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

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In just 5 days you will visit interesting locations located in the mountainous Ulagan and Kosh-Agach districts of the Altai Republic. You will see the most beautiful places, making stops along the Chui tract, enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Chulyshman Valley, get to the edge of a thousand lakes, become conquerors of Mars and walk along the lunar trails.

You will also go to a unique place – the Tarkhatinsky megalithic complex, created in ancient times in the middle of the Chui steppe and used as an observatory, and then taste dishes of Kazakh national cuisine.

Location

Altai Republic, Gorno-Altaisk

Sightseeing tours

from

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

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Tour highlights

The unique colors of autumn

We will see bright contrasting rivers, orange leaves of trees, a small snow cover on the tops of mountains and hazy haze

Moon trails

Let's take a walk through the amazing Martian and lunar landscapes of the autumn Altai

Beautiful mountain lake

We will see the beautiful lake Kidelu, in the waters of which the surrounding world is reflected

Delicious Kazakh dishes

A colorful lunch is waiting for us in the national Kazakh yurt

Itinerary

Day 1 - Meeting. Chui Highway Tour
Meeting at the airport of Gorno-Altaysk.
Group transfer to the Taezhnik eco-hotel, acquaintance with the guide and other members of the group.
Set breakfast in the eco-hotel restaurant.
Familiarization with safety procedures.
Departure to the route along the Chuisky highway, one of the most beautiful roads in the world, where the landscape changes almost at every turn.
The first stop will be the highest Seminsky pass.
Which will be given a short tour.
Then transfer to the cafe where lunch will be organized.
The next stop is the top of the Chike Taman serpentine pass.
Where guests will walk to the observation deck with a view of the old Chuisky tract.
After the tour, transfer to the Nomad eco–complex.
Placement.
Dinner at the Nomad cafe.
by car 346 km.

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Day 2 - Excursion to Altai Mars, Moon and Geyser Lake
Breakfast at the Nomad cafe.
Departure to the village of Chagan-Uzun, where the group transfers to UAZ off-road vehicles and embarks on a journey across the Martian expanses.
Having reached the hiking trail by UAZ trucks, the further tour is conducted on foot.
The route along which the tour will take place will vary depending on weather conditions and physical conditions. training of the group members.
Lunch at the Martian cafe.
After exploring the secrets of Mars, the group sets out to conquer the lunar landscapes.
After walking through the lunar landscapes, we return to the bus and go to the bright object "Geyser" lake – a unique water feature whose bottom is covered with blue clay and air periodically escapes from under the bottom, which lifts clay from the bottom, and it takes on bizarre shapes on the surface.
At the end of the tour, return to Nomad.
Dinner on your own (extra charge).
Evening gatherings around the campfire with a tea party for those who wish.
by car 140 km, on foot 5 km.

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Day 3 - Excursion to the Katu-Yaryk pass
Breakfast at the cafe.
Departure to the route.
In the village of Aktash, the road from the Chuisky tract turns onto Ulagansky, along which the group reaches the Katu-Yaryk pass.
On the way there or back (depending on the situation), stop at the Red Gate, at the observation deck above the lakes, at the Ulagan Pass, at Lake Kidel.
Walking descent to the Chulyshman valley along the Katu-Yaryk pass.
The descent from the pass and the safety ascent are carried out on foot.
After descending from the pass, a ferry across the Chulyshman, a walking tour to the Kurkure waterfall.
The path to the waterfall is not difficult, it runs along a fairly flat surface.
The waterfall impresses the guests of Altai at any time of the year.
After the end of the tour, tourists will have lunch at the cafe of the Katu-Yaryk shopping center.
After lunch, return to the hotel.
Dinner on your own for an additional fee.
by car 280 km.

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Day 4 - Tarkhatinsky megalithic complex. Chibit waterfalls
Breakfast at the Nomad's cafe.
In the morning, a car-walking tour to the Chibit (Ular) waterfalls, after reaching the bridge over the Chuya River, tourists go on a hike to the first waterfall, depending on the weather and the desire of the group, a walk to the second waterfall is possible (the decision is made by the guide, for an additional fee you can hire a UAZ that will take travelers to the waterfalls and back).
After returning to the bus, tourists travel along the Chuisky highway to the village of Kosh-Agach.
The first stop on the way will be a lunch stop at a Kazakh yurt.
The lunch will be held in Kazakh style with dishes of Kazakh cuisine.
After lunch, an excursion to the Tarkhatinsky megalithic complex, an ancient structure in the middle of the Chuya steppe, which, according to scientists, served as an observatory.
The stones of the complex are oriented to the cardinal directions, some of them have petroglyphs from different eras.
After the tour of the complex, the group goes to the village of Zhana-Aul to the Museum of Kazakh culture, where tourists will learn about the way of life, history and culture of the Kazakhs living in the Kosh-Agachsky district of the Altai Republic.
Return to the Nomad eco-complex.
Dinner on your own for an additional fee.payment.
car 90 km, walk 8 km.

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Day 5 - Petroglyphs. The confluence of Chuya and Katuni. Departure
Breakfast at the Nomad's cafe.
Eviction from the rooms.
Transfer to Kalbak-Tash, where a guided tour of the petroglyphic complex will be conducted for travelers.
The next stop on the way will be the confluence of the Chuya and Katun rivers, a place of contrast between the two mighty rivers of Altai.
We will also make a stop with a view of the Katun terraces, and after passing through the real Altai cordon, we will go to admire the Ilgumen threshold on the Katun River.
Lunch at a roadside cafe.
Transfer to the eco-hotel "Taezhnik".
Dinner at the restaurant, optional extra charge, end of the program.
If you are not traveling to Barnaul or Novosibirsk on the day of the end of the tour, choose your accommodation option, and we will take you there (recreation center or hotel from Manzherok village to Gorno-Altaysk).
by car 346 km.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Tour organizer's comments

The tour is an excursion, there are excursions in the walking format of 5-8 km on foot.

Accommodation

Camp Site

4 nights

Comfort

Basic+

The tour provides accommodation in a tourist complex.

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

Triple room (for one request)	Double room	Single room
69 500	72 000	85 500

The Nomad tourist complex, located near the village of Chibit on the shore of Chuya, perfectly combines these two qualities: comfortable comfortable houses and the untouched nature of the Mazhoy Gorge. It fully meets the stated word "ECO" — environmentally friendly houses, and all buildings are placed to minimally harm nature.

Accommodation: "Standard comfortable room in the Capricorn building".
In the room: two 1.5-double beds (or a double bed), a full bathroom, towels, free Wi-Fi, TV.

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Tour conditions

Group

From 6 to 14 tourists

Minimum age

7 years old

Duration

5 days 4 nights

Group meets at

Altai Republic, Gorno-Altaisk

Included in price

breakfasts and lunches, 5 days, dinner on the first day;
transportation according to the tour program in the tour bus. class;
payment for accommodation in a tourist complex “Nomad” (triple occupancy is only possible for a general application);
Katu-Yaryk Pass, Mars and Moon tour by off-road vehicle;
The guide's job;
payment of fees for visiting sightseeing sites;
medical and accident insurance.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Gorno-Altaysk and back;
dinners 2-5 days of the route;
tick insurance;
transfer to the Taezhnik tourist complex and back, except for a group transfer from/to the airport of Gorno-Altaysk.

It's important to know

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

Dates and Prices

$918

3 – 7 Sep 5 days 4 nights

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$918

10 – 14 Sep 5 days 4 nights

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$918

17 – 21 Sep 5 days 4 nights

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$918

24 – 28 Sep 5 days 4 nights

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No need to pay now
$918

1 – 5 Oct 5 days 4 nights

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No need to pay now
$918

8 – 12 Oct 5 days 4 nights

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No need to pay now

Reviews

Y
Yulia

about provider

12 May, 2025

Everything was top-notch! Thank you! We'll definitely recommend it to all our friends and family!
D
Dmitry

about provider

6 May, 2025

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The start of the trip was slightly marred by a last-minute change to the tour itinerary, literally the day before departure. It wasn’t a major issue, especially since this was our first visit to Altai. Still, I would have preferred to receive exactly what was outlined in the original agreement.
V
Vyacheslav

about provider

28 Apr, 2025

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I had contact with only a few people during the organization process: the Big Country guides and the managers. I have no complaints about the local guides — they were young, cheerful, and did a fantastic job. However, on the part of Big Country, there were significant delays in responding to questions (sometimes 1–2 days). Fortunately, this didn’t have a major impact on the trip itself, but next time it could become an issue... please work on improving your response time.

Palettes of Altai