Wildlife Activities Places Getting to and around Tours
Altai is known in the West mostly due to its high-grade rafting against the exceptionally picturesque background of southern Siberia. The Chuya Rafting Rally is an international event. Yet Altai can offer much more than just rafting: trekking, climbing (quite serious), ski-touring, mountain biking, horseback riding and "discovery" trips. Its recreational potential is enormous. Lake Teletsky is comparable to Lake Baikal for its kayaking and boating.
The highest parts of the region (over 4000 m) are the Katunskiy and Chuyskiy ranges: alpine, jagged, and covered by 730 glaciers, with 11-km Mensu being the longest. The most interesting mountaineering goal in the Katunsky range is the double-headed Mt. Belukha with its eastern (4506 m) and western (4500 m) summits. The easiest route is rated 2B according to the Russian grading system, one grade harder than the western summit of Elbrus. A rope, crampons, ice axe and probably some ice-screws are needed for the ascent. The route is on the southern side, starting from base camp on the shore of Lake Ezevoe. The Shavlo Lakes area was acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in the former Soviet Union. Just the names of the surrounding peaks, given by the astounded Russians who first climbed them, make this evident: Krasavitsa (Beauty, 3870 m), Mechta (Dream, 3640 m) and Skazka (Fairytale, 3770 m).
