Sunduki (meaning “chests”) is a mountain range, natural and historic monument located in Ordzhonikidze and Shirinsky districts of the Republic of Khakassia.

One of the most mysterious places in Khakassia, this mountain range got its name from the most northern mountain – “Sunduk” (“chest”), on top of which there is a rock in the form of a cube. Sunduki on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Filinin.

stone waves of Khakassia

Tags: Khakassia republic

Serguei Fomine, a photographer from Russia, began his project “Russia From Above” in 2003. The project is an artistic photo shoot of the most visually attractive natural, historical and architectural sites located on the territory of the country.

A lot of his photos are unique because these hard to reach places have never been photographed before. Let’s take a look at some of these photos.

Acid lake in the crater of Maliy Semyachik volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

fly over Russia

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast · Kamchatka krai · Khabarovsk krai · Krasnodar krai

Lago-Naki is a famous plateau located at an altitude of about 2,000 meters in the Western Caucasus, in Maikop district of the Republic of Adygea.

It is a place of stunning natural beauty known for its flowering alpine meadows. Almost the entire territory of the plateau is included in the Caucasian Reserve. Photos by: Vladimir Mulder.

beautiful alpine scenery

Tags: Adygeya Republic

The following beautiful autumn photos were taken in the area of Lake Akkem at the foot of the northern slope of Mount Belukha.

It is the highest peak of the Altai mountains (4,509 m) located in Ust-Koksinsky district of the Altai Republic. Lake Akkem on Google Maps. Photos by: Anton Petrus.

magnificent colors of autumn

Tags: Altay Republic

The Ergaki Nature Park is located in Ermakovsky and Karatuzsky districts in the south of Krasnoyarsk krai. It is a real natural “pearl” of the region.

This amazingly beautiful place is a mountain range with a variety of bizarre peaks, lakes and waterfalls.

the beauty of Ergaki

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai

The mountain park “Ruskeala” is a unique man-caused and natural landscape and tourist attraction, tourist complex located in Sortavala district of the Republic of Karelia, near the village of Ruskeala, 30 km north of the city of Sortavala, on the banks of the Tohmajoki River.

The basis of the complex is a former marble quarry filled with groundwater – the object of cultural heritage, the monument of history. The length of the quarry from north to south is 460 meters, the width – up to 100 meters.

explore the flooded quarry

Tags: Karelia Republic

Kenozersky National Park is a natural and historical-cultural complex located in the south-western part of the Arkhangelsk region, at the junction of the Plesetsk and Kargopol districts.

In 2004, the park received the status of a biosphere reserve and was included in the UNESCO list of biosphere reserves.

preserved corner of ancient Russia

Tags: Arkhangelsk oblast

This greenhouse complex, consisting of dozens of greenhouses and located somewhere in the Moscow region, was opened in the 1960s. It was used to grow a variety of plants (annual flowers, perennial trees, shrubs) for landscaping of Moscow and several cities in the region.

Several years ago, the complex stopped working and eventually became an abandoned object with a crazy atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world. Photos by: Lana Sator.

explore the greenhouse world

Tags: Abandoned · Moskovskaya oblast

The state nature reserve “Stolby” (“Pillars”) is located in the north-western spurs of the Eastern Sayan – a mountain range in southern Siberia. From the north-east it is adjacent to the city of Krasnoyarsk, a city bus ( “Turbaza” stop) goes to the border of the reserve.

This is a unique corner of Siberian nature with diverse landscapes, one of the main natural attractions of the Krasnoyarsk region. Photos by: Sergey Filinin.

beautiful natural views

Tags: Krasnoyarsk krai

This little-known cave is located on the ridge Azish-Tau in the north-eastern part of the plateau Lago-Naki in the Republic of Adygeya, near the hotel named after this ridge and the ski lift.

The cave is relatively small, but has an unusually large concentration of speleothems commonly known as cave formations.

explore the cave

Tags: Adygeya Republic