Trip to Takmak Rock - our customer writes
Our trip to Takmak Rock was one of the best experiences in our time in Krasnoyarsk. We had seen Takmak Rock in the distance from the Communal Bridge but to get up close is something else!
We started the trip using the ski lift. On the way up there was a spectacular view of the hills and forests of the reserve, but even better are the views of Krasnoyarsk on the way down! We could see the river, the bridge and even the chapel from the chair lift – it was a clear day (don’t believe what you hear about Siberia being cold! It must have been at least 25 degrees). At the top of the chair lift Anatoliy took us to a lookout point where we could see Stolby below us, and all of the rock formations that jut out from the forest, including Takmak rock itself.
Apparently there were a lot of ticks in the area but we didn’t have any problems! We had to take a few precautions like some spray that Anatoliy brought along and tucking our jeans into our socks which made us look like a couple of golfers! The hike from the chair lift to the rock took less than an hour and took us through the forest alongside a tree line in the shade, so we could admire the scenery to one side as well as the forest! A few times we stopped to admire the view. A storm had blown some of the trees down across the path a few days before we arrived, but it didn’t really make a difference. We took a few detours uphill but the views always rewarded the extra effort.
It was only when we arrived at the rock that we realized just how tall it is, but after going up the first few slopes we ditched our gear and just chilled, had some water and admired the scenery. It was quite hot but there was a refreshing breeze and it was very sunny. We climbed up onto some of the smaller rocks to get a better view, and just chilled a bit more – Takmak rock is a great place to just do nothing for a while. So we just went to various spots around the rock and chilled. The tallest part was a good 100ft above us and was sheer cliff all the way round. We saw a couple of mad climbers making their way up it with just a rope!
After that we walked round the side of the rock that was nearly vertical but not impossible to climb. The climbing was actually great fun and from the top we had an outstanding view of Krasnoyarsk on the one side and the reserve on the other. I have seen the Grand Canyon and the Swiss Alps, but this beats them all. We just sat on the rock and stared for about fifteen minutes, just taking it all in. Sitting there looking down at all the scenery below feels great. Below us were a group of dachas and beyond them was the city itself. Behind the city we could see hills that disappeared into the haze. Getting back down was a little hair raising at times, but it was not too difficult, and after a bit of exploring of the various lookouts we headed back, stopping a few times to check for ticks and to look again at the views of Stolby. It was late afternoon and quite hot, but after hiking across the hills there was nothing better than getting back on the chair lift – it’s not just the scenery, it was quiet and deserted and really quite relaxing to just sit and rest.
Going to Stolby was an awesome experience, certainly the highlight to our visit to Krasnoyarsk! A lot of people traveling the Trans-Siberian railway just go from city to city and don’t really see much of the Siberian countryside except from the train. Anatoliy is an excellent guide and made us feel totally at ease, and we really can’t recommend this excursion enough!
By S. M., UK