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Altay
Mountains:
Area: Western
Siberia, south, Altai mountains (3.5 hours from Moscow by plane,
48 hours by train).
Nearest cities: Gorno-Altaysk,
Barnaul (300km), Novosibirsk (600km).
Activities: trekking, rafting, hiking, climbing, horseriding
Tours at Altay Mountains - a list of recommended trips - click
here
The
name "Altay" (or "Altai") comes from Mongolian "Altan", which
means "golden". Altay mountains are truly one of the nature's
most marvelous gems, amazing by its diversity and beauty.
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The Altay
ecoregion covers vast 845,000 square kilometer area at the junction
of four
countries: Russia
(largest part),
Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. Novosibirsk, the city through
which the Trans-Siberian route goes, is about 600 km far, which
is very
not
far for Siberian
scales.
Altay is a land where myths and legends are incarnated into reality.
It's one of those rare corners on the Earth where Nature decided
to show everything it was capable of. Broad and boundless views
of steppes, luxuriant varieties of taiga thickets, modest charm
of deserts, severe splendor of snowy peaks, laconic beauty of tundra
- the diversity of landscapes here is so rich, it is as if you
are
turning over pages of a geographical atlas!
Highlights.
Three major factors make Altay mountains a recreational domain
of great value: amazing natural diversity (various landscapes,
climates, abundance of wildlife); thin
population, historically nomadic (Mongolian and Kazakh ethnos),
who have a very natural way of life; and remoteness from any industries
(the region
lives only
for tourism and agriculture). All this has ensured that Altay region
stayed untouched by
industrial
development and
is still a very natural place. Besides, such diversity makes it
possible to involve in almost any possible activity: from rafting
to trekking, from speleo to skiing.
Stretching
for nearly 2000 km from north-west to south-east,
Altai mountains
form a natural
border between
the arid steppes of Mongolia and the
rich taiga of Southern Siberia. Both climatic
zones create
the
landscapes
of striking diversity, ranging from the Mongolia-like steppes (at
the area of Kosh-Agach village, south east) to
those of the Swiss Alps (along Chuysky Trakt).
During the Soviet times, Altay was a mecca for adventure
tourism, especially rafting. Altai mountains have
a lot of rivers, Katun, Biya, and Chuya being the longest of them.
There are also myriads of smaller mountain rivers that are fed
by Altay's glaciers. Along all these rivers there's a lot of places
for recreation and fishing. You can easily put a tent anywhere
you want.
Altay's
Nature.
The wildlife vary from big mammals (bear, lynx, glutton,
Siberian stag, even reindeer and snow leopard above the tree line)
to small birds (230 species) and fishes (20 species - umber, loach,
white fish among them). Many species and plants are really unique.
Camel and yak are a good Mongolian touch to the picture of the Russian
Altai. Another, and very pleasing touch is no mosquitoes and such-like
making life miserable in Northern Siberia. Cedar is a very common
tree in the rich mountain forests as well as pine, birch, spruce,
fir, larch. Berries and mushrooms are abundant in the season.
There are four main plants that grow in Altay mountains and that
are widely used by local people. On the photo below, from right
to left are:
Cedar (Kedr)
is a pine-like tree, its pines contain a lot of
little nuts.
 You
can cook the whole pine in fire or boil it and
then take out the nuts, they are very tasty and nutricious. Badan is
a plant that usually grows on heights starting from 1000 m and
its dry
(brown) leaves are used to make tea. Kuril tea is
another nice plant to make tea with and has many positive effects
also. Cannabis selvia is also quite widely spread.
Altay
Weather.
The
weather and climate at Altay is as diverse as its nature. Generally,
the summer starts in May-June and finishes in
September. During that time it's quite warm during the daytime
(about 20 -
25 celcius) and cool in the night (about 5-10 celcius), so it's
better to have a sleeping bag with you, if you are
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traveling
on your own. During June and July there may be quite a few rains,
but the August and September are the sunniest months (more than
60% of the time there's no rain at all). In the Summer the snow
is left only on the heights of 2600 meters and higher. The winds
in the valleys are not very strong. So, to sum everything up, the
best months for traveling at Altay in Summer are July, August,
and first half of September: warm, sunny in the day, no mosquitoes.
The winter in Altay starts in October-November. That's
when it starts snowing and the mountains are covering by snow from
top
to bottom. The best months for traveling in winter are November
and December. During that time, there's mostly good weather and
not very cold. The coldest months are January and February. The
average temperature goes down to minus 15-20 celcius. The coldest
place at Altay is Chuyskaya steppe, which is along the way to Mongolia. After
that, in February and March the weather is quite good again. There
are a lot of activities possible, like skiing, auto tours, animal
watching, and even swimming in frozen lakes. And, of course, the
main activity: alpinism.
The snow usually starts to disappear in the first half of May,
so it is a beatiful Spring time in Altay at this period.
Ethnography and Inhabitants.
For innumerable centuries being the cross-roads of human migration,
the Altai has a long and rich history. A lot of archaeological finds
prove that. Those
of the Ulalite
paleolithic site (in the town of Gorno-Altaisk) are 900-800 thousand
years old. So, man's ancestors lived in the Altai long before the
pithecanthrope of Java. The number of younger sites (mainly in caves)
comes to dozens. So, going from cave to burial mound, from graffito
to graffito you will get the stereoscopic picture of man developing
from the Stone to Bronze and Iron Ages. The modern population is
a mixture of indigenous Altais and Russian settlers, some of the
latter still leading in their villages the life of Old Believers,
with strict rules and very much isolated from civilization. There
are few remote villages in Altai where you can see wool being spun
on a hand and hear traditional Altai throat singing (a very interesting
and strange technique).
Best
Places to Go:
Katun
river starts its way near the highest point of Altai mountains
(4620 m) and goes down through pristine alpine scenery, with a number
of remote Altai villages along the way to Ob' river, that crosses
the west Siberia from North to South and brings its waters to Karskoe
more, in the ocean. Katun river is very good for
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rafting as
it offers many exciting routes and magnificient views at Altai
mountains.
Altyn-Kyol (in Russian
means "Golden Lake") is the native
Altai name for Lake Teletskoye. This lake is considered
to be a smaller replica of Baikal lake, however, we would not recommend
you to go there, because it is quite unaccessable and there are
rumours that it is polluted by the remains of Soviet space ships
that were launched in 80s from Baikonur space (in Kazakhstan).
Aktru glacier is a beautiful and the
most accessible of Altay's glaciers. It is located about 500 km
along Chuyski trakt,
which
leads to
Mongolia. You can arrive to Aktru alpinist base and make short
1-day walks to glaciers. The walks are not hard and picturesque,
so perhaps Aktru is one of the best place to visit in Altay if
you have more than 3 days. Aktru is also loved by snowboarders
who ride there even in Summer
months. It is a remote area and very pristine and clean. The best
place to rest from civilization and enjoy the nature.
Beluha mountain is considered
to be a sacred place. Local people believe that Belovodie (the
region around Beluha) is where the new civilization will start.
However strange it may sound, but historical researches prove that
many civilizations started their way from this region. It is hard
to access Beluha by car, the nearest village is Tungur, where there's
a good alpinist base, and Beluha is within 3 days walk (or 2 days
horseriding) from there.
The Cordon
of Chelush is
a lonely place on the shore of the amazing highland lake, not far
from the mouth of a mountain river. It is only possible to get
there
by water or by helicopter. The picturesque landscapes of the cordon
may give a great pleasure to the real connoisseurs of Natural
beauties
and wonders.
The Biya is the only river flowing out of Lake
Teletskoye. A rafting journey down the Biya is considered a classic
route of water tourism. The mixture of impetuous rapids and calm,
extensive sections of the river allow enjoying the beauty of the
surrounding landscapes and at the same time receive a sufficient
dose of adrenalin.
Around 100-150 years ago there was a great mountain avalanche, but
it couldn't stop the impetous Chulcha river and from a great height
it falls down by cascades, forcing its way to the Chulyshman
River – Uchar Waterfall (in Russian means "Unapproachable").
The Uchar Waterfall was discovered only about 20 years ago, so not
many people have had a chance to see it yet.
Tours at Altay Mountains - a list of recommended trips - click here
Nearest Towns and How to Get There.
Altai montains is a quite remote region. The closest big
(more than 50,000 inhabitants) city is Gorno-Altaisk, located just
at the beginning of Altai mountains, on Katun river. Slightly further
is Biysk. Many tourists go to one of these two cities, and it is
a big mistake. Gorno-Altaysk and Biysk are completely run-down
Soviet style cities with quite depressive mood. Besides,
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it's almost
impossible to find a good guide from there.
We recommend you to go to Barnaul, which is 300 km far from Altay.
It is a beautiful nice provincial town, which surprises with availability
of good-quality accommodation ($3/night for western-style shared
room!), original restaurants, and friendly people. Also, most Altay
tour operators base in Barnaul, so it's a practical place to start
your trip.
Novosibirsk
(around 600 km far), which is located on Trans-Siberian railway,
can also be a good starting point.
The most convenient way to get to Altay is to take a plane from
Moscow to Barnaul (from $230 return, 4 hours flight) and then take
a bus or personal mini-bus to Gorno-Altaisk.
The cheapest way to
get to Altai area
is
to take
a train from Moscow
to Novosibirsk (from $70 one way), then take a train to Biysk (through
Barnaul - about 370 km and $5 one way), then take a car or a
bus
(cheap) to Gorno-Altaisk (just at the beginning of Altai mountains)
and further - take local buses to Altai mountains along Chuisky
Trakt (the auto-road that goes through Altay to Mongolia).
Activities & Traveling around Altay.
Most outdoor activities can be practised in Altai: caving, climbing,
mountaineering, trekking, hunting, rafting, paragliding, horse riding.
Rafting has made Altai known not only in Russia and the Chuya Rafting
Rally is an international event.
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