Do you want to see the real beauty of Gorny Altai? Then check out my list of the top attractions! We advise where to go, what to see and how to get there. Photo, description and map are attached. I will tell you about the secret and most beautiful places, and also warn you against visiting boring, but advertised places.
I will list the sights of Gorny Altai as you move along the Chuisky tract. At the beginning of the list will be the most popular, but not very interesting places, and then the beauty itself will begin. For each location, I will give practical information: how to get there, what to see there, how much it costs to visit, as well as our opinion and advice about this place.
Where is interesting and where is boring in Altai
I love road trips! In my next auto expedition to Altai, I gathered a team of friends and we traveled for a month and a half across this beautiful land. I also advise you to go to Altai in your own car - there will be more freedom and opportunities. Altai is not Sochi for you. This is a wild land where you either won't see anything without your car, or spend a lot of money on excursions. I rode an off-road vehicle, but up to 90% of interesting places in Gorny Altai can be reached by an ordinary car. Read my tips on how to travel to Altai by car.
For my trip to Gorny Altai, I chose only the best sights of the republic. We deliberately did not visit too touristy places (Manzherok, Chemal, Aya, Teletskoye Lake) and far-fetched sights (monuments, springs) - they are not interesting to us. My verdict: the real Altai begins behind the Seminsky pass, and the most picturesque and interesting places of Gorny Altai are located behind Aktash, in the region of the Kurai and Chuya steppes. The path to them is not short, so there are practically no tourists there.
Navigation: use MAPS.ME or OsmAnd to find interesting places. Detailed maps, navigation, the ability to put your own marks - very convenient! MAPS.ME has a friendlier interface and you can download an unlimited number of maps.
Katun
Live on the banks of the Katun for at least a few days - this will be a great start to your Altai journey. Morning fogs, scent of pine trees, bonfires, noisy icy water are a pleasant experience. You can live as a savage in a tent or on a comfortable base. We stayed in the village of Izvestkovy on a private territory and pitched tents. If you want a quiet and cheap getaway, look for unremarkable tent spots along the road. We advise you to find out the weather forecast - in the rain it is better to stay at the camp site.
Seminsky pass
An unremarkable pass, but still we decided to mention it. The Seminsky Pass is the border: behind is a tourist hell in the Chemal region, in front is the real Altai Mountains and stunning natural attractions. In rain and fog, the pass looks gloomy and beautiful, in clear weather - modest and unremarkable.
Karakol natural park "Uch-Enmek"
A small natural park, especially revered in Gorny Altai. What to see? There are many attractions: stone steles, petroglyphs, Bashadar royal burial mounds and stone displays, Lake Aru-Kem and simply beautiful landscapes.
Visit stone steles and royal burial mounds - these are places of power. We are skeptical about such things, but these places at least will not leave you indifferent, at the most - you will feel something. Local advice: mounds are a bad place, someone cries there at night, so don't spend the night there. I really wanted to check the legend, but it didn't work out, we can't confirm or deny it.
Accommodation in the park. You can stop at the visitor center - at the recreation center "Uch-Enmek" (turn to the right at the entrance to the park from the highway). There is a tourist base "Ezlik" - not far from the stone steles. The farthest base is the Aru-Kem cordon. From there it is convenient to take walks to the lake, and the huntsman Uchural also organizes excursions. We lived at the cordon for a whole week: without shops, the Internet, and even without a mobile connection.
Where is. 620 km of Chuysky tract, turn right before reaching the village of Karakol. Petroglyphs - on the right on the rocks about 5-6 km behind the village of Bichiktu-Boom. Stone steles - to the left of the road opposite the turn to the Ezlik base. Mounds - 17 km after the turn, to the right of the road. You can go by car to the barrier.
Chike-Taman pass
An overrated landmark of Gorny Altai. The view did not impress us. The height is about 1300 meters. On the pass there is a parking lot with shops. You can walk along a section of the old Chuisky tract. Minuses: a lot of people, overpriced, a bunch of ribbons tied, the way to the observation deck past smelly toilets.
Where is: 659 km of the Chuysky tract.
Ilgumensky threshold
In this picturesque place Katun and Bolshaya Ilgumen merge. We advise you to go here: it is nice to sit in the shade and wander along the huge boulders, as well as watch the rafting (threshold of the 4th category of difficulty). Some even swim in Bolshaya Ilgumeni.
Where is: 680 km of Chuysky tract, turn left to the "Kur-Kechu" cordon, before reaching about 6 km to the village. Kupchegen. Drive to the gate of the cordon and leave the car (check-in is paid, entrance is not). Then walk down. There is a recreation center and places for a tent.
Merging of Chuya and Katun
Perhaps the most famous sight of the Altai Mountains. There are several observation platforms in the Chui-Oozy National Park, from where you can see the confluence of two rivers. The panorama is beautiful. We were at the end of July, when the water was still cloudy - the confluence was poorly visible. Tourists are advised to visit this place in August-September.
Where is: 712 km of the Chuysky tract. On the right you will see parked cars and a power transmission tower. From it - a few hundred meters to the viewing platform. Another way is to drive further along a dirt road to another site.
Petroglyphs of the Kalbak-Tash tract
A popular place with cave paintings from different eras. You can see the attraction on your own or hire a guide. There is a parking lot.
Where is: 723 km of Chuysky tract, entrance to the left.
Complex "Adyr-Kan"
A little further Kalbak-Tash there is an archaeological complex "Adyr-Kan" - we advise you to look. Little known attraction. One of those rare places in Gorny Altai, where you can feel antiquity and something mysterious: there are simply no tourists, no fences, no stands. At the entrance you will be greeted by a deer stone - a warrior with a bow and sword. You can play archaeologist and find rock paintings on vertical rocks. Basically - images of goats and marals.
Prompt: climb up the crevice, there are also petroglyphs.
Where is: 728 km of Chuysky tract, exit on the left.
A repeater on the Achik pass and a view of Belukha
The village of Ak-Boom itself is not interesting: white rocks and a cave with a camp of ancient people at an altitude of 146 meters. But there is something much more impressive nearby! A stunning panorama with the opportunity to see Belukha and all the main mountain ranges of Altai. The way there is no less interesting: from the village you need to go to the mountains along a secret unremarkable road, which almost no one knows about. Sounds tempting? We will tell you how to get there.
You can go on a trip on your own or with a guided tour (about 5-7 thousand rubles). This sight of Gorny Altai is difficult to access: you need to drive 3-4 hours off-road. You will need to drive 19 km in one direction, the climb will be almost 1500 meters. If you decide to go, then only by off-road vehicles.
Is it worth the effort? Yes! Almost 360-degree view. Alpine meadows are beautiful at sunset, and the ridges and Belukha are gorgeous at dawn. We promise you will take a lot of beautiful photos. The adrenaline rush at night.We were lucky - we got to the full moon and watched the moon rise. Cons: cold, a little scary, difficult ascent and descent.
Advice. If you do not plan to spend the night with a view of Belukha, come before 3-4 hours - later the mountains are covered with clouds. Remember that it gets dark early in the mountains. If you come across returning cars, inquire about the oncoming lane. Look out for the crossing points along the way - the road is one car wide. On the way back, protect the brakes from overheating and drive through the fords carefully so that the heated pads do not bend.
Description of the road. From the Chuysky tract, turn right in Beliy Boma. Cross Chuuya on the wooden road bridge and turn right again. The road will go along the gorge. We warn you: the further you go, the worse the road and the steeper the climb.
We went to Achik in the afternoon - we decided to meet the dawn. We drove carefully and slowly, with stops. First, the primer goes up smoothly. Then there are fords and stones. In some places it is difficult to leave with an oncoming lane. Then the ascent to the pass begins. There is a fork in the middle of the ascent - take any road, they connect.
Then the most interesting thing begins: a steep incline and turns, a strong roll of the road to the left or right, protruding stones. At the pass again a fork to the left to the valley of the river. Shawla and right to the repeater. When you reach the tower, we recommend not even stopping and driving further - the view of the mountains is much better!
