Detailed description of the tour
Day 1
Arrival to Altai
Accommodation – Klever Resort Hotel 4*
Distance – 90 km from Gorno-Altaisk airport
Fly to Moscow and then domestic flight to to Gorno-Altaisk (capital of the Altai Republic, 1,3 hour from the airport to the hotel).
Upon your arrival we will pick you up at the airport of Gorno-Altaisk. Breakfast and excursion to the National Museum of the Altai Republic. You can observe many archaeological artefacts from the Stone Age till Turkic Period. Altai Mountains were the motherland for many ancient tribes. For example, in Denisova Cave were discovered Homo Altaiensis, absolutely new species of human ancestors. In the middle ages Turkic ethnos was formed in Altai. But the most famous archaeological artifact is the mummy of Siberian Ice Maiden or Princess of Ukok. It was discovered at the Ukok Plateau in ice burial mound near the border of Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. There are many legends connected with the mummy and local people consider it like a deity. Actually scientists say that the woman was a shaman or priestess during her life.
Transfer to the hotel. Check-up at 4* hotel on the bank of the Katun River, Lunch and short rest.
Afternoon activities – walking tour to Chemal village. We will visit the orthodox church of the St. John the Evangelist and then have a walking route along the Katun River’s bank towards the Chemalskaya power station.
Late in the evening we will hike to Che-Chkysh Gorge to enjoy sundown over the Katun River’s valley.
Day 2
Treasures of the Katun River
Accommodation – Klever Resort Hotel 4*
Distance – 50 km
In the morning you will have thrilling activity (but not dangerous) – white water rafting at the Katun River. During the rafting we will stop near the Kamyshlinsky Waterfall and you can take some amazing photos near it.
At the afternoon you will get acquainted with rural lifestyle. Altai is famous for maral deer breeding. Young not ossified horns of deer are very curious and contain plenty of vital substances. We will visit a maral breeding farm and have a horse back riding excursion there. Usually marals are kept in large parks that is why we should ride to watch them.
Day 3
Car excursion along the Chuisky Trakt
Accommodation – Rasul Hotel (rooms with WC and shower)
Distance – 330 km
Today we will have long car transportation along the most beautiful mountainous highway in Russia. Chuisky Trakt is an ancient road and first was mentioned in ancient Chinese chronicles. In the middle ages it was the northern part of the Silky Road. Later it was used by Russian Merchandisers like a trade path to Mongolia. Today Chuisky Trakt is one of essential highlights in Altai and travelling along it allows to see many natural and historical sites.
You will see Seminsky Pass and Siberian pine tree taiga, rocky serpentine of Chike-Taman Pass, awesome Ilgumensky Rapid on the Katun River, famous boms of Chuisky Trakt (bom is a local name to rocky and steep banks of the river near the highway), rock drawings of Kalbak-Tash sanctuary, waterfalls near Chibit village and Geizernoye Lake.
Overnight at Aktash village in the hotel.
Day 4
Aqcuantance with nomadic culture of Altai people
Accommodation – Hotel near Buryuzovaya Katun (rooms with WC and shower)
Distance – 330 km
Today we weak up early in the morning – 2 hours before dawn. We are going to enjoy the sunrise and watch how the first sun rays paint the snowcapped peaks of the North-Chuisky Ridge in various shades of pink and golden colors. Before this grandiose scene we should hike about 1 hour or little more to reach the observation viewpoint on the top of a mount. But this dawn above the North-Chuisky Ridge will be one of your favorite landscapes in Altai and it is worth our efforts.
After sunrise we will have a breakfast and return travel along the Chuisky Trakt to Uch-Enmek natural and ethnographic Park. It is situated on Karakol Valley, the most sacred place in Altai. The valley was populated in early Bronze Age and has numerous archaeological monuments such as burial mounds, rock drawings, stone steles. Local people consider the Karakol Valley as a place of power and perform shamanistic rituals there. You will get acquainted with local people, one of them show us the sanctuaries. Afterwards you will have cooking class. We will cook traditional nomadic meals from sheep meat, milk products and cereals. Finally you will enjoy the throat singing, a special cultural tradition of nomads of Northern Asia. It was included into UNESCO World Heritage list.
Overnight at the guest house near the Katun River.
Day 5
Farewell to Altai
Distance – 90 km
Early weak up (4.30 am) and land transportation to the airport of Gorno-Altaisk (flight at 10.05).
The last days we are enjoying very beautiful natural phenomenon – blossoming of evergreen shrub Rhododendron Ledebourii in the Altai Mountains. We are pleased to share with you images of this Siberian spring holiday.
We celebrate the beginning of winter season by arrival of swans to Altai. Several hundreds swans and over then 1,000 other waterfowl annually spend a winter in non-ice covered lakes in the foothills of Altai. This is the only one such a place in Siberia with wintering swans and that is the reason why natural reserve had been established here.