Chokrak lake in Crimea: features and location

In the eastern part of the Crimean peninsula, there is the Chokrak lake. This is one of the salty lakes of the Crimean peninsula, which is famous throughout the world for its healing properties.

Chokrak Lake is located near the village of Kurortnoye. The lake has an oval shape. This reservoir is approximately 4 km long and 16 km wide. The average depth is 0.8 m, and the deepest point of the lake is 1.4 meters. The total area of ​​the lake is about 1000 hectares. The entire territory of the reservoir and the coastal zone is part of a hydrological reserve - Lake Chokrak.

The lake is fed by underground sources, mainly by hydrogen sulfide, sea waters, since the lake is separated from the Marine Corps Bay (Sea of ​​Azov) by a small sandy isthmus. Low-water ravines also flow into the lake - Babchikskaya, Chumnaya, Kezinskaya and Mysyrskaya. It is believed that the lake was previously the gulf of the Sea of ​​Azov. According to its structure, the reservoir is divided into several layers. The first is water, which is a brine solution (fairly concentrated). The next layer is black mud. Then comes a layer of gray.

The shores are mostly rocky, but very picturesque, as they are covered with vegetation. Many medicinal herbs grow here. But the beaches around the lake are mostly sandy. On the banks of the reservoir, a centralized extraction of mud is carried out, which is then used for medical and cosmetic purposes.

Salt was also mined on the shores of the lake. In the evening and at night, the shores of the lake are a favorite place for birds that come here for the night. Here you can find gulls, magpies and even ravens. And in the thickets of the reservoir live egrets.

Translated from Tatar, the name of Lake Chokrak means "spring", and indeed there is a spring here with mineral water that you can drink. The Crimean Tatar warriors even carried with them special bags filled with mud from the lake. In case of injury or wound, they took out a lump and applied it to the wound, this helped them quickly heal.

For the ancient Greeks, the territory of the lake was sacred. It was here that the temple was built. Also, in medieval documents that have survived to this day, there are records about a certain merchant from Kafa who bought up the mud of Lake Chokrak in large volumes, thereby spending huge sums on it. As it turned out, with the help of "life-giving" mud, he gave the slaves a "presentation" before selling. Moreover, this had an extremely positive result, and the merchant made a pretty decent fortune on the slave trade.

It should be noted that Chokrak resort is in demand among tourists, every year a huge number of people from different corners come here to improve their health. After all, the mud of the lake is curative.

Note that the healing properties of the lake have been known to people since ancient times. Ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians used the mud of Chokrak lake for the treatment of wounds, as well as strengthening the immune system.

Chokrak lake mud is used to treat the following diseases:

• various kinds of inflammation of the female genital organs;
• digestive diseases, but not during an exacerbation;
• diseases of the musculoskeletal system, namely: rheumatism, arthritis, spondyloarthrosis;
• diseases of the nervous system.

Mud procedures are recommended for men with the following urological diseases: chronic prostatitis, vesiculitis, orchitis, and other similar diseases.

Also, mud is actively used for cosmetic purposes. Masks have a beneficial effect on skin tone, making it more elastic. Mud has been proven to promote tissue regeneration. The mud of this lake contains various minerals and trace elements that have a beneficial effect on metabolic processes in the body and blood circulation.

But not only the mud of the lake is healing, but also the water, due to the high content of hydrogen sulfide brine, silt, as well as various kinds of minerals and colloids. Salt water also helps in the fight against respiratory diseases. Rinsing the mouth, nose and throat helps with rhinitis and many dental ailments.

But it is worth noting that not everyone can visit this "health resort". Mud procedures are contraindicated for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis, and it is also not recommended to visit the resort for people with diabetes, asthma, liver cirrhosis, arrhythmias, and neoplasms.

It is not worth taking mud baths during pregnancy, even in the early stages.

Also, some people experience the following reactions when starting mud therapy:

• irritability;
• weakness;
• numbness of the limbs;
• feeling cold in the body;
• tingling sensation in the body;
• temperature increase.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that during the mud procedure, a slight increase in heart rate, pulse, as well as changes in blood pressure is possible. Such a reaction in the early stages is quite normal.

Usually, a full course of mud treatment is 10-12 procedures. The duration of one session should not exceed 15 minutes. For beginners, the duration of being under a layer of mud is 5 minutes.

The optimum temperature for the applied slurry should be 40 ° C. Therefore, the best time for such procedures is the afternoon hours, when the sun warmed up the mud quite well.

Greyish mud has the greatest healing properties - this is the bottom layer. Therefore, it is precisely it that needs to be applied to the body. They wash off the mud with sea water, for this you just need to plunge into the sea. And in order to maximize the positive effect, experts recommend taking a bath in salt water for 20-30 minutes.

The resort is interesting for tourists not only for its balneological procedures. Due to the fact that this lake is shallow, and the water warms up quite well in summer, it is suitable for water procedures and for children.

In the vicinity of the reservoir, there are several attractions that are definitely worth a visit.

Quite close to the lake is located Valley of Mud Volcanoes, which are small mounds from which dirt is thrown onto the surface.

You can also always visit and protected area Osovinskaya steppe.

To the east of the reservoir there is also a landscape natural park called Karalar steppe.

Hikers, on the other hand, can enjoy the beauty of the lake by climbing the crest of a mountain called Tashkent.

Arriving at this resort, you can stay in one of the boarding houses, which are located near the village of Kurortnoye. Guests and visitors are offered a whole range of different types of medical procedures under the supervision of highly qualified specialists. The first specialized mud baths were built in this region back in 1895, but this institution was destroyed by the German invaders during the Great Patriotic War.

You can also always rent housing from local residents for a while. After all, anyone can take mud procedures on the shore of the lake, and absolutely free of charge.

But lovers of the so-called wild rest will be able to spread a tent on the shore of a reservoir and enjoy the beauty of the scenery.

You can get to the resort both by public and private transport. There is a regular flight from Kerch to the village of Kurortnoye, from which you can get to the lake on foot. If you go by car, you will also need to get to the village. Kurortnoye and then turn onto a country road, which will lead to the lake. The distance from Kerch to the reservoir is no more than 20 km. You can get to it in about an hour, but this is taking into account the good condition of the roads.

After visiting the mud treatment resort Chokrak Lake, you can hear only positive reviews. For many, joint pain has practically disappeared, there are those who have been helped by mud procedures in solving gynecological problems. Some women note that after a full course of mud, they got rid of infertility and were able to give birth to a healthy child.

The lake is located in an ecologically clean region where any production is completely absent. Therefore, for many, the air has also become healing. And nature and silence allow you to retire and recuperate after a noisy multimillion-dollar metropolis.

Many tourists note that after visiting the reservoir, they forgot what flu and colds, as well as other infectious and viral diseases are.In conclusion, I would like to note that a trip to Chokrak Lake is a unique opportunity to combine rest and treatment. The use of therapeutic mud will certainly improve your well-being. It is not difficult to get to any of the sanatoriums during the season.

You can get acquainted with interesting information about Lake Chokrak in the following video.