Guided tour on the traces of Altai’s mysteries

Day 0 Arrival

We wiil meet you at the airport. After transfer to the hotel, you will have some time for rest.

At 17.00 we will meet in the lobby of the hotel to get acquainted and to discuss our tour.

After that we will take short walk in the city and have dinner together

Day 1 Secrets of the Altai Princess

Welcome to Altai! Today, we begin our journey into mysteries. First, we’ll visit Gorno-Altaysk and explore the National Museum of the Altai Republic—one of Siberia’s finest. Traveling through its halls (and millennia of history), we’ll reach its crown jewel: the famous Altai Princess mummy, resting in a special sarcophagus.

But there’s more! We’ll stroll through the city’s green streets, discover its historic roots, and see how its architecture echoes ancient Egypt.

After lunch, we venture deeper into Altai. Want to feel Altai from head to toe? Kick off your shoes and walk barefoot through the Botanical Garden in Kamlak. Then, we ascend the Seminsky Pass—the highest point of the Chuysky Tract—to learn its legends.

By evening, we reach the sacred Karakol Valley. The day ends with a traditional Altai dinner and an unforgettable kaichi (throat singing) concert—where the "instrument" is the human voice itself.

Stage length: 200 km by car

Day 2 Secrets of Ancient Civilizations

Today we journey into Altai's distant past - a land often called the cradle of civilizations. Though the Scythians, Huns and Turks left no written records, their mysterious stone monuments and petroglyphs still whisper secrets across the millennia.

We will spend the morning in the sacred Karakol Valley, where the three-peaked Uch Enmek Mountain watches over countless ancient burial mounds. Here we will examine the royal Bashadar Kurgan and its curious stone semicircle - what ritual purpose could it have served?

As we travel further along the Chuysky Tract, we will stop at breathtaking viewpoints like the Chike-Taman Pass and the sacred confluence where the Chuya and Katun Rivers meet. At the Kalbak-Tash sanctuary, we will become detectives, searching the weathered stones for petroglyphs that some claim show ancient rockets and star maps - while scientists offer more down-to-earth explanations.

Our day ends in the vast Kurai Steppe, where the silence beneath the mountain peaks seems to hold as many secrets as the stones we've examined. Tomorrow, more mysteries await...

Stage length: 250 km by car

Day 3 Secrets of the High Mountains

Today is all about nature and mountains. We'll witness a miracle - the birth of a new day as we watch the sunrise from a viewpoint above the Kurai Steppe.

Let your imagination travel back tens of thousands of years. Picture standing on the shore of a vast ancient lake, about to witness an incredible catastrophe. Some scientists believe this giant lake suddenly burst its natural dam, sending water rushing down at tremendous speed. The rolling hills of the Kurai Steppe? In the grand scale of the universe, they're just ripples left in the sand...

Later, we'll switch to rugged UAZ vehicles and head to the foothills of the North Chuisky Range. Here, the snow-capped peaks reflect perfectly in the mirror-like surface of Lake Dzhangyzkol.

As we climb higher, you'll see firsthand how vegetation and climate change with altitude. You'll learn about glaciers that advanced and retreated like giant bulldozers, moving tons of rock. Discover how plants adapted to climate shifts, and how the Chuya River carved its path through solid stone.

Stage length: 75 km by car

Day 4 Secrets of Modern Nomads

By now, you've seen how people thrive in these harsh landscapes - peacefully, harmoniously. Perhaps they know ancient secrets? Or maybe rituals help them?

We will visit an ethno-ayl to uncover nomadic wisdom firsthand. You will learn:

• How to perform ribbon-tying and fire feeding ceremonies
• Whether true shamans still exist today
• Where spirits dwell in Altai
• What matters most in a nomad's life

Then, we will land on "two Marses" - the surreal red hills of Kyzyl-Chin. Later, the Telengit Museum reveals more mysteries, including an ancient warrior's enigmatic head and hand found in a remote gorge.

Next: Altai's "Stonehenge" - massive stones forming a perfect 60m circle. Ancient observatory or glacial coincidence?

Stage length: 140 km by car

Day 5 Secrets of the Great Road

Today we travel back along the legendary Chuysky Tract - this breathtaking road, carved through mountains and time. It was once a vital branch of the ancient Silk Route. As we wind our way along its curves, we will uncover layers of history hidden in the landscape.

We will walk sections of the original caravan trail, our footsteps echoing those of merchants and travelers from centuries past. The dry-stone masonry walls standing strong after hundreds of years will make us wonder. Near the rushing Katun River, we will search for traces of ancient crossings while admiring a graceful 1930s suspension bridge that revolutionized travel in its day.

We will pay respects at the Chuysky Tract Drivers' Memorial and hear the fascinating true story behind the folk song about Kolka Snegirev.

Expected arrival in Gorno-Altaysk by 18:00, where our journey through Altai's mysteries comes full circle.

Stage length: 400 km by car

Day 6 Farewell

After breakfast we will transfer you to the airport for your flight home or your next destination.