TRAVEL TO ALTAI

1 day. Lake Teletskoye.

We arrive at the airport of Gorno-Altaisk. Today we will visit the national museum of the Altai Republic where the mummy of the Scythian priestess is kept. Next, we take a minibus to Lake Teletskoye, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will cross it by boat from north to south, landing on the way at the Altai Biosphere Reserve to see the Korbu Falls, taste the Altai grayling and drink herbal tea. At the end of the day, we will reach the south lakeside and stay the night on Cape Kirsay.

2 day. Chulyshman Valley.

We have the valley of the river Chulyshman to explore. We will cross the river by boat and walk along the sacred area of Akkurum to see the ancient irrigation systems and climb the hill to the stone mushrooms, rocks of amazing shape and sacred place for the Altai people. We will have lunch with a view of the Chulyshman valley and go further up the river to the foot of the Katu-Yaryk pass to watch the sunset overlooking the picturesque Kurkurek waterfall, which is more than thirty meters high.

3 day. Pass Katu-Yaryk.

In the morning, we will drive a serpentine mountain pass of Katu-Yaryk to see from its summit a panoramic view of the deepest canyon of Altai. On the way through Ulaganskoye Highland we will visit the Pazyryk barrows, where the most ancient pile carpet in the world was found, see sacred Altai trees, taste national cuisine on the shores of Lake Kidel, and see the sunset over the snowy peaks of Severo-Chuisky ridge driving up on an all-terrain vehicle to the glaciers of Aktru.

4 day. Glaciers Aktru.

We will wake up amongst the snowy peaks and glaciers in the Aktru valley. We will have to climb up to a height of over 3000 meters to see the Blue Lake, lost among the glaciers of the Great Aktru. In the evening, we will take a walk through virgin taiga, touch centuries-old cedars, stand at the foot of the waterfall and enjoy the Altai steam bath on the shore of a mountain lake.

5 day. Chuisky tract.

We will descend from the highlands and take the Chuisky road, which is among the ten most beautiful roads in the world. We will touch the petroglyphs of the Kalbak-Tash sanctuary and see an ancient star map, watch the turbulent waters of Chuya river meet the turquoise Katun, overcome the Chike-Taman pass and stop for the night in the Uch-Enmek national park, where we will meet with the Altai narrator kaychi.

6 day. Uimon Valley.

We will go to the Uimon valley, where the Old Believers looked for Belovodye, and Nicholas Roerich - for the entrance to Shambhala. On the way, we will see a stone-age site in the Ust-Kan cave and visit the Old Believers’ Museum in the village of Verkh-Uymon in order to get acquainted with their culture and traditions. In the evening, we will stop for the night in the village of Tyungur on the banks of the Katun River.

7 day. Belukha Mountain

In the morning we will go to the top of the Terektinsky ridge that overlooks the sparkling glaciers of the highest mountain in Siberia, sacred Belukha. Those who wish will have a chance to fly a helicopter to its foot and see Altai from a bird's-eye view. In the evening, we will go up in an all-terrain vehicle to the highlands of the Multinsky lakes and see the sun set over the reserved Katun ridge.

8 day. Lake Kuiguk.

Мы отправимся на конную прогулка по долине горной реки, через цветущие разнотравьем луга, до озера Куйгук, одного из самых красивых на Алтае. Вода в озере невероятного бирюзового цвета, а суровые снежные вершины вокруг и мощный водопад - дарят ощущение сказки и настоящей девственности природы. Вечером мы пойдем в баню, искупаемся в озере и увидим млечный путь с мириадами звезд над головой.

9 day. Seminsky Pass.

We will welcome the dawn on the shore of Lake Multinsky and go down by an off-roader to the Uimon Valley. We will head to the eco-hotel on the banks of the Katun River. On the way, we will go over the Seminsky Pass, where the Altai khans decided to join Russia, and then stop at the botanical garden in the village of Kamlak to taste herbal teas and learn about the Red Book plants of Altai.

10 day. The Katun River.

We will take on rafting down the Katun River - we will navigate some simple rapids, go into the water grotto of the Tavda caves and take a dip in the Kamyshlinsky waterfall. In the evening, we will have a farewell dinner in a restaurant with panoramic windows and a view of the Katun River. Next morning we will fly home from Gorno-Altaisk airport.

Valery Arkhipova

Travel to Altai, 2017

"I had long dreamed of going to Altai, so when I saw the journey with the Travelers’Guild on the Internet, I instantly felt that I would like it a lot. And I didn’t make a mistake! Those two weeks were one of the best trips in my life. I had it all: beauty of pristine nature, change of impressions, encounters with mystery, meeting with amazing people and the opportunity to get to know myself better. Many thanks to our guides Daniel and Marina for the love that we traveled this path with! I hope for new journeys together) "