Wonders of Russia

Lena Pillars

Lena's Pillars, also called Lena’s Stone Forest, is a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia, about 60 km upriver from Yakutsk, in Russia. The amazing stone structures towers over 150 meters in height and extends along the river for about 80km.  They were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins. The Lena Pillars National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012

Lena’s Pillars have fascinated travellers since the 17th century. But getting there is not an easy task. Your trip will start in Moscow city from where you will have to take a four day journey to the Siberian area of Yakutsk. First, you have to take a flight to Yakutsk, so long that if you flew opposite direction you could easily come to New York. The average price for such flight costs around $800. From Yakutsk you have to take a boat. Though, supposedly only a half a days trip upriver, it takes significantly longer and the locals can offer you a 3 day trip on a small boat for about $500. Finally after four days of travel, you will have arrived at your destination.

Lena Pillars contains outstanding evidences of the Earth and its living population development history. Numerous fossils of ancient organisms found here are unique preserved evidences of a very important stage in the history of the organic world and a biodiversity "boom", that occurred in lower Cambrian epoch. Also in Lena Pillars area the fossils of mammoth fauna representatives were found: mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius Blum), bison (Bison priscus Boj), fleecy rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis Blum), Lena horse (Eggus lenensis Russ), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L)

This unique ecological and tourism location was submitted as a World Heritage site in 2006.