Altai: 5 days, 5 secrets

Today we are going to the Altai past. 

It is not for nothing that Altai is called the cradle of civilizations. 

Huns, Scythians, Turks – they did not leave us castles, cities and manuscripts. 

But for some purpose they created mounds, dug in giant steles, knocked out drawings on stones that have been preserved for hundreds and thousands of years. 

What messages are they hiding? 

We will devote the first half of the day to the Karakol Valley.

This fantastically beautiful, cozy and green valley with the three-domed peak of Uch—Enmek proudly towering above it is a sacred and revered place for all Altaians.

Literally like Mecca for Muslims. 

It contains an incredible number of mounds from different eras. 

We will definitely look at the Bashadar mound, find out why it is called the tsar's mound and why a semicircle of stones is laid out around it. 

After the tour, we will continue our journey along the Chuya highway, admire the scenery from the Chike Taman pass, visit another sacred place - the confluence of Chuya and Katuni and stop at the Kalbak Tash sanctuary.

That's where the concentration of mysteries and riddles is! 

Who and when knocked out hundreds of drawings on the stone? 

Are there spaceships, people with tails, mythical monsters and a map of the starry sky? 

We will definitely find them and find out what science says, and what knowledge the locals have preserved about these drawings. 

We will also stop at the famous Chui deer stone, it is one of the few stone warriors preserved in its place and not taken to museums. 

In the evening we will arrive in the Kurai steppe, surrounded by majestic mountains.

We will dedicate this day to the mountains.

We will see the miracle of the birth of a new day, watching the sunrise from an observation deck over the Kurai steppe. 

In our imagination, we will be transported back tens of thousands of years, find ourselves on the shore of a huge sea-lake and witness a large-scale catastrophe. 

There is a version that once a dam burst on this giant lake and all the water rushed down at breakneck speed. 

And we are reminded of the hills of the Kurai steppe, which in the scale of the Universe are just ripples on the sand.

We will return to the base and go to the foot of the North Chui ridge to admire the reflection of snow peaks in the mirrored surface of Lake Dzhangyzkol.

You will see with your own eyes how vegetation and climate change with altitude. 

You will learn how glaciers retreated and advanced again, how they moved tons of stones like giant bulldozers, how plants adapted to climate change, and Chuya cut paths through the rocks.

By this day, you will already be impressed by the harsh conditions people have to live in. 

But they live peacefully, calmly, in harmony with nature. 

Maybe because they know ancient secrets? Or are they helped by rituals and rituals? 

To reveal the secrets of modern nomads, we will go to the ethno-village.

You will learn firsthand how to perform the ceremony of tying ribbons and feeding fire, whether there are real shamans today, where spirits live in Altai and what is the main thing in the life of a nomad. 

In addition, today we will land on two Mars, we will explore the fantastic red hills of Kyzyl-Chin. 

And then back to the secrets of the nomads. 

The Telengit Museum of the Chui Steppe has prepared its secrets. 

One of the main ones is the mysterious head and hand of an ancient warrior found in a distant gorge. 

The next stop is Altai Stonehenge, giant stones stacked in a circle with a diameter of 60 meters. 

An ancient observatory or the work of a glacier?

On this day, if desired, a visit to the shaman is possible by appointment. 

The shaman will conduct a general cleansing ritual and talk to everyone individually.

Today we begin the return journey. 

But what a one! 

The Chui Highway is one of the most beautiful roads in the world, the northern branch of the Great Silk Road. 

This time, the whole day will be dedicated to the Chui Tract. 

We will stop at the most iconic places, walk along the remains of an ancient road, be surprised at the dry masonry and the scale of the work done over 100 years. 

Let's find out why it is believed that the path existed here thousands of years ago. 

We will look for traces of ancient crossings over the Katun River and admire the suspension bridge of the 30s, a progressive creation of engineer Tsaplin. 

Let's stop at the monument to the drivers of the Chuisky tract, listen to an interesting song about Kolka Snegirev and find out what the fate of the main character really was. 

We will arrive in Gorno-Altaysk around 17:00-18:00. 

If you have a morning flight, we will help you book a hotel.