Lake Teletskoye or Altyn-Köl, which means “Golden Lake” is a beautiful, large and very deep (up to 325 meters) lake in the Altai mountains.
The size of the lake is 78 km by 5 km and is surrounded by two mountain ridges, named Korbu and Al-Tyntu, at this location the Altai mountains and the Western Sayans come together. Its surface area is 233 sq. km, but because it is quite deep (325 m), the lake has up to 40 km³ of fresh water. The lake has very transparent water which makes that you can look from six to fourteen meters deep.
Lake Teletskoe is the largest and the most beautiful in Altai. Locals call it Altyn-Kel – Golden Lake. It got its name from Telesian inhabitants according to legends. A famine was throughout Altai. One Kalmyk had a large gold bullion, but passing around the entire Altai with his treasure, he could not buy a single piece of bread. Then he threw his ingot into lake and perished in its waves.
Teletskoe Lake sits at the height of 436 meters (1,424 ft), among high mountain ranges in the middle of deep taiga, surrounded by ridges Korbu and Al-tyntu on the crossing of the Sailughem Mountains and the Western Sayans. Teletskoe is a lake of tectonic origin, has 325 meters depth, 80 km length and 3,2 km width, as estimated. That makes it the second largest Lake in Russia, just after the Baikal.
Teletskoye Lake district has a very changeable weather. Perfectly cloudless day can be changed to a shower during 2-3 hours, and then comes back again. The winds are unpredictable. It can blow from four directions at the same time!
The lower reaches of Chulyshman River, Teletskoye Lake and upper reaches of Biya River form narrow and deeply embedded in high mountains a single valley. This is effective protection against south-westerly winds. Local winds blowing through the valley have a significant effect. It use a narrow valley as a kind of wind tunnel. South wind called "verkhovka", brings a clear cloudless weather, dry air of high mountains, warmed on a path through rocky gorges of Chulyshman River. Northern wind coming along Biya River called "Nizovka" brings humid air, summer rains and winter snowfalls from carrier of northern foothills of Altai.
Teletskoye Lake evaporates a lot of water, and saturated air moves by wind to the north of the lake along Biya River or by wind to the south along Chulyshman River. Moist air is not wasted on large areas of plain unlike steppe lakes do. Evaporated moisture is large amount enough to mitigate rough frosty winter.
Teletskoye lake freezes only at the end of winter even in the frosty years in the Altai.
As a result of these phenomena, microclimate of down Chulyshman River and Teletskoye Lake shore, unlike Siberia and Altai climate, is not a continental. It can be attributed to temperate climate, typical for mountain and lowland areas of north-west coast of Europe.
Yailyu village is the warmest winter place and most humid summer. The amount of rainfall reaches 800 mm for a year. The average temperature - 9.2 C in January,and average July temperature is only + 16.6 Celsius.
Teletskoe LAke is as powerful, as it is mysterious. Civilization passed by the Teletskoe and it outskirts. Northern part of the Lake is poorly inhabited, for 2 villages – Artybash and Yogach, as well as tourist camps, are located here. Many paths of active routes lie in the area of Lake Teletskoye. Village Artybash, where the road ends, becomes a kind of tourist attraction in the summer months.
All shores around lake are absolutely virgin wild. Mighty forest present itself as an impassable windbreak, where narrow path is hardly seen. An age-old cedars which age may indeed be hundreds of years old grow proudly. Miraculous atmosphere of silence and peace is only disturbed by birds singing and plenty streams murmuring, when forming waterfalls. Deep taiga presses the Lake still kept steady time around. Shores are steep almost everywhere, mountain sides are drown into transparent water, which allows to see the bottom even through the entire water depth. Mountain chains around the Lake has 2500 meters altitude, there is not even a single path along the shores, so people use a boat to get from one village to another. Thus, the impassable shores provide an opportunity for the outstanding variety of flora and fauna. Eastern coast of Lake Teletskoe is the part of Altaisky Natural Reserve which is under protection of UNESCO's World Natural Heritage Sites. The territory is inhabited by 70 mammal species, more than 300 bird species and 1500 species of plants.
Ziwa Teletskoye (Altyn-Kul) ni ziwa kubwa na lenye kina kirefu katika milima ya Altai. Ziwa hilo lina ukubwa wa kilomita 78 kwa kilomita 5 na limezungukwa na milima miwili, inayoitwa Korbu na Al-Tintu, ambapo milima ya Altai na Sayans ya Magharibi huungana. Eneo lake ni 233 sq. Kwa sababu ya kina cha maji ya ziwa hilo (325m), lina maji safi ya kipekee ya kilomita 403. Ziwa hilo lina maji safi sana ambayo hufanya uweze kuona kutoka mita sita hadi kumi na nne kina kirefu. Ziwa Teletskoe ndilo kubwa zaidi na lenye kupendeza zaidi katika Altai. Wenyeji wa eneo hilo huita Ziwa Altyn-Kel <unk> Ziwa la Dhahabu. Kulingana na hekaya, jina lake lilitokana na wakazi wa Telesia. Njaa ilikuwa katika eneo lote la Altai. Kalmyk mmoja alikuwa na dhahabu nyingi sana, lakini alipokuwa akizunguka Altai nzima akiwa na hazina yake, hangeweza kununua hata kipande kimoja cha mkate. Kisha akatupa chembe yake ndani ya ziwa na kuangamia katika mawimbi yake. Ziwa Teletskoe liko katika urefu wa mita 436 kati ya safu za milima ya juu katikati ya taiga ya kina, kuzungukwa na milima ya Korbu na Al-Tintu kwenye makutano ya Milima ya Sailugem na Sayans ya Magharibi. Ziwa la Teletskoe ni ziwa la asili ya tectonic, lina kina cha mita 325 na urefu wa kilomita 80 na upana wa kilomita 3,2. Hiyo humfanya awe ziwa la pili kwa ukubwa nchini Urusi, baada tu ya Baikal. Wilaya ya Ziwa Teletskoye ina hali ya hewa inayobadilika-badilika sana. Siku ya mvua ya kawaida inaweza kuwa na mvua ya mvua kwa masaa 2-3 na kisha kurudi tena. Upepo hauwezi kutabiriwa. Inaweza kuvuma kutoka pande nne kwa wakati mmoja! Sehemu ya chini ya Mto Chulyshman, Ziwa Teletskoye na sehemu ya juu ya Mto Biya hufanyiza bonde moja nyembamba na lenye kina kirefu katika milima mirefu. Hii ni ulinzi wenye matokeo dhidi ya upepo wa kusini-magharibi. Upepo wa mahali hapo unaovuma katika bonde hilo una athari kubwa. Inatumia bonde nyembamba kama aina ya handaki la upepo. "Mvua ya kusini, Verkhovka, huleta hali ya hewa ya wazi, isiyo na mawingu, hewa kavu ya milima ya juu, yenye joto kwenye njia kupitia maporomoko ya miamba ya Mto Chulishman.""" Upepo wa kaskazini unaokuja kando ya Mto Biya unaoitwa "Nizovka" huleta hewa yenye unyevunyevu, mvua za majira ya joto na theluji za majira ya baridi kutoka kwa mtoaji wa milima ya kaskazini ya Altai. Mto Teletskoye hufyonza maji mengi, na hewa yenye unyevunyevu husafiri kwa upepo kuelekea kaskazini mwa ziwa hilo kando ya Mto Biya au kwa upepo kuelekea kusini kando ya Mto Chulishman. Hewa yenye unyevunyevu haipotezi katika maeneo makubwa ya tambarare tofauti na maziwa ya nyanda. Unyevu uliopunguzwa ni kiasi kikubwa cha kutosha kupunguza baridi kali ya baridi kali. Ziwa Teletskoye huyeyusha tu mwishoni mwa majira ya baridi kali hata katika miaka ya baridi kali katika Altai. Kama matokeo ya matukio haya, microclimate ya chini ya Mto Chulyshman na Teletskoye Ziwa pwani, tofauti na Siberia na Altai hali ya hewa, si bara. Inaweza kuhusishwa na hali ya hewa ya wastani, ya kawaida kwa maeneo ya milima na maeneo ya chini ya pwani ya kaskazini magharibi ya Ulaya. Kijiji cha Yailyu ni mahali pa joto zaidi wakati wa majira ya baridi kali na wakati wa kiangazi wenye unyevunyevu zaidi. Kiasi cha mvua hufikia 800 mm kwa mwaka. Joto la wastani - 9.2 C mwezi Januari, na wastani wa joto Julai ni tu + 16.6 Celsius. Teletskoe Lake ni nguvu kama, kama ni ya ajabu. Utamaduni ulipita na Teletskoe na vitongoji vyake. Sehemu ya kaskazini ya Ziwa ni duni makazi, kwa ajili ya vijiji 2 <unk> Artybash na Yogach, kama vile kambi za watalii, ziko hapa. Njia nyingi za njia za kazi ziko katika eneo la Ziwa Teletskoye. Kijiji cha Artybash, ambapo barabara hiyo huisha, huwa kivutio cha watalii katika miezi ya kiangazi. Pwani zote zinazozunguka ziwa hilo ni za asili kabisa. Msitu wenye nguvu hujitokeza kuwa kizuizi cha upepo kisichoweza kuvuka, ambapo njia nyembamba haionekani. Miti ya mwerezi ya kale ambayo huenda ikawa na umri wa mamia ya miaka hukua kwa fahari. Hali ya ajabu ya ukimya na amani inasumbuliwa tu na kuimba kwa ndege na mtiririko mwingi wa maji ukibubujika, unapofanyiza maporomoko ya maji. Taiga ya kina hukandamiza Ziwa bado kudumisha wakati thabiti kuzunguka. Pwani ni mwinuko karibu kila mahali, pande za milima zimefichwa katika maji ya uwazi, ambayo inaruhusu kuona chini hata kupitia kina cha maji nzima. Mzunguko wa milima ya ziwa hilo una urefu wa mita 2,500, hakuna hata njia moja kando ya pwani, kwa hivyo watu hutumia mashua kwenda kutoka kijiji kimoja hadi kingine. Hivyo, pwani zisizoweza kuvuka hutoa fursa ya kuona mimea na wanyama mbalimbali. Pwani ya mashariki ya Ziwa Teletskoe ni sehemu ya Hifadhi ya Asili ya Altaisky ambayo iko chini ya ulinzi wa Maeneo ya Urithi wa Asili wa Ulimwengu wa UNESCO. Eneo hilo lina aina 70 za mamalia, zaidi ya aina 300 za ndege na aina 1500 za mimea.