Travel russia. Altai: Tours to Altai: A Pearl Necklace of the Lakes

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A Pearl Necklace of the Lakes

Location: Russia, the Southern Siberia, Gorni Altai.
Type of the tour: riding.
The whole duration of the trip (from Barnaul) is 9 days.
The length is 456,09 miles (from Barnaul by car) + 69,59 miles (on horses) + 4,97 miles (on foot).
The number of tourists in the group is 6 - 12 persons.

This tour is one of the most available and beautiful trips you can make. Its advantages are: accessibility, simplicity and abundance of luxuriant places, compactly gathered together.

The tour includes visiting numerous lakes: the Karakolskie Lakes, the Ugulskie Lakes, the Ackainskie Lakes, the Airikskie Lakes and Veronica Lake. Each of the lakes is unique. The third Father's Lake, for example, is the deepest one among all the Karakolski Lakes (all together there are seven lakes). The sixth lake is remarkable for its colour - turquoise (the colour of the sea wave). The form of Ugulskoe Lake reminds you of the figure eight. The bottom of Veronica Lake is made up of the volcanic rocks. The cascades of the Baiajukski Lakes are of great beauty.

There are a lot of small but remarkable waterfalls along the trip. You can come across them in different places: they are placed separately around Veronica Lake, and in the mouths of such rivers as: the Ugul, the Vodopadnaya and the Ackaya.

Snowrocks are also of no wonder. They are placed around the lakes. Snow doesn't melt there even in summer, because of the great height, about 6 561,68 feet. Snow tobogganing and eating the real tourists' ice-cream will remain in your memory for ever.

There are one-name caves in the mouth of the Karakoksha River. Getting over a small entrance you come into a big hall, from which there are long passages inside the mountain. One of the passages goes down inside the mountain by 26,25 feet below the mouth of the river; there it leads to several halls. Overcoming about 164,04 feet along the passage you find yourself in the Eagle's Hall with its stone sculpture in the centre. You will never forget it, trust us. The roar of the underground river, numerous passages and high balconies wait for you in the Karakokshinskaya Cave.

There is another thing we cannot help mentioning. The tour goes through the cedar taiga, where there are great ancient cedars with huge branches and luxuriant dark-green needles. Towards autumn cedar cones ripen, and you may enjoy cracking hidden nuts or you may take several cones with you to remind you of your wonderful trip.

Equipment: We shall provide you with all the necessary equipment: a tent for two persons (if you want you may live there alone, in this case, please, let us know about it beforehand), a warmth-keeping mat and a sleeping-bag, a mackintosh, special bags for carrying some cargo on horses, helmets, life jackets, waterproof packs for personal belongings, special equipment for searing, a first-aid set, an awning to protect from rain, tableware and cutlery. WE EXPECT YOU TO TAKE YOUR PERSONAL BELONINGS: a small rucksack or a sports bag, a tracksuit, a mackintosh, rubber high boots, warm clothes for cool nights: a warm sweater, warm trousers, warm jacket, a knitted cap (to protect your ears), and wool socks. You will also need things for everyday wearing: a cloth-cap or a headscarf, trousers without coarse seams for horse traveling, a wind jacket, two T-shirts, a light shirt with long sleeves, sports footwear, socks (three or more pairs), shorts, two pairs of gloves. For searing you will need: neoprene footwear, or trainers with wool socks, or river sandals for underwater swimming. You must have: specific medicine, personal hygiene belongings, some substance to protect you from insects, a torch, (photo) camera, sunglasses, swim suit (desirably), a clasp knife (desirably).

Tour Program

1 Day	Meeting at the airport, at the bus station in Barnaul. A bus drive along the route: Barnaul (a town) - Biisk (a town) - Chemal (a village). The length is 217,48 miles, the time of the drive is approximately 7 hours). Then we change our bus to a special Land-rover (a cross-country vehicle with a cab) and drive up to the last inhabited house for hunters and shepherds (in Russian this place is called cordon). This is at the river Cuba. (The length is 16,16 miles, the time needed is 1 hour). Dinner. Camping. Preparation for the trip. That means: distribution of the food, equipment; instructions on the safety measures, and training tours. Banya. The evening of getting acquainted. Beginning with this day you will live in tents; food will be prepared by the instructors on fire.
2 Day	Preparation for the trip. Starting the tour. The convergence of the rivers the Big Yaloman and the Katun - the Ilgumenski rapids - the mouth of the Ailagush river. The approximate length and time: 11,18 miles, 3 hours. Preparation for the trip. This means: distribution of food, equipment; instructions on the safety measures, and training tours. Starting the tour. Slight breakers at the beginning of the tour will let you get adjusted to the water. Having some training we come to our first serious obstacle - the Ilgumenski rapids (the 4th complexity class). Steep breakers up to 9,84 feet with heavy foamy crests will be a good challenge for every participant. After some more traveling we shall camp on the right bank of the mouth of the Ailagush river.

3 Day	The route: the Cedar glade No.1 - the gate Akkainski - the gate Airik - the valley Airik. The approximate length and time: 14,91 miles, 4-5 hours. Crossing the boundary of the forest, we move along the loach. A shot stop near the rocks, called the Castle of Ghosts, a place covered with legends. Then going up a little we get to the gate Akkainski. From here a magnificent view of the valley and Akkainskie lakes opens up before you.Coming down to the valley Akkai we go down a river up to a small waterfall. Then we shall move to the Airik gate through dwarf willow. Just near the gate we can see the mirrors of Airikskie lakes. They are famous for their clean water, which from the height of the gate seems dark-green. After that we descend into a wide flat valley of Airik. It is covered with cedars. Numerous streams and a gentle slope give a wonderful opportunity to choose a resting place to your taste. Having made a camp we shall visit the Karakokshinskaya cave.
4 Day	The route: the valley Airik - the gate The Devil's Finger - Baiauk lake - the Upper Ugul (a river). The approximate length and time: 9,94 miles, 3-4 hours. The path gradually goes up to the gate The Devil's Finger. The gate was called so because it resembles a hand with vertically rising fingers - rocks. Then the path goes down among Baiaukskie lakes and reaches the Tumannii (Foggy) gate. From here you can see the Iolgo ridge, the grand Akkaya river (7 824,80 feet) and the cascade of Baiaukskie lakes, in the valley of which there are a lot of snow mountains and sky-blue streams. The path swinging among the sparse growth of cedars and dwarf willow goes down. We shall settle our camp on a big charming glade from where we may visit Ugulskoe lake (its form reminds you of the figure eight), or the waterfalls on the river Vodopadka.
5 Day	The route: the Upper Ugul - the river Vodopadka - Veronica Lake - the Cedar glade No.2. The approximate length and time: 9,94 miles, 5-6 hours. A steep path down the river Vodopadka will bring us to the river Ugul. Going up this river for some time, we see a snow mountain, under which a raging torrent breaks its way. The path reaches a beautiful Veronica lake, at the beginning of which one can see a high cascade waterfall. Then along a steep stone path we are to rise to the mountain ridge Iolgo. Having gone several kilometers along the ridge, we shall come down to the Cedar glade No.2 to camp there.
6 Day	An excursion to Karakolskie Lakes. The approximate length and time: 3,73 miles on foot, 3-4 hours. This day we are to visit all seven lakes, a waterfall; also to slide down a snow mountain and eat real tourists' ice-cream.
7 Day	The Cedar glade No.2 - Karakolskie Lakes - the gate Bagatash - the Castle of Ghosts - the river Imurta - cordon at the river Cuba. The approximate length and time: 18,64 miles, 5-6 hours. First we reach Karakolskie Lakes. From them we shall start a steep rise to the gate Bagatash (from Altaiskii - means a stone frog). Here you will really be impressed by the beauty of the surrounding mountains. If the weather is fine you can see the highest peak in Siberia - Beluha (14 783,46 feet). From the height of the gate you will enjoy the view of Karakolskie lakes. From there they seem black and look like seven mirrors scattered about the valley. Then passing the Castle of Ghosts we shall go down the river Imurta to the cordon. There we shall camp, return our equipment and go to the banya. Then, after having some rest, we shall celebrate our trip with delicious dinner, laughter and songs till the very morning.
7 Day	A car drive: the cordon at the river Cuba - Chemal (a village). The approximate length and time: 13,67 miles, 1 hour. Then a bus drive: Chemal - Barnaul. Barnaul Hotel. The approximate length and time: 217,48 miles, 7 hours. A departure day. We have breakfast, pack our things, and drive to Chemal. There is a bus waiting for us, which will take us to Barnaul.

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