Mordovsky Nature Reserve

Mordovsky Nature Reserve is the center of ecological and educational tourism in the Republic of Mordovia. Its territory is represented with plains, entirely covered with forests with ancient trees. There are oak forests and lime trees, spruce forests, pine forests. Among the forests there are unique upland bogs, the age of which is estimated for millennia. In some places it is possible to see rounded karst dips with width from 3 to 20 meters.
The forests of the Mordovski Nature Reserve are a home for ungulates and predators. Here, elks, deer and wild boar, martens, lynx, brown bears, wolves and foxes live freely. There are a lot of rare animals and plants in the reserve. Among them, the white-tailed eagle, the black stork, the relict Russian desman and other species listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The reserve offers its visitors 8 thematic tours, from one-day programs to multi-day expeditions and survival courses in the forest. Tours cover not only the reserved territory, but also nearby attractions - the Sanaksar Monastery, the Diveevsky Monastery, Ushakovsky places in the Temnikovsky District. The routes are designed for people of different age and fitness level.

The best time for visit all year round.

What to see: a museum of nature, Inor and Bolshaya Valza lakes, visit-center of the central manor (Pushta village). In the warm season on the territory of the reserve there are equipped ecological paths of various thematic orientation and extent.

How to get to:
The easiest way to get to Mordovski Nature Reserve is by car:
From Saransk: Saransk - Krasnoslobodsk - Temnikov
from Moscow: Moscow - Ryazan - Shatsk - Zubova Polyana - Torbeevo - Atyurievo - Temnikov; or Moscow - Vladimir - Murom - Vyksa - Tengushevo - Temnikov,
From Nizhny Novgorod: Nizhny Novgorod - Arzamas - Pervomaisk - Elniki - Krasnoslobodsk - Temnikov.
By train from Moscow to the station. Torbeevo (any train going towards Samara, Ulyanovsk, Dimitrovgrad, Saransk, Ruzaevka). Further by road.