The Altai Mountains are a picturesque corner of Russia, filled with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. With its majestic mountains, clear rivers and amazing lakes, Altai attracts both experienced travelers and those who want to enjoy solitude in the bosom of nature. The region is full of unique places, each of which offers its own unique views and stories.
Contents:
Chulyshman River Valley
The Katun and Chuya rivers
Shavlinsky lakes
Lake Teletskoye
Geyser Lake
Karakol lakes
Lake Manzherok
Katunsky Nature Reserve and the Multa River
Cheybekkol «dead lake»
Waterfalls and springs of Altai
Dzhumalinskiye Klyuchi are thermal springs famous for their healing properties. The mineral-rich, high-temperature water makes these springs especially attractive to people seeking improved health and relaxation.
Uchar (Bolshoy Chulchinskiy)
The Uchar Waterfall, also known as Bolshoy Chulchinsky, is over 100 meters high and impresses with its power and beauty. This place is ideal for photography and active recreation.
Ilgumensky rapids
Ilgumensky rapids is a railway waterfall about 20 meters high on the Katun River. Its powerful flow produces captivating water sounds and attracts nature lovers and photographers.
Shirlak (Maiden Tears)
Shirlak Waterfall, also called «Maiden Tears», is famous for its romantic legend and beauty. The height of the waterfall is 30 meters and it is a popular place to visit.
Korbu
Korbu Waterfall is known for its impressive noise and majestic water flows. This place is ideal for relaxation and picnics with natural landscapes.
Arzhan-Suu Spring
The Arzhan-Suu spring is famous for its healing properties and mineralization. It offers many tourists unique opportunities for health improvement and relaxation.
Kurkure
Kurkure Waterfall impresses with its beauty and freshness. It is an ideal place for those who want to enjoy solitude in nature.
Mountains
Katu-Yaryk Pass
The Katu-Yaryk Pass is a picturesque pass that offers stunning views of the mountains and valleys. The height of the pass reaches 1200 meters, and it is one of the most visited places in Altai.
Tavdinsky caves
The Tavdinsky caves, famous for their stalactites and stalagmites, are a unique natural object more than 2 km long. This place is ideal for exploring underground natural formations.
Belukh Mountain
Belukh Mountain, with a height of 4506 meters, is the highest in Altai. It attracts climbers and extreme sports enthusiasts, and also has many legends about its sacredness.
Achik Pass
The Achik Pass is famous for its picturesque mountains and provides many opportunities for hiking and mountain recreation. The height of the pass is about 700 meters.
Ukok Plateau
The Ukok Plateau is a high-mountain plain located at an altitude of about 2,000-2,500 meters above sea level, in the Altai nature reserve.
This unique natural area is attractive for its stunning landscapes and diversity of flora and fauna.
On the plateau, you can find rare plant species, such as the Altai rose, various types of sedge, as well as many medicinal herbs. In the summer months, the plateau is painted in bright flowers, which creates picturesque fields.
For their uniqueness, the plants of the Ukok Plateau are included in the Red Book of Russia.
The plateau is also diverse in terms of fauna: such rare species as the snow leopard, mountain goat and many birds, including the brown eagle, live here.
The plateau is valuable not only in terms of biological diversity, but also from a historical point of view.
Numerous archaeological sites have been found on its territory, including the remains of ancient burials, which indicates the presence of ancient cults and population migrations. The plateau offers stunning views of the surrounding mountain ranges, making it a popular destination for tourists and nature lovers.
Here you can go hiking, take photos, and explore unique ecosystems.
Red Gate Rocks
The Red Gate is an impressive arch-shaped rock formation that attracts tourists with its vibrant colors and shapes. It is a popular spot for photographers and nature lovers.
Akkurum Tract
The Akkurum tract is a picturesque place surrounded by majestic cliffs and vast steppes. It is located at an altitude of about 1,600 meters above sea level.
This area is rich in a variety of alpine plants, such as edelweiss, various types of geraniums and other rare flowers.
Here you can also find medicinal herbs used by local healers. Akkurum is surrounded by high cliffs and precipices, creating impressive landscapes that attract not only tourists, but also climbers.
The tract has become popular due to its rich flora and fauna, as well as unique geological formations that allow you to study the natural processes of earth formation.
In winter, wonderful opportunities for winter sports open up here.
Kalbak-Tash tract
The Kalbak-Tash tract preserves ancient historical monuments and has unique natural forms.
It is located at an altitude of about 1800 meters above sea level and is famous for traces of the cultures of ancient peoples. Stone sculptures and tombs dating back to the Bronze Age.
In the vicinity of Kalbak-Tash, you can find many drawings on stones (petroglyphs), the age of which is several thousand years.
These images represent hunting scenes, rituals and everyday life of ancient peoples, which makes the tract an important place for studying history and archeology.
Nature: here you can find all the diversity of mountain vegetation, including steppe and alpine flora.
The tract is surrounded by picturesque landscapes with bright flowers, and attracts tourists and researchers.
Pictures of landscapes of the Altai Mountains
Regardless of your preferences, a trip to Altai will leave indelible impressions and memories of the wonders of nature.
To keep a memory of a trip to Altai, purchase an original oil painting on the website.
From the artist Nadezhda Tsvetkova, whose paintings are kept in many private collections in Russia and abroad.