Taganay

Taganay is a protected area covering 568 square kilometers in the southern Urals, where Europe and Asia meet. The terrain includes several mountain ridges with dense forests, open plateaus, and narrow valleys crossed by small rivers.

The Russian government created the protected area in 1991 to preserve the ecosystems of Chelyabinsk region. In previous decades the zone was marked by mining and timber industry, which threatened the natural balance.

The name comes from Bashkir and means moon stand or mountain of the young moon, referring to the shape of the ridges. Visitors walk through an area once crossed by nomadic peoples and later seen as a boundary zone between two continents.

Hiking routes pass through different elevations and vegetation zones, with some sections featuring steep ascents and metal stairs. The best time to visit is between early summer and early autumn, when trails are dry and accessible.

A six-kilometer river of aventurine blocks winds through the mountains, forming a rare geological feature. The large stones lie so close together that they resemble a dry riverbed shaped by the last ice age.