The Lena Pillars (; , ÃÂlüöne Turà «k Khayalara) are a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia. The pillars are high, and were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins. The highest density of pillars is reached between the villages of Petrovskoye and Tit-Ary. The Lena Pillars Nature Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012.
The site lies around (less than a day's boat ride) from the city of Yakutsk, the capital of the autonomous Sakha Republic.
River cruises can be arranged through travel services in the city of Yakutsk. Visitors interested in limnology or ecotourism, including those who also visit Lake Baikal, may organise a river trip with the assistance of a guide from the Lake Baikal region; Yakutsk, from where the river cruises originate, is approximately northeast of Lake Baikal.
Few modern amenities exist in this part of Russia, unless one travels by cruise ship on the Lena River. Tit-Ary on the opposite side of the river is connected to Yakutsk by a gravel road.
Hiking trails in the region are steep and can be precarious at times.
The pillars consist of alternating layers of limestone, marlstone, dolomite and slate of early to middle Cambrian age, which are weathered, producing the rugged outcrops.
These types of rocks are commonly formed in marine environments and the horizontal layering and vertical variation indicates marine transgression/regression; with the slate representing the deep marine, slightly metamorphosed shales.
The climate is acutely continental with temperatures reaching as low as -60 ðC in winter and as high as +35 ðC in summer.