Traveling through Altai on your own. To Altai by car: how to get there and what to see? Review, photo. You can travel around Altai all year round, but

Altai is mysterious and beautiful! In our time, Altai is the combined name of two territorial units: the Altai Republic and Altai Territory. Taiga, steppes, mountains and semi-deserts converge here. About 20,000 rivers and streams, about 7,000 lakes, the Katun and Biya rivers greet travelers in Altai.

Travel to Altai

The impregnable and proud Altai is beautiful at any time of the year. The uniqueness of the landscape, the presence of various natural areas, nature almost untouched by human civilization will not leave any traveler indifferent. Everyone here will find something to their liking.

Let us note the main places of reception of tourists in Altai - this is Chemal, the Seminsky Pass area, Artybash. Fans of a civilized holiday should stay in Chemal; Artabysh is suitable for lovers aquatic species sports, and if you want to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, go to the Seminsky Pass.

How to get to Altai

In traditional ways, you can get to Altai by plane, train, bus, car. A great option is to travel to Altai by car. This way you can admire the beauty of your native nature and stop for the night or rest whenever you want. And such a trip also saves money.

All that remains is to get acquainted with some options for traveling by car from different starting points.

To Altai from Moscow

Let's start our journey from Moscow to Altai by car by plotting the route. There are two options for traveling from Moscow. First:

• Moscow;
• Nizhny Novgorod;
• Kirov;
• Permian;
• Ekaterinburg;
• Tyumen;
• Omsk;
• Novosibirsk;
• Gorno-Altaisk.

Second option:

• Moscow;
• Vladimir;
• Nizhny Novgorod;
• Kazan;
• Naberezhnye Chelny;
• Chelyabinsk;
• Mound;
• Omsk;
• Novosibirsk;
• Barnaul.

You will spend about seven to ten thousand rubles on gasoline, depending on the fuel consumption of your car and the cost of fuel.

Travel from Novosibirsk

Traveling to Altai by car from Novosibirsk will take relatively little time; the distance along this route is about 450 kilometers. You will spend five to six hours on the road, fuel costs will be one and a half to two thousand rubles.

Altai routes

The ideal choice for traveling from Novosibirsk would be a route along the Chuysky tract. We set off along the Novosibirsk-Biysk-Tashanta road (M-52). Along this route you need to overcome three passes: Seminsky, Chike-Taman, Durbet-Daba (if you go to Mongolia).

From major cities along the way - Biysk, the gateway to the Altai Mountains and the beginning of the Chuysky tract. The city was founded in 1708 by decree of Peter I.

Moving along the Chuysky tract, you will see Mount Babyrgan; if you wish, you can climb there. This will take about two hours. Next is a stele on the border with the Altai Republic. We cross the border, in front of us is the village of Maima - a suburb of Gorno-Altaisk. At the 452nd km - the village of Rybalka and a large number of signs to recreation centers, campsites and other tourist sites. appears before you in all its glory on this section of the tract. The main tourist complexes of Altai are concentrated here.

At 455 km you can see suspension bridge through Katun, however, inactive. A little further there is a new bridge that leads to Lake Aya and the village of the same name, as well as to the village of Altaiskoye.

Lake Aya is located on the territory natural park. Moving further, we find ourselves in the vicinity of the village of Manzherok. Here it is worth visiting the Manzheroksky spring, the river rapids - the Manzheroksky Gate and the landmark of the lake - chilim, or water chestnut, listed in the Red Book.

When traveling through the Altai Mountains by car, visit not far from Manzherok. In winter you can visit ski resort, and in the summer you will be offered excursions on ATVs, rafting and motor rafting.

Tavdinsky caves are another important point of the Chuysky tract. The first cave, Maiden's Tears, is located seventy meters from the road, then there is another one, from which there is a beautiful view of the Katun. There are about thirty caves in total.

You will come across a mineral spring with silver, copper and manganese, Arzhan-Suu, at 485 km.

On the Kamyshla River it falls from a height of 12 meters. Here you can stop for a rest.

The end point on this route is the village of Ust-Sema. To the left, the Chuisky tract goes to the border with Mongolia, straight ahead - the road to Chemal.

This route is suitable for traveling to Altai by car with children, since there are enough places along the road where you can rest and eat, and the road itself is not very dangerous. Perfect for traveling with the whole family.

To Altai from Krasnoyarsk

If you go on a trip to Altai by car from Krasnoyarsk, you can, as with the option from Novosibirsk, get to Biysk and then follow a different route. But it is more suitable for a group of adults, as it involves walking, sometimes even dangerous.

From Biysk we go to Lake Teletskoye. The first point on the way is Artybash. It is better to get to it along an asphalt road through Gorno-Altaisk. Further Kazylozek, Paspaul, Choya, Verkh-Biysk, Artybash.

It is best to stop in Artybash, there are places to stay here. And from there we invite you on a trip to Lake Teletskoye. Stone Bay on the northern shore of the lake is the most visited place. Next is the Oyor River and Altai state reserve and Mount Cheptu, which forms a cape in the lake.

Cordon Baikazan. Here the slopes of the mountain go into the lake, forming huge stone screes. We move to Cape Azhi, and then the picturesque village of Yailyu.

From the village of Yailyu we move to Cape Chichelgan, then a large bay - Kamginsky. Two waterfalls, Korgu and Kamga, are on our way, and then the Ayukechpes River.

The Big Chili River, the village of Bele, Cape Verkhniy Kamelik, the Kyga River, the Chulyshman River are the main points of the route in the vicinity of Lake Teletskoye.

Route planning

In order to better plan a trip around Altai by car, the route must be thought out in advance. It is better to start your first acquaintance with Altai with the help of professionals, namely reliable guides. So you will see with a 100% guarantee best places, you won’t get lost and won’t regret missing something important.

Traveling with children, what to take with you

Have you chosen to travel with the whole family? When traveling to Altai by car with children, choose the areas of Katun and Lake Aya, Manzherok or Belokurikha for a stop. Everything here is equipped for recreation, there are rooms, beaches, attractions and so on.

The main entertainment for children is swimming. You should not swim in the rivers, they are all very cold and have strong currents, which is unsafe. The best option for children there will be lakes Aya and Mazherokskoye or swimming pools in the territories of recreation centers.

Together with your child you can go to horse ride with trained horses and experienced instructors. ATVs, river rafting, bungee jumping, and boats - all this is offered by local entertainment services.

When going on a trip to Altai by car with children, you need to take packing things and other things seriously. necessary items. It is advisable to be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis and have insurance. In May-June, ticks are very common. You should have a personal first aid kit with everything you need in your car.

If you go in the summer - sunscreen, creams, etc. At this time the sun is very active here. What else will you need:

• water and something for a light snack on the way;
• sleeping bag, even if you plan to stay at a hotel;
• raincoat, rubber boots, warm jacket and trousers;
• board games, coloring books and other things to keep your child occupied on the go;
• It makes sense to take a multimedia player or tablet with cartoons and educational games (just be sure to remember a portable charger, although you can charge the device from the cigarette lighter in the car).

Tourist complexes for families with children in Altai

A large number of complexes are at your service. On the banks of the Katun River there is the Eagle's Nest complex. There are houses here for 3800 rubles per day for three people, breakfast is included in the price. Children under five years old are free, from five to twelve years old at a certain rate, from twelve years old - full price. The territory is equipped with a swimming pool, a summer cafe, and a children's playground.

"Three Bears" - great option for relaxation near Lake Aya. There is everything for children! Children's town, mini-zoo, playrooms, pony rides, children's pool, creative workshops, children's animation. A room for two adults and a child costs four thousand rubles per night. Is breakfast included.

The Jolly Roger Bay recreation center is located on the banks of the Katun, not far from Lake Aya. Your children will be offered entertainment in the children's playroom, on a large trampoline, and in the children's playground. On the territory there is a huge Lego, a free evening cinema, a labyrinth, animation, and exercise equipment. The price of accommodation will be almost four thousand rubles per day without meals.

Tourist base "Bear's Corner" three kilometers from Lake Aya. The room stock consists of cottages and economy class options. At the base there is a cafe-bar, an island for walking with children, a summer children's pool, and a pool with a slide. For a junior suite you will be charged four thousand rubles per day + meals seven hundred or a thousand rubles.

"Altan" - tourist base 800 meters from the Aisky Bridge. Four accommodation options:

• two-story cottages;
• two-story building;
• ten comfortable houses;
• 55 summer houses.

Payment - 3700 rubles per day with meals.

“Finskaya Dacha” is the most modern complex thirty kilometers from Gorno-Altaisk (pictured below). There are three outdoor swimming pools, a children's pool, a children's playground, animators, an art studio, and courses for children. The location in the cottage offers the option of both self-cooking and catering.

Other options

The Altika eco-hotel, the Tursib recreation center, the Svoya Usadba complex, the Mountain Fairy Tale tourist center, and the Aya park hotel are also suitable if you are traveling to Altai by car with children. And you can always stop by a cottage you like and find out the prices, what is offered, whether there is food, and so on. And traveling through Altai by car as a savage even involves spending the night in tents.

The final part of the story about our psychedelic trip to Altai. It just so happened that this trip was another best one this year.
Today I will tell you about our route, about life on the road and life in tents, I will say a few words about the car and sum up the financial results.
The total mileage was no less than 3131 km. The budget turned out to be only 13,135 rubles per person, although without taking into account the cost of the flight from Moscow to Novosibirsk and back.

We decided not to spend a week traveling to Novosibirsk (round trip) and bought plane tickets. This time the map of movements turned out to be quite simple and understandable.

For road travel, Altai, in my opinion, is ideal place, since almost everywhere there is a modern road surface, and the views from the windows are simply mesmerizing. Everywhere you can easily find a place to eat and spend the night. Unlike the Alps, you can stop everywhere and admire the views. If you wanted, you turned and drove along a country road or just through fields and meadows. In Europe there are prohibitory signs everywhere (passing is prohibited), and stopping on the highway is not allowed everywhere.

The main disadvantage of these mountains (and at the same time their advantage) is their significant distance from Moscow and St. Petersburg. Few people from the European part of Russia dare to go on a road trip over such distances. From Moscow to Gorno-Altaisk 3,700 kilometers one way.

The quality of the roads may not be as good as the European Alpine serpentines, but in general for our country their condition can be assessed as excellent. Almost everywhere there are good and logical markings, which are comfortable to drive even at night.

The Novosibirsk Chevrolet dealer gave us a white Captiva, which performed very well. It quietly accommodated all our camping gear, tents, foam and sleeping bags. We covered long distances on asphalt in comfort and without fatigue and climbed into the wilderness without any problems.

Thanks to the sunroof Ilyukha negrook managed to shoot a number of good video sketches that were included in.

Spending the night in tents by the fire is the most suitable option for Altai. Of the ten days of our journey, five we lived in tents. Calmness, silence and tranquility - this is what you can go to these parts for.

Of course, the tent life of a nomad also has its drawbacks, but they are not significant:
- you need to plan your day so that you can set up camp in the evening before dark. Looking for a suitable clearing at night is a dubious pleasure.
- you need to stock up on provisions, water and firewood in advance. And accordingly, take with you the necessary utensils, burners, gas.
- assembling/disassembling the camp and preparing food/washing dishes takes more time than collecting breakfast from the buffet in the hotel restaurant and checking out of the room.
- mosquitoes.
- instead of a warm bath - invigorating mountain streams.

We got a rather power-hungry Captiva with a gasoline engine. Without demonstrating dynamic miracles during acceleration and overtaking, the car greedily ate fuel, without any hesitation. The result was a high consumption of 10.4 liters per hundred kilometers.

But I was very pleased with the ground clearance. We never once touched protruding stones and boulders with our bellies, did not scrape in deep ruts or hit bumpers on steep descents and ascents.

The car's handling is ideally suited for quiet driving - be it on a highway or a field of cow dung. The steering wheel is moderately informative and light, and the suspension handles even the slate ripples of a grader well.

Another art object "Loaf". Over the course of this year, we have seen this box so many times in completely different landscapes that there are enough photographs for an entire report)

Travel schedule:
July 15. Flight from Moscow to Novosibirsk. Overnight at the hostel.
July 16. Transfer to the Bachatsky coal mine. Overnight at a hotel in Belovo.
July 17th. Driving to Gorno-Altaisk. Overnight at the hotel.
July 18. A whole day of beauty of the Chuysky tract. Overnight in tents near the village of Ongudai.
July 19. Transfer to the village of Aktash, overnight in tents on Lake Uzunkol.
July 20. Transfer to the Katu-Yaryk pass. On the same day we returned back to Lake Uzunkol, where we spent the night in tents again.
21 July. Road to Kosh-Agach. Overnight at the hotel.
July 22. Long way to the border with China. Overnight in tents near the Dzhumarlinsky warm springs.
July 23. Transfer to the village of Beltir. Overnight in tents.
July 24. We really liked Lake Uzunkol. Again spending the night in tents.
July 25. Transfer to Gorno-Altaisk and overnight in tents in botanical garden near the village of Kamlak.
26 July. Return to Novosibirsk.

In total, we drove 3131 km and consumed 324 liters of gasoline.
Average fuel consumption is 10.4 liters per 100 km.

Accounting notes.
Expenses in rubles for three:
8870 - housing
11435 - food
10339 - gasoline
7346 - miscellaneous ( mobile connection, sink, gas for burner, etc.)
1414 - alcohol

Total for three people is 39,404 or 13,135 rubles per person, excluding flights.
A flight to Novosibirsk for one person cost 8,000 rubles. But it turned out that we were not flying from Moscow, and then we went in a completely different direction.

That's all I have. Thank you for your attention!

It’s very emotional, I’ve never been separated from the girls for such a long time, I haven’t even left them alone with their mother overnight. And this is for about a MONTH.

On June 13 we left. The first planned stop is near Nizhny Novgorod, we have friends there, very interesting people, also at one time they moved from Moscow to an abandoned village, started a farm: a cow, goats, chickens, geese. Children study at home. We stayed with them for three days. They even gave me a cow to milk, they said I had talent), what kind of experience would I have, I fed both girls up to 2.5 years old, and even now Denis is on my chest, and the boobs are boobs in Africa, only the cow’s nipples are longer))) ))

We were given this guest house.

And again on the road. Highway M7. The road is good by the way. Next stop Kazan.

Oh, we really liked Kazan, beautiful city! First stop at the lake. We ate, sat by the fire and went to bed.

About food on the road. Who doesn’t know, we are vegetarians and not everywhere we have something to eat, and eating at roadside cafes is a bit weird. We also don’t forget that we are lovers of nature and hiking. We have prepared as much as possible to be autonomous. In your car you have a refrigerator, a gas burner, even a travel shower))) and a bunch of other things that can make a traveler’s life easier))). Before leaving, I fried a mountain of lentil cutlets, distributed them into portions and sealed them. I made roasts for the soup, also under vacuum. Dried champignons, dried cabbage (when it is reconstituted in soup you can’t tell it from fresh), dried already boiled lentils, this made it possible to periodically prepare different soups in nature.

I also always had cheese and sour milk with me. Pasta, sometimes dry mashed potatoes (yuck), fruit. For small children, baby cereals and purees. Well, tea, coffee with goodies.

In the morning I was awakened by rain on the roof, heavy downpour, and cool. We start the car, but no such luck, it won’t start, the battery is dead. I remind you - lake, forest, morning - no one around. You can’t even go outside with small items because... shower. Our refrigerator worked all night, but we checked the battery could handle it. It turns out that when they were laying out the mattress, someone accidentally turned on the heated seats. The husband went to the nearest holiday village for help. Fortunately, help came quickly; a young man was found who agreed to give us a light. The engine is started, but the instruments don’t show how to drive further? It flashed through my head how long we could be stuck in Kazan. After 5-10 minutes everything returned to normal.

Let's go to the center. The weather also cleared up and summer began))) We decided to devote this day to Kazan, take a walk along the Kremlin and the embankment, and go shopping.

We spent the night again in the car, right opposite the Kremlin.

This is the view from the car window before bed.

The Urals are beautiful, but the constant descents and ascents are tiring and my ears were a little blocked.

We passed by Chelyabinsk.

Kurgan region. Some fields and lakes, many lakes.

Before the turn to Ishim the road was normal, but after the HORROR that lasted 200 km, all the good asphalt went towards Kazakhstan.

I liked Omsk, it’s a beautiful city, the only negative is a lot of midges.

Novosibirsk is wonderful, the Ob reservoir is huge, like the sea you can’t see the opposite time. BUT there are even more midges than in Omsk. We arrived at the beach in the evening, it was hot, but it was impossible to go outside, a swarm immediately attacked. You can, of course, spray yourself with poison, but that won’t work with Denis.

During the day you can go for a walk.

Barnaul is the capital of Altai. Again there was a midge, less than in Novosibirsk, but there were more mosquitoes, biting terribly. I liked the city. There’s just a strange contrast between the big main streets, but it’s worth visiting the secondary, narrow ones terrible roads. We had to hang out in Barnaul for several days. Approaching the gas station, not having reached it a couple of meters, we stalled, the gas ran out, we pushed our baby, we refueled - it won’t start, we’ve arrived. 10 minutes pass and it starts up. ???? We decided to take it to the service center to have a look. While my husband was at the service station, I rested in the hotel))), and then went for a walk around the city, and the local shopping center. It's hot outside, but summer hasn't started in Moscow.

And here we are in Belokurikha, we arrived in the evening, at the height of the holiday season, all the rooms were occupied, we were looking for somewhere to stay until nightfall.

The next day we went to look at the house with these people and stayed for several days. Still, we decided not to rush into making a choice and travel around the Altai Mountains.

Thank you for your attention, to those who made it to the end. There are not many photos because... I mostly shot videos.

Mountain Altai is an amazing and very beautiful region, about which many enthusiastic words have already been said and written. Altai is located in the very center of Asia, in the south Western Siberia, and borders countries such as China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. I am sure that there is no person in the world who would remain indifferent to the beauty of these places. The nature of Altai is not only diverse, it is extremely contrasting: taiga forests quickly give way to dry steppes, low hills and mountains to snow-capped peaks (the highest in Siberia), and the rivers here change their color depending on the time of year.
It was decided to go to Altai by car, because... traveling by car in Altai is very convenient, the main road is in perfect condition, and in a relatively short time you can see a lot of interesting things. On the trip I invited my friend Albert Belyaev, a keen amateur photographer and a great connoisseur of wildlife.
The trip was scheduled from September 13 to 28. The route through the Altai Mountains included the Multinskie lakes, the valley of the Chulyshman River, the Kurai and Chui steppes, and the South Chuisky ridge.
Route diagram:

I. The path from Moscow to Gorny Altai.
It is more convenient to travel to Gorny Altai in the following direction: Moscow – Nizhny Novgorod – Kirov – Perm – Yekaterinburg – Tyumen – Omsk – Novosibirsk – Gorno-Altaisk. On the first day we covered more than 2100 km, and stopped for the night about 100 km away. from Yekaterinburg. Although the road from Moscow to Altai is very long (you practically pass a third of the territory of Russia), I will not describe it, because... it is quite boring and monotonous. If the road to Yekaterinburg goes mainly through forests, then beyond the Urals there begin continuous fields, swamps and forest-steppes, which accompany you all the way to the Altai Mountains. As for the quality of federal and regional roads, in my opinion, they are the most best roads in Western Siberia, and the worst are in the Nizhny Novgorod - Perm section.
On the third day of the journey we went to the Chuysky tract ( federal highway Novosibirsk-Mongolia). This is the only road crossing the entire Altai from north to south. In the afternoon, we finally entered the Altai Mountains! The steppes gave way to the foothills of the Altai ranges.
The first point of the route was Multinskie Lakes. To do this, we first needed to get to the village of Multa, located near Ust-Koksa. In the village of Cherga we turned off the Chuysky tract following the sign for Ust-Koksa. The road was a very uneven dirt road, and in some places, frankly a “washboard”. It was drizzling and it was impossible to move faster than 40 km/h. It began to get dark, and we had to stop for the night in one clearing, having traveled only about 20 kilometers from the Chuysky tract. But the clearing turned out to be completely “mined” with cow dung, and we had to get out of the car very carefully. The first night in Altai was not very rosy: in the rain and among cow dung.

Day 4 (September 16):
We got up very early, even before sunrise. The long September nights allowed us to sleep well. There was no rain, but leaden clouds were walking across the sky with might and main. We moved on, past green meadows, wooded mountains and hills. The road soon went steeply downhill, and after driving less than a kilometer, the landscapes around changed dramatically. Unprecedented spaces opened up before us; everything around us began to resemble the dry steppes of Mongolia. Amazingly, only 1 kilometer separated the green and flowering meadows from the bare steppe! This meant that we had entered the Kansk steppe. Soft sunlight in some places made its way through the heavy lead clouds, and the Kansk steppe appeared before us in a gorgeous way. It's time to take the first shots!

Having passed the Kansk steppe and entered Ust-Koksinsky district, the landscapes began to change again. Forests have appeared, the surrounding area is again full of greenery, horses are grazing in the meadows. In general, when you imagine a classic Altai landscape, the following picture is drawn in your head: green grass, horses grazing in a meadow, and all this against the backdrop of mountains shrouded in clouds. And now, you can simply observe these landscapes from the car window!

In the first half of the day we drove into the village of Multa, where we managed to arrange a transfer to the Multinskie Lakes. There were only 20 km left to the lakes along the “Siberian Autobahn”, but this path was covered in only 3 hours using serious equipment, such as the GAZ-66. On the Multinskiye Lakes it is not necessary to live in tents; now there are several guest wooden houses with a stove, gas stove and electricity (a diesel generator is available). This means you can live in the mountains in comfortable conditions!

II. Multinskie lakes
Having sorted our things, we got into the GAZ-66 and drove to the famous lakes, leaving our car in the parking lot. Looking at the road along which the GAZ-66 slowly and confidently crawled forward, and which, in some places, was a slurry of mud with a rut of about a meter, with thick roots and cobblestones protruding, it was even difficult for me to imagine that such a “road” could be overcome at all on any technology. But the GAZ-66 is a great car, and throughout the entire journey we never even had to use a winch. After 3 hours, we finally got there! The houses turned out to be wonderful, from here to the lake only 300 meters.

Wild and untouched high mountain landscapes, cedar forests, crystal clear lake waters - this is all what makes you come back here again and again. Multinskie lakes are beautiful in any weather. Neither clouds, nor rain, nor cold - nothing will stop you from truly falling in love with these places. And there is no one around except us and the rangers who live on the shore of the lake. Multinskie lakes are a cascade of lakes located in the mountains, at an altitude of 1700-2000 meters, in the Multa river basin. The closest and the most big lake- Nizhneye Multinskoe. 400 meters above Nizhny Lake is the Middle Multinskoye Lake. Between the Lower and Middle lakes there is a seething rapid called Shumy. From our houses to Sredne Multinskoye Lake is only 4 kilometers along the trail. The remaining lakes (Verkhnee Multinskoye and Poperechnoye) are located quite far away (about 14 kilometers from Nizhny), so there were no plans to go there. Having decided to spend 3 nights on the Multinskie Lakes, we agreed that they would return for us on September 19th.

Day 5 (September 17):
We got up very early, with an alarm clock. But the weather this morning was not particularly encouraging. Although there was no rain, the whole sky was covered with gray clouds. There was no need to wait for morning light today. But every weather has its own charm! I really like it in the mountains when slowly floating gray clouds partially hide Mountain peaks and slopes. You can watch this for a long time, and photographs of this state of nature are eye-catching. Having collected our photo backpacks, we set off to explore the direction of Sredne Multinskoye Lake. The trail to the Middle Lake goes along the right bank of the Lower Multinskoye Lake. About an hour later, we came to the threshold of Shuma, here the water flows over huge stones from the Middle Lake to the Lower Lake. But in the fall, the waters in mountain rivers(rapids) is significantly less than in summer. And now instead of a seething stream there are small streams. Now this threshold can be crossed on stones, almost anywhere. We have found a time when “Noises” do not make noise!

It started to snow. We came to the shore of Sredne Multinskoe Lake, and incredible beauty opened up to our eyes: calm emerald lake with the purest transparent water, mountain peaks hidden behind gray clouds. And there is silence all around! Indeed, Multinskie Lakes are beautiful in any weather! And the water in the lakes is so clean and tasty that you can drink it without boiling!

Being engrossed in creating “photo masterpieces,” we suddenly heard the roar of a bear, which was periodically heard from the direction of the nearest wooded slope. To scare the bear, we began to make noise, talk loudly, shout, and clap our hands. In the evening the weather began to gradually clear up. The sun shone for the first time all day.

Day 6 (September 18):
We got up early again, before dawn. But what we saw around us greatly amazed and delighted us: everything was covered with a 10-centimeter layer of snow. It felt like we were in a real winter's tale. Every bush, every twig, every leaf was covered with a cap of snow. It was a complete delight!

Approaching the shore of the lake, we were again amazed by the landscapes that opened up. The clouds in the mountains were actively moving and gradually dissolving, the weather was changing quickly. This morning turned out to be unforgettable. Everything we filmed yesterday has been transformed beyond recognition today, everything has sparkled with new colors. Snow greatly decorated the surrounding landscapes.

Two or three hours later the weather cleared up and the snow was actively melting under the sun's rays. Snow flakes fell from the trees, one after another, and dripping began. All the charm of a fabulous September morning melted away along with the snow. "Real spring!" - Albert and I exclaimed. In the morning it was winter, now it’s spring, in sunny areas it’s summer, and on the calendar it’s autumn. These are the wonders of Altai! We decided to stay on Srednye Multinskoye Lake for the whole day. In the afternoon the sky finally cleared of clouds. In the distance, the snow-white peaks of the Katunsky Range were completely revealed.

This day was truly fabulous. In a few hours we experienced all the seasons.

Day 7 (September 19):
They came for us in the morning. Returning to Multa, we loaded our things back into our car and hit the road. The next point of our journey through the Altai Mountains was the valley of the Chulyshman River. It’s a long way from Multa to Chulyshman, about 550 kilometers.

III. Along the Chuya tract along the Katun and Chuya.
It got dark very quickly, and we left for the Chuysky tract itself in complete darkness. Along the way, on the highway, there are quite a lot of interesting places that deserve attention. One of these places is Chui-Oozy, the confluence of two great Altai rivers - Katun and Chuya. That's where we planned to stay tonight. After some time, the dark September Altai night began to brighten, and soon began to look more like a northern “white night”. The fact is that a full and very bright moon appeared in the sky. The moon turned out to be so bright that everything around began to cast shadows; it was possible to read the newspaper without any problems.

We arrived at the confluence of the Katun and Chuya at about 2 am. In general, Chui-Oozy is a sacred place for the Altai people; it is one of the main symbols of the Altai Mountains. Here the muddy Chuya flows into the Katun. The rivers have different colors, and it is very clear how one river dissolves into another. It is noteworthy that both Katun and Chuya change their water color depending on the time of year. For example, the water in Katun is sometimes dirty gray, sometimes cloudy green, sometimes light green, sometimes turquoise. We found the period when the color of the water, both in Chuya and Katun, was a turquoise shade, the most unusual and beautiful. The moon still shone just as brightly, and therefore there was no time for sleep, I wanted to capture it a nice place in the moonlight. And in the morning, we took new shots of this wonderful place.

Day 8 (September 20):
After morning photography, the Chui-Oozs drove further along the Chuisky tract. Now the Chuya Highway ran along the Chuya River, and quite a lot of interesting panoramas opened up from the route. In the mountains there was very heavy rain or snow everywhere, but above the highway it was good, even the sun came out sometimes. We took these shots right from the side of the road, it’s not for nothing that the Chuysky tract is a separate tourist route.

IV. Valley of the Chulyshman River.
Having reached the village of Aktash, we filled up a full tank of gasoline and drove out onto the road that leads through the Ulagan Pass to Chulyshman. This road passes through picturesque places, but the most unusual and breathtaking landscapes can be observed already at the entrance to the valley of the Chulyshman River, at the Katu-Yaryk pass. And so, when we approached that same pass, from a kilometer height a crazy beautiful valley opened up to our eyes; below, the rapid Chulyshman River meandered like a snake, compressed on both sides by bare rocks that formed a majestic canyon. Here you can not only see, but also hear the noise of the waterfalls, bringing down their powerful, seething streams from a height of several hundred meters. Here we decided to spend the night and do some morning photography.

Day 9 (September 21):
The temperature dropped below -12 degrees at night. I had to warm up the car several times. When it began to get light, the sky was cloudy and we thought that we would not be able to find soft light this morning. Suddenly, the sun's rays began to break through the dense clouds, and a real play of light and shadows began! Such a gorgeous valley in such a gorgeous light made Albert and I just dizzy. The shots taken that morning were the most successful of the entire trip.

We didn’t want to leave this place at all and we decided to finish photographing only after 2 hours, when the sunlight had already become very harsh. When we drove from Aktash to the Chulyshman valley the day before, clouds and fog hid the beautiful panoramas of the Ulagan Pass from us. Now, on the way back, everything was different, and we were able to admire these places. Having climbed the Ulagansky Pass, where it snowed heavily at night, we again, as on the Multinsky Lakes, found ourselves among fabulous winter landscapes. The road was icy, we had to drive very carefully, some trucks were skidding on the rise. We stopped at the popular Kidelyu Lake.

Gorge of the Sofia Glacier

Interesting places in Altai and how to get to them.

Altai is huge and different. You can come here every year for the rest of your life and discover something new every time. In this post I share with you my favorite places where you can drive an SUV and walk a little here and there. Altai will be completely on foot next time :)

When to go to Altai (seasons) and some features

You can travel around Altai all year round, but:

• In winter it’s certainly cold here, but it’s fabulously beautiful because everything is covered in snow. Avalanches are possible in the mountains and it is worth walking on them, understanding what avalanche areas are.
• At the beginning of summer it is good, but there is a lot of water on the roads of the gorges and ticks.
• There are many recreation centers in the foothills of Altai (Chemal, Lake Teletskoye, etc.) and it’s nice here all year round.
• The best time for hiking and traveling in Altai: August-September, when you can even drive to the Ukok plateau (less water) and the least number of ticks.

What else is important to know about traveling in Altai:

• In tourist Altai (Chemal, Teletskoye) there are many tourists, but also many amenities. It is easy to get here by hitchhiking and by public transport.
• The most interesting places Altai is located where buses do not go and hitchhiking is very, very rare (not every day), occasionally you come across houses with local shepherds within 100 km. You can get to such places partially by off-road vehicles, or walk through them.
• The off-road in Altai is magnificent. You can see many beautiful and different places. Let's see which ones exactly.
• (I’ll remember something else important, I’ll be sure to add it :).

Interesting places in Altai for traveling by car, coordinates and photos

Gorge of the Sofia Glacier

In general, from the village of Beltir you can go to different gorges and they are all beautiful. You can get to the Sofia Glacier in autumn. In winter there is a lot of snow, and in early summer there is too much water in the gorge. Coordinates: 49.794444°, 87.772222°

You can read how to use Google coordinates

Sofia Glacier

Martian landscapes outside the village of Beltir

You will pass such landscapes on the way to the Sofia Glacier or Karagemsky and other gorges. This is not the popular Altai Mars that I write about below, but it looks even more real.

Martian Altai, Kyzyl-Chin gorge behind the village of Chagan-Uzun

And this is the “Martian Landscapes of Altai”, where they take you on excursions. You will have to find this place without coordinates, by looking on Google maps where Chagan-Uzun is located. After it there is a small puzzle in the form of branching roads and you are on Mars.

Vershina (repeater) behind the village of Aktash

Google Place coordinates: 50.34001,87.748672 You can climb here by SUV right to the very top, driving from Aktash past the abandoned one. The views from the top are amazing.

Teletskoye Lake at night

You can approach the lake from two sides. For those who are not interested in easy ways - South coast Lake Teletskoye, which can be reached through the Katu-Yaryk pass and the valley of the Chulyshman River. The road is quite tiring, but the views here are more beautiful. There are houses on the shore where you can stay or pitch tents. Coordinates: 51.347994, 87.776104

An easier way to get to Lake Teletskoye is to approach it from the north through the village of Artybash, using public transport.

Chulyshman River Valley and Katu-Yaryk Pass

Descent into the valley straight along the serpentine road, which is in the photo↓. The road is considered unsafe, but to be honest, I never felt in danger going down it. We go and eat for ourselves, admiring the views. Even pussies pass through here, although some have trouble getting up afterwards. Google Coordinates: 50.911640, 88.216379

And here is a video from those places:

Uchitel pass, Aktru gorge

Pass Teacher located in the Aktru gorge. Height is about 3150 meters. Difficulty category 1A. One of the easiest category passes in the gorge, which can be climbed and descended in about 4-5 hours.

Google coordinates: 50.084444, 87.778611

View from the rise to the Uchitel pass

Mountain trails in the Aktru gorge area, trail to the Blue Lake and Aktru glacier

There are many places to go in Aktru Gorge. The routes here are very complex, where you can only go with equipment and in bundles, and simple, where you can “run away” in a few hours. You can ask climbers at the base about routes.

Aktru Base is a place worth visiting in itself. Firstly, because it’s not so easy to get here by car and if you’ve driven through, then that’s already cool, and secondly, it’s wonderful here...

Blue lake near Aktru glacier

Blue Lake- a transshipment base for climbers ascending to the peak or Aktru glacier. An amazing place that is worth a walk from the Aktru base. This will take about 4-5 hours. Google Coordinates: 50.077716, 87.724579

Peak Dome of Three Lakes

The difficulty of climbing to the top of the Dome is 1B. You can spend the whole day going up and down (about 12 hours). There are two ways to go here. It is recommended to climb with a guide. In winter - with cats. In any case, before the climb, you will have to talk with knowledgeable people at the Aktru base to find out the route and the safety of the climb. The ascent starts from the Aktru camp. The coordinates of the Dome are approximately here:): 50.044800, 87.806500

Glade behind the Karagem Pass

Location coordinates: 49.962720, 87.622576

The place is beautiful, but you can only get here in a prepared SUV and it’s better not alone, because sometimes you have to pull each other out. The road is difficult. There are many fords with large stones, slopes and...lack of a road. But it's definitely worth it. Get there from Beltir. There is a bathhouse in the clearing itself :)

The road from the clearing to the Karagem Pass.

Ukok Plateau

Ukok is a plateau located at the junction of the borders of Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Russia. The altitude here is 2200-2500 m, winds blow, and in winter the temperature drops to -50. The most high point Ukoka - Mount Kuiten-Uul 4374 (the second highest in Altai).

Ukok is a place of ancient burials; it is here that archaeologists unearthed the princess of Ukok. The place is strange, cold, wonderful. It attracts you again and again... It is more likely to travel here in August-September. In spring and early summer there is a lot of water. You can get to Ukok either through the Teply Klyuch pass (the most likely way) or through the Dzhazator River.

Plateau coordinates: 49.268354, 87.413683

Warm key: 49.408177, 88.035687

“Road” on Ukok in August

And this is an attempt to drive to Ukok through the Dzhazator River. The attempt failed)
The way home from Altai. Chuysky tract

*All other places do not fit here, because Altai is vast and there is always everything else that has not yet been explored... There is also Tuva through the Buguzun pass and many many gorgeous places.