Ivan-Arakhley Lake System

Ivan-Arakhley Lake System (Ивано-Арахлейские озёра) is a group of fresh water bodies in the Chita District, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. The villages of Arakhley, Tasei and Preobrazhenka are located near the lakes.

The lakes are a tourist attraction and there are holiday cottages and resorts near them. They are located within the Ivano-Arakhley State Natural Landscape Reserve (Zakaznik), a protected area of regional significance created in 1995, covering an area of 210000 ha.

Geography
The lakes lie at the southeastern end of the Vitim Plateau. As a group, they are also known as "Beklemishev Lakes" (Беклеми́шевские озёра) since they stretch roughly from SW to NE for about 80 km along the Beklemishev Depression. "Chita Lakes" (Чити́нские озёра) is another alternative name, because the lakes lie very close to Chita, about 50 km to the west of the city.

The lake system includes 6 large lakes with a water surface of more than 10 km2: Arakhley, Shaksha, Irgen, Ivan, Tasei and Bolshoy Undugun. Arakhley is the largest of the group and is also the one having the greatest depth.

Hydrography
The system includes 20 smaller lakes with surface areas of roughly 1 km2 or less. Lakes Ivan and Tasei belong to the Lena basin. Arakhley, Shaksha, Bolshoy Undugun and Irgen are separated from them by a slight elevation and belong to the Baikal basin through the Khilok river, a tributary of the Selenga.