A cave with the largest underground glacier of Chelyabinsk Oblast: 530 metres of passages in Devonian limestones above the Ai river, described by Pallas back in the 18th century.
Kurgazak Cave
The Kurgazak Cave hides in the right slope of the Kurgazak ravine, twenty metres above its bottom and 150 metres from the Ai river, between the settlement of Mezhevoy and the village of Alekseyevka in the Satka district. The entrance leads into a corridor-chamber system 530 metres long with three large halls, carved in Devonian limestones. The cave's main wonder is its underground glacier, the largest known in Chelyabinsk Oblast: ice lies all year in the entrance part. The cave is now poor in speleothems — decades of careless tourism have all but destroyed them — but a colony of bats survives, for which the entrance zone is a refuge. The cave has been known since the academician Pyotr Pallas described it in the second half of the 18th century. Since 1969 it has been protected as a nature monument of regional significance. The name comes from the Bashkir 'Qorghazaq', 'dry ravine'.
How to get there
From Chelyabinsk or Ufa to Satka, then ~30 km towards Mezhevoy; from the settlement walk to the Kurgazak ravine following the signs to the Ai river.
Best season
Year-round; in winter the contrast of inner ice and outer frost is at its starkest.
Travel tips & stories
The cave is cold even in summer — warm clothes and a flashlight are a must.
The glacier melts from visitors' warmth: do not linger in large groups by the formations.
Bats roost in the entrance zone — keep quiet and do not shine lights on them.
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Local guides
- TR
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