Lena pillars. Natural Park "Lena Pillars", Yakutia: description, tours and photos

Introducing a guest post Yuri Gelios. He lives in one of the most beautiful, in my opinion, corners of Russia - in Yakutia. There are many amazing creations of nature here. And today there will be a story about the Lena Pillars, which rise above the waters of the Lena River. Few can boast that they have seen them with their own eyes. So, get ready for an exciting journey!

is a unique natural reserve located in Yakutia on the river Lena. In the summer, local residents often go to the Lena Pillars on ships or boats (if they personally have one). You can go on this cruise only in summer by water, but in winter this route is quite extreme, also along the river, but by car.

Sometimes the pillars are visited by foreign tourists - extreme sports enthusiasts who usually come to Yakutia to test themselves at the Pole of Cold - Oymyakon.

The Lena Pillars are the greatest miracle of nature; they are a kind of stone forest, almost the same as the Wulingyuan Pillars in China. These majestic rocks, whose height reaches 200-300 meters, stretch along the banks of the Lena River for 80 km in length.

Nearby, some columns, rocks, pillars sometimes resemble some strange animal, sometimes a dragon, and some dreamers even see the ancient ruined walls of a castle.

On the rocks that rise along the river bank, you can find rock paintings made by ancient local residents with red and yellow paint. The images vary, but most are of animals, people and writing.

The history of the appearance of this Yakut miracle of nature has its roots deep in antiquity. Sometime in the Cambrian period (approximately 540 million years ago) above Oimuran Barrier Reef there was a not very deep warm sea and there, at the bottom of the sea, carbonate sediments formed. Over the past time, due to the movement of tectonic plates, this area has risen by 200 meters, and as a result of this, deep fault zones have appeared, and this was the beginning of the incision of rivers, and then the Lena River was formed with steep steep banks, which are called the Lena Pillars.

Excursion to the Lena Pillars

In general, for most locals, a cruise is not cheap, which is a little strange. You can say that whether you are English or Yakut, you will pay approximately the same amount for a trip to these majestic pillars. But you can have a great rest there. Usually a cruise lasts 3 days, so during this time you can swim, get drunk, catch fish, and just have a fun time with friends.

However, this is one of the best tourist routes, which is not a shame to show off to foreign tourists. Of course, there is also a route to Oymyakon and Tiksi, but this is for natural extreme sports enthusiasts, usually among them Russian tourists not enough, the cost of tours is quite high, but we are often visited by Discovery and NatGEO TV channels. More about Oymyakon and others interesting places Yakutia, you can read it on my blog. For now, let's return to our pillars.

More often than not, among those wishing to spend a cultural holiday in nature, the weekend route is in demand. Collection and departure begins on Friday evening at the river station. Already in the morning the ship arrives at the Lena Pillars. During Saturday, the ship stays offshore. All Saturday you do whatever your heart desires. And in the evening of the same day, boarding and departure takes place. On the way to Yakutsk there will be a short stop on Rassolod Island and then back to the river port of Yakutsk.

Cost of an excursion to the Lena Pillars reserve

Cruises are carried out on two luxury ships: "Demyan Bedny" And "Mikhail Svetlov" , in appearance the ships are practically not much different from each other. Both ships were built in the 80s of the last century in Austria, but despite their considerable age, they look excellent. The decoration of the corridors and cabins is made of wood, gilding everywhere, glass, good furniture, carpets, in general, comfortable ships. The cost of one place in a 4-bed cabin will cost about 6,000 rubles. In a 2-bed room - 6600 rub. In 1 local - about 7000 rubles. If you want chic, then one place in a luxury cabin will cost you about 12,000 rubles. Well, if you want to rent the entire cabin, then the luxury option will cost 23,000 rubles. These are prices for weekend rates. There are also several types of cruises: 1-day, 2 nights and 1 day, 3 days and 2 nights, the more days, the more expensive. A cruise on weekdays will cost a couple of thousand rubles less. Would you like detailed information or maybe you would like to come to Yakutia to take a cruise? Then it’s worth checking out the tour operator’s website - lenaturflot.ru.

What to do with yourself on the ship before arriving at your destination?

You can entertain yourself and relax not only on the river bank, but also on the ship itself. It has various board games, karaoke, even a library (why read if you're going to have fun?!), and, of course, a disco located on the upper deck. You can also spend time in the sauna and, if you don’t know how to have fun, then visit the cinema. Or you can play the balls in billiards, although perhaps this is only during the parking period, since when moving, the balls themselves strive to get into the hole without your help :) There is a local toastmaster who entertains people with various games and competitions.

Tired of dancing and relaxing? Do you want to eat? There is a restaurant on the ship, although, of course, this is not “Tygyn-Dyrkhan”, but rather a dining room, which is why the food there is simple. Several types of hot dishes, several types of soups, a couple of salads, side dishes and drinks. Alcohol is also present, but it is quite expensive, as is usually the case in restaurants (some manage to bring alcohol on board). The food is not bad, they cook well. You can buy cards and eat with them, or purchase a full meal package for the duration of the cruise along with the voucher.

By the way, if you want to feel like the owner of a ship, you can rent a ship; 1 hour will cost you only 30 thousand rubles. It takes 5 hours to sail from Yakutsk to the Lena Pillars, the average cruise is 30 hours. But this is true, to stroke your vanity, this option is usually used by enterprises and organizations that organize corporate parties for their employees.

Going on such a cruise alone is a waste of money, unless you are the soul of any company. Usually they travel in small groups of 10-20 people (the ship can accommodate up to 200 people), organizations, some go with their family, and there are even “lovers” who usually sit in the cabins all the time so as not to suddenly get burned :)

Arrival at the stone forest of Yakutia

I described all this on the first day, or rather the period of time Friday evening and Saturday night. In the morning the ship moored to the shore, and you get out and see them... Lena pillars. Those who wish can undergo a shamanic rite of purification, and then hit the road to conquer the peaks of the rocks.

There are two ways to go up: long and calm and fast but dangerous. The long path takes 40-50 minutes, it goes around the rocks, there are wooden paths, stairs, and areas for gatherings. The short way for extreme people is 20 minutes and you are already at the top, but you will have to climb almost sheer rocks, but from these places a gorgeous view opens up and the pictures are more spectacular.

Having climbed to the top, you have a stunning view of the panorama of the beautiful Lena River and the vast taiga. The feeling is indescribable - you have to see it... After descending, you have the opportunity to relax on the shore, eat barbecue and just sit by the fire. It is better to take the grill and all the paraphernalia with you, since their supply on the ship is limited.

In the evening, the captain of the ship gathers all the tourists with long and drawn-out beeps, everyone comes on board and the ship sets off back. But that's not all. On the way home there is a stop at a pirate island called Rassolod Island. The parking lot takes about 6 hours, during which time you can take part in the search for pirate treasure, play active ball games, and just take a walk, filming beautiful nature. In summer in Yakutia the nights are light, at 12 at night it can be as light as at 8 in the evening, so the evenings are long here. After a late evening walk around the pirate island, the ship again calls everyone on board and sets off on its return journey.

In the evening, the ship already arrives at the river port of the city of Yakutsk and the people, cheerful, rested and relaxed, go home. And now, the journey can be considered over.

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What kind of bizarre fantasies does nature present to us, creating wonders of the landscape! Here are the pointed rocks along the coast of the Lena River in Yakutia - either petrified trees with their tops directed upward, or ancient castles with towers propping up the heavens with their spiers!

Bizarre geological formations stretch along the right bank of the upper reaches of the river for more than 520 km from the city of Olekminsk to the village of Pavlovsk, but their density is especially high between the villages of Petrovsky and Tit-Ari. The height of most of the pillars exceeds the hundred-meter mark, some of them rise above the river level by almost 220 m.

It is believed that the rocks that make up this unique natural monument began to form in the early Cambrian period - approximately 550 million years ago. However, the formation of the Lena Pillars occurred much later, 150 million years later, when the processes of gradual uplift of the Siberian Platform began, leading to the appearance of faults and river valleys. The activation of karst destruction and erosive weathering contributed to the emergence of bizarre rock formations that excite the imagination of everyone who was lucky enough to see them with their own eyes.

Once upon a time, the Decembrist A. A. Besstuzhev-Marlinsky and the famous writer V. Korolenko admired the amazing creation of nature, and today not only nimble tourist craft, but also imposing passenger ships certainly stop at the Lena Pillars.

The pillars are beautiful in any season. In spring, their dark gray silence is embellished by snow-white clouds of flowering bird cherry trees, soft purple spots of lilac, and soft emerald mats of mosses. In summer, at the foothills there is a pink sea of ​​fireweed, a variety of flowers, lilies and lilies. In autumn, the entire right bank of the Lena River blazes with crimson, and the winter marble-snow outfit is majestic and festive in its own way.

There is a ringing silence among the rocks, only occasionally it is broken by the timid chirping of swallows and swifts that have built their burrows in the limestone walls, and sometimes you can hear the creaking of spruce, pine and rowan trees, clinging to their roots in the crevices between the stone blocks.

Natural Park "Lena Pillars"

In the 90s of the last century, in the vicinity of a unique natural monument a natural park with the same name was founded, including two branches - “Sinsky” and “Stolby” and occupying total area 485 thousand hectares.

In the park, in addition to the Lena Pillars, there are many other valuable natural objects of interest for ecotourism. The remains of ancient animals - bison, mammoth and woolly rhinoceros - were discovered in the natural park. Rare permafrost ecosystems are protected. More than 20 species of vegetation found in the park are listed in the Red Book of Russia, and protected species of fauna of world importance include the crane crane, small swan, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, osprey, and white-tailed eagle.

In 2012, the park added to the list World Heritage UNESCO according to natural criteria.

Attractions nearby Lena Pillars

Within the park there are many picturesque objects that many tourists seek to see.

In addition to the Lensky pillars, the Sinsky pillars are no less beautiful, which are not so impressive in size - no more than 50-100 m above water level and stretch in the lower reaches of the Sinaya River for 180 km. They are especially grandiose in the place where the seething stream is hidden under the rocks.

Downstream after the mouth of the Khariya-Yurekh River, the beautiful Buotama makes its way among the same rocks as the Lena Pillars. The Buotam rocks impress with the variety of rocks that come to the surface - dolomites, limestones, marls.

Natural park It is also famous for a rare variety of landscape - the northern sandy desert, presented in the form of large blowing sand massifs - tukulans. There are two tukulans in the protected area - Kysyl Elesin, a sand dune near the mouth of the Buotama, and Saamys Kumaga, almost 5 km long, consisting of ridges, shafts and basins overgrown with herbs, wild rose thickets, and sometimes tall pine trees.

Within the boundaries of the natural park, a site of primitive people was discovered at the mouth of the small river Diring-Yuryakh, during excavations of which stone tools and burials of the late Neolithic period were found.

Excursions to the Lena Pillars

Weekend tours to the Lena Pillars are very popular. Those who want to go on a trip along the Lena gather on Friday evenings at the Yakutsk river station and set off on one of the ships. By morning, the cruise ship docks at the foot of the cliffs. The group of tourists spends the whole day in nature, and in the evening they return to the ship. On the way back, a 6-hour stop is expected on Rassolod Island to search for pirate treasure. Arrival in Yakutsk late on Sunday evening.

Excursions to the Lena Pillars are also carried out by small 12 or 15-seater boats from Yakutsk or along a combined route: by road to the villages of Verkhny Bestyakh, Bulgunnyakhtakh or Elanka, and then along the river. The cost of the trip is approximately 6-8 thousand rubles for one person.

Visit Natural Park“Lena Pillars” is possible by purchasing a ticket at the office of the environmental institution in the city of Pokrovsk. Its cost ranges from 250-350 rubles for a one-day stay and 650-850 rubles for three-day accommodation in guest houses of tourist centers. The park offers interesting eco-trails for tourists:

• Tuculan,
• The feathered world of Buotama,

as well as rafting routes along the Sinaya and Buotama rivers. Relaxation in the park is also possible in winter time– traveling on snowmobiles across the ice crossing “Batamay – Lena Pillars” is no less exciting than a cruise on a motor ship along the Lena.

Where to stay

The easiest way to see the Lena Pillars is to stay at one of the hotels in Yakutsk and go on a one-day tour along the river to explore the attraction. The cost of accommodation in hotels in the capital of the Republic of Sakha - Siberia, Sterkh, Landysh, Lena, Tygyn Darkhan and others from 800 to 5000 rubles. In Pokrovsk there is the possibility of temporary accommodation at the Buotama recreation center. On the territory of the Lena Pillars Natural Park there are several options for accommodating tourists - in guest houses in the Labydya area, in the hunter's house and at the Lena Pillars recreation center in the village of Verkhny Bestyakh, at the Ust Buotama tourist center in the Buotama section of the natural park.

How to get to Lena Pillars

Russia, Republic of Sakha, Khangalassky ulus, Pokrovsk

From Moscow to Yakutsk, air travel is more rational than other options. Airplane tickets will cost from 7,800 rubles for one passenger. If you need to go to Pokrovsk, you should use bus route No. 202, the fare starts from 200 rubles.

I’ve had this photo lying around on my computer for a long time, I thought everyone would get around to it and find out where this unearthly landscape is. What kind of rock piles are these! Now I got my hands on it and you know - I was surprised! Let me tell you in more detail under the cut.

Lena pillars- a geological formation and national natural park of the same name in Russia, on the banks of the Lena River. It is located in the Khangalassky ulus of Yakutia, 104 km from the city of Pokrovsk. The Lena Pillars are a complex of vertically elongated rocks stretching for many kilometers, intricately piled up along the bank of the Lena, cutting through the Lena Plateau with a deep valley. The pillars reach their greatest density between the villages of Petrovskoye and Tit-Ary.

The rock formations, whose height reaches up to 100 meters, are composed of Cambrian limestones. Tectonically, the Lena Pillars lie within the Siberian Platform. The beginning of the formation of the rocks that formed this natural monument is usually dated to the Early Cambrian - 560-540 million years ago. The formation of the Lena Pillars as a relief form is dated back to a much later period - about 400 thousand years ago, that is, relatively recent geological time. The territory of the Siberian Platform was subject to gradual uplift, which resulted in the emergence of faults and the formation of deep river valleys. This led to the activation of karst processes, which, along with ongoing erosional weathering, gave rise to such intricate and diverse forms of rocks composed of carbonate rocks.

The park area is 485 thousand hectares, the park consists of two branches - “Stolby” and “Sinsky”. In addition to the well-known stone “pillars”, in the park there are such remarkable objects as blowing sand-tukulans with separate areas of the cold northern sandy desert, the site of an ancient man at the mouth of the Diring-Yuryakh stream, during the excavations of which stone tools were found (Diring culture ). There are unique permafrost ecosystems. In the area of ​​the park, fossilized remains of representatives of ancient fauna were discovered: mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius Blum), bison (Bison priscus Boj), woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis Blum), etc.

Up close, each pillar resembles a magical statue, a brilliant sculpture. They remind someone medieval castles, churches, eastern columns. Someone claims that the rocks are the heroes of the folk heroic epic. Lena pillars (Turuuk Khayalara) stretch along the river bank for a distance of more than 40 km. On the rocks rising along the banks of the Lena and Sinaya rivers, numerous rock paintings were discovered, made with yellow mineral paint by the ancient inhabitants of these places. These are stylized images of animals preserved to varying degrees, fragments of inscriptions of ancient Turkic runic writing, rock compositions depicting a person.

The Lena and Sinsk pillars are steep, completely vertical rocks composed of Cambrian limestones. Such limestones were first discovered and described in England, in the county of Wales (the ancient name was Cambrian). Time, precipitation, river water and wind have given the Earth's rocky solids bizarre shapes. The length of the pillars along with powerful stone rocks along the river bank. Lena is about 80 km. The Lena Pillars have long attracted the attention of travelers and researchers. They are located on the right bank of the Lena opposite the village. Batamai, 200 km above the city of Yakutsk. Depending on the degree of weathering, rocks break up into pillars, spiers, rocks, towers, and other bizarre shapes, and also form extended screes.

Above the Lena, the pillars usually rise in several tiers. The presence of tiers is explained by the outcrops of rocks of different stability. They are typical for the entire right slope of the river valley. Lena in this area. Nowadays the Lena and Sinsk pillars, the river valley. Sinaya and the interfluve of Lena and Buotam are included in the system of specially protected natural areas as national natural parks. This is a great place for those who love nature and new experiences.

The pillars on the Lena River are amazing evidence of the development of the Earth over millions of years. Numerous fossils of ancient organisms were found here - unique preserved evidence of a very important stage in the history of the development of the organic world and many biological species during the Cambrian era. The remains of mammoths, bison, rhinoceroses and many other animals were found here.

The Lena Pillars were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006 as one of the most amazing places on our planet with an ideal ecosystem untouched by man.

Clickable 3000 px

The Lena Pillars National Park was formed relatively recently, just over 15 years ago. In the mid-1980s, as a result of archaeological excavations at the mouth of the Diring-Yuryakh stream, which flows through the park, a site of ancient people and traces of the prehistoric Diring culture were discovered. Scientists found not only tools, jewelry and household items, but also the remains of ancient animals: woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis), bison (Bison priscus) and mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius). There is a version that the Diring-Yuryakh site is one of the oldest in the world.

Based on natural criteria, the national park claims to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

General information

• Full name: Lena Pillars National Natural Park.
• IUCN Category: II (National Park).
• Date of foundation; February 10, 1995.
• Region Yakutia, Khangalassky ulus.
• Area: 485,000 hectares.
• Relief: mountainous.
• Climate: sharply continental.
• Official website: http://www.lenskiestolby.ru/.
• Email: [email protected].

Walk in the park

The path from Olemkinsk to the village of Pavlovsk along the Lena River leaves an unforgettable impression. After all, this is where the amazing pearl of the North is located - “Lena Pillars”. The national park consists of two branches: “Stolby” and “Sinsky”.

On the right bank of the Lena you can see blowing sand-tuculans. Translated from the Evenki language, “tukulan” means “sand”. The air temperature here can reach +40 °C. There are no analogues to such a miracle of nature anywhere else on the planet. For scientists, the origin of the Tuculans is still a mystery.

Flora

On the territory of the Lena Pillars Park, 464 species of higher vascular plants have been identified. Lowland larch taiga dominates. It is interesting that only here an endemic plant grows - Redowskia sophiifolia. It is not found anywhere else in the world. There is another very rare plant in the Tuculans - Scriabin's thin-legged plant (Koeleria skrjabinii). There are also many other rare flowers and herbs here: parietaria micrantha, spotted lady's slipper (Cypripedium guttatum), Pennsylvania lily (Lilium rep-sylvanicum), etc.

A truly amazing plant is the Arctic lupine (Lupinus arcticus). The fact is that its seeds broke all world records for viability. So, in 1954, during archaeological excavations on the Canadian Yukon Plateau, seeds of this plant were found. Their age was also determined: 10,000 years. After the completion of the excavations, the seeds remained in storage for about 12 years until an attempt was made to germinate them. The experiment was a success!

There are a lot of fancy mosses and lichens on the territory of the Lena Pillars. Reindeer moss, or reindeer moss (Cladonia rangiferina), has very high frost resistance. Thanks to this, it serves as excellent food for reindeer even in the most severe cold, making up up to 90% of their diet in winter.

Animal world

The park is home to 42 species of mammals, 99 of birds, 27 of which are rare and endangered, 4 of amphibians and reptiles, and 23 of fish.

Most often found in forests and coastal areas are Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica), sable (Martes zibellina), American mink (Neovison vison), steppe ferret (Mustela evers-manni), and wolverine (Gulo gulo). Smaller animals include the common flying squirrel (Pteromys volans), the common squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), the Asian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus), the long-tailed ground squirrel (Spermophilus undulatus), and the mountain hare (Lepus timidus).

The musk deer (Moschus moschiferus), a relatively small animal similar to a deer, is found here. The body length of an adult musk deer reaches one meter, the height at the withers is 70 cm. It does not have horns; instead, fangs serve as tournament weapons for males. Pay attention to the Latin name of this animal. The word moschus is of Greek origin and means “musk”, and moschiferus means “bearing musk”. Each male musk deer has a special abdominal gland that produces musk, a strong-smelling substance that has long been used and highly prized in perfumery.

The Lena Pillars National Park is home to the small swan (Cygnus bewickii), peregrine falcon (Falcoperegrinus), gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), white-tailed eagle (Hali-aetus albicilla), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), white crane , or Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), and dozens of other bird species.

The golden eagle is one of the most famous birds of prey, the largest and strongest eagle. Recently, their number has sharply decreased, mainly due to serious disturbances in the ecological balance of nature and the deliberate destruction of birds. Golden eagles, like many other predators, have very acute vision: they are able to see a hare from a distance of 2 km. Golden eagles can attack animals equal and even larger than them in size: foxes, deer and their cubs, chamois, roe deer, sheep.

For visitors

Park mode

The park has ecological routes and trails that introduce tourists to unique monuments nature: Lena pillars, tukulans, flora and fauna.

How to get there

From Yakutsk to the Lena Pillars Park the distance is about 180 km, from Pokrovsk - 104 km. To national park The easiest way to get there is by tourist boat. You can also get there from Olemkinsk. More detailed information Information about tourist routes can be obtained from the park administration.

Where to stay

One of the options is the Buotamskaya recreation center, which is located on the right bank of the Lena River in the park. It has ten heated houses. In addition, you can stay at the Verkhniy Vestyakh recreation center, located a few kilometers above the village of the same name. The base is electrified, there are summer houses, a bathhouse, and a dining room. Up to 20 people can stay here.

Lena Pillars is a geological formation and natural park of the same name in Russia, on the banks of the Lena River. It is located in the Khangalassky ulus of Yakutia, 104 km from the city of Pokrovsk. The Lena Pillars are a complex of vertically elongated rocks stretching for many kilometers, intricately piled up along the bank of the Lena, cutting through the Lena Plateau with a deep valley. The pillars reach their greatest density between the villages of Petrovskoye and Tit-Ary.

The rock formations, whose height reaches 220 meters above the river level, are composed of Cambrian limestones. Tectonically, the Lena Pillars lie within the Siberian Platform. The beginning of the formation of rocks that formed this natural monument is usually dated to the Early Cambrian - 560-540 million years ago. The formation of the Lena Pillars as a relief form is dated to a much later period - about 400 thousand years ago, that is, relatively recent geological time. The territory of the Siberian Platform was subject to gradual uplift, which resulted in the emergence of faults and the formation of deep river valleys. This led to the activation of karst processes, which, along with ongoing erosional weathering, gave rise to such bizarre and diverse forms of rocks composed of carbonate rocks.

In ancient times, this place was considered sacred. Mere mortals were not allowed to approach the Pillars, otherwise heavenly punishment could fall on them. Only elders and shamans had the right to visit the sacred place to talk with the spirits of the rocks. The reverence evoked in people by this place is explained by the visual feature of the rock formations - from a distance they resemble petrified people standing at full height. Many legends have been associated with this illusion.

Legend

It was a long time ago. Once upon a time, in the place where tourist ships now stop, on the Lobuya River, there lived scary dragon. Every day he flew around his castles, which at that time were golden, and he built not only castles, but also minarets, loopholes, and bridges with his magical command. On a sunny day they sparkled so much that it was even scary to look at them. This light blinded my eyes, and therefore local residents We tried not to go to these places. In the evening, when the sun hid behind the huge rocks, the golden color turned into marble-violet, and then the rocks became so gloomy that they inspired fear and horror in those who finally ended up in these castles.

The dragon kept all the inhabitants of Prilenye in fear, and no one had the courage to chop it down. Everyone knew that he lived in a cave located at an altitude of about 70 meters, and therefore inaccessible. Every year, at the time of the large flood of the Lena River, when the sun's rays heated the ice rocks, the dragon woke up and demanded cattle, birds, deer, and horses as tribute from the inhabitants of Prilenye. For the Yakuts this was a painful burden. But they could not do anything, and they had to collect this tribute and please the insatiable womb of the dragon.

But one day the dragon learned that in one of the distant villages lived a beautiful girl, Kere Kyys, the daughter of the famous Yakut shaman. The dragon demanded that the Yakuts give him a young girl as his wife. The residents offered him a large ransom for the girl in exchange, but he refused. Then the shaman went out to the people and asked for advice. Everyone was silent for a long time. The people understood very well that it was very bitter for the shaman to part with his beloved daughter. Everyone completely forgot about the parents of the young man Khorsun Wal. An elderly man came out through the crowd of people and told everyone that his son had gone hunting a month ago with several of the same young men and in two suns they should return and that Kere Kyys was his bride. After a long separation, they were supposed to get married. No one expected the dragon's choice to be so cruel.

It was deep, clear night. In the summer, in these places it is night and day. The last minutes of the shaman's prayer were approaching. A high fire burned in front of him, and people stood around. Suddenly, a human figure appeared in the flames and smoke. It was clear that it was a young man. In his hand he held a large dagger. At this time, the exhausted shaman fell. His prayer ended. The image of a young man that appeared foreshadowed the release of the shaman’s daughter.

The next day, Kare Kyys was dressed in the most beautiful Yakut dress. It was decorated with shiny pieces of glass, beads, and the sable trim gave the girl the appearance of a squirrel. She really was like a squirrel. Graceful, fragile and very mobile.

The time has come for the dragon to arrive. The sun has dimmed. A strong wind rose. The waves on the river immediately became so high that God forbid any fisherman should end up on the river at that time. A whistle and roar was heard, so loud that the residents could hardly stand it, but love and respect for their beloved girl did not give them the strength to run away from this terrible place.

The monster landed not far from the crowd. Everyone was trembling with fear, and only Kere Kyys proudly raised her head and slowly walked towards the dragon. The beauty of this beautiful girl excited even the dragon. He usually emitted flames from his terrible mouth, but this time he froze too. He forgot to perform his intimidating gesture. Kare Kyys turned to the people and her father, and everyone understood from her calm look that she was saying goodbye to them, but not forever. She remembered her lover every minute, and the hope of meeting him soon gave her unimaginable strength. She walked closer to the dragon and sat on his huge paw. The paw was so scary, covered with some kind of cold scales, that only at that moment the thought of fear flashed through the girl’s mind. But at that moment the dragon let out a loud whistle - his gratitude to the people for such a gift - and soared upward. After some time he was in his domain. And Kere Kyys, in an unconscious state, was lowered by the dragon's servants onto a golden stretcher and carried to a beautiful castle. From that moment on, the girl’s life began in fear and anticipation. In fear - when a dragon appears. Waiting for when her beloved Khorsun Wal will appear. When the dragon appeared, the girl hid in the farthest corner of the castle. He himself brought her food and drink. But she did not touch them until the dragon flew away. For the dragon these were the most wonderful moments of pleasure. He even forgot the daily raids on the Yakut naslegs and did this only when food supplies ran out.

After some time, Khorsun Wal returned from hunting with his peers. He immediately rushed to the shaman’s yurt, but sad news awaited him. His great love for the beautiful Kara Kyys gave birth to such rage and contempt for the dragon that he began to prepare for a mortal fight. Life without his beloved was impossible for him. He told the shaman his intentions, and he agreed with the young man. One night, the shaman, having gathered the elders together, read a prayer, sprinkled the young man with holy water, giving him so much strength that he could defeat the dragon. Khorsun Wal was ready for a mortal fight.

Meanwhile, Kere Kyys became comfortable in the castle and began to greet the dragon more tenderly. She realized that she needed to pretend to be tender and loved, and then she would be able to unravel the secret of eternal life and the amazing magic of the dragon. She began to talk to him, talked about her childhood, games with children, and gradually began to talk about the prayers of her shaman father. But the dragon accepted her stories with a grin, especially when the girl talked about her father. The dragon considered himself an unsurpassed sorcerer.

And then one day Kere Kyys asked the dragon a question: “How can you cast a spell, create such castles, raise the surface of the water high into the sky?” The dragon had no idea that this was a treacherous question. It never occurred to him that anyone would dare to fight him. And he told the girl that the magical power was in his tail. If he loses his tail, he will lose his magical power and then die.

Khorsun Wal was approaching the Lena castles. When he found himself in the ravine of the Lobuya River, he began to call for the dragon. He did not fly out of his cave for a long time. He was about to appear in the castle of his slave. But the loud cry of some young man made him curious, who dared to come into his domain and disturb his peace? Kere Kyys also heard the voice of Khorsun Wal. She began to prepare to leave the castle with great excitement, but was afraid that a dragon was about to appear. When she realized that the dragon had no time for her, she descended on the veins of the beads, which she had been preparing for a long time in order to someday escape from the monster. The girl ran as fast as she could to the river. At this time, the dragon flew up to the young man. Flames sparkled from his mouth. All the foliage of the trees caught fire. There was smoke all around, it was impossible to breathe. Khorsun Wal began to swing his sword and try to strike the dragon. But the forces were unequal. After the first blow of a sword hit the body of a giant beast, Khorsun Wal felt heaviness in his legs. It turned out that he went into the ground up to his knees and, in fact, was chained to the place where he stood. At this very moment, a gentle and familiar voice was heard nearby. He recognized his beloved. “Be sure to hit the tail. This is the magical place of the dragon,” the girl managed to shout, and then some forces threw her to the other side of the river. She was petrified in the place where she found herself. She couldn't even utter a word. But Khorsun Wal heard what his beloved shouted to him and, contrivingly, dealt a fatal blow to the dragon’s tail. The dragon flew up in excruciating pain, but could not even flap its huge wings and collapsed to the ground.

Everything in the sky immediately turned black. Golden castles, loopholes, minarets, hanging bridges turned into huge basalt rocks. Khorsun Wal himself turned into a huge rock, embedded in the ground. People, having heard a terrible explosion, realized that the time had come to free them from the magical powers of the dragon, and quickly headed to the place where the terrible battle took place. But they saw exactly the same picture that we can see now. A lonely rock on the right bank of the Lobuya river and a prominent rock in the image of a young man on the left bank of the river. People took off their hats and bowed low to these rocks in memory of the brave Khorsun Wal and his beloved Kara Kyys. The memory of them, of their impartial love will live in the hearts of the Yakut people forever.

The people stood in this ruin for a long time. In the silence and silence, no one noticed how a tall tree covered with dense foliage appeared near them. This tree appeared in the place where Kere Kyys’s father, the great shaman, stood. And people called him Tree Shaman. And when they began to leave, everyone hung either a piece of cloth or the skin of an animal on a tree branch. Since then, a Shaman tree must grow in sacred places, and the Yakuts hang it with all sorts of decorations so as not to provoke the anger of the spirits. Legends say that a hunter who does not leave a memorial sign on a tree will not have luck in the hunt and may even get lost, or even die.

You can admire the Pillars from the river - this is a wall of slender, tall remains of a rare shape, they stretch out like something growing out of the ground. View from above and on foot tourist route also quite impressive. The closer you get to the Pillars, the more bizarre shapes they protrude from the total mass of the stone wall. Some formations look like ancient Gothic castles, others resemble tall medieval towers without windows, others - rows of stone trees or elongated faces of people. Silence, calmness and smooth water surface create a special mood. When the sun sets, the shadows lengthen and begin to move - this creates the illusion of mobility of the rock pillars.