Traveling by car is the best way to get to know Gorny Altai and have a great savage rest in nature. Check out my itinerary and read some tips. Find out where to go by car and where to go by SUV. I am telling you how to organize a safe and interesting vacation.
My impressions
I love road trips! They give immeasurable freedom and many experiences that you will not get on excursions or travel by public transport. Traveling by car in Altai, you can get to the coolest places in a short time and, at the same time, quite inexpensively. In general, a car trip is the best way to get acquainted with Altai, to have an inexpensive and interesting rest.
I gathered a team of friends, and for a whole month and a half we traveled along the Altai roads. During this time we have seen almost all the most important sights of the Altai Mountains. Of course, you can do it in less time. Our trip turned out to be so long, because in some places we rested for a long time as a savage. For a week we lived in the Uch-Enmek park and on the Ulagan lakes in the middle of the charming taiga practically alone, without tourists in the neighborhood. We spent several days in a tent on the banks of the Katun near Manzherok and several times came to the most beloved places (for example, to Mars).
If you have only a week or two at your disposal, then even this time will be enough for you to get acquainted with the main attractions. Below I have sketched a route for a short but intense car trip in Altai.
Roads and gas stations
The main road of Gorny Altai is the famous Chuysky tract. We drove it to the very end, to the border with Mongolia. I advise you to do the same. This is an amazing road: for several hundred kilometers, landscapes will constantly change - one is better than the other. The track is in excellent condition, there is good asphalt everywhere, the traffic is low even at the height of the summer season. Along the way, there are many recreation centers, guest houses, gas stations, canteens, so it will be comfortable to travel by car.
Secondary roads in the Altai Republic are already worse: somewhere broken asphalt, somewhere a rolled primer, somewhere a furious grater, and somewhere fierce off-road, accessible only to an SUV.
We traveled in the UAZ "Patriot", so we were able to get to several of the most remote and inaccessible places, which only a few know about: the Dzhumalinskie springs, as well as the Achik pass with a stunning view of all the main ridges of Altai and Belukha. However, even if you have an ordinary car, you can still visit almost all the sights on your own. Only a few places will have to be abandoned or a jeep excursion ordered.
As I said above, the Chuisky tract has all the infrastructure that auto travelers need. The situation is worse on secondary roads, but there are gas stations and cafes in large villages and away from the road. Try to fill the tank full at every opportunity if you are turning off the track. Check where the next gas station, cafeteria or store will be in the Maps.me app or navigator.
Where can you go by any car
Here I will tell you about the coolest sights of Gorny Altai and outline a route for traveling by car. You will find more photos and information about each place in our guide to the sights of Altai.
Even if you have very little time, I advise you be sure to drive the entire Chuisky tract... First, along the way, right by the road, there are many attractions that are easy to reach. Secondly, this is a very beautiful road. According to many, one of the most picturesque in the world. The route is especially good towards the end, when the Kuraiskaya and Chuiskaya steppes begin, over which the snow-capped sharp mountain ranges rise majestically. The beauty is incredible! In general, passing the Chuisky tract is the minimum program for a trip to Altai by car.
What to see on the Chuysky tract and nearby
Uch-Enmek park - a picturesque place with historical monuments. It is enough to go not to the very end (there is a difficult road), but to drive away from the highway only 10-15 km to the steles and mounds, look at them and return back to the highway. Two or three hours for an inspection will be enough.
Ilgumensky threshold... Here you can look at the harsh nature of the Katun, go rafting or swim in the cool waters of the river. One or two hours will be enough. If you wish, you can stay in a tent or a house at the recreation center.
Merging of Chuya and Katun... The water in the rivers is of different colors, so the place of their confluence has become a popular attraction. Half an hour is enough for an inspection.
Petroglyphs of the Kalbak-Tash and Adyr-Kan tracts... The first one is a popular place with cave paintings from different eras; they even conduct excursions there. The second is a wild tract, where you can imagine yourself as a researcher and independently search for ancient paintings. We have chosen the latter option. The inspection will take approximately two to three hours.
Shirlak waterfall... It is located almost at the very road, you need to walk about twenty minutes. But the waterfall is completely uninteresting, so you can safely skip it.
Geyser lake Is a very popular attraction in Gorny Altai. It is easy to visit there: you leave the road to the "Little Paradise" tourist center, pay 30 rubles for the entrance and go along the wooden platforms to the lake. One hour is enough for inspection.
Kuraiskaya and Chuiskaya steppes... Landscapes of fantastic beauty! Admire them right from the car window and make a couple of stops at the lookouts, numerous rolled primers lead to them on the right side - choose any.
Giant ripples of the current in the Kurai steppe... This is an unusual and little-known landmark of Altai, which is easy to see by any car. You need to leave the highway and drive a few kilometers on a dirt road. Climbing the hill, you will see an unusual landscape in the form of ripples, which were left thousands of years ago by a glacier descending from the mountains. Ripples are best seen at sunrise or sunset with side lighting. The inspection and the road will take about an hour or two.
Mars Is the brightest and most popular attraction in Gorny Altai. The multi-colored rocks create a whimsical landscape that you will hardly see anywhere. I strongly advise you to visit here, we have already come three times. A primer of normal quality leads to Mars from the road, so you can drive any car. You can spend here from an hour to a whole day.
Petroglyphs on Dzhalgyz-Tobe - another complex of rock paintings, only this time without a single tourist. Still would! Few people get so far in the heart of Gorny Altai. But all you need to do is drive 7 km on a dirt road from the highway. It was very exciting to climb the mountain, look for and decipher ancient drawings. We spent two hours here.
Valley of the Yustyd River... A pearl among the attractions of Altai Mountains! The very end of the Chuisky tract, a couple of kilometers from the border with Mongolia. It is very peaceful and beautiful here. Visit the valley at sunset - I guarantee it will be an unforgettable end to your car trip in Altai.
Places away from the Chuisky tract
There are many more beautiful places where you can go in Altai by any car.
A very popular route from Aktash through Ulagan to pass Katu-Yaryk... On the way, you will see the famous Red Gate and the charming Ulagan Lakes, where I highly recommend staying for a day or two. At the end of the journey, you will find the Katu-Yaryk pass itself and a stunning view of the Chulyshman river valley from a height of 800 meters.The road to the pass, although it is very dead, can be mastered by any car, but to go down to the Chulyshman valley along the famous serpentine is only on an all-wheel drive car. It's easy to go down, but not everyone can go back up - in this case, locals come to the rescue, ready for 5-6 thousand to tow the tourists stuck below the steep serpentine road. You can drive along the Chulyshman River valley to the south of Lake Teletskoye only by off-road vehicle. I read the reports of people who dared to go there in a passenger car - in the end, the car remained there. We didn’t go to the valley: by that time we had been skating in Altai for a month and there was no longer a great desire.
Also, by car, you can go to Tarkhata megalithic complex... This is a kind of Altai Stonehenge - an ancient observatory built of stone slabs. An interesting place for those interested in history. You need to drive 30 km from the village of Kosh-Agach in the Chuy steppe. A grater primer leads to the complex, unpleasant, dusty, but accessible to any car.
Where to go by SUV
You can travel around Gorny Altai by any car, but only the owners of a reliable four-wheel drive car will be able to visit several of the coolest sights, where there are almost no tourists, and the landscapes with their beauty simply blow your mind. Let's see where to go!
There is one secret place in Altai that almost no one knows about - Achik pass... A difficult road leads to it from the village of Ak-Boom: the ascent is very steep, there are many large cobblestones, so you only need to drive a reliable SUV. Upstairs you will find a stunning panorama with the opportunity to see Belukha and all the main mountain ranges of Altai. We stayed there for the night, met the sunset and dawn - we got a lot of emotions. Except for us there was no soul, only on the way there we met a couple of cars that were already returning.
For those who are looking for a wild holiday without the benefits of civilization, the Internet and mobile communications, I advise you to go to the Karakol Natural Park "Uch-Enmek", to the very end, to the cordon "Aru-Kem". We lived there for a whole week in the national Altai dwelling - ail. You can walk to the sacred lake Aru-Kem.
One of the most remote places in Gorny Altai is the Dzhumaly springs, where locals like to be treated in radioactive water (although sometimes they die right in the bathroom). This is a wild and far from civilization land, to get here from the nearest village of Kosh-Agach you need as much as 100 km on dirt roads and off-road. There is no connection or electricity, but there are several houses with bunks and a stove. The places are very beautiful, I advise you to visit! But I don't advise you to swim in the springs and drink water from them - we got sick from such procedures. We only returned home to find out that the water there contains a radioactive element - radon.
Further on the Dzhumalinskiye springs, beyond the Teply Klyuch pass, there is a shrouded in legends Ukok plateau... Here it is definitely the most distant and inaccessible place in Altai. I really want to visit there, but to get there, it's not enough just to have an SUV: you need a prepared car with a winch and a snorkel, and you definitely need to go in a group, because the off-road there is serious, with fords and swamps. By the way, it was on the Ukok plateau that the mummy of the famous Altai princess was found.
Around the same area is the village of Dzhazator (Belyashi), where I would also like to visit, but did not have time on the last trip. I want to see the surrounding mountains and the Samakhu steppe, located a little further.
Another interesting place for lovers of off-road and magnificent panoramic views is Aktash repeater... I began to climb, but almost at the beginning of the journey, the front axle hit a cobblestone very badly, cutting off even a part of the metal. An unpleasant feeling arose, and I decided not to go, and instead we went to Achik. If you go up, then on the Aktash relay you will find a magnificent view of the Kurai steppe from a height of 3000 meters above sea level.
If you are traveling by car in Altai, then you have an excellent opportunity to relax as a savage in nature, far from civilization and tourists, for whom rest is only louder music, booze and barbecue. Such comrades usually rest only in the area of Chemal, Manzherok and in the north of Lake Teletskoye, that is, at the very beginning of the Chuisky tract. There are much fewer tourists behind the Seminsky Pass and their culture of recreation is different. At almost any hostel in these parts, you can relax in peace. However, for those who are not satisfied with this, I will tell you about the places that are completely wild and deserted.
A quiet rest away from civilization can be found at the Aru-Kem cordon. We lived there for a week in a traditional village, paid 400 rubles per person. You can also pitch a tent or live in a regular guest house. There is no connection.
Look for a wonderful wild rest on the Ulagan lakes - they are very beautiful. There are many lakes, so it is easy to choose according to your taste. There are relatively civilized camp sites, and there are quite wild ones. We lived for a week in a tent on the shore of the Igistu-kol lake. Awesome place! Around only virgin taiga and seas of blueberries with lingonberries.
There are good tourist centers in the area of the village of Aktash. The advantages are the proximity to shops, canteens and the availability of communication.
We stayed for one night in a village at a tourist center in the Kuraiskaya steppe. We were lucky: a musician came that evening, and we, sitting by the fire under the stars, listened to real throat singing.
I do not recommend setting up a tent in wild places. The locals explained to us that almost all the land in Altai belongs to someone, so owners or pretending to be such can easily drive up to you for the proceedings. It is better to avoid such a situation, so set up a camp only on the territories of tourist centers by agreement with the managers. Usually, 50-200 rubles per person are taken from the campers. Somewhere the price includes the use of the shower, somewhere they charge an additional fee. Civilized bases have a kitchen, internet and the ability to buy firewood.
I recommend looking for hostels and other accommodation on Booking, as well as on Hotellook.com to find discounts. If you did not book accommodation in advance, you can find it on the spot - just go and choose the bases you like. However, keep in mind that at the height of the season there may no longer be places at popular bases - we have come across this.
