy bar separating it from the sea. Nearby runs a stream called Sukhoy (Dry). At the foot of the coastal cliffs is the largest spotted seal (larga) rookery in northern Primorye: the animals react calmly to the appearance of people and watch them with curiosity. A road through a stunted oak forest leads to the shore of the bay.

Legends

Many compare the outline of Lake Blagodatnoye to a heart, while another version likens it to the silhouette of a woman's body; almost everyone who reaches the lake notices this feature.

History

In 2016, during typhoon Lionrock, a large tree was washed up on the shore of the bay — one of the few events recorded here by chance observers.

How to get there

Udobnaya Bay lies deep inside the reserve, and it can only be reached as part of an organised visit, with permission from the Sikhote-Alin Reserve administration. From the Blagodatnoye outpost to the shore of the bay is about half an hour's walk along a trail roughly half a kilometre long. There is also a hiking route called "Lake Blagodatnoye — Udobnaya Bay", 15 kilometres long, which passes through the stunted oak forest.