More than 12 million tourists have visited nature reserves, national parks and other specially protected natural areas (SPNA) since the beginning of this year. The flow has doubled compared to 2018. Behind this lies the painstaking work of the administration of the institutions, which simultaneously solve two problems: to preserve the unique nature and show its beauty to as many travelers as possible. The national project “Ecology” helps them with this. Within its framework, it is possible to do seemingly quite simple things. But it is the emergence of new visitor centers, villages, stairs, decks, trails and other infrastructure that makes it possible to increase the number of visitors to protected areas.

The total area of ​​all protected areas in Russia has recently increased to 5.4 million hectares.

Sailyugemsky National Park in the high-mountain village of Kosh-Agach in the Altai Republic is a place where you just can’t get there. A long journey along one of the most beautiful roads in Russia – the Chuysky Tract – implies at least one overnight stay in the national park. Previously, there were only seven rooms for receiving guests, said Denis Malikov, director of the protected area. Now two more villages have been added to them.

Ail is a traditional dwelling for the Altai mountains. This is a wooden log house with a pointed roof, in the center of which there is a fireplace for cooking. The tourist village is very similar to the traditional one, but much more comfortable. It has four comfortable sleeping places, a shower, a toilet, a kitchen with a stove and utensils and other amenities familiar to a civilized person.

In terms of living conditions, Kosh-Agach is equal to the Far North, so comfort in these places is exceptional. Now it is available to all travelers. Soon a visitor center will be opened at their service in the village of Rybalka, and it will be possible to reach the most remote places of the park using off-road vehicles and snow and swamp-going vehicles – four new vehicles will appear here in the very near future.

In addition, in the village of Kosh-Agach, the construction of a bathhouse complex should be completed this winter. All this is also part of the implementation of the Ecology national project.

The path will grow

The ecological trail laid along the Perovsky cluster of the Shushensky Bor national park in the Krasnoyarsk Territory is not just a plank flooring that is convenient for people of any age and level of mobility to move along at any time of the year. Infrastructure and programs for visiting the national park are being built around it. For example, a fabulous excursion or an educational route “Live lessons in Berendey”.

“I visited the arboretum before, of course, everything here was completely different, not so full,” admits local resident Igor Zavaruev. — Recently, when a fabulous excursion opened, my friends and I brought our children here. It was interesting for everyone; adults can also find it useful to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of our Russian fairy tales and feel like a child. The trail is laid out very well, the boardwalks are comfortable to walk on, information stands are placed everywhere, you can even find out how tall different animals are. Overall, we liked it.”

To make the new trail interesting for all park guests, it was equipped with interactive objects. Among them is a stadiometer or a module with rotating blocks, from which you can put together a photograph of an animal, plant or landscape of a national park.

Vertical solutions

The natural monument Bolshaya Ust-Katavskaya cave in the Chelyabinsk region was previously accessible only to the most desperate travelers. The entrance to the dungeon is located on a steep river bank. Everyone could get to this place, either by water or by car, but few dared to climb the slope.

Now along the slope there is a multi-level metal staircase with platforms where you can either relax or admire the opening landscape. After this, the cave became accessible to ordinary tourists, and not just wild fellows or well-equipped speleologists.

“We found out from social networks that an eco-trail had been built here, and we came to see it,” shared tourist Vasily Kulikov. – Everything is so great! Such a capital building! We, of course, came here when there was nothing here, we just stood on the cliff, looked at the surroundings, and now the whole family can safely go down to the cave. I remember once upon a time I went down to the cave, but it was high up, it was difficult to get to it.”

Wi-Fi on Stolby

A new ecological trail, which is currently being developed in this national park of Yakutia, will allow you to climb the Lena Pillars without losing touch with the world. Sloping, illuminated, with rest areas, equipped with a video surveillance system and Wi-Fi access points, it will allow even tourists with poor health and poor physical fitness to climb to the top of the Lena Pillars. The one-way route will be three kilometers long.

“When climbing the new eco-trail, tourists will gradually have a view from above of the Lena Pillars and the Lena River,” said Violetta Zasimova, press secretary of the Lena Pillars National Park. — The new eco-trail is flatter than the existing trail. It is more comfortable for climbing to the top; it will be more often chosen by older tourists, with children, as well as people with minimal physical fitness.”

For more athletic tourists, a second trail is provided; its equipment will be taken up at the next stage of work within the framework of the Ecology national project.