Lake Talmennoe. Horse riding tour to Altai

On this day, tourists will disassemble the horses, load their personal belongings and provisions on them and set off on their way.

First, the trail will follow the valley of the Vorovskaya Klyuch River, then the group will climb the mountain to the Kholodny Belok pass.

The first, but by no means the last panorama of the Katunsky Ridge spurs awaits travelers here.

The crests of the passes, creeping one on top of the other, distant squirrels – cold and inaccessible, valleys-depressions stretching for many kilometers, winding ribbons of rivers, appearing from a height like thin snakes – and as always, only one thought: you can't save this volume and vastness in the photo!

Descent from the pass to the Valakchet valley, where the group sets up an overnight camp.

Koni 20 km.

Tourists will have to overcome several passes and ford the Tikhaya Sobachya River.

The path to the lake runs between the passes of the Katunsky ridge, about 2 thousand meters high, which seem endless.

But the efforts to overcome them are offset by the beautiful view that opens from a height.

Mountain streams are fast and rocky, but it will not be difficult to overcome them – horses are accustomed to cold water.

The Quiet Dog River stands out against the background of thundering streams – there are truly quiet backwaters with large stones, from which streams of water flow smoothly.

The group will spend the night at the Proezdnaya-Dog River.

Koni 30 km.

The last crossing on the way to the lake.

Bolsherechensky Pass is quite long and has harsh weather conditions.

The trail is partly rocky, partly overgrown with bushes and grass.

Wet snow is possible at the top of the pass even in summer.

The Khariuzovsky pass is quite steep.

It is usually traversed on foot, leading the horses.

A steep climb of about 500-700 meters opens up in front of you an amazingly beautiful lake, turquoise and calm, like a handful of water squeezed between two ridges, as in the palms of a giant.

Koni 16 km.

Talmenye (Taimenye, Talmennoe) lake is located at an altitude of about 1.5 thousand m above sea level on the southern slope of the western part of the Katun ridge, a hundred kilometers from the nearest settlement.

This is the largest lake in the upper reaches of the Katun River, about one and a half kilometers long with a maximum depth of up to 68 m.

Grayling and lenok, a relict fish that the discoverers mistook for talmen, are found here.

The lake is a natural monument and is part of the Katunsky Nature Reserve.

There are 15 species of rare plants and about 30 species of wild animals in its vicinity, including lynx, sable and even snow leopard.

There is a cordon on the western shore of the lake, where the rangers live.

There are gazebos, a sauna, wooden houses for tourists, electricity, and motorboats.

The Katunsky ridge is distinguished by the fact that in summer the weather is mostly warm and sunny.

The shores of the lake are shallow, and therefore it is safe to swim here – in hot weather, the water warms up in the coastal zone.

Walking distance 4 km.

The group will travel by motorboat to the eastern shore of the lake in a protected area.

A walk on the water surface will bring a lot of positive emotions.

This beautiful lake with greenish-turquoise water stretches for 5,420 m in length.

Its basin was formed by the movement of an ancient glacier, which left a moraine shaft at the end of its path, damming the lake.

The maximum width of Talmen Lake is 1080 m, and the average is 700 m.

The eastern shore is gently sloping, densely overgrown with larch forest with an admixture of cedar.

The western shore is steep, with larch woodlands and tall-grass subalpine meadows, on this shore there are areas of steep cliffs with a height of up to 100 m.

The opposite shore gives the impression of absolute wilderness.

Only a gazebo, toilets, and forbidding signs remind of the existence of a person here – you can't hunt on the shore, land helicopters, or build bonfires.

The group will take a walk along the riverbed to a picturesque waterfall with a drop height of about 40 meters.

Fishing with a fishing rod is possible by agreement with the rangers.

There are a lot of fish in the lake: this can be seen by the fry scurrying along the shore, and by the splashes of water from jumping fish.

Boat 10 km, walk 4 km.

The way back runs through the passes already familiar to tourists.

You can ride up from the lake, and then you have to overcome a small but steep descent on foot.

How the Bolsherechensky pass will greet the group this time depends on the weather.

Maybe it will snow here, or maybe the sun will shine.

Tourists will spend the night on the Tikhaya Sobachya River.

Here, in a quiet backwater, it is quite possible to swim, wash clothes and just wash up.

Koni 28 km.

The final day of the equestrian part of the route.

Today, the group's path will run mainly through valleys.

But it won't be boring.

Here and there, the plain is bordered by ridges and bizarre rock formations.

It seems that the road that goes beyond the horizon runs into the clouds.

After crossing the Bolshoy Sugash River, the group will return to their winter quarters on the Maly Sugash.

Tourists can relax here, have a sauna and a farewell bonfire.

Koni 30 km.

Moving from the Maly Sugash tract to the village of Kaitanak is carried out by tractor, then we load things onto a car and go to the Taezhnik tourist complex.

Exit.

Attention! The time indicated is local, the difference from Moscow is +4!

Departure by regular bus to Novosibirsk in the evening of the same day at 22:30, or the next day at 8:40, 11:30, 22:30, travel time is 9-10 hours. Departure by regular bus to Barnaul the next day at 08:40, 9:40, 11:30, 16:00, travel time is 5-6 hours.

For those who have ordered an individual transfer from Barnaul, the departure time is negotiated individually.

Delivery to the airport of Gorno-Altaysk is carried out by the time of departure of the aircraft.

By car 378 km.