|
 |
 |
|
| |
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
 
  |
   Wildlife Activities Places Getting to and around Tours Stretching for nearly 2,000 km from northwest to southeast, the Altai 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 1000 meter high north wall of Belukha (4506 m) can easily rival the famous walls of the Caucasus or the Alps.
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 great Siberian river Ob has its sources here in the Biya and Katun. The most interesting mountaineering goal in the Katunsky range is the double-headed Belukha with its eastern (4506 m) and western (4500 m) summits. There are a mountaineering base and a Rescue Service station at the foot of Belukha on the shore of Akkem Lake. The nearest village (and the road) is Tyungur, in two days' walk from the lake. The second mountaineering area, Aktru, accessible by road, is the highest part of Severo-Chuysky range. There is a mountaineering base there and a lot of proud alpine peaks around. The Shavlo Lakes area is known as one of the most beautiful placesin 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).  |
 |
Cupped within wooded mountains, the crystal clear and pure Lake Teletsky (a smaller replica of Baikal) is testimony to these attributes, despite the fact that for decades it has been a remarkable health resort well known in Russia. The place is highly civilized by Altai standards: there are several tourist bases on its shores and more or less regular motor ship service between the settlements.
