Wild animal watching in Altai

Day 0 Arrival

Meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel. 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 Welcome!

In the morning, we will meet you at the place you specify or at the airport. We will get acquainted with the only city and the capital of the Republic. And then we will visit the National Museum of the Altai Republic. Here, in a special sarcophagus, rests the famous Altai Princess.

After lunch, we set off along the Chuysky Tract, connecting Russia with Mongolia. Today it will take us to the cozy green Karakol Valley, for local residents this is a sacred place. Apparently, it has always been like this: it is not without reason that there is a real accumulation of ancient monuments here - burial mounds, megalithic steles, and petroglyphs. In the valley live demoiselle cranes, eagles soar in the sky, cute gophers fly everywhere, and in the most secret places grow real edelweiss.

In the evening, we will taste the national Altai cuisine and listen to the throat singer - kaichi.

Stage length: 200 km by car, 3 km on foot.

Day 2 The sacred Valley and the Ancient Path

In the morning, we will get to know the Karakol Valley better - we will visit the royal burial mounds, see the three-headed peak of Uch-Enmek, collect water from healing springs according to local traditions and learn what story the wooden sculptures in Kulada tell.

And then - again to the Chuysky tract. How many interesting things await us ahead: the Chike-Taman pass, the first bridge over the Katun, the confluence of the Chuya and Katun. You will get to know the petroglyphs in Kalbak-Tash and see how the Geyser Lake paints its pictures.

Today there is a chance to see a black stork, grazing yaks, and in case of special luck, a mink at Geyser Lake.

Closer to the evening we will enter the high-mountain Kurai steppe and see the magnificent peaks of the North Chuya Range. The mountains here reach 4000 meters and higher, their peaks are covered with eternal snow and glaciers.

Stage length: 210 km by car, 1-2 km on foot.

Day 3 In Search of Reflections

Today we will devote the whole day to the Kurai steppe. How many mysteries and secrets it holds! Turkic burial mounds, ancient irrigation ditches, warriors carved from stone. The road winds through the steppe, sometimes going up a hill, sometimes going down. But it is quite possible that these are not hills at all, but just "ripples in the sand".

Our main goal is Lake Dzhangyzkol, a photographer's dream. It is quite small, but it is conveniently located at the foot of the North Chuisky Range, and majestic peaks are reflected in it, like in a mirror. Let's hope that we will be lucky with the weather, and the lake will be calm.

Today we have our first trekking. We will climb the hills surrounding the lake, walk along the ridge, admiring the reflection of the snow-capped mountains in the water's surface, and descend to an amazingly beautiful swampy area with bizarre saucers of water and a river meandering between them.

Stage length: 60 km by car, 5 km on foot, elevation difference 100-150m.

Day 4 To the ends of the earth

In the morning, we leave for the Kokkol base. It is located at an altitude of 2500 meters, in the valley of the Naryngol River, which literally "rests" on the harsh rocks of the Chikhachev Range. But the path to the base is not only difficult, but also extremely interesting. Therefore, the road will take us the whole day.

First, the huge Chuya steppe will open up before us. Behind the village of Kokorya, we will admire the Kyzylshyn gorge with hills of incredible burgundy shades. Then our path will go along the Yustyd River, famous for its archaeological monuments. We will definitely stop and look at the creations of the ancient inhabitants of the steppe - stone circles, triangles and other figures created thousands of years ago for a purpose that is still unclear even to scientists.

Next, the incredibly beautiful Kindyktykul Lake awaits us - a real paradise for waterfowl. Here you can see mountain geese, scoters, and cormorants drying their wings. And in the mountains above live steppe eagles, golden eagles, and falcons.

Stage length: 135 km by car, 1-2 km on foot.

Day 5 Visiting the Snow Leopard

Today we will rise above the lake and the Naryngol valley to a height of 3000 meters. With each step to the top, majestic views of black rocks with bowls of turquoise lakes on one side and velvet steppes stretching into the distance on the other will open up before us.

It is here, deep in the high ridges, that snow leopards and Pallas' cats live, which means that mountain goats and mountain sheep pasture here too. It is not so easy to see them, but with a high probability we will meet marmots, foxes and hares. They may get caught in our lens, we will see eagles and vultures soaring in the sky.

The flora of the highlands is also amazing. Familiar plants and flowers are significantly reduced copies. The blooming yellow mountain poppies and blue alpine forget-me-nots are very pleasing to the eye, here you can also find rare medicinal plants - pink rhodiola, red brush and others.

Stage length: 15 km by car, intensive 7 km on foot, elevation difference 500m.

Day 6 Chuya steppe

Today we will cross the entire Chuya steppe by car, heading to the visitor center of the Sailyugem National Park in Chagan-Burgazy. This is the only national park in Altai, and its main goal is to preserve snow leopards and argali mountain sheep.

On the way, we will stop at the Telengits Museum in the village of Kokorya. Very interesting archaeological finds and historical items from the Chuya steppe are kept here. In Kosh-Agach, we will visit the local market, where you can buy cashmere, woolen products and souvenirs from Mongolia.

Today we will stop at the foot of the Sailyugem Range. Although there are still several dozen kilometers to the national park, here we begin to get acquainted with its inhabitants. Next to the visitor center there are entire colonies of pikas and gophers, red-billed alpine jackdaws merrily jump along the roofs of the houses, and a hare can run between the houses. And high in the sky, steppe eagles, vultures and golden eagles are in full control.

Stage length: 120 km by car, 1-2 km on foot.

Day 7 Sailugemsky National Park

Today we will go to the very heart of the wild nature of Altai. First, we will drive deep into the Saylyugemsky ridge in a high-cross-country vehicle, and then take a walk of about 5 km. Saylyugemsky Park is a habitat for many species of animals, including rare ones. We will be joined by a park ranger, thanks to whom we will have a good chance to see marmots, foxes, argali, vultures and eagles with our own eyes. Once we were even lucky enough to see a very rare Saylyugem bear.

And of course, this territory is the habitat of the snow leopard. Together with the ranger, we will check the camera traps. Perhaps the leopards were here just a few days ago.

Our way back will pass through real edelweiss fields. In the evening, we will return to the visitor center of the park.

Stage length: 50-60 km by car, intensive 5 km on foot, elevation difference 300m.

Day 8 The Land of the Snow Leopard at Your Fingertips

Today is the final day of our wilderness adventure, and we'll visit a unique viewpoint offering a 360-degree panorama of nearly the entire South Altai.

But first, we'll land on Mars - not just one, but at least two Martian landscapes. Unique geological processes have transformed the Kyzyl-Chin River valley into a true Martian scenery. Here you can find ancient mollusks and fossils. The plants are equally fascinating - tree-like wormwood, sprawling caragana bushes, and rare ephedra.

But the main highlight is still ahead! We will drive by car to a viewpoint at 3,000 meters where the entire area of the snow leopard will unfold before our eyes like an open book. We'll see four mountain ranges, the entire Chui Steppe, the winding Chuya River below, and the Chuysky Tract following its curves. We'll take one last look at the places we've visited and maybe pick out destinations for your next tour.

Stage length: 100 km by car, 4 km on foot, elevation difference 200m.

Day 9 Return to Gorno-Altaysk

Today marks our final journey back to Gorno-Altaysk via the ever-fascinating Chuysky Tract. We've saved some special stops to keep the adventure alive until the very end.

Estimated arrival: 5:00-6:00 PM in Gorno-Altaysk For next-day flights: We're happy to assist with hotel bookings to ensure your comfortable transition home.

Stage length: 460 km by car.

Day 10 Farewell

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