It will probably be trivial to write about Altai as a "land of a thousand lakes." Moreover, there are many more of these reservoirs. And they are very different. There are fresh, salty and healing. There are some that formed before the Ice Age. The mysterious lakes attract travelers with their mountains and valleys. They surprise scientists with relic flora and fauna and amaze tourists with the beauty of landscapes. The local nature is compared with the Alps and Tibet. Of course, in this short article we will not be able to characterize all the natural reservoirs of these places, but we will try to describe the most interesting and popular ones.
Steppe lakes of Altai
The most attractive of them are located on the territory of the so-called Kulunda lowland. These are the sunniest places in the entire Altai Territory. The lakes here are located mainly in the center of this lowland. The climate here is dry, winters are cold but not very snowy, and summers are hot. Because of these features, most lakes have a concentrated mineral content in their water. Therefore, they taste salty, like the sea, or even bitter. The largest lake has the same name as the lowland - Kulunda. It is also called the Altai Sea. Its depth is not more than three meters, so lovers appreciate it very much. Moreover, there are a lot of convenient places with fine sand around it. The most in this steppe is Big Yarovoe. And not far from Kulundinsky there is also a healing reservoir with therapeutic mud. This is Kuchuk Lake. It is said that the properties of its water are similar to those of the Dead Sea.
Light or Swan
But there are unique lakes that are not famous for their size or depth. Nevertheless, they attract tourists with their natural properties. This is Swan Lake in the Altai Territory. It is located in the Soviet district. The lake is very small - only a kilometer in length. And quite shallow, no more than one and a half meters. But this is the second wintering reserve for whooper swans in Russia. Thousands of warm and hot springs beat around the lake, and thanks to this, the lake does not freeze even in severe cold. Interestingly, swans have been coming here for the winter since recently - since 1967. Due to the fact that the lake is fed by springs, the water in it is so clean and transparent that the bottom can be seen anywhere in it. It is because of this that Swan Lake in the Altai Territory is also called Svetly Lake. People can observe the behavior of birds in the wild here from a special viewing platform with windows.
Mikhailovskoye Lake, Altai Territory
This interesting body of water is located fifteen kilometers from the nearby village. Therefore, it is often called Mikhailovsky. However, his other name, Raspberry, is more famous and popular. It is called so because its water is pinkish. Its color comes from a special kind of microscopic crustaceans that live there. The water here is so salty that you can lie on its surface and read a newspaper. But here you should walk along the bottom with caution, and it is best to have special shoes. Many tiny shells with sharp edges can scratch the legs. But this does not frighten tourists who travel from all over the country to visit the famous for the whole rest. Rest here is simply magnificent, especially since the landscapes along the banks are amazingly beautiful. Since the lake is quite large, not far from it you can find sanatoriums, private hotels, and campsites. And if you are a supporter of "wild" recreation, then just put up a tent on the shore and stay alone with the pristine nature.
bitter
The composition of the water of this lake resembles the Essentuki-17 mineral water. She is bitter and salty. Hence the name of the lake. People come here to be treated with mud. There are a lot of their deposits at the bottom. In the west of it, blue clay comes to the surface. Lake Gorkoe (Altai Territory) is surrounded by pine forests. A lot of equipped beaches have been built here - with cabins, stairs that you can use to go down to the water, and so on. This area was recognized as a balneological resort in 1918. Bathing in the lake treats the nervous system and skin diseases. And here you can also visit a forest farm with various interesting animals - yaks, ostriches, camels.
Lakes of the Altai Mountains
But not only in the steppe you can find unique and interesting reservoirs. Locals believe that the mountains are stone poetry that glorified the Altai Territory. The local lakes are also special, surrounded by legends. Some of them lie at a height. In summer, they are an incredible sight - as if the eye of the mountains is looking at you from placers of yellow, red, blue, purple flowers. Mostly these lakes are of glacial origin, and most of them are cold. But there are also places where people swim and relax in the summer. And there are also practically inaccessible, with chilling dead beauty, a depth of several tens of meters, and even with waterfalls.
Altai Territory, Lake Teletskoye
This huge reservoir was formed as a result of a tectonic fault. It is surrounded by picturesque mountain peaks, the height of which is about two and a half thousand meters. Therefore, some photos of this lake look just like computer graphics depicting the Alps. And since more than seventy rivers flow into it, the water has a very high transparency. Visibility in it is up to fifteen meters in depth, so Teletskoye is often compared with Baikal. Yes, and some natural wonders surround the lake - caves and waterfalls, bays with semi-precious stones ... To the delight of tourists, numerous guest houses have been built here, which also work in winter. Among them are such as "Artybash" and "Golden Lake". On Teletskoye it will be good for lovers of a contemplative, relaxing holiday, and extreme people. The camp sites offer excursions on ATVs, boats, bicycles, rafting on the rivers, diving. There is also a terrible legend about the "forest of the drowned" on the lake. They say that all those who died in it do not emerge, but sway in the depths of the waters in limbo. Despite this, romantics prefer to get to the stone "Island of Love" to perpetuate their feelings.
Lake Aya
Although, as already mentioned above, cold mountain rivers (including the Katun) flood the Altai Territory, the lakes here are warm, one might even say hot. One of them is Lake Aya. The water in it in summer heats up to thirty degrees Celsius. For the Altai Mountains, this is an exceptional phenomenon. An unusually picturesque lake is located in an intermountain valley. It is surrounded by pine forests and rocks. It also has its own "Island of Love" with a special gazebo. You can get there not only by boat, but also by swimming. On the shore there is a good beach, there is a rental of catamarans, a recreation area with boarding houses, bases, health resorts. Hummingbird, Empire of Tourism and Shambhala are the most popular places to stay.
"Black people die on November 27th and wake up like frogs on April 24th." So in the 16th century an Austrian diplomat Sigismund Herberstein described the inhabitants living on the shores of the "Chinese" Sea and "not owning a generally accepted speech." According to the map compiled by the traveler, this sea overflowed on the territory of Altai. Novgorod merchants called its northern shore Lukomorye.
"Notes on Muscovy"
“Is it really true that there was both the sea and Lukomorye here?” we asked Sofia Platonov, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Water and Environmental Problems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
“Indeed, both the sea and Lukomorye were described in Notes on Muscovy,” says Sofya Grigoryevna. – Moreover, Sigismund Herberstein in the 16th century was considered an authoritative researcher, like Herodotus, and contemporaries treated his “Notes” with great confidence. The famous "Notes" was the first comprehensive description of Russia, including trade, religion, customs, history. They have long been the main source of European knowledge about Russia. But if the ambassador described the western part of Russia, using, among other things, his own observations, then talking about Asian Russia, he apparently based himself on the information of Novgorod merchants recorded in the Russian (Novgorod) “Yugorsky road builder”, in which there were elements of fairy tales.
It seems like nothing has changed over time. For many people in the West, Siberia still remains Lukomorye with bears ... Meanwhile, according to Sofya Platonova, we really live at the bottom of ancient seas.
cold waves
The territory of the Altai Territory in the distant geological past (here we are talking about hundreds of millions of years) repeatedly turned out to be the bottom of the sea.
We know about this from the distribution of ancient marine deposits on our territory, containing imprints of marine fauna. So, if you drill a well in Barnaul, then at a depth of about 400 meters or more you can find buried deposits of such an ancient sea, - says the expert.
And in the foothills and mountainous regions of the region, such as, for example, Soloneshensky, in the marine limestones emerging on the surface, you can find the remains of ancient corals, through which you can touch the distant past of the planet with your own hand.
- According to geologists, the age of the most ancient sea in the territory that we have so splendidly settled and equipped is approximately 600 million years. This sea was part of the ocean, which completely covered the whole of Western Siberia and the Altai mountains, which did not exist at that time, - says Sofya Grigoryevna.
The picture of this world, according to our interlocutor, was inhospitable to humans: cold waves crashed against the shores of deserted volcanic islands. The main representatives of life at that time were blue-green algae, which created colonies on the stones.
dinosaur time
“The first ocean left our territory about 300 million years ago,” says Sofya Platonova. - After that, land was formed here with mountains on it. But these were not the mountains of Altai that we know now. Then these mountains were destroyed by water and wind, and by the beginning of the Mesozoic era (about 220 million years ago) - the time known as the time of the dinosaurs, a plain formed.
Siberian Antarctica
- 35 million years ago, history repeated itself - a new stage of geological history began, which led to the formation of modern relief, including the emergence of new - already modern mountains (that is why Altai is called the revived mountains). At this time there were several glaciations, - says the scientist.
During one of them - about 240 thousand years ago - the Altai Territory found itself between two huge centers of glaciation, one of which was in the South, the other in the North.
Southern glaciers covered the highlands of Altai. Northern glaciers were located in the high latitudes of the West Siberian Plain and on the shelf. It was very similar to modern Antarctica, Sofya Platonova compares. They reached a thickness of one to three kilometers and spread under their weight to the south, creating a natural dam for the rivers flowing to the north. In Western Siberia, the southern boundary of the ice sheet ran along the Ob to the mouth of the Irtysh (the city of Khanty-Mansiysk).
- Where were the Siberian rivers to go if their flow to the north was blocked by ice? And then giant lakes-seas were formed, flooding vast flat territories. This is how the legendary Mansiysk Sea was formed, which flooded most of western Siberia, - says Sofya Grigoryevna. - Its depth reached 130 meters! If the Mansiysk Lake-Sea overflowed again, as in ancient times, then Tyumen, Tomsk and other Siberian cities would be under water. But standing on a hill, Barnaul would be on the seashore.
ground ripple
Similar to the Mansiysk, but smaller in size, dammed lakes during glaciations repeatedly formed in the Altai mountains, when glaciers descending from the slopes of the ridges blocked the river valleys.
As a result, the spaces of intermountain basins (for example, Chuya and Kurai) turned into large lakes. Sometimes ice dams broke through, and then powerful streams of water rushed downstream at great speed, destroying everything in their path. Traces of these catastrophic flows in the form of giant shafts on the earth's surface can be seen in the Soviet region, where the village of Platovo stands on them.
All the secrets of those periods have not yet been unraveled, as, however, Herberstein's Altai Lukomorye remains a mystery. Why did Novgorod merchants suddenly believe that local people hibernate on November 27? Maybe they meant bears or almys - Bigfoot?
Altai is one of the most beautiful and fabulous places in Russia, where both residents of our country and tourists from foreign countries dream of visiting. And their desires are fully justified, since this mountainous region of Russia is the most wonderful and interesting place for travel and recreation. Undoubtedly, the main advantage of Altai is the mountains that make this area similar to Switzerland (learn more), the Alps and even the famous Tibet.
The highest peak in Siberia is Belukha, its height is more than 4500 m.
Today, both active and passive recreation in Altai is very popular. You can actively relax in this area at any time of the year. In winter, most vacationers come to ski resorts where you can go skiing, snowboarding, skating, etc.
In summer, such types of outdoor activities as: horseback riding, safaris, hunting, fishing, swimming, mountain climbing, rafting on the rapid rivers of Altai, cycling, hiking, historical and archaeological excursions and much more are widespread. A trip to Altai will allow everyone to have a good rest, get a lot of impressions and positive emotions.
Do you know why Altai attracts many people?
Not only outdoor activities, beautiful nature and the peak immersed in the clouds are of interest to travelers. Crystal clear air, pristine beauty of nature, gorgeous panoramas, amazing local flora and fauna - all this is an integral part of this region.
Another advantage of resting in Altai is the Belokurikha balneological resort, where thousands of people undergo treatment and prevention every year.
Vidio
The territory of this resort area has long been popular and famous for its healing atmosphere: there are many nitrogen-radon sources, the waters of which have a beneficial effect on the human body.
Air in the Altai mountains rich in ions, which helps to look good and rejuvenate. It is in this area that jumps in atmospheric pressure do not occur, and this is surprisingly affects the well-being of visitors and in the treatment of their ailments.
Educational excursions
For lovers of educational excursions, visiting Altai is a great opportunity to see unique historical and architectural monuments. A striking example of this are the Denisov caves, which are of world value, and there are many ancient burial structures in the valley of the Sentelek River.
Visitors to Barnaul can visit the Altai State Museum of Local Lore, which has more than 150,000 exhibits. Also, tourists are attracted by the famous Altai Regional Drama Theater named after Vasily Shukshin, the original museum of auto theft named after Yuri Detochkin, one of the biggest attractions is the State Art Museum of the Altai Territory, where there are famous art exhibits and a century-old museum of the history of literature, art and culture of Altai.
Another feature of Altai- many small and clean lakes that you can visit by buying a tourist ticket.
Also, lovers of pristine nature are mesmerized by an amazing cascade of waterfalls located on the Shinok River. Another attraction of Altai is the largest nature reserve in Russia, located in the Turachaksky district.
It is spread among the Alpine mountains and stretches to the Taiga. In the national park, you can see many animals living in natural conditions, including: brown bear, sable, elk, snow leopard, roe deer, reindeer, wolverine, deer and other animals.
When is the best time to visit Altai?
The best time for tourist trips to Altai can be considered from the end of May to the beginning of September. This time is the warmest, the water in numerous reservoirs warms up to the optimum temperature and you can take water procedures, various berries and mushrooms appear in the forest.
And for those travelers who dream of getting into a fairy tale, seeing the lush flowering of trees and herbs, the beginning of May will be the best time to travel. In May it will not be hot enough yet, but at this time you will be able to see the incredible awakening of nature and feel an amazing unity with the outside world.
For lovers of ski resorts and other types of winter outdoor activities, you need to visit Altai in early December - late February. It is quite cold here in this winter time, so it is worth taking care of warm clothes in advance.
The cost of a trip to Altai
The average cost of a tourist excursion or an independent trip around Altai ranges from 20,000 to 50,000 rubles. A direct flight to Gorno-Altaisk will cost from 9775 to 10290 rubles.
Of course, the price depends on the time of the year, the chosen tour (there are a huge number of them), the specific place of stay, the mode of transportation, the number of days on the tour, the services provided and where the trip is made. Naturally, during the holidays and during the high season, a trip to the best resorts will be more expensive than at other times.
Rest at the bases is quite acceptable for the price, luxury rooms are the most expensive 7000 rubles per day, while standard rooms are not without comfort from 600 to 3600 rubles.
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Sofia Glacier Gorge
Interesting places in Altai and how to get to them.
Altai is huge and different. You can come here every year all your life and discover something new every time. In this post, I share with you my favorite places where you can drive an SUV and in some places walk a little. Quite walking Altai will be next time :)
When to go to Altai (seasons) and a few features
You can travel around Altai all year round, but:
- In winter, it is certainly cold here, but fabulously beautiful, because everything is covered in snow. Avalanches are possible in the mountains and it is worth walking on them, understanding what avalanche places are.
- Early summer is good, but there is a lot of water on the gorge roads and ticks.
- In the foothills of Altai there are many recreation centers (Chemal, Lake Teletskoye, etc.) and it is good here all year round.
- The best time for hiking and trips in Altai: August-September, when you can drive even on the Ukok plateau (less water) and the least ticks.
What else is important to know about traveling in Altai:
- In the tourist Altai (Chemal, Teletskoye) there are many tourists, but also many amenities. It is easy to get here by hitchhiking and public transport.
- The most interesting places in Altai are located where buses do not go and hitches are very, very rare (not every day), occasionally houses with local shepherds come across 100 km away. You can partially climb into such places on off-road vehicles, or walk along them on foot.
- Off-road in Altai is magnificent. You can see many beautiful and different places. Let's see which ones.
- (I will remember something else important, I will definitely add :).
Interesting places in Altai for traveling by car, coordinates and photos
Sofia Glacier Gorge
In general, from the village of Beltir you can go to different gorges and they are all beautiful. You can get to the Sofia Glacier in autumn. In winter there is a lot of snow, and at the beginning of summer there is too much water in the gorge. Coordinates: 49.794444°, 87.772222°
How to use Google coordinates can be read
Sofia Glacier Martian landscapes outside the village of Beltir
You will pass such landscapes on the way to the Sofia glacier or Karagemsky and other gorges. This is not the popular Altai Mars that I write about below, but it looks even more real.
Martian Altai, Kyzyl-Chin gorge behind the village of Chagan-Uzun
And this is the "Martian landscapes of Altai", where they take on excursions. You have to find this place without coordinates, peeping on Google maps where Chagan-Uzun is located. After it, a small puzzle in the form of branching roads and you are on Mars.
Peak (relay) behind Aktash settlement
Google Coordinates of the place: 50.34001,87.748672 You can climb here on an SUV right to the very top, driving from Aktash past the abandoned one. The views from the top are bombastic.
Night Teletskoye Lake
The lake can be accessed from two sides. For those who are not interested in easy ways - the southern shore of Lake Teletskoye, to which you can drive through the Katu-Yaryk pass and the Chulyshman river valley. The road is quite tiring, but the views here are beautiful. On the shore there are houses where you can stay or put up tents. Coordinates: 51.347994, 87.776104
An easier way to get to Lake Teletskoye is to drive up to it from the north side through the village of Artybash, by public transport.
Valley of the Chulyshman River and the Katu-Yaryk Pass
Descent into the valley right along the serpentine, which is in the photo↓. The road is considered unsafe, but to be honest, I never felt in danger going down it. We go and go to ourselves, admiring the views. Even puzoterki pass here, although it is problematic for some to climb up later. Google Coordinates: 50.911640, 88.216379
And here is a video from that place:
Uchitel pass, Aktru gorge
Pass Teacher located in the Aktru gorge. The height is about 3150 meters. Difficulty category 1A. One of the easiest category passes in the gorge, which can be climbed and descended in about 4-5 hours.
Google coordinates: 50.084444, 87.778611
View from the ascent to the Uchitel pass Mountain trails in the area of the Aktru gorge, the trail to the Blue Lake and the Aktru glacier
There are many places in the Aktru gorge where you can go. There are very difficult routes here, where you can go only with equipment and in bundles, and simple ones, where you can “run away” in a few hours. You can ask climbers at the base about routes.
Aktru Base is a place worth visiting on its own. Firstly, because it’s not so easy to get here by car, and if you drive, then it’s already cool, and secondly, it’s wonderful here ...
Blue lake near Aktru glacier
Blue Lake is a transshipment base for climbers ascending the peak or the Aktru glacier. An amazing place worth a stroll from the Aktru base. In time it will take 4-5 hours. Google Coordinates: 50.077716, 87.724579
Top Dome of Three Lakes
The difficulty of climbing to the top of the Dome is 1B. On the ascent and descent, you can lay the whole day (about 12 hours). There are two ways to get here. It is recommended to climb with a guide. In winter - with cats. In any case, before the ascent, you will have to talk with knowledgeable people in the Aktru base to find out the way and about the safety of the ascent. The ascent starts from Aktru camp. Dome coordinates are approximately here :): 50.044800, 87.806500
Glade behind the Karagem pass
Place coordinates: 49.962720, 87.622576
The place is beautiful, but you can only get here on a prepared SUV and it’s better not to go alone, because sometimes you have to pull each other out. The road is difficult. There are many fords with large stones, slopes and ... no road. But it's definitely worth it. Get from Beltir. There is a bathhouse on the glade itself :)
The road from the glade to the Karagem pass.
Ukok Plateau
Ukok is a plateau located at the junction of the borders of Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Russia. The height here is 2200-2500 m, winds blow, in winter the temperature drops to -50. The highest point of Ukok is Mount Kuiten-Uul 4374 (the second highest in Altai).
Ukok is a place of ancient burials, it was here that archaeologists unearthed the Princess of Ukok. The place is strange, cold, wonderful. It draws to itself again and again ... It is more likely to drive here in August-September. There is a lot of water in spring and early summer. You can drive to Ukok either through the Warm Key Pass (the most likely way), or through the Jazator River.
Plateau coordinates: 49.268354, 87.413683
Warm key: 49.408177, 88.035687
"Road" on Ukok in August 
And this is an attempt to drive to Ukok across the Jazator River. Attempt failed.) 
Way home from Altai. Chui tract * All other places did not fit here, because the Altai is immense and everything else always remains, not yet explored ... There is also Tuva through the Buguzun pass and many many chic places.
