What to Do at Altay Mountains
There are some things that you definitely should do when you travel to Altay, among them are:
Sun Vibes Festival. The largest open-air festival of electronic music in Siberia held in Altay mountains on a picturesque shore of Katun river in Chemal region. When: 22 to 26 July 2005 Where: Katun, Altai Mountains more info: www.sunvibes.ru
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Rafting. Altay is a mecca of Russian rafting, so if you don't try it, you will miss something really intersting. Most tour bases and tour packages offer at least one short (2 hour) rafting tour. Where: Katun, Beluha (also see rafting tours) |
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Russian Banya (steambath). In any tour base, any alpinist camp at Altay you will find a little warm glowing wooden house. Get crazy hot and then jump in chilly mountain river or lake... Makes you stoned more than anything else. Where: Aktru, Beluha , Teletskoye Lake |
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Camping & Making Fire Something you can do anywhere at Altay (except national park zones). Just choose the spot you like and live one-on-one with the nature... Where: anywhere |
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Driving. Enjoying great views from the car, especially along Chuysky Trakt and stopping along the way for short breaks, cold mountain river baths, and camping fire.... Where: Chuysky Trakt, Katun (also see altay transport) |
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Swimming Waterfalls, mountain rivers, high-altitude lakes... Maybe the water is a bit cool, but the sensations are unforgettable |
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Trekking There are myriads of different mountain walks for every taste and skill. Among the most popular are the 3-day walk to Beluha mountain and 1-day short walks around Aktru Glacier... |
And don't miss Altay caves (which we didn't try and now regret)
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Altay Transport Guide
Distances (times given by car):
Novosibirsk > Barnaul: 240 km (3-4 hours) ||| Barnaul > Biysk: 175 km (2-3 hours) ||| Biysk - Gorno-Altaysk: 100 km (1 hour) ||| Gorno-Altaysk - Beluha: ~ 400 km (6 hours) ||| Gorno-Altaysk - Chemal: 105 km (1 hour) ||| Gorno-Altaysk - Kurai: 400 km (6 hours) ||| Gorno-Altaysk - Mongolian border: ~ 550 km (8 hours)
What Transport to Use?
Basically, what transport you use depends on how you travel at Altay
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Altay Travel Advice
There are four main ways to travel at Altay: taking a packaged tour, hiring a local guide with his own transport, traveling "wild" with local buses or hitchhiking, and traveling with your own car.
Where to Go at Altay Mountains:
Below we list the most interesting and popular destinations at Altay Mountains.