Chara Sands

Charsky Sands is an amazing natural landmark that belongs to Russia. This area is a sandy desert, which measures 10 km long and 5 km wide. Such an unusual natural landscape for this area is located in the Kalarsky district of the Chita region.

The desert is located forty kilometers from the mountain glaciers of the Kodar range. It is surrounded by amazing landscapes from the white mountains, as well as vast areas of taiga forests. In some places, sand mounds reach a height of thirty meters.

You can't find such a natural picture anywhere else in the Tundra. The landscape of this area is simply amazing, because it looks so much like a desert in hot countries, but the background is unusual, which is filled with the peaks of snowy mountains. The contrasts of this area are simply amazing, because it is so unnatural. The thought does not leave my head that here the north met the south. This is the same as in the middle of the African desert, snow-capped mountain peaks have grown, and instead of numerous camels, reindeer rule here. On the peaks of the mountains, the snow does not melt even in summer. The velvet dunes turn into quagmires, as well as swamps.

For such a small area, the landscapes of the Charsky sands are quite diverse. In the middle there are large mounds of sand, which have formed over the years under the influence of winds. In some places, there are formations that reach up to 80 meters. The outskirts of the desert are framed by mountain ranges, which are also under a layer of sand.

The Charsky sands were formed under the influence of natural processes about 1 million years ago. According to experts, there used to be a large lake here, but with the retreat of water, erosion and wind have transformed the local landscape.

To see such a contrast of natural resources, you need to use the services of airlines or get there by rail. The nearest station on the Baikal-Amur Mainline is located 6 kilometers from Charsky Sands.