Trekking to Belukha and rafting all over Katun

Border area: When booking a tour for a foreign citizen (including CIS countries), all data must be provided 1 month (30 days) before the start of the tour. You must have a passport with you.

A bus or minibus is allocated for each specific arrival based on the number of people arriving on a certain date. It can be a small minibus, or a large bus of imported or domestic production. From Barnaul to Tyungur is about 700 km, so it takes at least 13-14 hours on the road. Most of the way to Tyungur passes through the Russian off-road! Due to the constant shaking, dust sometimes gets into the cabin. The seats in the car are good, but not super comfortable, and the distances are very long, so you should mentally prepare. There are folding seats in transport during transfers, and air conditioning is not provided everywhere. But all these inconveniences are worth it.

During the first three days of the hike, the horses will carry all the equipment, food and personal belongings.

The cargo is transported at the rate of one horse per two tour participants.

With the horses, we will walk to Lake Akkem, then the horses will return to the village of Tyungur, and the tour will continue without a horse escort. 

In addition to the main one, you need to have a small daily backpack for 20-25 liters, for basic necessities during transitions with horse escort. 

In the last two days of the hike (days 7 and 8 according to the program), tourists themselves carry backpacks not only with personal belongings, but also the remaining food, as well as general equipment, which is divided equally among all. 

About 2-3 kg of public cargo and food will be added to personal belongings. 

On average, a backpack during such a transition can weigh from 11 to 13 kg. 

After the hike, the water part of the tour follows — rafting along the Upper and Middle Katun, which will start from the site near the village of Tyungur and end in the village of Kuyus. 

We will pass through all known thresholds, including the most difficult of them: "Akkemsky breakthrough" (Upper Katun), "Ilgumen", "Kadrinskaya pipe" and "Sabbath" (Middle Katun). During the rafting, the raft(s) will insure a catamaran or kayak from the water.

Yes, please specify the cost of renting one horse for climbing when booking a tour.

On the first day of the tour (the day of arrival), tourists pay for breakfast and lunch themselves. Stops will be made 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.

The standard scheme is as follows: for a 45–minute walk - 15 minutes of rest. But everything changes taking into account the difficulties of the route, the weather, and also taking into account the average speed of the group. If the road is country and flat, you can walk along it for two hours without stopping with songs. If there is a steep climb, halts–five minutes will be required every 10-15 minutes. In addition, we always focus on the weakest participants.

There is no cellular connection in the mountains, you can only call home in the village of Tyungur and a short distance away. There will be places with MTS coating on the alloy on some days.

Please let us know by which transport and at what time you arrive in Novosibirsk, Barnaul or Biysk. Also specify the flight or train number. Time difference between Moscow and Novosibirsk/Barnaul/The time limit is +4 hours. That is, if it is 12:00 in Moscow, the local time is 16:00.

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.

It is possible to wait at the meeting points and in the office in Biysk on the day of arrival.

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.

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 Altai 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.

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), 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 — 450 km, to Tyungur — 570 km, to Bolshoy Yaloman — 350 km.

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 at 22:12 and arrives in Biysk at 07:41.

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

The return trip at the end of the tour in Altai 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 possible to arrive a few hours earlier than the designated time.

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 – Barnaul railway station – Novosibirsk railway station. If you need to go to the hotel, then provide additional taxi costs.

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. Drivers will not participate in the race against time.

Those who travel to Novosibirsk, in particular to the airport, need to set the travel time from the railway station in Novosibirsk itself to the airport.

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.

At the parking lots, tourists spend the night in 2-3-seater modern tents with awnings. Tents are set up and removed by the participants themselves (unless additional maintenance is agreed). If you don't know how to set up a tent, ask the instructor to give you a briefing. When using cabins, barrel bars, stationary tents, shelters and winter quarters, it is necessary to coordinate accommodation with a guide. Payment for alternative accommodation — according to the price lists of the owners is paid additionally.

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 the possibility of individual check-in and the cost of this tour.

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.

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

The main condition for participating in the tour is the ability to withstand moderate physical activity. The technical skills necessary to pass obstacles, organize overnight stays and others are acquired directly on the route.

Special training will be needed only when climbing Mount Belukha, Aktra and other peaks of the Altai Mountains, as well as for participants of water hikes along the Bashkaus, Chulyshman, Argut rivers. 

Children from 12-14 years old can participate in some tours, but on condition that the adults accompanying them are ready to personally bear full responsibility for them. 

For participants of water, hiking and combined hiking trips, there are age restrictions, in the opposite direction, no more than 55-60 years old. Exceptions are possible for auto tours, but all conditions are negotiated in advance with the manager. 

When setting restrictions, we are guided not so much by age limits, but by the state of physical health of each individual tourist. Therefore, prior approval is necessary in most cases. 

Please do not try to mislead us about your physical shape, it is important first of all for you personally. "I'll manage somehow" - this approach is categorically unacceptable, especially in the mountains. 

There are certain requirements for the weight of the tourist. It is desirable that the weight of the traveler does not exceed 110 kg, but exceptions to the rules are allowed. Be sure to inform us additionally that your weight exceeds the established norm. Purchasing a tour means that you are ready to become a full participant in it. 

You have sensibly assessed your physical and psychological health and are confident that you will cope with the passage of the chosen route. In the presence of chronic diseases of the heart, lungs, musculoskeletal system and nervous system, it is not recommended to go on a camping trip if there is a high probability of their exacerbation or they can cause difficulties on the route. Be sure to consult with your doctor beforehand and listen to his recommendations! 

If there are any abnormalities in your health, you must notify your instructor earlier. All your problems will be kept secret.