Comfortable sightseeing tour

Day 1 National museum, Botanical garden, and cheese making

You will be met at the airport in Gorno-Altaysk. Before the start of the tour, you will have breakfast at a cafe.
 

The first stop on the program will be the A.V. Anokhin National Museum. The three floors of the museum house finds from the Pazyryk burial mounds, Turkic armor, paintings by Nicholas Roerich and Grigory Choros-Gurkin, and a department dedicated to the nature of Altai. If lucky, you will see one of the museum's main exhibits — the mummy of the "Altai Princess," found on the Ukok Plateau. The sarcophagus with the mummy is opened according to the museum's specific schedule.
 

Afterwards, you will go to the shore of Katun, where you will check into a hotel. Then you will take a trip to the botanical garden. Its territory is home to about 2,000 species of plants from various natural and climatic zones of Altai, as well as from other regions of Russia and the world.
 

You will have lunch at a cafe, and in the evening you will have a cheesemaking master class. You will be able to make your own piece of cheese with fillings of your choice — to become the creator of your own signature cheese. You will also taste village milk and the cheese you made yourself.
 

At the end of the day, you will return to the hotel to rest. Dinner will be at a cafe.
 

Route length: 80 km by bus, 1 km on foot.

Day 2 The Che-Chkysh tract, rafting on the Katun river, motorrafting, or a walk

After breakfast at the base, you will head upstream along the Katun River to the Che-Chkysh tract. It is a narrow mountain gorge, in places up to 15-20 meters deep. Inside, a stream flows, turning into a low waterfall (4 m). The waterfall's jets fall away from the rock, so you can walk behind it. On the route, you will also visit a viewpoint offering a panoramic view of the Katun River valley.
 

You will have lunch at a café, and then you can choose an activity to your liking. The first option is rafting on the Katun River. During the trip, you will navigate the Seminsky Rapids (class II-III difficulty) and make a stop to see the 12-meter cascade of the Kamyshlinsky Waterfall. The second option is motorrafting (a water journey on inflatable boats with motors) to the Kamyshlinsky Waterfall. The third option is a walk through the village of Askat to the viewpoint on Mount Menzhelik with a view of the Katun. At the foot of the mountain is the gallery of local artist Daria Golovan, which you can visit.
 

In the evening, you will return to the base and have dinner.

Day 3 Karakol Valley and Kalbak-Tash tract

After breakfast, you will set off on a journey along the Chuisky Trakt — one of Russia's most scenic roads. Along the way, you will cross two passes: Seminsky — the highest on the entire route (1,717 m) — and Chike-Taman (1,295 m). A steep serpentine road leads to a viewpoint offering views of sheer slopes, the Katun River valley, and the old route of the Chuisky Trakt. On the way, you will visit the sacred Karakol Valley. The Altai people consider this place an energetic center of power, where the connection with ancestral spirits is particularly strong.
 

In the ail (traditional dwelling) of a native resident of the Altai Republic, you will sample traditional Altai cuisine. The hostess will warmly welcome you and serve you homemade food.
 

After lunch, you will head to the "Secrets of the Sacred Karakol Valley" excursion, where you will learn about the archaeological and astronomical structures of the Karakol River valley. Here, groups of ancient burial mounds and numerous rock carvings are located.
 

You will also visit the Kalbak-Tash petroglyph complex. You will see the history of humanity carved in stone: over 5,000 petroglyphs are preserved on the rocks, with the oldest dating back 8,000 years.
 

In the evening, you will arrive in the village of Aktash, where you will check into a recreation base. Dinner will be at a café.
 

Route length: 345 km by car, 1 km on foot.

Day 4 Altai Mars and Geyser Lake

In the morning, you will have breakfast and set off along the Chuysky Trakt towards the border with Mongolia. From the huge intermontane basin of the Kurai Steppe, you will have a magnificent view of the peaks of the North Chuya Range — the peaks of Aktru-Bash (4,075 m) and Karatash (3,534 m).
 

Upon reaching the village of Chagan-Uzun, you will visit the valley of the Kyzylchin River, nicknamed "Altai Mars" by tourists. Due to the high content of iron oxide, manganese, clay, and limestone, the surrounding mountains are colored in various shades of red: from bright orange to dark brown.
 

On the way back to the hotel, you will visit another famous Altai landmark — Geyser Lake. Its depth is about 2 meters, and its diameter is 25-30 meters. It has a surprisingly rich turquoise hue and does not freeze in winter. "Geysers" periodically come to life at the bottom of the lake, forming visible circles of blue color.
 

To conclude the route, you will see the Mazhoy Cascade on the Chuya River. This is a series of powerful rapids in a narrow stone canyon, where the river accelerates, foams, and churns.
 

In the evening, you will have dinner at the ethnodome "Yurt." Here, they serve authentic nomadic food — hearty, meaty, and calorie-rich. It's not restaurant polish, but the taste of real life in the harsh mountains. Afterwards, you will return to the recreation base.

Route length: 180 km by car, 4 km on foot.

Day 5 Pazyryk burial mounds and Chulyshman Valley

In the morning, you will have breakfast, and then transfer to the Chulyshman River, passing by a picturesque place called the "Red Gates." The road here runs between reddish cliffs and the lakes of the Ulagan Plateau.

You will visit the Pazyryk Burial Mounds — ancient burial sites of noble nomads and tribal leaders dating back to the 7th–6th centuries BC. Next, the road will go through the mountain pass of Katu-Yaryk. The pass offers an excellent view of the Chulyshman Valley and a waterfall falling from a height of 100 m. The Chulyshman Valley is included in the list of UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites.
 

A picnic lunch will be held in nature. Then you will check into double cabins at the tourist lodge in the Chulyshman Valley. In the evening, you will have dinner and a folklore program — a concert of throat singing accompanied by traditional musical instruments.
 

Route length: 120 km by car, 3.5 km on foot.

Day 6 Uchar Waterfall or day of rest

Today, after an early breakfast, you can, if you wish, set off on foot to the Uchar Waterfall (16 km round trip, 11–13 hours on the trail). This is a rather difficult route; part of the path goes over large stones and scree, across open terrain, along a gorge, with ascents and descents. You will cross several fords.
 

The waterfall is located on the Chulcha River on the opposite bank of the Chulyshman River. It is the largest cascade waterfall in Altai, with a height of 160 m. A picnic lunch will be organized near the waterfall.
 

After exploring the waterfall's surroundings, you will return to the lodge, have dinner, and visit a banya (sauna).
 

If you stay at the lodge all day, you can swim in a small pool and relax. There is also an option to participate in motor rafting on the Chulyshman River (additional charge).
 

Route length: 16 km on foot.

Day 7 Stone Mushrooms and cruise on Lake Teletskoye

In the morning, you will have an early breakfast, after which you will travel through the Chulyshman Valley to the mouth of the Karasu River. You will take a radial hike into the river gorge to see the Stone Mushrooms. This is a whimsical natural phenomenon: narrow columns of loose sandstone stand above the valley slope, topped with huge rock slabs. Individual "mushrooms" tower over the slope by 10 meters or more.
 

Then, you will transfer to a boat and embark on a cruise on Lake Teletskoye. The lake is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is considered one of the main gems of the Altai Mountains. It features 78 km of mountain water surface, surrounded by steep slopes, waterfalls, and wild coves. It is one of Russia's deepest lakes (up to 325 m), fed by about 70 rivers and streams. During the boat trip, you will see the Korbu Waterfall, surrounded by dense taiga forest and cliffs. The waterfall is located within the Altai Nature Reserve, 100 meters from the mouth of the Bolshaya Korbu River. Its drop height is 12.5 meters.
 

In the evening, you will check into a hotel on the first shoreline and have dinner at a restaurant.
 

Route length: 50 km by car, 80 km by boat, 6 km on foot.

Day 8 Ethnopark "Ortosh" and the "Teletsky" ski resort

After breakfast, you will transfer to the village of Kebezhen, located on the banks of the Biya River. Then, you will visit the ethnopark "Ortosh" — a tract of land that many call a place of power. Here, you will get acquainted with the culture and lifestyle of the northern Altai people in a traditional ail (dwelling): participate in rituals, try your hand at national games, and take photos in traditional costumes.
 

You will walk along the "Lover's Rock" with beautiful views of the river valley, take part in a master class on preparing Altai salted tea with talkan (roasted barley flour), and learn why simple hospitality rituals are important to the locals. To conclude — a hearty lunch of national dishes.
 

After lunch, you will find yourself at the "Teletsky" ski resort. You will take a chairlift to a viewpoint offering panoramas of Lake Teletskoye and the Altai Mountains, where you can see the contrast of the dark taiga, mirror-like water, and bright sky. This is the final chord of the journey — a moment to quietly look back on the entire path traveled.
 

Return to the hotel and farewell dinner.
 

Route length: 50 km by car.

Day 9 Departure

After breakfast at the tourist complex, a transfer to the airport will be arranged.

Departure on the last day of the journey is after 17:00. After the program ends, you can overnight at your own expense in a hotel on the banks of the Katun River near the city, or in Gorno-Altaysk itself. We will recommend suitable hotels to you when booking the tour.