What is there only in the Altai Territory?
Going on a trip to Altai is something everyone should do at least once in their life. There you will see mountains, passes, waterfalls and lakes, valleys and steppes, one of the most beautiful roads in the world, unusual archaeological finds, ancient mounds and rock paintings. Choose which of these places you want to see most and we will plan, book and deliver a personalized premium trip for you. Below we will tell you about the main attractions in Altai that you can see during your trip. Sights of Altai on the map
Natural attractions
Chuisky tract
The Chuysky tract is one of the most famous and ancient roads not only in Altai, but throughout Russia. The first mentions of it were found in Chinese chronicles dating back to the last millennium. At that time, the Mungal tract was still used by traders and warriors traveling from Russia to Mongolia and China. The modern Chuisky tract is a paved road that leads from Novosibirsk through Altai to Mongolia, and then through China to the Arabian Sea in the Pakistani port of Karachi. In addition, the Chuysky tract is the main road that tourists use to travel around Altai. Not far from it are the tourist centers of Chemal and Turyuzovaya Katun, the famous Katu-Yaryk pass and the valley of the Chulyshman River. The tract passes both through the Southern and near the North Chuysky ridge. And driving along the historical part of the highway from Biysk to the border with Mongolia, you can see Mongolian burial mounds and stone women – idols – guarding them.
Karakol valley
The valley along the Karakol River is one of the most sacred places in Altai. This small area contains the largest number of burial mounds, ancient sacrificial altars and stone slabs, as well as rock paintings. Moreover, it was here that for the first time in Altai, multi-colored petroglyphs were found, made using mineral paints of white, black and red. In order to preserve the historical and cultural monuments found in this area, in 2001 the territory of the Karakol Valley and its surroundings was united into the Uch-Enmek Natural Park with a total area of 60,5 thousand hectares. Chuysky tract – the main road of Altai From the RussiaDiscovery archive On the Altai Kaleidoscope tour, you will spend the night in the Uch-Enmek natural park and visit the world-famous Pazyryk mounds.
Altai Mars
Do you want to go on vacation in Altai and suddenly find yourself on another planet? Let’s say on Mars? Then you definitely need to go to the valley of the Kyzyl-Chin River, which is located 7,5 km from the Chuysky tract in the Altai Republic. Due to the fact that the local soil is full of polymetallic ores, the mountains here acquire multi-colored shades. Mostly red. In addition, there is almost no vegetation on such soil. All this makes the valley of the Kyzyl-Chin River a real Mars. The Martian Valley in Altai is a well-known place, but not as popular as the Katu-Yaryk pass. Therefore, there will be no huge crowds of tourists here, which means you can walk around the local Mars in relative solitude and feel like a real explorer of another planet. And, of course, the photographs from these places turn out exceptional. So, if you have ever wanted to become an astronaut, it’s time to fulfill this dream in Altai.
Shavlinskie lakes
The chain of Shavlinsky lakes stretches along the North Chuysky ridge for almost ten kilometers. They are famous throughout the world – not only for their beauty, but also for the amazingly rich color of the water: blue, green, azure. Reservoirs border mountain slopes and flowering meadows, and in the Upper Shavlinskoye Lake three peaks are reflected at once – Beauty, Dream and Fairy Tale. Shavlinsky lakes are cold, the weather here is changeable, but some travelers still dare to swim, especially in sunny weather. On rainy days, the clouds descend along the mountain slopes to the water itself and, reflected in the surface of the lake, paint it in deep dark tones. There are alien landscapes in Altai From the RussiaDiscovery archive We have an extensive collection of travel around Altai in a group – study the catalog, maybe there’s already something there for you?
Geyser lake
The small but colorful Geyser Lake is located in the Altai Republic, 165 kilometers from the border of Russia and Mongolia. It surprisingly resembles the American lake in Yellowstone Park. In its middle, geysers also come out, and with them blue silt rises to the surface from the bottom. Because of this, the water in the Altai lake acquires an unusual blue tint. From the center of the lake, the silt spreads out into concentric rings and gradually changes its color. The water in Geyser Lake is of an unusual blue color. From the RussiaDiscovery archive Our tourist Olga Gileva is engaged in painting – the album and paints travel with her. Look what paintings she brought from her trip to Altai.
Katun River
- Tavdinsky caves 5 kilometers long, located on the left bank of the river.
- Tavdinskaya arch – karst arch (width – 13 meters, height – five meters) in the mountains above Katun.
- Maralniki — special farms in Altai where rare deer are bred. These deer are known for their antlers, or rather antlers, which are widely used in medicine and cosmetology.
Katun is the main river in Altai
From the RussiaDiscovery archive
Katun can be seen in almost all trips to Altai from our catalog – explore the collection.
Many travelers want to take away from Altai at least a “piece”, at least a “grain” of its healing power. Wrapped in a blanket, by the fireplace or just sitting in a cozy chair, squeeze a cup of aromatic herbal tea in your hands. What could be nicer than cold winter?
Altai is a storehouse of natural wealth; there is truly an amazing variety of medicinal plants. And in recent years, in addition to individual herbs and ready-made mixtures for making tea and decoctions, in souvenir shops you can increasingly find cosmetics – creams, balms, shampoos, as well as other body and hair care products.
Since ancient times, “gathering”—harvesting berries and nuts—has been one of the main activities of the Altai people. This tradition has survived to this day. Along with the “gifts of the taiga” in Altai you can always buy products grown on private plots; very tasty tomatoes, several varieties of apples, including the famous “White filling”, pears, cherry plums and even Siberian apricots grow here.
Medicinal herbs.
More than 2000 plants grow in Altai and more than 650 of them have healing properties. The most common include: bergenia (both leaves and roots are used), elecampane (a very effective expectorant for colds), oregano, St. John’s wort, fireweed (Ivan tea), kopeck, burdock, mantle, bracken (fern), tansy, plantain, golden root (Rhodiola rosea), thyme (here it is called thyme), yarrow. Both individually and in the form of herbal collections can be found at any souvenir market.
What you should pay attention to:
Firstly, you must be able to verify that the finished product has a uniform color, there are no signs of rot, and it is dried well enough. “Twist” the package in your hands and try to evaluate it visually.
Secondly, the purchased product must be accompanied by instructions for use (for what and how it is used), information about storage conditions and expiration date. If any of the above is missing, check with the seller.
And thirdly, medicinal herbs must be harvested at a certain time, some of them need to be collected in the spring, some at the end of summer. Of course, you will not be able to check whether this was done correctly. At least ask the seller if he knows when you can collect this or that “weed”; if he can’t answer, you definitely shouldn’t buy anything here. In this sense, you should not be afraid of people who sell medicinal preparations “from the wheels” – there is a car with an open trunk in which packages of goods are laid out, the seller is a peasant or a middle-aged couple. Most often, these are people who themselves collect and prepare herbs for sale. Talk to them, ask about all the properties and features of use; from their answers you can understand how carefully people treat their business.
Pay attention to the information about storage conditions, natural material is a very fragile matter, it can easily lose all its healing properties.
Many berries familiar to Siberia grow in Altai. You can buy them in the form of jam all year round, but fresh only during the harvesting season. Honeysuckle – in early June, strawberries – at the end of June and July, black and red currants – from July to September, raspberries – from July to August (raspberries, it must be said, are not very common in Altai). We are talking about forest berries; you can easily distinguish those that were grown by local housewives – they are not as fragrant and larger. In late summer and autumn, lingonberries and cranberries are harvested in Altai (although much less cranberries grow here than in the neighboring Kemerovo region); in August, blueberries can be found everywhere.
Oddly enough, we advise you to buy berries not in the markets, but near the road, but only in the first half of the day: just from the road, dust and harmful impurities can settle on it. Usually the person who picked it sells it this way; here you can buy the freshest berries at a good price.
Much has been written about the benefits of pine nuts. This is a unique source of useful vitamins and microelements. Not only the kernel of the nut, but also its shell has beneficial properties (tinctures on it are used for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and have a tonic effect); a decoction for taking baths is made from the cake that remains after cleaning the cone. In addition to nuts, in Altai you can buy cedar oil and oleoresin, and if you can safely buy nuts everywhere, then we advise you to buy these products only in specialized stores and pharmacies, because they are counterfeited quite often.
In Altai you can buy nuts at any souvenir market – raw, fried, steamed – for every taste. In recent years, shelled nuts have been found in vacuum packaging (sold both in markets and in stores). This is a fairly new technology that allows you to preserve all the beneficial properties of the nut.
Walnut harvesting traditionally begins in September, so in spring and summer you buy nuts that were harvested last year.
Edible plants.
In conclusion of our article, I would like to talk about two wild plants that are harvested in Altai in huge quantities and which are very often bought by tourists.
Bracken (fern).
At the end of May – beginning of June, the first sprouts of bracken appear in the taiga, and since ancient times this has been one of the most important sources of vitamins for the Altai people. It contains vitamin E, B vitamins, keratin, legnin, and in terms of protein content, fern is not inferior to mushrooms, it even tastes a little like mushrooms. Fern is a rather capricious plant; within a few hours after collection it must be processed (salted), otherwise it will become unsuitable for consumption. The pickling process takes place in several stages; finally, the fern is stored in a saline solution and soaked before use. They add it to all kinds of salads, fry it, make pies with it – there are a lot of options.
Flask (wild garlic, wild garlic)
The second source of vitamins for the Altai people is wild garlic, which appears at the end of April-May in damp forests, along the banks of rivers and lakes. In addition to the “impact” dose of ascorbic acid, wild garlic contains essential oils and phytoncides; it is even used to prevent scurvy.
Wild garlic is salted, pickled, boiled, steamed, but most of all it is consumed raw. In order to taste this specific, spicy product, you need to come to Altai in the spring, just at this time the maralberry begins to bloom on the mountain slopes.
How to communicate in Altai with local residents
It can sometimes be difficult for an ordinary tourist to become a welcome guest in the distant Altai Mountains. In the nearby Gorny Altai, where “civilized” travelers come
Unusual cuisine of Altai
Altai is surprisingly multifaceted. some come here to enjoy the pristine nature, others come here for medical treatment or active recreation (Altai tourist centers offer
Excursions to Altai
Altai is a place that can surprise everyone. Here are the widest opportunities for an interesting holiday. You won’t be bored, no matter where you go.
Altai in winter
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Kupchegen in Altai
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Gorny Altai in spring
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Lake Darashkol
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Ust-Muna in the Altai Republic
The Chuysky tract is one of the most beautiful roads in the world, not surprising, because it passes through the picturesque Altai foothills, along the rapids
