The Chara Sands is a sandy massif located in the north of Zabaykalsky Krai, a geological natural monument of federal significance. It is surrounded by larch taiga and swamps and stretches from southwest to northeast for 9 km.

Sands form ridges, dunes and chains of dunes. The length of several dunes is 150-170 m, the height – up to 80 m. The Chara Sands are outwardly similar to the deserts of Central Asia. The Chara Sands on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

snow and sand

Tags: Chita city · Zabaikalsky krai

Chita, founded in 1653, is a city with a population of about 349 thousand people located in the central part of Transbaikalia in Eastern Siberia, the administrative center of the Zabaykalsky region.

This city is an important transportation hub on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The historic center has retained a rectangular grid of streets according to the plan of 1862. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

fly over Chita

Tags: Chita city · Zabaikalsky krai

Chara Sands, a tract in Kalarsky district of the Zabaikalsky region, is a sandy area (10×5 kilometers) located in Chara valley, in the foothills of Kodar ridge, 9 km from the village of Char, between the valleys of the rivers Chara, Middle Sakukan, and Upper Sakukan.

It is a geological monument of nature surrounded by larch taiga and swamps. Novaya Chara, a station on the Baikal-Amur railway, is located 10 km from this place.

explore unique desert

Tags: Zabaikalsky krai

Kuandinsky Bridge over the Vitim River, located on the border of Zabaikalsky region and the Republic of Buryatia, is definitely one of the most dangerous road bridges in the world.

Construction of the bridge was not completed, although it had begun more than 30 years ago. Local residents and travelers cross it at their own risk.

bridge for risk-takers

Tags: Buryat Republic · Zabaikalsky krai

Let’s visit the vast expanses of Zabaikalsky region – the territory of about 432,000 sq. km., part of Siberian Federal District. These wonderful photos were taken near Chernyshevsk – a small urban village with a population of 13 thousand people located 389 km north-east of Chita.

It is a great place where every evening is filled with summer freshness of wildflowers and grass after the rain. Photos by: Anna Anikina.

beautiful landscapes

Tags: landscapes · Zabaikalsky krai

Nerchinsk state prison was a part of penitentiary system of the Russian Empire, the main place in Eastern Siberia for state convicts sentenced to hard labor. It was located on the territory of present Zabaikalsky krai.

The prison system in Eastern Siberia appeared in the beginning of the 18th century as a place of serving sentences for the most serious criminal offenses. The first lead-silver mines and Zerentuyskaya penitentiary began operating in 1739.

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Tags: Zabaikalsky krai

The beautiful views of Zabaikalsky krai of Russia and the beautiful singing of Lidia Ruslanova (the song is “On Baikal’s Wild Steppes”)

Tags: Zabaikalsky krai