(Source: http://zoomex.ru/gorod/abaza)

Abaza is a small town with 17 thousand inhabitants, with mostly low-rise buildings located in the intermountain basin of the Western Sayan Mountains. The Abakan River and mountain peaks towering over wooden and panel houses from all sides are the main features of the local landscape.

The name of the city, according to one version, is the abbreviation for “Abakan Plant”. According to another version, “Aba-za” means “bear’s paw. But the iron ore plant was the determining factor anyway. It still remains a town-forming Enterprise — the Abakan mine located five kilometers away from the town.

Basically, Abaza that received the status of a town only in 1960s is more like a Taiga village among beautiful nature. There is only one historical and architectural monument here— the restored manor house of the merchant Kipreev built in 1867. In Soviet times it was occupied by various institutions, from a Village Council to a library, and today it is the Local Hisory Museum.

The exposition is traditional: archaeological findings from the ancient burial mounds of Khakassia, flora and fauna of the region, a detailed history of the Abakan Plant and its working team, an ethnographic collection. There are a collection of art castings and a collection of hydraulic equipment made by the local inventor Cherkasov.

Another attraction is a natural monument, the coniferous forest with pines and cedars is located at the entrance to Abaza, on the bank of the Abakan River, between the river and the rocky complex of Chalpan. According to the town’s legend, enemies dropped red partisans from the top of this rock during the civil war. Despite the sinister past, the rock offers a beautiful view. The tourist recreation centre “Chalpan” is open not far from Chalpan, outside the city. 

Abaza is of interest for tourists not in itself, but rather as a transit point on their way to other places.

In addition to the aforementioned “Chalpan” recreation centre, there is the tourist complex “Cube” in the village of Kubayka at a 80-kilometers distance from the city, in a couple of kilometers away from the Highway “Abaza -- Ak-Dovurak”: the centre contains cozy cottages and wildlife at the same time.

There they can arrange horse riding or a river rafting excursion through the Ona River to Abaza.

“Snow Leopard” tourist recreation centre is located 120 kilometers away from Abaza, in Tashtypsky District: it offers camping, its main building and summer houses, Russian bath. Its services also include horseback riding, fishing with an instructor, excursions, relaxing recreation with wellness treatments, Russian bath and other pleasures of Taiga.