Big Country Travel: Trips to Russia, Adventure Tours & Vacation Packages

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An unforgettable journey through Altai, where spring reveals its brightest colors! In early May, the mountain slopes are covered with pink-purple maralnik flowers, creating a unique atmosphere. This tour will give you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Altai spring!

Location

Altai Republic, Gorno-Altaisk

Sightseeing tours

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

Gifts of Altai

Visit the fair of Mongolian goods and souvenirs, buy honey, herbal teas, pine nuts

Lilac Mountains

Breathe in the invigorating scent of spring flowers and take amazing photos!

Cosmic landscapes

Visit the amazing valley with the colored lands of Kyzyl-Chin, which is called "Altai Mars" because of the unusual red rocks

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Gorno-Altaysk. The legendary Chuisky tract
Meeting of the group in Gorno-Altaysk, acquaintance with the guide.
Today you will have an exciting tour “The Legendary Chuisky tract” along the main highway of Gorny Altai.
Magnificent panoramas open directly from the highway.
It is rich in sights, legends and has a rich ancient history, which our guides will tell you about.
During the tour, we will climb the Seminsky high mountain pass, where we will see century-old cedars, majestic mountains with small snowfields on their peaks, and learn the history of the Altai people's entry into Russia.
Continuing the tour along the Chuisky tract, we will climb the serpentine to the Chike-Taman pass with two observation platforms and a view of the eastern slopes of the Terektinsky ridge.
We will find out where the old wheeled Chuisky highway passed in the past centuries.
Then we will continue along the picturesque Katun Valley and the Katun Loop, a beautiful bend of the Katun River among the rocks of Maly Yaloman.
We will see and find out how and when the ancient “Katun terraces" were formed.
Let's take a walk to the sacred place for Altaians – the mouth of the Chuya River – the meeting place of two large rivers of the Altai Mountains, which, merging, flow for some time with a pronounced color border.
Mileage ~340 km.

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Day 2 - Chui Valley
Breakfast and back on the road.
Today we are waiting for the most remote region of the Altai Republic with exotic landscapes similar to the neighboring territories of Mongolia.
We will stop in the Kurai steppe and enjoy the views of the glaciers of the North Chuya Range, the largest in Central Asia.
Next, we will switch to off-road transport and plunge into the atmosphere of space travel in the valley of the Kyzyl Chin River.
In the Turkic language, this name sounds like "Red Gorge", and among tourists the valley is known as "Altai Mars".
Indeed, the landscapes of the tract give the impression that you are on another planet.
After lunch, we will admire the beauty of the Blue Lake on the Mena River.
Underground springs erode silt and blue-white clay at the bottom and create bizarre and unique patterns.
What kind of drawings will we see today?
Return to the campsite, free time.
Mileage: by car 170 km, including moving to UAZ-loaf 40 km dirt road.

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Day 3 - The Land of a Thousand Lakes
Today we will embark on an unforgettable journey to one of the most picturesque places in the Altai Republic – the Katu-Yaryk pass.
This is a unique opportunity to get to know the majestic nature of Altai, learn more about its history and culture, and enjoy the breathtaking views.
We will make several stops along the way to admire the beautiful scenery and take photos.
The first stop is the Red Gate, an artificially cut narrow passage in the rock.
This place is a symbol of the Ulagan district and attracts attention with its beauty.
Then we will go to the high-altitude lakes of the Ulagan plateau.
Here we will see a mysterious Dead Lake, a completely turquoise lake, an elongated Uzun-Kel and Lake Kidelu-Kel, which is visible from the highest paved mountain pass.
The next stop will be the Pazyryk mounds– an ancient necropolis of the Scythians.
You will find out who was buried in these mounds and which of the artifacts found here are on display in the Hermitage.
The main impression of the day is two observation decks overlooking the Katu-Yaryk pass.
First, let's stop at one of the sites where you can test yourself by standing over a precipice.
From here, you can see the Kaya Bazhi waterfall running underground, and the entire Chulyshman Valley in full view.
After that, we will go to another observation deck, where you will be impressed from a height by the winding descent from the Katu-Yaryk pass.
Mileage: 200 km by car, including 100 km of dirt roads.

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Day 4 - Completion of the program. See you later, Altai
We're going back today.
To make the road interesting, we planned to visit several fascinating places: Ilgumen threshold on the Katun River, Tsaplinsky Bridge, the ancient cult complex of the Bronze Age “Ininsky steles” or the archaeological complex "Adyr-Kan".
We will make a half-hour stop at the Seminsky pass, during which you can visit the fair of Mongolian goods and souvenirs, buy Altai products: honey, herbal teas, pine nuts.
In the evening, filled with impressions and memories, we will return to Gorno-Altaysk.
The scheduled arrival time is from 17:00 to 17:30.
Mileage: 340 km by car.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Camp Site

3 nights

Comfort

Basic+

The tour includes accommodation in the village of Aktash and in the village of Chibit.

The cost of the tour for 1 person / RUB, depending on the accommodation:

Double room	Extra charge for a single room
42 460	16 000

The basic price of the tour includes double occupancy, shower and toilet in the room/cabin. Three- or four-bed accommodation is possible if you are traveling with your family or friends.

The village of Chibit, the campsite "Shavlo" – double DBL or TWIN accommodation.

Detached houses: bathroom with underfloor heating, two transformer beds (connected without a gap), bedside table, shelf, mini fridge, electric kettle, dishes for two, electric heater, hair dryer, large veranda.

The village of Aktash, the Green Forest campsite – double DBL or TWIN accommodation.

Detached houses made of round cedar: double and single beds, shower, WC, refrigerator, kettle, TV, bed linen, set of towels.

Village "Chibit": campsite "Start" – double DBL or TWIN accommodation.

Detached houses: shower, WC, a bed with a soft mattress, a table, chairs, a sofa, a set of bed linen and towels, a heater, a kettle, a refrigerator, a set of dishes.

Aktash village, ALATAU campsite – double DBL accommodation.

Detached houses: panoramic Windows, double bed with anatomical mattress, refrigerator, hair dryer, bed linen, heater, underfloor heating, shower, WC, sink, kettle, dishes, set of towels.

Bed linen and a small towel are provided. Hair dryers and hygiene kits are not available everywhere.

It is possible to order a sauna at all camp sites: it is paid on the spot – from 2000 rubles per hour, at least 2 hours. Bath towels are not provided everywhere, we recommend taking them with you.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 6 to 18 tourists

Minimum age

5 years old

Duration

4 days 3 nights

Group meets at

Altai Republic, Gorno-Altaisk

Included in price

transportation services according to the program;
set breakfasts from 2 to 4 days;
accommodation in guest houses at a campsite or in a hotel;
tour service;
rent a cross-country car;
payment of recreational fees and entrance tickets.

Paid extra

flights to Gorno-Altaysk and back;
meals: lunches and dinners (meals in a cafe are an average check of 500-600 rubles, it is possible to prepare meals yourself in the shared kitchen at the campsite);
transfer Barnaul — Gorno-Altaysk – 10,000 rubles.;
transfer Gorno-Altaysk — Barnaul – 10,000 rubles.;
tick bite insurance under the Immunocard program of the CAO VSK – 700 rubles.

It's important to know

a warm set of clothes: a windproof jacket, a sweater, warm trousers or a fleece suit, a hat, several pairs of warm socks;
raincoat/waterproof suit with hood;
summer hiking comfortable things (several T-shirts, shorts, trousers, socks, a sun hat - a cap or a bandana);
shoes – comfortable, well-worn boots or sneakers, slates or sandals for relaxation;
a small backpack for things on excursions, walks (to put a jacket, a water bottle, a first aid kit, etc.);
personal hygiene items, a small towel;
individual first aid kit, individual medicines, in the presence of chronic diseases;
0.5 l bottle under water;
sunscreen, sunglasses (high solar activity);
swimsuit;
a camera or video camera with hermetically sealed;
cash for souvenirs, other personal expenses;
documents, passport, MHI policy;
insurance against tick-borne encephalitis in case of its presence;
powerbank (there is no mobile connection periodically and it will not always be possible to charge the phone. We recommend that you have it with youPowerbank);
repellents, tick protection products (the highest tick activity in May and early June).

Dates and Prices

$497

24 – 27 Apr 4 days 3 nights

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$497

1 – 4 May 4 days 3 nights

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$497

8 – 11 May 4 days 3 nights

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$497

14 – 17 May 4 days 3 nights

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Reviews

Y
Yulia

about provider

21 Mar, 2025

Every part of the tour was great

Bright Altai. Spring car tour