Rafting on the Chuya River. Altai

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

How to get to Altai. The starting point of all our routes is the city of Biysk. To the city of Biysk, we have organized (included in the price) a transfer from Novosibirsk railway station (main), the airport and Barnaul railway station and back. In Gorno-Altaysk, we pick up the tour participants along the way, in this case you do not need to go to Biysk.

- Novosibirsk can be reached from almost any city in the Russian Federation. You can arrive in Novosibirsk by plane, by train or by intercity bus.

- Barnaul can be reached in several ways: by plane, by train, by intercity bus.

- Biysk can only be reached by train, or by motor transport and intercity bus. 

- There are direct flights to Gorno-Altaysk from Moscow and some other regions. An alternative method may be motor transport and intercity buses. 

 Meeting of tourists. Be sure to provide us with information about the transport by which you arrive in Novosibirsk / Barnaul / Biysk / Gorno-Altaysk (flight number, arrival time or train number). Local time is the difference from Moscow time – 4 hours (when it is 12:00 in Moscow, it is 16:00 here). 

 The meeting of tourists is carried out:

• at the railway station of Novosibirsk from 03:00 to 04:00 local time;
• at the airport of Barnaul from 07:00 to 08:00 am local time;
• at the railway station of Barnaul from 08:30 to 09:00 am local time;
• at the railway station of the city of Biysk approximately from 11:00 to 12:00 local time;
• at the Gorno-Altaysk airport approximately from 13:00 to 14:00 local time.

A bus will meet you at the appointed time. Look for it in the car park near the train station or airport. If you can't find the bus, you can contact the driver. It is possible to wait at the meeting points and in the office in Biysk on the day of arrival.

We will send you the exact information: the registration number of the bus, its make and the driver's phone number in an SMS the day before the meeting. Wait for the message at 14:00-15:00 local time. In case of force majeure (bus breakdown, driver change), there may be a slight delay in the mailing list.

Backpacks and equipment are transported in the trunk or cabin, depending on the size of the bus.  The driver does not make unplanned stops in the city, so please arrive at the designated meeting place on time.

If your flight is late, try to inform the tour operator immediately.

The day of arrival is considered the day of the start of the tour.

After gathering the group, you will arrive in Biysk at the transshipment base (office, warehouse). Here you can apply for documents, including insurance, pay for the tour, as well as get acquainted with the guide and get equipment.

If you arrive in Gorno-Altaysk, then your guide will have all the necessary documents, in this case you will not go to Biysk. You will need to pay for the tour in advance, or an instructor guide, all the necessary information will be provided.

Things that are unnecessary on the route can be left in the luggage room. Be sure to sign your bags and packages! Valuables (computers, phones, etc.), documents, tickets and money are not accepted in the luggage room. The company is not responsible for the safety of valuables.

From Biysk, the group travels to the starting point of the active part of the tour, traveling from 4 to 11 hours, depending on the route, with small stops. Please do not delay the group at the stops.

Important information! The distance from Novosibirsk to Biysk is about 350 km. It is 160 km from Barnaul to Biysk.

From Biysk, you will have to get to the starting point of the active part of the tour. For example, from Biysk to Chibit — 440 km, to the village of Tyungur — 560 km, to the village of Multa — 520 km. It is 100 km from Gorno-Altaisk. closer than from Biysk.

We recommend calculating the route so that you arrive in Biysk the day before the start of the tour and relax at the hotel. Another option is to choose a night train flight that will tire you less than a daytime one. For example, you can take a train that leaves Novosibirsk in the evening and arrives in Biysk in the morning.

Attention! The tour operator's service begins at the beginning of the active part of the route (Biysk, or Gorno-Altaysk), at the time of meeting with the conductor, and ends at the end of the active part (Biysk, or Gorno-Altaysk).

Since we cannot influence flight delays, the traffic situation and other circumstances beyond our control, sometimes it is not possible to dock all groups on the minute. We ask you to understand that when meeting or recruiting groups in Biysk, you will need to wait a few hours for other participants.

The return trip at the end of the tour is carried out depending on the program of the last day. Approximately in Gorno-Altaisk / Biysk / Barnaul / You will be in Novosibirsk:

• in Gorno-Altaisk, approximately: 18:00-19:00 (local time);
• in Biysk approximately: 20:30-21:30 (local time);
• in Barnaul, approximately: 23:00-00:00 (local time);
• in Novosibirsk, approximately: 03:00-04:00 (local time) the next day.

It is better to take a return ticket from Barnaul on the day following the last day of the tour. If the tour ends on July 10, then you need to take a ticket back on July 11. You can stay overnight in hotels or hostels.

The bus does not deliver to hotels, but follows only the designated route. Gorno-Altaysk Airport – Biysk railway station – Novosibirsk railway station. If you need to go to the hotel, then provide additional taxi costs. It is possible to arrive a few hours earlier than the designated time.

In Barnaul and Novosibirsk, the return transfer is only to the railway station, you will need to get to the airport yourself, for example, by taxi. When planning, please set the travel time from the railway station to the airport.

You need to take a return ticket with a margin of at least 2 hours from the time of arrival. This is especially true for the train departing from Barnaul railway station at 00:30, we usually catch it, but on the road, for various reasons beyond our control, delays are possible. If you do not catch this train or other transport without a 2 o'clock time reserve, then the company is not responsible. 

The arrival time is set with a margin, for us the main thing is that you do not miss the plane or train. Please be understanding if you arrive at your destination city a few hours earlier than the designated time.

There are folding seats in transport during transfers, and air conditioning is not provided everywhere.

On the first day of the tour (the day of arrival), tourists pay for breakfast and lunch themselves. There will be stops at roadside cafes along the way.

During the hike, the guide-guide organizes three meals a day. Hot meals are provided for breakfast and dinner, lunch is provided with a lunch package. Food is cooked over a campfire, a gas burner or a primus stove. If you wish, you can help your guide. The tourists wash the dishes (plates, cups, cutlery) themselves.

The following products are purchased during the campaign: cereals (rice, buckwheat, hercules), pasta, milk powder, sausage, stew, cheese, dried fruits and nuts, chocolate, condensed milk, coffee, tea, bread, crackers, sweets, cookies, vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cabbage), fruits. The choice of products depends on the type of tour, its complexity and duration. 

On the route, the food is supplemented with fresh fish, berries (depending on the season and the area – raspberries, blueberries, currants, rosehip, shiksha), wild onions. 

When hiking, we take water from streams, rivers, or, during winter mountain hikes, we drown it from snow and ice.

Tourists are sure to help the guides to prepare firewood for the kitchen and evening campfire.

The kitchen fire is served by a guide.

It is forbidden to dry personal and group items during cooking. Clothes can be dried on a campfire built for this purpose. Tourists maintain such a campfire on their own, without using firewood prepared for a kitchen fire.

Special information for vegetarians, vegans and people on a special menu for medical reasons.

If you do not eat meat, fish or milk, they will be put into a common pot before cooking, and you can set aside soup or porridge without them. However, products are purchased based on the needs of the majority of tourists. 

The list includes meat and fish pates, stewed meat, cheeses, sausages, condensed milk and powdered milk. Vegetable products are also present: cereals, vegetables, nuts, fruits and dried fruits, but their quantity is calculated for each of the participants of the hike in equal volume.

Important! Unfortunately, we cannot purchase special products and add them to the menu. There are usually no more than 1-2 vegetarians in a group of 10 people, and trying to provide them with vegetarian products means organizing individual meals. This will distract the guide's attention, which he needs for a high-quality tour organization. 

Therefore, if you adhere to a certain food system for personal beliefs or medical reasons, we recommend that you take your usual nutritious foods with you for a snack and as an addition to a hot meal.

Our standard tents are for three or two people. Instructors always try to make the participants as comfortable as possible for everyone, since psychological comfort in the group is the most important component. It is also possible to move from one tent to another during a hike. If you are going as a couple, then we will not get a third person to join you. If you want to take your tent, then it's possible.

The temperature in the mountains ranges from +35 at noon to 0 at night. The mountain climate is changeable and harsh – frosts are possible in September, May and even in summer. The weather is changing rapidly – a clear and quiet day can suddenly turn into rainy and windy. Fog is often present, sleet is possible, unexpected thunderstorms and gale force winds. Therefore, we ask the tour participants to bring clothes suitable for all types of weather. Your comfort on the hike, your health and safety directly depend on the right clothes and equipment.

There are practically no mosquitoes and midges on the route, if there are, then not in large numbers and as an exception. The tick is active mainly in April, May and June. There are practically none in July and August.

To prevent a tick bite, you should follow the following rules:

1. Clothes should fit snugly to the body, preferably with elastic cuffs on the arms and on the legs of the trousers. It is easier to notice a tick on plain clothes.

2. Special chemicals, creams, and aerosols should also be used. One of the means of prevention and treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is "Iodantipyrin", a drug that has antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. This drug is sold in pharmacies.

3. When a tick is bitten, it is not recommended to try to remove it yourself. It is necessary to contact medical professionals or route instructors who have experience in such situations. Remember that the sooner the tick is removed, the lower the dose of the pathogen it will transmit.

There is no cellular connection in the mountains, but some days there will be places with MTS coverage. 

There will be no way to charge your gadgets and phone, so if you plan to take a lot of photos, it's better to take a spare battery.

2-4 tour guides will work with you on the route, depending on the number of people in the group.

Yes, such situations sometimes happen, but on this route they are very rare and are a working moment. All our instructors are ready for such a situation and will be able to quickly organize the rescue work.

We pack all things in special waterproof bags "draybacks", which we securely fasten with ropes in the raft. For especially valuable items, gadgets and documents, we recommend additionally taking waterproof cases and cases with you.

When booking a tour for a foreign citizen (including CIS countries), all data must be provided 2 months before the start of the tour. You must have a passport with you.

Check-in on other dates is possible, but only on condition that you arrive with your own company or a group of 2 people or more. Please check with the manager for the possibility of individual check-in and the cost of this tour.

Moving by car from the gathering place (Novosibirsk or Barnaul) to Biysk, the tourist group makes an organized trip, under the guidance of a driver. In Biysk, the tour participants are met by an instructor who will accompany the group on the rest of the route. 

The meeting in Gorno-Altaisk is coordinated through an instructor. The choice of vehicle (bus, minibus, car) is determined depending on the size of the group. Sometimes it can be a gazelle, a UAZ, or another one prepared for the transportation of passengers. Some minibuses have folding rows of seats, unfortunately, air conditioning is not provided everywhere.

The departure of transport from the starting point is strictly on schedule. Try to arrive at the departure of the flight without delay. If the delay was due to the fault of the tourist, the cost of independent travel will not be compensated.

The route is set according to the tour program, and deviations from it are not performed at the request of tourists. During the trip, it is undesirable to get up, move around the cabin, litter, conflict with other passengers and distract the driver from driving. You should not get into an argument about the choice of music and videos.

Smoking is allowed only at bus stops. Smoking is prohibited in vehicles. Please do not leave matches, cigarette butts and cigarette packages in the vehicle interior.

Luggage and special equipment are transported together with the group or with the help of additional transport — a truck or a trailer. We are not responsible for things left on the bus or in the car. If your property was damaged or lost during transportation, the issue is resolved with the driver. In case of loss or damage of property during the active part of the tour, contact the guides.

If a participant commits illegal actions during a trip, the driver has the right to drop off the violator at the nearest traffic police post. The cost of travel is not reimbursed, the cost of the tour is not refundable.