Included: meeting and seeing off in Barnaul, 1 night hotel accomodation (**DBL) in Barnaul, transportation to the Tungur (start point) and return, all permits and local fees, visa registration, tent accommodationat at Tungur BC on days 1 and 6; FB (except meals in Barnaul and on the way Barnaul - Tiungur - Barnaul); trekking guide; camping gear (tents, cooking utensil).
Not included: Travel to and from Barnaul, visa fees, alcoholic beverages and other luxuries, personal items.
Options. visa support; SGL hotel accommodation; short Katun river rafting, pack horses support on trekking; gear rental; stay upgrade in Tungur to hut or room; sauna in Tungur BC.
Itinerary (variant 2, Mt. Baida trek + Katun rafting 8 days, (recommended for travelling with kids!):
| Day 1 | Arrival to Barnaul. 12-hrs bus trip to Tungur village (750 km). Overnight in mountain base, hotel (DBL) near the bank of the Katun river. Dinner in a cafe, meeting with the guide, consultation, gear check. You can leave extra luggage here. Optional Russian bania (sauna). You can find here also the cafes (including one in Altai national dwelling - ail, offering national dishes), a sport ground and gear rental facility. The name of the village - Tungur- means a Shaman tamburin in Altai language. |
| Day 2 | Trekking Tungur BC (850 m) – Mt. Baida (2070 m) – Sourсe of the Dety-Kochek river (2400 m). We ascent through the cedar forest and see the change of landscapes from taiga (primeval Siberian forest) to high alpine meadows. This route boasts hypnotic views of the huge snowy massif of Mount Belukha. There are a lot of ails on the way. Lunch stop near one of them. Crossing the forest (there was fire in 1975 here) we descend to the ail in the cedar forest near the Tungur River. Upon climbing the pass we can see beautiful pink-coloured slopes around us. We traverse the flat summit plateau of Mt. Baida (it looks like the garden with the flowered artifical hills and cedars). Overnight stop neat the source of Dety-Kochek river in a cedar forest (2400 m). Dinner is made on fire. 10 km, 6-7 hrs, + 1200 m. |
| Day 3 | Sourсe of the Dety-Kochek river (2400 m)- The Turgunda Lake (2600 m). Easy day. Along the Dety-Kochek river, crossing the flower meadow, we come to the Turgundinskoe plateau. Cedar forest is disappearing here and we come to the Turgunda river. Prepare firewood during the road and make a camp near 9th Turgundinskoe Lake. The water is not hot but you can try swimming here. After lunch we have small excursion to the Kyzyl Mountain that can be called “walking under clouds”. Mt. Belukha is seen from everywhere. 4-5 km, 2-3 hrs, +200 m. |
| Day 4 | Short excursions to the top of Kyzyl-Kuiu mountain (2 808 m), walking along the plateau. Picturesque view of Katunsky range and the Katun river from the plateau. You can see Mt. Belukha so close to you as is impossible on the other routes of Belukha region. It is also possible to see the panorama of Terekhtinskiy range from the top (2808 m). Descent to Tungur base same wat as ascent. Hotel accommodation DBL. Dinner in a cafe. 6 km, 4-5 hrs. |
| Day 5 | Transfer to the starting point of rafting part - Verkhniy (Upper) Uimon village. Excursion to the Roerich and Starovery (Old Believers) Museums. Start rafting Katun river. In the beginning of the Uymonskaya valley Katun forks into many branches. Camp in the surroundings of the Multa village, in the village of Verkhniy (Upper) Uimon. 24 km, 4-5 hrs. |
| Day 6 | Rafting on Katun Multa – Tungur. The stream is very fast. There are some small rapids. Dinner in the cafe and overnight at a hotel DBL. 32 km, 5-6 hrs. |
| Day 7 | Return to Barnaul. Hotel accommodation. |
| Day 8 | Transfer to airport or railway station. Departure from Barnaul. |
Trekking and rafting conditions: The route is not difficult and doesn’t require any special skills. Hiking and trekking experience is an advantage. We travel in a remote and unpopulated area, and there are no conveniences. There may be precipitation. The day temperature is +10...+30, temperature at night 0... +10, sometimes downn to -5. The route for rafting isn’t difficult, I-II grade. The guide has the right to change the program due to bad weather and the other unfavourable circumstances.
Meals: We provide the participants with 3 meals a day. In the base camps meals are served in a cafe. On the trek the food is cooked on the open fire by a guide or cook. We also provide vegetarian meals upon inquire.
Equipment: We provide the group with tents, cooking pots, fire equipment, rafting gear (incl. life vests, helmets, waterproof bags), first-aid kit. You should have the following gear in private use: foam sleeping mat (available for rent), 3 seasons sleeping bag (available for rent); 3 seasons jacket, shorts, t-shirt for hot weather, warm clothes (in the night it gets cold), trekking boots, waterproofs, backpack of 60-100 liters, sun glasses, UVF cream, personal tin ware, usual sneakers and wooly socks will also do. For rafting: wooly tracksuit, footwear - special, neoprene slip-peers are ideal. One should have two complete sets of clothes, at the minimum. One - for rafting, which is prone to get wet, the other - for the camp (there can be a shirt, jeans, a sweater, etc.) .
Cost: for an offer!
Included: meeting and seeing off in Barnaul, 1 night hotel accomodation (**DBL) in Barnaul, transportation to the Tungur (start point) and return, all permits and local fees, visa registration, tent accommodationat at Tungur BC on days 1 and 6; FB (except meals in Barnaul and on the way Barnaul - Tiungur - Barnaul); trekking and rafting guides; camping gear (tents, cooking utensil), rafting gear.
Not included: Travel to and from Barnaul, visa fees, alcoholic beverages and other luxuries, personal items.
Options. visa support; SGL hotel accommodation; short Katun river rafting, pack horses support on trekking; gear rental; stay upgrade in Tungur to hut or room; sauna in Tungur BC.
Itinerary (variant 3, Mt. Belukha Lakes trekking 13 days):
| Day 1 | Arrival to Barnaul. 12-hrs bus trip to Tungur village (750 km). Overnight in mountain base, tent camping near the bank of the Katun river. You can leave extra luggage here. Welcome dinner. Optional Russian bania (sauna). You can find here also the cafes (including one in Altai national dwelling - ail, offering national dishes), a sport ground and gear rental facility. The name of the village - Tungur- means a Shaman tamburin in Altai language. |
| Day 2 | Start of the trek. The base camp Tungur (850 m) – Kuzuyak Pass (1513 m) – the Ak-kem river (1100 m). 1st, we pass through Kucherla village. The trail goes through the forest with a plenty of mushrooms, berries, various kinds of trees and herbs. Overcome the Kuzuyak pass. The pass isn't high but pretty hard despite it is rural road here. There is an opportunity to avoid the pass Kuzuiak by rafting. Camp at «Three birches Glade». Camping. 5-7 hrs, 17 km. |
| Day 3 | «Three birches Glade» – the Mountain Base Ak-kem (1950 m). The trail goes along the river. MB Ak-kem is situated on the left bank of the Ak–Kem river close to Akkem Lake. 7-10 hrs, 22 km. |
| Day 4 | An excursion day to the Seven Lakes Valley or Yarlu Valley. Each lake in the 1st high small valley is of different colour (5-7 hours hiking, altitude drop 400 m). Yarlu valley is the high energy place with extraterranian landscape and fascinating «Stone Town» built by Nicholas Roerikh followers who have annual spiritual meeting here in July-August. |
| Day 5 | Start of the second part of our trekking. Climbing up the Karaturek pass (1A grade, 3060 m). The views to Mt. Belukha massif from the saddle are considered as best possible. The descend from the pass is steep and goes on talus. Overnight stop in the cedar forest. 6-8 hrs, 15 km, +/-1000 m. |
| Day 6 | Short ascent to a plateau – and we are descending, through the taiga, to the incomparable Kucherla Lake (1760 m) - Upper Kucherla river. The waters of the Ak-Kem and Kucherla Lakes are called «dead» and «alive» accordingly. There is a lot of fish in Kucherla. The camp is at the lakeside. 6-7 hrs, 22 km. |
| Day 7 |
The Upper Kucherla – the ford of one of the channels of the Kucherla – Darashkol Lake (2200 m). The Upper Kucherla is a small stream that feeds the Kucherla Lake. A rope is needed to ford the river. Far off is the upper waterfalls of river Ioldo-Airy. Dinner is prepared on gas stove. 11 km, 6-8 hrs. |
| Day 8 |
Day at Darashkol Lake. The way goes up along the Nemitskii stream towards the glacier of the same name. |
| Day 9 |
Darashkol Lake – Upper Kucherla. 11 km, 6-8 hrs. |
| Day 10 |
Lake Kucherla – valley of Kucherla river (1300 m). Descent along the river. Overnight stop at the right bank. 7-8 hrs, 21 km, -460 m. |
| Day 11 | Cnt. descending along Kucherla Valley. Ancient (Stone Adges) rock art site ("Shaman Rock" grotte). We come back to Tungur base! Note: 4WD transportation to avoid hike through the village is possible here). 4-6 hrs, 24 km, -450 m altitude drop. |
| Day 12 | Return to Barnaul. Hotel accommodation (**DBL). |
| Day 13 | Transfer to airport or railway station. Departure from Barnaul. |
Trekking conditions: There are 10 days of moderate and strenuous hiking by varied landscapes (maximum elevation is 3 060 m). Long passages are quite demanding, though technically they are not hard, a reasonable degree of fitness is required. The trekkers either carry all their personal belongings plus 6-8 kg p/person of communal equipment (tents, cooking pots) and food for 4-5 days or hire horses for the luggage transportation (Note: it is not possible to hire horses to accompany the trekkers all the way, just to deliver supply in some intermediatery points, usually Akkem Lake and Kucherla Lake). The weather in mountains changes rather quickly. There may be precipitation. The day temperature is +10...+30, temperature at night is 0...+10, sometimes down to -5. The guide has the right to change the program due to bad weather and the other unfavourable circumstances.
Meals: We provide the participants with 3 meals a day. In the base camps meals are served in a cafe. On the trek the food is cooked on the open fire by a guide or cook. We also provide vegetarian meals upon inquire.
Equipment: We provide the group with tents, cooking pots, gas, fire equipment, first-aid kit. You should have the following gear in private use: foam sleeping mat (available for rent), 3 seasons sleeping bag (available for rent); 3 seasons jacket, shorts, t-shirt for hot weather, warm clothes (in the night it gets cold), trekking boots, waterproofs, backpack of 60-100 liters, sun glasses, UVF cream, personal tin ware, usual sneakers and wooly socks will also do.
Cost: for an offer!
Included: meeting and transfers in Barnaul, 1 night hotel accomodation (DBL), transportation to the Tungur (start point) and return, all permits, visaq registration; tent accommodationat at Tungur BC for Days 1 and 11; at MB Ak-Kem in 4 places big tents for Days 3 and 4; FB (except meals in Barnaul and on the way Barnaul - Tiungur - Barnaul); English speaking trekking guide; camping gear (tents, cooking utensil).
Not included: Travel to and from Barnaul, visa fees, alcoholic beverages and other luxuries, personal items.
Options. visa support; SGL hotel accommodation; short Katun river rafting, pack horses support on trekking; gear rental; stay upgrade in Tungur to hut or room; sauna in Tungur BC.
Itinerary (variant 4, Multa Lakes trekking 13 days):
| Day 1 | Arrival to Barnaul. 12-hrs bus trip to Tungur village (750 km). Overnight in mountain base, tent camping near the bank of the Katun river. You can leave extra luggage here. Welcome dinner. Optional Russian bania (sauna). You can find here also the cafes (including one in Altai national dwelling - ail, offering national dishes), a sport ground and gear rental facility. The name of the village - Tungur- means a Shaman tamburin in Altai language. |
| Day 2 | An easy day. Transfer to Katanda, 12 km. Passage across the river Katun by ferry or dinghy. Walking along the valley of Kuragan river to the river Gromotukha. The overnight stop is 2 km after Gromotukha river junction. 14 km, 5-6 hrs. |
| Day 3 | Gromotukha river - Kyrgyz river. There is a good beaten track that goes by a log over the Gromotukha. The overnight stop is on the bank of the Lower Kuragan. 14 km, 5-7 hrs. |
| Day 4 | The mouth of Kyrgyz river – ascent to the Mt. Kyrgyz – Kyrgyz lake (2219 m). A rather hard day. A grassy slope that can be slippery in rainy weather. Then along the river Kyrgys to the beautiful ravine. 12 km, 6-7 hrs, +/- 1000 meters. |
| Day 5 | Kyrgyz Lake– pass to the valley of Akchan river. Descent to Akchansky lakes through Sararty broad gully along Banditsky cape, where the trail to China situated in the past. Camp near the waterfall which springs from Mt. Kolban (3130 m). 10 km, 5-7 hrs. |
| Day 6 | The day in Akchan River Valley. A round trip to the lake Akchan, 4 km both ways. If desired – ascent up to the Mt. Kolban (3130 m). 4-10 km, 3-7 hrs. |
| Day 7 | Akchan river – Akchan Lake– Kuiguk Pass (1A grade, 2520 meters) – Kuiguk Lake– Kujguk river valley (2270 m). The Kujguk pass is not difficult but steep and windy. First we transfer up to the pass our backpacks with the help of ropes and then climb ourselves. The stop is at the lake Kujguk (1 km). 15 km, 5-7 hrs. |
| Day 8 | Kujguk river – descent along Kujguk river to Multa river valley– Lower Multinskoye Lake (1710 m) – Middle Multinskoye Lake. Along the right bank of the Lower Multinskoye lake. 15 km, 5-7 hrs. |
| Day 9 | Radial trek to Upper Multinskoye lake: foresters observation post at the Middle Multinskoye lake – crossing Poperechnaya River by the bridge – the Upper Multinskoye lake (1860 m) – the hunters observation post. Or we can camp at the confluence of Multa and Poperechnaya rivers. 18 km, 6-8 hrs. |
| Day 10 | Radial trip: along Poperechnaya river – the waterfall on the Poperechnaya – Poperechnoye Lake (1920 m) – camp place. Then go to Lower Multinskoye Lake– the valley of the Multa river – Mikhailovka river. 10 km, 7-9 hrs. |
| Day 11 | Hike downstream Mikhailovka river to the village of Maralnik (Maral Farm). Then a car takes us to the base camp Tungur. Dinner is in the cafe. 10 km, 5-6 hrs. By car – 1 hour. |
| Day 12 | Return to Barnaul. Hotel accommodation (**DBL). |
| Day 13 | Transfer to airport or railway station. Departure from Barnaul. |
Trekking conditions: The route has no rate of difficulty, but you need to be in a good physical shape. Maximum altitude gain is 1000 m a day. Childs are not allowed to be on the route. The trekkers carry all their personal belongings plus 6-7 kg of communal equipment (tents, cooking pots) and food themselves carefully divided among them. Pack horses support is not possible on this route. The weather in mountains has changed rather quickly. Precipitations are possible. The day temperature is +10...+30, temperature at night is 0...+10, sometimes down to -5. The guide has the right to change the itinerary due to bad weather conditions and other unfavourable circumstances.
Meals: We provide the participants with 3 meals a day. In the base camps meals are served in a cafe. On the trek the food is cooked on the open fire or on a gas stove by a guide or cook. We also provide vegetarian meals upon inquire.
Equipment: We provide the group with tents, cooking pots, gas, fire equipment, first-aid kit, ropes, carabines, sat phone. You should have the following gear in private use: foam sleeping mat (available for rent), 3 seasons sleeping bag (available for rent); 3 seasons jacket, shorts, t-shirt for hot weather, warm clothes (in the night it gets cold), trekking boots, crampons, helmet, harness and self-belay, ice axe, hammer, 2 ice screws, 3 carabines (some climbing stuff is available for rent), waterproofs, backpack of 60-100 liters, sun glasses, UVF cream, personal tin ware, usual sneakers and wooly socks will also do.
Cost: for an offer!
Included: meeting and transfers in Barnaul, 1 night hotel accomodation (DBL), transportation to the Tungur (start point) and return, all permits, visaq registration; tent accommodationat at Tungur BC for Days 1 and 11; FB (except meals in Barnaul and on the way Barnaul - Tiungur - Barnaul); sauna at Multinsky BC; English speaking trekking guide; camping gear (tents, cooking utensil).
Not included: Travel to and from Barnaul, visa fees, alcoholic beverages and other luxuries, personal items.
Options. visa support; SGL hotel accommodation; short Katun river rafting, pack horses support on trekking; gear rental; stay upgrade in Tungur to hut or room; sauna in Tungur BC.
Options for all treks. Visa support. The arrival and departure point can be changed to Novosibirsk, Omsk, Biysk or Gorno-Altaisk. Additional excursions: Ust-Kan cave with paleolithic sit (600,000 BCE), Pazyrik burial mounds (Scythian culture, VII-II c. BCE), Kalbak Tash and Elangash Rock Arts sites (from Stone Ages to Turkish times). Peaks to climb: "The Crown of Altai", Boris, Roerikh Peak, Delone Peak, Belukha West (4440 m), up to 4B UIAA, Mount Yarlu (1B, 3370 m), Mount Bronia ("Armor", 2A, 3291 m). Transfer from Tungur base to and from the end of the road (about 30 min, recommended to avoid hike through the village). Helicopter flights from/to Gorno-Altaisk, Barnaul, Novosibirsk to/from Akkem or Kucherla lakes.
Any possible tailor-made trips are available! Just us of fill in the request form!
Services in Tungur base (available separately):
- 4-hrs rafting on Katun river down to the junction with Ak-Kem ("White Water") river;
- meals served in national Altai dwelling- ail. Exclusive offer - cooking of the set of Altai national meals from the ram on demand!
- Russian bania including cedar barrel option;
- gear rental;
- horse riding trips;
- extra horses for carring luggage and/or riding to/from Akken lake;
- cloak room service
- stay upgrade to permanent camp, hut or hotel
