«... Hey, you, Gods! Look at me, Batyr! I am clever, I am beautiful, I am worthy to live near you». Gods were angry, having heard this pride speech from the mortal, turned him into a stone and overthrew in depths of the hell. And for edification of future generations left a hand of the arrogant man on the earth - fingers rocks which try to reach the sky up till today.

Legend about Ergaki 

Ergaki long time ago became more cult concept, rather than geographical. Everything that is connected with this name, is a riddle for the inhabitant and the answer to all the questions for the eyewitness. Metugul-Tayga, Sheypir-Tayga, Tazarama, Ambuk, the Left Chebezhek, Aradan, Small Kazyrsug are difficult to pronounce for those who wasn't in Ergaki, and calling in a sweet way for those who visited the highland. To touch to magic once - a cherished dream of many people therefore in the fairy tale under the name "Ergaka" direct pilgrimage of tourists, tourists, athletes, romantic artists, all-noticing photographers.

In April, 2005 the territory of the fairy tale was declared as reserved places of natural park "Ergaki". Borders of park pass to the east from the river Oya mouth to the Left Chebezhek and Big Kebezha’s merge, from them through the river Tihaya, the ridge Sheypir-Tayga, the rivers Yus, Krasnaya, Aradan and  close 226,5 thousand hectares of surprisingly picturesque valleys and mountain buttes.

Rather modest in the sizes (to bypass all the massif two weeks will be enough) the park is the keeper of precious splinters of the wild nature. In Western Sayan's central part in sources on the river Yus, where situated the zone of special protection of park (24,4 % from the park area), still there is an untouched animal kingdom: in silence of mountains there is a red wolf , a sea whitetailed eagle, a golden eagle, a saker falcon, sapsan, a black stork, a gray crane, the Siberian wild boar, an elk, a maral, a roe, a cabarga, a wood-grouse, a black grouse, a hazel grouse, a muskrat, a sable, a bear, a squirrel, a fox, geese, wefts, sandpipers, far from         footworn tracks grow a shoe real, a shoe large-flowered, a shoe spotty, an orchis galeated, a nadborodnik leafless, a hiding place heart-shaped, Martyanov's volodushka, an iris tiger, an adder's-spear Siberian, Dagan's hazel grouse, fighter Pasko. Employees of a museum prevent any activity menacing to a condition of unique natural complexes.

5,5 hectares (2,4 % from the park area) are taken away under campings, hotels, recreation facilities, serving objects. On  places of ex-bonfires for the late travelers cozy lodges which are kept clean, cafe, auto parking, and not to tread vegetation, in many places floorings - paths are laids. The economic zone covers a flood plain of a Cossack Stream, running into the river Oya, and also river top Low Buyba with inflows, top of the river Oya and the lake Oya with inflows to the river the small Cervine River.

Tourist possibilities of park are boundless. The recreational and tourist zone occupies 73,2 % from total area of park in a right-bank part of a basin of Yus River above the river mouth of Low Buyba, the basin of the rivers Buyba, Low Buyba, upper courses of the rivers Kyzyr Suk, Oya, Big Kebezh and Chebezhek, and also east part of Aradansky, Oysky and Kulumyssky ridges, the most part of ridges of Ergaki and Metugul-Tayga. There passes the federal highway M-54, right on 622 or 615th kilometer of the route the fairy tale begins. You are still on wheels, but already met by legendary Sleeping Sayan Mountains.

Ergaki are known in the tourist world, as the range of skiers and climbers. Rock-climbers choose peaks Star, Tooth of the Dragon, the Dinosaur, the Sail - sharp, almost vertical granite massifs. High level of safety to which compactness of the area promotes, ease trigger routes, lack of rockfalls and excellent communication allows to fulfill rocky equipment, to check equipment, to train beginners in pleasure, enjoying surrounding beauty. As to the mountain-skiing slopes, in Ergaki they are laid "continually" - wide valleys with grassy slopes, mountains with differences of heights to 1200m of mainly northern orientation as if they are created by the nature for winter sports. Numerous tourist bases are always ready to shelter fans of extreme sports.

 In Sayan Mountains amateur tourism is very developed. Thanks to an abundance of mountain, water and snow barriers a large number of the combined routes was extended. The best time for ski campaigns are March and the first decade of April. Thus additional difficulty is given by danger of an avalanche, characteristic of this period. But also in the summer for skis there are no barriers. To Sayan Mountains expeditions of mountain skiers every summer come, and really, it is difficult to refuse to yourself to get the pleasure to drive on mountain skiing in a bathing suit. Cave explorers fell in love with winter caves, "Chord", Oreshnaya.

Alloys over Kyzyr and Big were included into chronicles of the Russian water school as serious rafting. At the same time fans floated on rafts or rubber boats also without problems can choose the suitable water area. Here it is possible to go fishing, for example, on the lake Buybinskoe or hunting with the instructor. And it is possible just to set up camp on the Bear Lake and to enjoy protogenic beauty of the cedar wood, an abundance of berries and mushrooms. And, certainly, you`ve got to remember, that make fire, lay tracks and leave the car is authorized only in the places taken for this purpose.

As many tourists say, they happen to hear suddenly unusual music in the mountains: sometimes it took the form of a choral, for someone almost classical chamber etudes sounded, for someone it poured out in storming fugues, and researches confirm that in Ergaki strange from the point of view of ordinary person  things occur . Conversations at a fire are salutary for a soul, and about the night sky of mountains odes are combined: «Such impression that someone stretched over you a huge black leaf, and then in an attack of madness made holes in it with a needle. And here above you there are thousands, tens of thousands star "holes". They blink over you; they shine to you and so that at night it is possible to pass on tracks, not switching on a lamp. And such 

shooting stars as on Ergaki, I hadn't to see in any other mountains. Every second from the sky 5-7 stars fell down. The blessed place for those who wanted to make a wish».

On tracks in Ergaki the primitive person went (on the bank of the Oysky lake, silicon flakes were found, testifying to existence there parking of the primitive person), Yasachny Cossacks here drew the Siberian duty, Tuvinians took out the goods, and in 1910 hard laborers put manually the road of military value from the station of Kulumys to Medvezhka. In the southern part of the park, in Big Ura's riverheads, the cult mineral source of Tuvinians of Arzhan Uru is located.

The natural park "Ergaki" treats the Sayano-Shushenskaya natural biospheric reserve and together with the Altay reserve, «Small Abakan» and a mountain part of national park «Shushensky pine forest» forms the central part of especially protected territory in Altai-Sayansk ecoregion.

The time difference with Moscow is +4 hours.