A trip to Gorny Altai by car - where to go to rest as a savage

Unique nature is the main treasure of Gorny Altai. For the sake of its picturesque landscapes, more than 2 million tourists come here every year. Of course, the region is aimed at receiving guests who are waiting for interesting excursions and expeditions, but traveling to Altai on your own by car allows you not only to cover a larger number of attractions, but also to visit places that are inaccessible to vacationers without personal transport.

For those who are planning a trip by car, we have prepared a detailed itinerary from Moscow, compiled a guide to Altai with recommended sites for visiting, and also calculated the costs for a week's trip for two people (housing, food, gasoline and other costs).

How much money should I take with me?

For those who plan to visit Gorny Altai by car, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of upcoming costs. This will allow you to properly budget your trip.

An approximate list of expenses:

• Gasoline: 38,340 rubles.

From the calculation: a brand of gasoline AI-95, the cost is 45 rubles. 10 kopecks per 1 liter, fuel consumption - 10 l / 100 km, distance traveled 8,500 km (the road to Altai and back includes the movement of Moscow-Aktash-Moscow village, plus 100 km - trips on secondary roads).

• Depreciation of the car: 6 750 rubles. (based on the initial cost of the car 1 million rubles, engine volume less than 3.5 liters, useful life 37 months).
• Accommodation: 14,000 rubles. (on average - 2000 rubles per day).
• Meals: 11 200 rubles. (800 rubles per person per day).
• Entertainment (excursions): 6 200 rubles. (Manzherok and the cable car - 2,200 rubles, a visit to the Karym maral farm - 2,000 rubles, Big Tavdinskaya cave + apiary - 2,000 rubles).
• Communication: 350 rub. (for example, MTS Smart tariff: Internet 6G, calls 300 min., 300 SMS).
• Insurance: RUB 4,700 (700 rubles insurance against tick bites, which includes all the necessary types of assistance and coverage from 1 million rubles per person; 4000 rubles - insurance against accidents during cycling, trekking and other active activities).

Important! Gorny Altai is considered one of the regions with a large number of dangerous (infected) ticks: every second or third is a carrier of a disease, so we recommend getting vaccinated against encephalitis before the trip.

• First aid kit: 1 450 rubles.

Trip route in Altai

The distance from Moscow to Gorno-Altaysk (the capital of the region) is 3,900 km. If we talk about how long it takes to get to Altai by car, the travel time depends on the number of stops and takes an average of 3.5-4 days.

The path to the Chuisky tract (the P-256 highway, along which all subsequent routes in Altai run) passes through Nizhny-Novgorod, Cheboksary, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and Omsk. As many independent travelers write, the section from Moscow to Chelyabinsk is often loaded (depending on the situation, you can choose the M7 or M5 roads), then it becomes more comfortable to travel. From Chelyabinsk to Novosibirsk, drivers move along the P-254 highway, then turning onto the P-256.

On a note! Chuisky tract is distinguished by its high-quality road surface, the presence of a large number of gas stations and recreation areas. On secondary roads, the situation is the opposite (it is necessary to refuel in advance if the attraction is far from the P-256 highway).

We recommend the following route for traveling in Gorny Altai by car:

1. The area from Souzga to Chamal, which starts at 460 km of the Chuisky tract and partly runs along the Chemal tract. The key points of the route are:
2. the village of Souzga;
3. Manzherok;
4. Arzhan-Suu;
5. Ust-Sema;
6. Chemal.

• Seminsky pass; the beginning of the ascent is located at 574 km of the Chuisky tract near the village of Topuchaya.

• Uch-Enmek Park is located in the Ongudaysky District; to get there, you need to turn off in the area of ​​620 km of the P-256 highway (in front of the village of Karakol) onto a secondary road and drive about 16 km (past Bichiktu-Bom).

• The Kur-Kechu tract, which is located in the area of ​​680 km of the Chuisky tract.

• Yaloman settlement and the confluence of the Big Yaloman Katun (turn onto the secondary road leading to the sights, should be in the region of 693 km).

• Confluence of Katun and Chuya - 712 km of tract.

• Sanctuary Adyr-Kan (728 km).

• The Achik pass (742 km) should be included in the road trip to Altai only by experienced drivers (on off-road vehicles); the path runs along a secondary dirt road with steep elevations and turns. In rainy and dark hours of the day, it is better to refrain from traveling.

• The Ulagansky and Katu-Yaryk passes: to get there, you need to turn on a secondary road at 788 km near the Aktash village and drive 26 and 100 km, respectively.

1. Geyser Lake - 796 km (turn towards the tourist base "Little Paradise").
2. Martian landscapes located at 864 km of the Chuysky tract near the village of Chagan-Uzun.

When to go to Altai?

The ideal months for traveling to Altai are June and the first half of September. At the beginning of summer, nature is already able to amaze tourists with its green landscapes and flowering plants; September's vibrant landscapes are no less beautiful. As a rule, there is not an abundance of tourists at this time, and the prices for accommodation are 20% lower than in July and August. Warm air during the day (19-23 ° C) and occasional rains allow long walks.

Some tourists choose April or May for their trip. At this time, it begins to warm, but it should be borne in mind that secondary roads in the spring are not always in good condition.

July and August are considered high seasons, which affects the cost of living. At the height of summer, there are always a lot of tourists in the region, but a trip to Altai by car makes it possible to hide from people in remote places. The air warming up to 25-27 degrees allows you not only to enjoy the natural beauty (which can be difficult to do because of the heat), but also to devote time to a beach holiday.

October and November end the tourist season. The temperature drops from +5 to -6, making long excursions uncomfortable.

Where to visit and what to see?

Traveling to Altai on your own opens up great opportunities for a close acquaintance with the region. If you follow the route we have proposed, you can not only get acquainted with the natural beauty of the region, but also see the preserved heritage of ancient ancestors.

To have a complete picture of the region, we advise you to visit the following attractions (located in the order of the Chuysky tract):

• Devil's Finger rock with a nearby observation deck;
• mineral spring and Manzherokskoye lake near the village of Manzherok;
• a spring with healing water Arzhan-Suu;
• Chemal hydroelectric power station (extreme lovers can jump on an elastic rope);
• Seminsky pass is one of the places where active travelers can go to Altai by car; its highest point is more than 1700 m above sea level;
• Uch-Enmek park in the Karakol valley with mounds, stone rings, steles and other traces of the ancient civilization that existed here in the past (you can buy a ticket for a tour);
• the archaeological complex Kur-Kechu and the nearby rapids of the Ilgumen River (there are tourist centers nearby where you can stay overnight);
• the remains of a medieval Turkic settlement in the Yaloman settlement;
• the confluence of the turbid milk Chuya River and the transparent blue Katun (there is an observation deck);
• the rock art zone of the Kalbak-Tash tract (you can buy a ticket for an excursion);
• rock paintings and stone mounds of the Adyr-Kan sanctuary;
• White Bom (rock massif) and the nearby Shirlak waterfall;
• Geyser lake (the trail leading to it is paid);
• clay formations Mars-1 and Mars-2 of unusual colors;
• Mount Jalgiztobe with a large number of rock carvings.

What to take from things?

Travel essentials include comfortable clothing and footwear; due to the inconstancy of the Altai weather, we recommend taking a kit in case of rains, even if there is no precipitation in the forecast (a raincoat and an umbrella are required). Shoes should be rubber soled to facilitate climbing on rocky surfaces.

Because the journey will be filled with hikes and excursions; a small backpack for a camera, a bottle of water and other small items will come in handy.

If you plan to go to Altai in the summer, you will need a hat, sunglasses, a swimsuit and sunscreen.

In April-May, ticks are especially active, and therefore it is necessary to take insect repellents. In the summer, the risk of being attacked by parasites remains.

Where to live?

During the rest of the savage in Altai, travelers stay mainly at tourist centers. You can book accommodation in advance (for example, on the website katalogturbaz.ru), or find your way around. The latter option is often chosen by those who do not know exactly where they will be on a certain day, as well as those who alternate between living in a tent with rental housing. A wide variety of guest houses are also presented on Booking.

When choosing a tourist base, you should pay attention to the fact that the houses are not always equipped with an indoor toilet, and some do not have hot water. A big plus for those who travel by car to Gorny Altai from Moscow is the availability of free parking lots near all bases.

Advice! If you want to relax with amenities and even with entertainment, choose accommodation in the area from Gorno-Altaysk to Chemal: options with different levels of service are presented here. The closer to Aktash, the more difficult it is to find offers, even with the presence of an indoor toilet.

We have selected several housing options with different conditions, cost and distance from Gorno-Altaysk.

Prices

In addition to accommodation, the main travel expenses include fuel and food. The average cost of gasoline in the region is 44-45 rubles. for 1 liter. AI-92 and 45-46.5 rubles. for 1 liter of AI-95.

You can eat in Altai in a cafe or cook yourself. In the region from Gorno-Altaysk to Chemal, a vegetable salad will cost 40-60 rubles, soup - 80-90, the second - 150-200; You can have breakfast for 150-200 rubles, and have a full lunch for 300-500 rubles. However, the further from the capital of the region, the higher the cost of food.

National meat dishes are served by prior order and are expensive (from 1000 rubles per serving), because are prepared from high quality raw materials.

The approximate cost of basic products in stores is presented in the table:

During a trip to Altai by car, you can visit local markets, where private traders offer products of their own production. So, natural milk will cost about 80 rubles. per liter, cottage cheese - 200 rubles per kg, kumis - 300 rubles. for 1.5 liters.

A car trip is an opportunity to look into the corners of Gorny Altai hidden from people and see the unique nature of the region in its primeval state.