The Best of Altai7 Days | Barnaul, Biysk, Polevodka, Srostki, Manzherok, Sky-Blue Katun, Chemal, Lake Teletskoye, Kaimskoye, Belokurikha

Meeting in Barnaul. Transfer to Srostki village (210 km) a birthplace of Vasily Shukshin, the famous writer, actor and film director (15 km). Visit to the Shukshin Memorial Museum - Reserve. The museum consists of 3 buildings: the house-museum of Shukshin’s mother, the building of the former school where he studied and the house where the writer spent his childhood. Visit to the mountain Picket, where the annual festival "Shukshin's Readings" is held. Transfer Srostki - Manzherok (100 km). Manzherok is the name of a village, a lake with relict nuts chilim and a ski complex. Accommodation. Ascent by a chair-lift to the Mount Sinyukha (optional at extra cost). Dinner.

Breakfast. Travel to Chemal (90 km), Chemal Hydro-Electric Power Station and Patmos Island – one of the most beautiful places in the Altai Mountains. The only way to the island is through the suspension bridge that connects rocks of the island with the rocks on the bank of the Katun river. There are a restored church commemorating St. John the Evangelist and the monastic cell of St. Makary Altaisky behind which you can see the rock with the indented image of Holy Mother. Another place of interest in Chemal is the Chemal Hydro-Electric Power Station. Walking there you can also see the sources of "live" and "dead" water nearby. Depending on the weather – either a trip to Che-Chkysh mountain area or an excursion to the Museum-Estate of Choros-Gurkin in Anos. Che-Chkysh is a rocky canyon with the waterfalls, which is located in the Valley of Mountain Spirits. From this place, the visitors can observe a magnificent panorama of the Katun river (30 km). The Museum Estate of Choros-Gurkin is a house and a workshop of the artist and ethnographer, the learner of Shishkin, the author of the famous paintings - "Khan Altai", "Lake of Mountain Spirits", "Crown of the Katun". The reproductions of these and other paintings can be found in the museum.
Transfer to the museum of Natural history of Altai ( entrance ticket). Large collection of fossil findings during archeological expedition to Altai is exhebited in the museum. Sceleton of mammoth, remains of great Trilobita, footprint of gigantic pangolin and many unique stones and minerals can be seen in the museum.
Transfer to Barangol (25 km). Optional: rafting/motor rafting down the Katun river (at extra cost) with a visit to the Kamyshlinsky waterfall - the left inflow of the Katun river. The waterfall consists of two cascades with the height of 12 m. Transfer Barangol (40 km). Dinner.

Breakfast. Transfer to Gorno-Altaisk (40 km). Visit to the National Museum of the Altai Republic named after Anokhin (entrance ticket). The Museum has large ethnographic collections of Altaian indigenous people and also displays the unique artifact – the mummy of Princess of Ukok. Transfer to Teletskoe lake (170 km),the biggest lake in Altai and one of the biggest lakes in Russia. The maximal depth of the lake is 330 meters. The official name of the lake – Teletskoe – came from the name of Altai tribe – Teleuts – who lived here years ago. However local people called the lake Altyn-Kol, which means “Golden lake”. Many rivers and streams flow into the lake, but only one river – Biya - flows out.
Visit Ethno park in Artybash. Tasting of national dishes is available for the extra payment. Dinner.

Breakfast. The tour around the lake. Today we will visit Altai Nature Biosphere Reserve and see Korbu waterfall. Waterfall is 12,5 m high (visitor’s tax). Later we will see Chedor waterfall. On our way back we will have a chance to see Ayran cape, Kamginskiy bay and Yaylyu village.
Walking tour to the Tretya river (depends on the weather). Optional: rafting down the Biya river (extra cost), visit to the Ethno Park in Artybash village and tasting the national cuisine (extra cost). Dinner.

Breakfast. Departure to “Sky Blue Katun”(220 km) the largest tourist center, with an artificial lake for swimming and fishing, restaurants, hotels, ski slopes, an extreme entertainment park, an art gallery, caves and an apiary. Visit to the Tavdinsky Caves (entrance ticket). The Tavdinsky Caves are a mountain ridge, consisting of a large number of caves (about 30) of karst origin. The length of rocks with caves is about 5 km. The entrances to the caves are in steep cliffs, most of which are easily accessible thanks to wooden steps and lightning. Excursion to an apiary, tasting of Altaian honey, sleeping on bee hives. Transfer to Altaiskoe village (80 km). En-route stop the higher point of Biryukinskiy pass. Visit to the unique arboretum “Altaiskoe kholmogorye” and gastro-botanic dinner “New Altai cuisine. Transfer to Belokurikha. Overnight.

Breakfast. Sightseeing tour including a trip to Belokurikha-2 (30 km, serpentine road). Taking a chair lift to the top of Tserkovka Mountain, where you can observe a beautiful panorama of the town (optional at extra cost). Free time, souvenir shopping. Dinner. Visit to the Water World wellness center with a swimming pool with water attractions (hydromassage, aeromassage plateau, cascade showers, geysers, countercurrents, fast and slow river areas), children's area, aqua aerobics, SPA, hammam, Roman thermae, Finnish and Russian saunas (optional at extra cost - from 1000 rub/person).

Breakfast. Transfer Belokurikha - Biysk (80 km) – the town which was built in 18th century under the decree of Peter I. Now Biysk has the status of Science City and is the main gate to the Altai Mountains. We will take a walking tour with the stops at the historical and cultural monuments - Eparch Yard, Museum of the History of the Altai Spiritual Mission (entrance ticket). Founded in 2008, the museum has a collection of over 10,000 exhibits with Oktoikh among them - one of the first printed books in Russia. Published in Moscow in 1618, this book is considered to be the oldest exhibit in the museum. Transfer Biysk - Barnaul (180 km). Walking tour "Old Barnaul" including visit to Nagorny Park, where you can see a panoramic view of the city, visit to banking and Barnaul old promenade street, visit to the museum and restaurant "Gornaya Apteka". End of the program at 20:00 p.m.