The mountain range Ergaki is one of the most amazing corners of nature in the West Sayan Mountains. Exceptional in its beauty and greatness chisel-shaped granite peaks, full of rapids cold rivers, the deepest surrounded by virginal taiga and unapproachable rock walls lakes, polished by glaciers till high lustre trog valleys, magnificent waterfalls and rocky rivers of kurums - these are the things which attract tourists to this magic place of the Sayan Mountains. One more of no small importance advantage of this mountainous place is that there are not many mosquitoes and absolutely no mites.  Being once in this magic place, you will realize why this place became cultic for tourists, mountaineers, rock climbers, artists and romantics.

The Ergaki is situated in the central part of the West Sayan Mountains. The length of this mountain mass is about 80 km from west to east; its ultimate width is 70 km. Like the face of an old man is furrowed by wrinkles, so the mountain mass Ergaki is jagged by ancient glaciers having a very branching circuit of mountain ranges: the Ergaki, the Metugul-Taiga, the Baldyr-Taiga, the Shepshir-Taiga.

This is a truly unique corner of the Sayan mountains being formed as long ago as in Caledonian folding. Neither of its valleys resembles another, tens of lakes are all beautiful in their own ways. Each peak has its unique look. Hundreds of brooks, small streams and rivers fill the mountain taiga place with life. Especially brightly the activity of ancient glaciers was shown in the western part of the Ergaki

Its peaks are sharp, hard-to-reach, and at times inaccessible at all which are 2000 m high. The northern slopes are solid gloomy corries with snowfields and tarns. In southern slopes there are cedar forests highly ascending along the valleys of rivers, interlaced with light alpine and subalpine meadows. 
Small islets of mountain tundra are scattered above the forest and alpine meadows areas. And above them there are outliers of weathering which rise like stone columns. Rock-outliers resemble bristled upwards fingers.  From here comes the name “The Ergaki” which from Old Turkic means “fingers”.

Stony giant rocks are not solitary. Around them there is an entire cascade of beautiful emerald green mountain lakes and waterfalls, narrow river canyons, stone rivers (kurumniks), unique up-river bogs, snowfields which lie many years and give start to such major rivers of the park and environs as the Us, the Oya, the Amyl, the Kazyrsuk streaming its waters to father Yenisei.

These areas swarm with legends and stories, because you know gods used to rest here encircled by stone toys which were carried to this place from all over the world: “As often gods tear wings as a joke and everything living as a moral they turn to the stone.”

In 1996 in the Ergaki the Sayan icon of the Birth-Giver of God was placed on the peak of the mountain Tushkanchik which is 2000 metres high. Since that time each summer tens of pilgrims climb to the icon in order to have a chance to touch the eternal on the mountain peak.

The Ergaki is also sadly known for the helicopter crash which carried the governor of Krasnoyarsk Territory - A. Lebedev on 28th April 2002.

Geological reference

The Sayan mountains is a mountain land in the south-east of Siberia (its name comes from the Turkic tribe of Sayans who inhabited these mountains). It consists of the East and West Sayan mountains which make up a mountain arc the bulging of which is pulled off to the north. The East Sayan mountains serve as a watershed between basins of rivers the Angara (which from the Buryat language means “mouth of an animal”, and in the figurative sense - canyon, cleft, gorge) and the Yenisei (from Evenk “Ionessi” - large river). Its maximal height - the mountain Munku-Sardyk (3491 metres) is situated in the south-eastern part. There was formed a mountain junction with the peak Grandiozny (2922 metres) in the joint of the West and East Sayan mountains.

The mountains of East Sayan started rising during the Baikal folding (PR - about 2000 million years ago), and finally were formed during the Caledonian folding (in the beginning of PZ - about 300 million years ago).  They are composed of different in its composition and formation geological materials: granite, syenite, shale, limestone, etc. In connection with the variety of tectonic processes there were formed different minerals including gold, iron ore, marble.

The West-Sayan plateau (the West Sayan mountains) stretched from south-east to north-west along the southern border of Krasnoyarsk Territory to 650 km. The highest peak in the range of the territory is the mountain Karagosh (2930 m). The plateau was formed during the Caledonian folding and composed of rocks of magmatic (granite, syenite, gabbro), sedimentary (sandstone, shale, limestone) and metamorphic (gneiss, schist, marble) origin.

Many millions of years ago the climate was a bit colder than today, the epoch of ancient glaciation came and mountains were covered with thick glaciers. Slipping down the glacier ploughed up earth surface like a bulldozer. Its traces became sharp peaks and valleys with steep slopes and wide bottom (trogs) including those places which have no mountain glaciation.

Then the climate got warm, some of glaciers melted filling lowering of relief , which was made by the ancient glacier, with melt water. This is the way numerous mountain lakes of glacial origin appeared.

Climate

The climate of the region of the Sayan mountains is humid continental with long and severe winter, cold and short summer. The first snow falls in the end of August, firm snow cover - since the middle of September. Average thickness of the snow cover in Winter is 2,5-3,5 metres and more. South-east winds prevail in winter, west winds - in summer.

Nature

The nature of the Ergaki is beautiful and nodiverse. It includes cedar forests and mountain tundra, subalpine and alpine meadows. It is probable to meet a bear, elk and maral in the forest. Many kinds of grass blossom in meadows. How beautiful these flower gardens are! Big blue flowers of columbine cover the lawn. As if the drops of the sky splashed up the mountains. Between them - fire sparks of the Siberian globeflower, maize yellow umbrellas of pallasov primula, snowy macropodki, white geranium, rosy lousewort, Altaic violet, etc.

In subalpine meadows the ramson is a juicy food with vitamins. There you may also meet a splendid endemic of the Sayan mountains - levzeya safflower or “maral root” which possesses strong tonic qualities. Along the banks of mountain brooks you may also find a rare in the West Sayan mountains plant - snowdon rose (Rhodiola rosea) or “golden root” the general health-improving characteristic of which is used in medicine.

The vegetation of mountain tundra is represented by dwarf birches and polar willows. The variety of mosses: sphagnum, haircap, cup moss. Juniper, ledum, white gentian, saxifrage scramble the feet of a going man. Some years there is a plenty of mushrooms among the tangle of dwarf birches. Dark brown caps of rough boletuses rise above birch groves.

Under cedars there are tangles of rhododendron and bergenia. There you may find a big number of chipmunks which are the typical representatives of the local fauna. And if you leave a piece of bread somewhere under the tussock, less than in 5 minutes you will notice nearby its curious little muzzle with a black lively nose.

The nature of the Sayan mountains possesses the real interest for all people who value the beautiful on the Earth.

The taiga landscape, the abundance of mountain brooks, waterfalls, lakes and striking with its beauty places, almost untouched wild nature, comparatively easy tourist routes - these are the things which attract a big number of fans of adventure holiday to visit the Ergaki.