Yakutia

Being situated in the most continental part of Eurasia, Yakutia is full of natural contrasts. The climate of Yakutia is sharply continental, that is why winter is long and cold, while summer is short with quite hot temperatures. Range of the seasonal temperature is 108 degrees centigrade. Yakutia is the land of taiga wilderness and vast expanses of tundra, severe mountain ridges and Arctic stretches, pristine nature, original culture and hospitable

The Lena Pillars Nature Park is well-known outside Yakutia limits. It is a magnificent place on the bank of the great Lena River. Fanciful pillars resemble colonnades, towers, arches, cathedrals and castellation walls. The park hosts numerous species of rare animals and plants. Remains of mammoths, bison and other prehistoric animals remind of the ancient fauna.

Yakutia is famous for its mineral wealth. Yakutia spreads out to 3 million square kilometers and is declared to be a treasury of natural resources. Well-known diamond deposits are in Western Yakutia, a diamond province; gold is in the basins of the Aldan, the Indigirka and the Yana rivers. More than 90% of diamonds and 40% of Russia's gold is mined in Yakutia.

Another unique place is 1 he Pole of Cold of the northern hemisphere. It is situated in Oimyakon. The lowest temperature registered here reached as low as -71.2 CO. At such low temperatures people live and keep on working all the year round.

Here, in Oymyakon the legendary lake of Labynkyr is located, the largest lake in Yakutia. The lake length is of 14 km, width is of 4 km and depth of 50 metres. The lake lies in the deep valley of the same-named river, 600 metres above the sea level. The forested banks, embayed by picturesque bays, are reaily gorgeous.

Banks crowded with numerous rocks of bizarre form. Giant two-three metres long reptiles inhabiting the might have set legends about "the northern dinosaur"- the Labyf...

Travellers from around the world, who are interested in the ancient fauna, inevitably come to Yakutia to follow the Mammoth Routes. The significant part of all world-known findings of mammoths, wooly rhinoceros, bison, musk ox and cave lions has been discovered here. -

Yakutia is a land of long-standing hunting and fishing traditions, one of the rarest places in the world with preserved virgin nature and animal and vegetal life diversity. It hosts ten most valuable fur-bearing animals, six species of wild ungulate animals and about twenty species of water and upland fowl.

Yakutia is the only place in the world where you can see the black crane, Ross'gull and Siberian white crane. The moose, red deer, reindeer, snow ram/polar and brown bears, foxes, sable, wolverines abound in pristine taiga, tundra and the eternal Arctic ice. Mountainous lakes overflow with salmon, burbot and grayling; rivers are plentiful with Arctic cisco, whitefish, white salmon, pike and pollan. The local fish is very delicious.

Original folklore, traditional crafts, religion and world-view of Sakha people are also of great interest. One may get acquainted with them while visiting a traditional Ysyakh festival, held during the summer solstice on June 21-22. This ceremony celebration has been brought by ancestors of the Yakut people from V steppes of Central Asia.

There are many rivers and lakes in the Republic. The favourite catch of local fishermen is taimen which can weigh up to 30 kg. And those who like extreme sports can go mountain river rafting.

Beautiful Lena is one of the most powerful rivers in the world. In some areas it is so wide that you may not even see the opposite bank. During 530 million years great rock formation along the banks of this river was generated - the Lena Pillars. The best way to see these natural colonnades, towers, arches is to have a river cruise along the Lena.

Mysterious Kisilyakh Mountains in the district of Verkhoyane also make a great impression. Mountains title in Yakut means "stone people". These granite sculptures up to 30 m high really look like fancifully curved human figures. LCC "Arc-tica" organizes tours to these places of interest. The company was given an award "Leader in tourism industry of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)", and also got a gold medal in competition "Best goods and services of the Far East - Gemma" in 2010. World heritage objects, mammoths remains preserved from the Ice Age and modern virgin wildlife, places where our ancestors used to live and diamonds and coal are mined today, where hydroelectric power stations and apartment houses are built directly on permafrost - these all travellers can find in Yakutia.

There is a legend that when God was sharing natural riches among the continents and .countries and flew over Yakutia, his hands froze and he dropped his treasures, having scattered gold and diamonds here.

Diamonds deposits are one of the main riches of the Yakut land. In 1954 there was opened the first kimberlite pipe in the country and jewels extraction was started. Diamond capital of Yakutia is the city of Mirniy where it is possible to see how an uncut stone turns into an excellent brilliant.

Tourists who come to the Republic are even offered to go to exotic "mammoth routes". During such trips it is possible to see where these huge ancient animals lived, to have an excursion in the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk and even visit real archaeological diggings.

So, Yakutia longs to use the tourism industry potential to the maximum. This region is full of contrasts and although it is far from other tourist centres, it remains attractive and hospitable.

Holiday's central action is a competition of storytellers of Yakut heroic epos Olonkho which is recognized as UNESCO non-material cultural heritage. During the holiday tourists can observe deer races and competitions of local fighters and try northern cuisine. At the end of Ysyakh celebration people meet sunrise which is believed to be the time of soul refinement.

Hunting and fishing lovers will especially like rich nature of Yakutia. In search for adventures you may have hunting tours for elks, brown bears, bighorn sheep, reindeers or wolves. Also it is possible to spend all the day

There arc own tourist brands in the Republic which favourably distinguish it from other northern regions of Russia. It should be noted that cultural and sightseeing tours account for about 20% of internal tourist flow in Yakutia. For example, within the limits of so-called ethnot-ours, visitors can experience culture and life of Evenki and other indigenous minorities of the North and see with their own eyes Ysyakh and other local holidays.

Ysyakh is an ancient cult holiday of the nature revival. Traditionally Yakuts celebrate Ysyakh on June 21-22, at the day of summer solstice.