The area around Lake Jack London has been part of Chersky National Park since December 2022. An official permit issued by the head of the Magadansky State Nature Reserve is required to visit the area. Check the current permit process before your trip. The protected landscape around the lake includes the Bolshoy Anngachag and Maly Anngachag mountain ranges, Lakes Elgenya and Lebedinoye, as well as Vosmiozyorny Creek and the Elgenya River.
Lakes, islands and hot springs
The Elikchanskiye Lakes form a different lake landscape: a chain of several glacial-tectonic lakes on the main watershed of the Kolyma Highlands (Kolymskoye Nagorye). They lie halfway along the shortest route between the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kolyma River basin. Diving ducks and gulls use the lakes during seasonal migrations. Thus, the sequence of several bodies of water, their location on the watershed and their importance during bird migrations are all part of the picture.
On Zavyalova Island, largely untouched forests, rocks and pebble beaches stretch across almost 40,000 hectares. The Shirokinskiye Springs in Severo-Evensky District have a very different focus: established in 1975 as a geological natural monument between the Shirokaya and Khiendya rivers, they protect thermal waters of therapeutic value. These examples illustrate different aspects of nature—from lakes and forests to the protection of distinctive hot springs.
River landscapes and regional orientation
The Kolyma Reservoir is an artificial reservoir on the Kolyma River in Magadan Oblast. It was created during construction of the Kolyma Hydroelectric Power Station at the site of the settlement of Vetrenny, which was flooded in 1988. The reservoir lies in the upper reaches of the Kolyma between river kilometres 1,894 and 2,042, measured from the river mouth, and within Yagodninsky and Tenkinsky districts. The Kolyma Highway, officially the R-504 “Kolyma,” serves as a regional link: it connects Magadan Oblast with Yakutia and the rest of mainland Russia, passing through Susumansky, Yagodninsky and Khasynsky districts. The reservoir and the highway offer different points of reference: one is a stretch of river and two districts; the other is a long-distance route and the districts it passes through.
History and culture in Magadan
The museum pavilion in Mayak Park in Magadan explores the city’s founding, prominent people and events in Kolyma’s history, commemorative days and festivals from the Russian folk calendar, and the nature of Magadan Oblast. The pavilion is open year-round. Another historical landmark is the “Mask of Sorrow” monument in Magadan. It commemorates the victims of political repression and was unveiled on Krutaya Hill on June 12, 1996.
Festivals and special dates
The dates and themes in the events calendar vary considerably. The Dzyalbu festival takes place every two years in March at the Dyukcha Ethnopark in Magadan. The Even festival Khebdenék celebrates the beginning of the year according to the Even calendar; it takes place in June, on the eve of the summer solstice, at a ceremonial clearing on the Dukcha River. Far Eastern water tourism competitions are also held on this river in June. The month thus brings together very different events: a cultural new year and water tourism competitions.
The Gold Festival takes place every July in Dyukcha Park. The Klyovaya Kolyma summer festival is held annually on the Ola River near Nyuklya. At the Kolyma cuisine gastronomic festival in Magadan, you can sample dishes prepared by Magadan chefs; it usually takes place in July. Check the current dates and programs before your trip.
Discover more destinations: Yagodnoye, Yagodninsky District, City of Magadan, Magadan, Rostov Oblast, Pskov Oblast, Belgorod Oblast, Karachay-Cherkess Republic.
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