Mountain Altai is a land that never ceases to amaze travelers. It seems that I’ve already traveled and examined everything, but suddenly the sun was hidden behind a cloud, and my acquaintances seemed to be unrecognizable. The famous Red Gate also “behaved”. Altai did not want to let people in, forming an obstacle in the form of rocks, standing, like two friends, close to each other.
People corrected this with a series of explosions, and now all travelers can pass by "friends", who parted a little so that there is a road between them, and depending on the time of day and weather they always look different.
Red Gate
The famous Red Gate (Gorny Altai) became a tourist attraction after a highway was laid through them. Before that, these were two rocks of a red hue, composed of effusive rocks, in which there are a lot of cinnabar.
The height of the rocks is 50 m, but they stood only ten meters from each other, which did not allow travel. The old road was dangerous, and on it it was possible to move only on horseback. After blasting, clearing the site and building a bridge over the Chibit River, a popular tourist route appeared, opening the way for travelers to the splendor of Altai.
The route from Biysk to the Red Gate
According to locals, all roads to Gorny Altai lead through Biysk. This city appeared thanks to the decree of Peter I of 1708 on the construction of a fortified fortress at the confluence of the Biya and Katun rivers. Her task was to protect the Russian border from attacks by Teleuts.
Only in the middle of the 18th century Biysk became a real impregnable fortress, which received the status of a county town of the Tomsk province. Even today it is clear that once this city was a real merchant center, from which trade was conducted with Mongolia, China, Germany and France.
The village of Srostki continues the route Altai Gorny - Red Gate. How to get to it from Biysk? The road is not difficult, the village is located just 35 km from the city along the Chuysky tract. This locality is a little over 200 years old, and it was formed by the merger of several farms into one big one. Hence its name.
Chuysky tract is famous no less than the Red Gate. Altai has long traded with neighboring countries, and on the site of this tract there was a well-trodden path, which later became known as the Mungalsky tract, which is mentioned in Chinese chronicles of a thousand years ago.
The further way lies from the fork near the village of Ust-Sema to the right, towards Tashanta, where the Seminsky pass soon begins.
Seminsky Pass
This is the highest pass on this track. Its height is 1717 m, the rise to it takes 9 km, and the descent is 11 km. It is a watershed of Sema and Tuekt. Here you can relax at the tourist camps or work out at the Seminsky sports camp, where skiers are preparing for competitions. It works year-round, only in the summer for training use special tracks for skiing, and in winter - the ski slope, to which the ski lift leads.
The pass route has good infrastructure with cafes, toilets, souvenir shops, shops and parking lots. The whole journey is easy enough for both the car and the driver, regardless of the time of year. Experienced travelers know that it is precisely behind the pass that the true Altai, untouched by civilization, begins.
Further, the path lies through another pass, without which it is impossible to drive to the Red Gate in Altai.
Chike Taman Pass
This pass is more complicated than the previous one, and the views from it open up simply amazing. Chike-Taman, which means “straight sole” in South Altai, has a height of 1295 m, and once there was a horse trail here that was wide enough for a cart to pass along. Archaeologists dated her age to the 10-12th century. It was used until the 20th century, and only in 1903 a road was built, which travelers in Altai are well aware of today.
Work on the construction of the highway continued in the 20s. At the same time, half a million tons of soil was taken out and several rocks exploded. At the top of the pass there is a special observation deck with a breathtaking view, but in order to reach it, you will have to overcome 47 zigzags of the serpentine road. The further path leads to the confluence of the Chui and Katun rivers. In order to get from Biysk to Krasnye Vorota (Altai), you will have to overcome 320 km of a mountain path.
Chuya and Katun
The two most majestic rivers - Chuya and Katun - are found in a place that locals have long called Chui-Oozi and worship as a shrine. Here they found a lot of evidence that in ancient times he was treated with the same reverence as today. For example, Kalbak-Tash is a natural boundary, on the walls of which there is the largest collection of hieroglyphs that convey the life of people who lived here from 1000 to 5000 years ago.
Cave paintings are conventionally divided into 4 eras:
- Neolithic (6000-4000 BC), which conveys images of deer and camels.
- Eneolithic and bronze (3000-1000 BC) are already characterized by figures of people, carts with drovers and chariots, warriors, unknown animals.
- Scythian Age - 8-3 centuries BC e. - cave paintings of hunting and animal scenes, both wild and domestic.
- The ancient Turkic era (7-10 century BC) conveys an image of predators and runic signs.
Near the confluence of the rivers, an observation deck has been built, which can be reached by car, and the Chuysky tract further goes along the Chui river. Here are some of the sights you can get to know when driving along the Biysk - Red Gate road in Altai Mountains.
Aktash village
The further path lies through one of the largest villages in this area - Aktash. This is a cross-border facility, so for further travel in the immediate vicinity you will need a pass.
The village was formed near a mercury mine, and its inhabitants were miners. Until now, the local mining and metallurgical enterprise remains the only one in Russia where metal mercury is produced.
This place is very popular with tourists, because right behind the village is the famous Geyser Lake, which any national park can envy.
The further way to the Red Gate (Altai) turns left from the village of Aktash to the left, towards Ulagan. The road here changes to a gravel section, at some stages of which it is better not to accelerate for more than 30 km / h. After 8 km, the Gates themselves will appear.
Geyser lake
This pond has a diameter of only 30 meters and a depth of 2 m, but thanks to the thermal springs that beat from it right in the middle and lift up the beautiful blue silt, it is popular. Its waters are crystal clear, and only a turquoise circle with stains appears during the next geyser eruption. Everyone who goes to the Red Gate (Altai, see photo in the article), come to look at it.
The lake does not freeze even in severe frosts, so you can admire its unusual circles at any time of the year. To reach it, you will need to overcome some obstacles in the form of mosquitoes, gadflies and swamps. The latter can be dealt with by walking through the logs laid along it. For safety reasons, it is better to take sticks with you so that you can rely on them in case of loss of balance.
Immediately after the swamp, a trail begins, from which it is difficult to stray, as it is marked with red ribbons. As a precaution, clothing and shoes should be covered to avoid injury. On occasion, you can swim in the Geyser Lake, but you should be aware that the water in it is quite cold.
Chalets on the road
Throughout the entire path Biysk - Krasnye Vorota (Altai; how to get there, described above), you can relax and linger for sightseeing. To stop, you can choose one of the camp sites. The most popular recreation centers located in the village of Aktash.
In the Nomad complex, for example, you can live in a real yurt, but in general it consists of 4 yurts, ten two-story houses and the same number of two-story one-story houses.
It is suitable for people who are active or couples with children. It offers guests:
- 3 baths;
- restaurant in a yurt with national cuisine;
- conference hall;
- 14 verandas for summer relaxation;
- two showers and 6 toilets;
- volleyball court;
- parking;
- places for tents;
- bonfires and barbecues.
Accommodation here will cost from 1400 rubles / room. This place is quite popular, especially among those traveling in Altai with their own transport.
At the base you can stop with tents (for four people it costs 200 rubles per day), there is a kitchen in the gazebo. It is most often visited by those who leave or return to the Aktru glacier or the North Chuysky ridge.
Hotels
Hotels in the village of Aktash offer no less comfortable rest with all the conditions for those who come to Altai to explore the surroundings.
“At Home” is a mini-hotel that fully justifies its name. There are 20 seats waiting for guests, all amenities, hot and cold water, delicious food in the cafeteria. Those who prefer to be closer to nature, can put up a tent on a special site near a river or pool.
In general, almost all camp sites and hotels offer parking spaces with tents, so you can not worry if suddenly there are no rooms available. Since the Geyser Lake is only 1 km, and the Red Gate is 8 km from Aktash, there is a year-round active tourist route, so you can play it safe and reserve seats in advance.
