Altai mountains Russia
 

Hi,

We are planning a trip to Altai mountains for next summer and have some questions and would really appreciate recommendations & experiences.

We are 2 guys on big dual sports (BMW R1150GS and BMW F800GS) and with moderate offroading skills (dont like mud, deep sand and big rocks, otherwise we are ok, except maybe with too many water crossings). We would like to stay of pavement/tarmac most of the time but dont mind some.

Planning to do the trip maybe august/september, basically we can be flexible and would like to go there when it is the best time to visit altai. So any recommendations?

And the route, which places should we visit? We have visas for Russia and thinking of exploring the russian part of Altai but if there are good reasons (places to visit) we can consider also Kazakstan and Mongolia. China is out of options.
We have seen Walter Colebatch's Sibirsky Extreme materials so Katyn river valley seems interesting. Any tips about that and about how (which route) to go there?
Any other must sees / recommendations?

Also, all the accommodations hints are welcome. We plan to arrive to Barnaul and do the Altai "tour" from there. We have also been thinking about possibility to store some stuff (like tyres) in Barnaul if possible.

We would be really happy to get some advice and see/listen to some Altai travel stories.

Best Regards

Sami

Hi Sami, we will be there probably in July. August would be nice too, but September might already have 0 degrees in the night.

I think the stuff in Russia is already worth it. Of course Kazakhstan and Mongolian Altai will have something nice to offer, but the good bits seem to be in Russia. And it makes it more difficult with Russian visa.

However, please note that you need a permit for anything in Russia that is close to the border, you need a permit. So basically anything south(west) of the road from Barnaul to Mongolia. And this permit takes some time, like 6 to 8 weeks to arrange. It is free, but can only be applied with a Russian form.

Hi Lovetheworld,

Thanks for your comment and hints. Based on what we have heard, we are also now planning end of july - early august timeframe. Would be great to meet other travellers so hope we happen to be there the same time.

And the hint with permits is very valuable, we did not realize the need of that...just need to find out how and where to get one.

BR Sami

Hi Sam, I just applied to a Dutch guy I know who has a travel agency there (does tours with UAZ vans)

There is more about the procedure here, you can apparently apply yourself, but there is a language barrier of course.
And in that topic I read something about that they are asking for the Visa, but I didn't have to show my visa yet (I don't even have a visa yet). But then, I don't know if it will go succesfully :)

This is the topic:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...1-2#post412431

Altai
 

Hi Sami

I crossed in my Toyota Landcruiser from Tsagaannuur Mongolia to Chibit (Russia)then into the Alatai it was hassle free crossing just allow time at Mongolia side as they are very slow.

We stayed at a guest house at Border Mongolia side the night before called "Blue Wolf" The owner of this place is a lady and a quite a character!! If you are crossing from the Russian side make sure you are fuelled up.

I would recommend a visit in Altai to Lake Teletskyoe, Artybah,Chemal well worth the visit.

Altai is one beautiful place, we found a nice camp with basic huts and could go in the banjy for free.
The "Blue Wulf" is called "blue wulf ger camp" it´s in Olgii/Mongolia. It´s good to have some basic camping gear, there are lot´s of places on river banks where russians spend the weekend fishing and doing BBQ/Picnic. Beware of them when drunk (all of them :)).
There are also some nice Hotels, Gastrinicas etc. Get the Colebatch Waypoints, everything is marked and it eases up the search for accomodation and fuel! And be sure to have some food and drinks with you, in the camps you won´t get decent food most of the times, everybody carries his own food.
Have a nice trip. I planned to be there in June/July, but got a new job yesterday ....

I'd second that. No permits required for the Chulyshman gorge and lake teletskoe and there's a pretty cool switch-back down into the valley. Note it's a one-way track (you can get a boat across the lake, but doubt you'll find one big enough to take a big motorbike).

Trip Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helenl...57635172714800

You guys mean the Katu Yaryk pass down into the gorge.

The ride to the Katu Yarik pass is stunning and descending into the valley and riding around is beautiful. But it is rather bumpy, but doable on a heavy bike.


I wrote my ride report of Mongolia here:
The road to Mongolia... on two wee bikes! | Adventure Rider


At the end I also write about my blast around the Altai (and lake Teleskoye) with our Russian friends. From Page 7 I think.
Once down the valley you will have to ride back as the only way out is crossing the lake on boat, as we did, but without someone on the ground organising this for you in advance it is impossible.


More info also on my website linked below.


Cheers,

Thanks Lovetheworld, raycooknz, Kurvenfieber, takeonafrica and maria41 for your insight and guidance!

We got great tips for places to go and will definitely try to go to all of those.
Did load the Colebatch Waypoints, great help! And great inspiration from your pictures and RR! Actually i have been busy reading Maria's and Alistairs RR's!


Couple of things that i am still worried about / wondering:

- I see there is a road from (the direction of) Aktash to the south end of Lake Teletskoye. Is there also a connection to west (for example to road 84K-116) from south end of Lake Teletskoye? Or is there a road to north end of the lake somewhere lose by?
That would prevent us from riding back and forth on the same roads.

- The border zone permits seems a bit hassle but hopefully this gets sorted out. Thanks for the link, that was helpful! I will need to further investigate this topic. Anyone with translations of the forms needed? And is there a map of the border zones that require the permit?

- Is there a way to get close to Belukha mountain?

So great with this forum, so much help and support!

BR Sami

P.S. Congrats Kurvenfieber with the new job (even if it prevents some travelling ;-) )

Hi Sam,

Regarding Lake Teleskoye, it’s a dead end. The only way is to cross the lake by boat.
You *could* try to negotiate with Vladimir and see when his next tours to the lake are, and when the boat is booked. If you can coordinate with one of his tours and meet him by the lake, it might be a solution. But this is for you to try and negotiate.
Once on the other side, it is a short ride to Manzherok and Gorno Altaysk.
You can contact Vladimir here is the contact page:
https://www.v-altai.ru/kontakty


Email is Altai-moto@mail.ru.

In any case don’t hesitate to stay in their Moto house. They have guest rooms and will welcome you if the house is not full. Very cheap too and you will have a great time. Definitely worth meeting Vladimir. Quite a character and a goldmine of info on the Altai.

Note that he does not speak any English, but most of his staff and helpers do.

Regarding the borders permits, I secured one using a travel agency in Gorno Altay, that was recommended to me by the company organising our Russian visas. It was about £5 per person to get done. Minimum hassle.
Not sure I kept the detail of the travel agent though. I may have put them on a thread here, about border permits. If not I can try to find out.
Make sure to ask for the border permit 3 months in advance, the FSB requires ( unless things changed ) the application well in advance. So, get organised.

No it is still the same. I thought the permits took around 8 weeks to arrange.

Hi,

We did the trip and got back home yesterday.
We really enjoyed it and wow, the Altai mountains are just awesome! So great scenery!

Thanks to all of you and to Walter Colebatch we were able to see lot more than what's on the main road!

If you are interested, please find our blog here:
https://savonsurauttelijat.fi/2018/0...-preparations/

BR Sami / Savon Surauttelijathttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e47906fe49.jpg

Nice!

We did not have time to visut lake Teletsko unfortunately because if visa deadline, but we still liked the Altai a lot.
But wow, what a driving distances you have done each day.