Experiences you'll have
We recommend this program for a family trip with children over 6 years old. You will stay in a comfortable hotel and enjoy varied but not tiresome program of excursions and winter activities without long transfers.
Every evening you will spend time as you wish like skiing, walking around or just relaxing in the hotel. And on the free day you have an opportunity to go on helicopter tour to the Belukha Mountain (extra charge).
During the week spent in Altai you will:
We accept bookings for groups of 6 or more
Itinerary
The journey begins in Gorno-Altaisk, where you should get to on your own. We recommend a SU1524 "Aeroflot" flight that arrives to Gorno-Altaisk at 10:35 am. Your group transfer from the airport will take place at 11 am. If you arrive earlier, you will need to wait for the group at the airport, or use an individual transfer at an additional charge. We recommend that you get your return tickets for flight SU 1525 with a departure from Gorno-Altaisk at 11:45 am.
We are ready to assist with the purchase of tickets. If necessary, leave a comment in the application.
Day 1 Swan Lake and transfer to Belokurikha
You will be met at the Gorno-Altaisk airport and taken by a minibus to the Belokurikha resort. During the trip you will visit the Swan Lake —the only place in Siberia where thousands of swans come to winter.
You will have dinner at the guest house on the lake shore and then continue on your way. Upon arrival to Belokurikha you will be accommodated in the hotel, after which you will have free time for leisure and dinner.
Day 2 Trip to the cheese dairy and acquaintance with the Old Believers
After breakfast at the hotel you will be taken to the nearby Solonovka village, where there is a private cheese farm. The owner of the farm will give you a tour, and you will be able to taste different kinds of Altai cheeses.
Then you will be transferred to the "Kerzhatskie palaty" ethnographic complex. This is an ancient manor, where an Altai Old Believers family lives. The lady of the manor will show you the traditions that survived for several hundred years and the peculiarities of Old Believers' life. You will also have a delicious home cooked dinner with assorted pickles and pies.
At about 4 pm you will return to the hotel, and then have some free time. Everyone will be able to visit the sauna on the territory of the hotel (extra charge).
Day 3 Snowmobile trip
You will have breakfast at the hotel and go to Belokurikha, where the snowmobile trip will start. Enroute the guide will tell you interesting facts about the history of the resort.
Before the trip you will be instructed in safety measures. Together with the instructors you will ride a snowmobile in the winter forest and, if you are lucky, see some wild animals: foxes, roe-deer or hares. On the route you will have dinner at the hunting lodge.
For children under 12 years old and those who do not want to ride a snowmobile a trip to a forge and a smithing workshop can be arranged.
In the afternoon you will return to the hotel and have some free time.
Day 4 Free Day
You can spend this day the way you like: relaxing in the hotel sauna, hiking or skiing.
If you wish you can go on a tour to the "Andreevskaya Sloboda" architectural museum complex — it is a model of a Siberian peasant manor of the XIX century, where also a museum of chocolate is located.
Near your hotel there is a new Mishina Gora ski resort (Belokurikha-2). It was recognized as "The best family resort" in Russia by the "Sport. Tourism. Business 2020" forum. There you can go alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding (equipment rent and ski pass are an extra charge).
Also today you can go on a helicopter tour to the highest peak of Siberia — the Belukha Mountain (see details in the "Notes" section).
Day 5 Sleigh rides and cooking master class
After breakfast you will be taken to the Novotyryshkino village (15 minutes from the hotel). Here you will go for a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh. You will be provided with warm clothes and plaids. You will ride in the sled around the village and take photos with the horses.
After the ride you will return to the hotel, where you will take part in a workshop on making kundyubki — traditional dumplings with nettle, mushrooms and potatoes, cooked according to the ancient Altai recipe. For lunch you will taste the Russian cuisine with the addition of Altai healing herbs and roots.
In the evening you will have an opportunity to take part in Russian folk festivities. The program will include local carols, traditional games and jumping over a bonfire.
Day 6 Day of Altai culture
After breakfast at the hotel you will go on a tour to the Altai village of Maima. On the way you will make several stops on the shore of the Katun river in the places where the mountain river doesn't freeze.
In the village of Maima you will see an ethnic program in an Altai national dwelling — ail. You will taste dishes of Altai cuisine, see concert of Altai throat singing and have traditional nomad meal.
After returning to the hotel you will have free time.
Day 7 Departure
In the morning you will wake up early and have breakfast at the hotel. At 9:30 ama group transfer will take you to Gorno-Altaisk airport for the flight that departs at 11:45 am.
If your flight leaves at another time, you can go with the main group and wait for your flight at the airport, or pay for an individual transfer.
Accommodation during the trip
During the trip you will stay at the "Olymp-Park" 3* hotel which is situated near the Belokurikha resort. You will be accommodated in Standard twin rooms. Each room is 20 sq.m. and has two separate beds, a TV with cable channels and Internet access, a closet, a cosmetic table with a mirror and a chair, a private bathroom with a shower. The room also has a kettle and a set of dishes.
There are a restaurant and a sauna in the hotel (a visit to the sauna is by an additional fee).
Common questions
You will be accompanied by a qualified instructor guide throughout the tour.
The cost of the tour includes breakfasts at the hotel and hot lunches on the trails, except for breakfast on the day of arrival and lunch on day 6. You will need to pay for these meals as well as dinners yourself.
No special training is required to participate in this tour. There are short transfers of up to 2.5 hours, and most of the activities are suitable for people of all ages.
Snowmobile rides are held in the company of a guide, children under 12 years old are not allowed on this trip. As an alternative, we can offer a trip to the forge and a smithing workshop. If you have experienced snowmobiling earlier and the instructor let you to handle it, you can ride it as a driver.
You can take children from 6 years old on the tour. Children under 12 years old will receive a 50% discount.
The transfers will be made on a comfortable Mercedes Sprinter minibus. BRP snowmobiles of a model no older than 2015 are used on the snowmobile tour.
Winter in Altai is mostly sunny, but weather conditions and temperatures depend on passing cyclones or anticyclones. On average, winter temperatures stay between -15 and -20 °C. Blizzards are possible.
On a free day you can arrange for a helicopter trip to the highest peak of Siberia and UNESCO World Heritage Site — Belukha Mountain.
As part of a group you will fly a MI-8 MTV helicopter to the southernmost part of the Altai Republic, to the border with Kazakhstan, where the mountain is located. You will fly over the mountain taiga and high plateaus and find yourself at the foot of Belukha. The helicopter will fly around the peak so that you can enjoy the view of the largest glaciers of Altai — Akkemsky, Mensu and Delone. You will see the Akkem Lake and the grandiose Ak-Oyuk Waterfall as well.
Upon landing in the surroundings of Belukha you will be able to have a snack and take unique pictures of the Altai Mountains.
The cost of this trip is 700 EURO per person. You must book and pay for the tour in advance. In case of bad weather the tour will be canceled and the price will be refunded.
What is included in the price:
Extra charge:
The exact time of departure is agreed on the day before the flight. We can help you book and arrange transfers to the place of departure.
Note: the region of the Belukha Mountain is a border area. During the flight you must have the following documents: a valid passport of a Russian citizen (NOT an international passport), for children - a birth certificate. For foreign citizens — a passport of a foreign citizen + border zone pass. Passes for foreigners are issued within 30 working days. Please take this into account when planning your trip.
Booking
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
DBL hotek accommodation
meals as per program
all transfers as per program
guide services
excursions as per program
snowmobiling tour
air tickets to Gorno-Altaisk (from 140 EURO per person for round-trip tickets)
dinners, breakfast on day 1 and lunch on day 6
single accommodation in a hotel (+240 EURO per person), optional
ski equipment rental, ski-pass
visiting sauna in the hotel
helicopter tour to the Belukha Mountain (+700 EURO per person), optional
English speaking guide (+1060 EURO for the group, so the amount is shared between those tourists that need this service)
DBL hotek accommodation
meals as per program
all transfers as per program
guide services
excursions as per program
snowmobiling tour
air tickets to Gorno-Altaisk (from 140 EURO per person for round-trip tickets)
dinners, breakfast on day 1 and lunch on day 6
single accommodation in a hotel (+240 EURO per person), optional
ski equipment rental, ski-pass
visiting sauna in the hotel
helicopter tour to the Belukha Mountain (+700 EURO per person), optional
English speaking guide (+1060 EURO for the group, so the amount is shared between those tourists that need this service)