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In all tourist guides a tour to the Baduk lakes is rated as one of the most interesting. And it’s true. Although there are more interesting places in Dombai, only the people with a special training and equipment could get there, while the path to the Baduk lakes is quite suitable even for the untrained tourists, making it possible to really enjoy the beauties of the Dombai mountains.

The path to the Baduk lakes is 9 kilometers long. It begins at the suspension bridge over Amnauz river; it is 13 km from Dombai and you get there by car. The path runs through the protected areas, so at the start of the path is the forester`s hut where everyone has to check in.

For the first 4 kilometers the path runs though a relic fur forest. The height difference is quite big, from 1403 to 1700 meter, but the path is very gentle and comfortable. Then the path is crossing Baduk river where it flows into Khadjibey river. On the opposite side of the river is a rest halt near two furs, which have grown on a huge boulder and interlaced their roots, hence the name of the «Beloved». 

From that place there begins the stretch of the path, which could be the most unpleasant and difficult for the unprepared, as the path goes on a very rough ground. On the steep slopes the roots of century-old trees serve as steps though they aren’t as easy as regular steps.

In this section of the path the height difference is between 1700 and 1970 meters. Near the first lake the most beautiful stretch of the path at last begins, – the one it is worth going to Baduk lakes for – the valley between Baduk and Khadjibey mountain ranges.

The path is winding among the boulders, surviving from the Ice Age. All of them are covered with mosses; the dwarf trees grow among the boulders. Everywhere you can see flowers, giving a special beauty to these places. And, of course, the landscapes are very picturesque.

If you go to Baduk lakes on a hot summer day, you may want to have a dip in the first lake. But you shouldn’t do it as the lake water temperature is generally about 5°. Besides, the bottom of the first two lakes is stony, and they are too shallow for swimming. You can swim only in the third Baduk lake where the water is heated up to 10° in the hot summer days, and you can plunge in the water there.

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The first Baduk lake in Dombay
The third, the largest Baduk lake in Dombay
Heaps of rocks on the way to the Baduk lakes in Dombay 
The azure water of the second Baduk lake in Dombay
The «enamored» trees with entangled roots in the forest on the way to the Baduk lakes
The «enamored» trees with entangled roots in the forest on the way to the Baduk lakes
Moss-covered rocks in the valley between the Baduk and Khadjibey mountain ranges
Alpine flowers on the way to the Baduk lakes
All of three Baduk lakes have a very clean water
The first Baduk lake in Dombay
Flowers near the third Baduk lake
The temperature of water in the Baduk lakes is about 5°. You can bath only in the third lake. 
Heaps of rocks at the foot of the Khadjibey mountain range
Rocks are covered by various mosses in the mountain gorge
The roots of trees serving as steps on the steep way to the lakes
The path to the Baduk lakes winding among big boulders
The place where the Baduk river joins the Khadjibey river on the way to the Baduk lakes
The bridge over the Khadjibey river on the way to the Baduk lakes
Small streams in a relic coniferous forest on the way to the Baduk lakes
Giant trees on the way to the Baduk lakes
The roots of trees serving as steps on the steep way to the lakes
The path to the Baduk lakes running through a relic coniferous forest
The roots of trees serving as steps on the steep way to the lakes
Big rocks on the way to the Baduk lakes
The azure water of the second Baduk lake
The first Baduk lake
The suspension bridge over the Amanauz river leading to the Baduk lakes at the parking lot
The path to the Baduk lakes running through a relic coniferous forest
The path to the Baduk lakes running through a relic coniferous forest
The map of the tourist path to the Baduk lakes