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   Wildlife Activities Places Getting to and around Tours Golden MountainsAnother of Russia's well-hidden treasure islands is Altai. Tucked away in the very heart of Asia, between the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, it is only slightly better known in the West than Kamchatka. These mountains can fairly claim to be the most beautiful scenery in the whole of Siberia.
And an extremely pleasing detail, Nature's gift to the Golden Mountains is the total absence of mosquitoes, which make summer life so miserable everywhere else in Siberia. Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages
Adventure optionsFor the lover of mountain wilderness Altai can offer a lot: rafting (from easy to high-grade), trekking, climbing, ski-touring, horseback riding, multi-activity and "discovery" trips. Cupped within wooded mountains, the crystal clear and pure Teletsky Lake offers unforgettable kayaking and boating.  |
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Three major factors account for the area's high recreational value. Stretching for nearly 2000 km from northwest to southeast, these mountains form a natural border between the arid steppes of Mongolia and the rich taiga forests of southern Siberia. Both climatic zones create landscapes of striking diversity, some resembling Tibet, others being more akin to the Swiss Alps. The second factor – the sparseness of the population, historically nomadic, not inclined towards agriculture, and the third – its remoteness from industrial centers – account for the quality of the terrain and the abundance of wildlife in this nature reserve. The trees collapse on to the thick moss only when their natural life is over. The meadows, never subjected to grazing or scything, explode in spring with a carpet of flowers that extends for miles. And the countless lakes, framed by snowy peaks, will dazzle you with their exquisite beauty.
A crossroads of human migration since times immemorial, the Altai has a long ethnic and cultural history, as is demonstrated by a wealth of archaeological finds. An Ulalite Palaeolithic site in the town of Gorno-Altaisk has produced finds of 800–900 thousand years old. So, man's ancestors lived in the Altai long before the pithecanthropi of Java. And there are dozens of less ancient sites, mainly in caves. So, looking from cave to burial mound, from graffito to graffito you will be able to form a stereoscopic image of man developing from Stone to Bronze to Iron Age. The modern population is a mixture of indigenous Altais and Russian settlers, some of the latter in their villages still leading the strictly regulated life of the Old Believers, almost totally isolated from civilization.
