A pine forest on a karst plateau above the Pyana: sinkholes, collapses and caves with icy floors, protected since 1963 as especially valuable for soil protection.
Ichalkovsky Bor
A mile and a half from the village of Ichalki, in a bend of the Pyana, a pine forest stands on an upland of thick marine limestone beds. The karst works openly here: sinkholes, collapses, blind ravines and caves where ice holds even in July. A 1963 decree of the Soviet Council of Ministers listed 936 hectares of the forest as especially valuable woods — precisely 'for soil protection (karst caves)'. In 1965 the forest and its caves were placed under protection as a notable natural object, and in 1971 the Ichalkovsky reserve of 10,650 hectares was organised. Today it is the regional 'Ichalkovsky' reserve with a specially protected forest section. The chief sights are the named caves: Studencheskaya ('Students'), Teploya ('Warm'), with archaeological layers and icy floors. Trails wind between sinkholes under the pines; entering the caves is at your own risk, with a torch and not in the rain.
How to get there
From the village of Ichalki (Perevozsky district) eastwards a kilometre and a half by stony road; by the forester's hut the trails split towards caves and sinkholes.
Best season
May to October; ice holds in the caves even in summer — bring a layer.
Travel tips & stories
Enter caves only with a torch and grippy shoes: the floors are icy all year.
After rain the sinkholes fill with water: the trail sinks underfoot.
Respect the specially protected section: fires and litter are out of the question.
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Local guides
- TR
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