Altai

Altai is an inimitable in its beauty, full of charm and mysteries land located on the crossing of borderlines of four states, they are Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia. It’s home for the largest in the world Western-Siberian plain and the Altai Mountain Range. In Turkish language Altai means “golden mountains”. In its name are closely interwoven the legends about countless treasures of nomads’ tribes and mineral generosity with spirituality and primodial beauty of the mountain land.

Since 1991 the territory of Altai is situated in two regions of RF – in Altai Region (capital Barnaulcity) and Altai Republic (capital Gorno-Altaisk city).

The climate of Altai Region is extremely continental, as Altai is located in the very centre of Eurasia. The oceans are thousands km away from Altai, that’s why in summers the land gets very warm, so that the weather is rather hot (about +30˚C). In winters the situation is the other way round, the land cools down very quickly and the weather is frosty with clear sky and low temperature. Winters last 5-7 months, the coldest one is January (-20˚C on the average).In flat steppe lands the number of sunny days is rather high like in the Crimea or in the North Caucasus.

The nature of Altai is absolutely unique, rich in biodiversity of flora and fauna. It is exactly that place, where the driest place in Russia is located, it’s called Chuiskaya steppe. You can even see camels there! The steppe strikes tourists’ imagination with its severity, but at the same time attracts people by a great number of archeological monuments – burial mounds, stone statues and rock paintings.

Moreover, Altai is rich for rivers and lakes. In plains and in the mountains there are more than 18 000 lakes and 37 000 rivers! Among them is the Katun River famous for its rapids and Teletskoye Lake – one of the deepest in the world with “stone bay” not far from it, which appeared as a result of falling meteorite. Aya Lake is also widely known in the region, as tourists have a possibility to swim in summer in this mountain lake.

Altai is also a region of beautiful mountains, glaciers and waterfalls. You can find there the highest waterfall in Russia called Chulchinsky cascade. It’s interesting that the area of Altai is covered with 1400 glaciers. The greater part is concentrated near Belukha Mountain (4506 m).

Altai is not accidentally named the “land of mountains”. It’s indeed the highest region in Siberia. Many mountain ranges rise up to the sky at a height 3000-4000 m above the sea-level.  The highest is the Katunsky mountain range. Generally speaking, the mountains of Altai are unusually beautiful and diverse, take Red gates on Chuisky high road alone.

Altai is a genuine crossing of civilizations, every of which has left its rich heritage. Here we can speak about different archeological sites (Gorno-Altaisk and Denisov cave), petroglyths and stone sculptures, Scythian burial mounds and the most mysterious place in Altai, Plateu Ukok, which discovered the mummy called “princess of Altai” to the world.

The opportunities for traveling around Altai are indeed boundless. In the Republic and in the Region all possibilities for organized and individual tourism are created. You can not only ascend the peaks, raft along the river, but also meet a shaman, live in a yurt or to get married in a solitary temple in Patmos Ireland.

You can find in Altai vast territories and untouched civilizations just two steps away from the main transport route of Mountain Altai - Chuisky high road.

Tourist infrastructure of the region is developing in leaps and bounds. A new modern tourist complex “Turquoise Katun”, new ski resorts and campsites are being built. Ecotourism is also gaining the popularity. It provides the adventure seekers with opportunity to rest without any hustle and bustle of a modern city and plunge into the primodial world of unforgettable nature and the atmosphere of Altai.

It would be recalled that Katunsky and Altaisky Reserves, Teletskoye Lake and Belukha Mountain are designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.