May Tour for Spring Flowering of Rhododendron ledebourii

The opening of the summer tourist season in Altai coincides with the May holidays, when the slopes of the mountains all over Altai become fabulously violet-pink – this means that Rhododendron ledebourii is blooming. We invite you to meet this wonderful time with your family, friends and close people – in Altai, surrounded by rivers and mountains. During the tour, you will have the opportunity to drive along one of the most beautiful roads in the world – the legendary Chuysky Tract; to admire the wonderful views of the mountains and Rhododendron ledebourii blooming on their slopes; to see hundreds of cave drawings and a unique geyser lake. We will travel on a comfortable bus with a qualified tour guide.

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Tour Description

Tour cost per person	35100 rubles
Extra charge for accommodation in a single room	5800 rubles
Tour cost includes	Meeting – transfer at/to the airport, All transfers within the route on a comfortable minibus, Meals according to the program, Accommodation according to the program, Excursions according to the program, Entry tickets, Tour guide services, Recreational fees, Insurance from Rosgosstrakh, LLC (medical expenses 150,000 rubles, including tick protection).
Tour start point, place of the group collection	Barnaul, Airport
Total duration	4 days/3 nights
Route distance	~1400 km by car, ~4 km on foot
Number of tourists in the group	6 persons and more
Number of accompanying persons	Tour guide, driver
Accommodation (twin – two single beds) It is possible to change the hotels with similar ones*	Hotel “Salute” 2 nights Standard twin room with private facilities
	Eco-Tourist Complex “Kochevnik” (“Nomad”)1 night Standard twin room with private facilities
Meals	1st day – breakfast, supper 2nd-3rd days – breakfast, dinner, supper 4th day – breakfast
*Additional services (ordered and paid in addition)	Dinner on the 1st, 4th days, supper on the 4th day, Accommodation in Barnaul hotels, Additional expenses in the tourist complexes, Alcoholic beverages, Souvenir products, Bathhouse

Tour Program

01.05.2020

Day 1 – Barnaul. Holiday “Flowering of Rhododendron ledebourii” (340 km – by car)

Morning arrival to Barnaul. Meeting at the airport. Moving to the city center, breakfast at a coffee shop. A short sightseeing excursion through the capital of Altai Region. Transfer to the special economic zone “Biryuzovaya (Turquoise) Katun” for the holiday “Flowering of Rhododendron ledebourii”.

The holiday program includes: concert and entertainment program of creative teams and fashion theaters; work of shopping streets, conducting master classes on professions and crafts; rental of pit bikes and motorcycles; tourist and sports games, obstacle courses and tug-of-war; work of animation zones; literary and musical program “Roerich in Altai” and much more.

After visiting the holiday, transfer to Uznezya Village. Accommodation at the hotel “Salute”. Double comfortable rooms. Supper in the cafe.

02.05.2020

Day 2 – Chemalsky Tract, Che-Chkysh Area, Chemal Village (120 km – by car, 2 km – on foot)

Breakfast. Moving along the Chemalsky Tract along the Katun to the Oroktoysky Bridge, to the narrowest and deepest place on the Katun. We will meet the blooming Rhododendron ledebourii on the slopes of the mountains. Next we will visit the Che-Chkysh Area. Che-Chkysh means “narrow” when translated from the Altaic language, but many local citizens call it the valley of “Mountain Spirits”. The area is hidden from prying eyes. Due to such location, the area served many times as a shelter for the Altai tribes during internecine wars in ancient times. The place is very beautiful – a mountain area around which steep rocks rise 150 meters high. The area is narrow, in some places up to 15-20 meters. There is a clean mountain brook flowing along the area, turning into a low (4 m) waterfall. The waterfall streams part from the rock at a sufficient distance so that you can pass under them. There is an ancient belief that the one who passes under the waterfall streams will gain wealth and health, because such person gets magical powers. Further, the path rises steeply uphill to the scenic view point, which opens a magnificent view to the valley of the Katun River. All the energy squeezed by the sheer walls of the gorge finds a way out here. You can feel extraordinary lightness and lifting. The view point is suitable for meditation and rituals. You can just admire the beautiful views and take some great photos. Next there is a visit to Chemal Village and a dinner in the cafe. After the dinner, we will visit the steep rocky island – Patmos, where the women’s skete of the Barnaul Znamensky Monastery is located. The island is connected to the river bank by a long suspension bridge. There is an image of the Mother and Child carved into the rock near the temple. Return to the hotel “Salute”. Supper in the cafe.

03.05.2020

Day 3 – Chuysky Tract, Kalbak-Tash Area (310 km – by car, 1 km – on foot)

Breakfast. On the holiday, we will move along the Chuysky Tract – the legendary road ranking among TOP-10 of the most beautiful roads in the world according to National Geographic. During the trip, we will overcome its highest point – the Seminsky Pass (1739 m above sea level) and the picturesque serpentine-type Chiket-Aman Pass (1295 m above sea level), see the ancient burial places of the Turks and the stone women guarding their peace, as well as have dinner in the cafe with Altai cuisine “Chui-Oozy”. Behind the Kupchegen Village, the Chuysky Tract goes to the left bank of the Katun to the Kor-Kech Bom (bom is translated from Altaic as “disastrous crossing site”) – these are huge sandy pyramid-cliffs, the folds of which hang over the road. There is a series of boms stretching from here to Maly Yaloman Village. The Katun is the most tumultuous and deepest, and the river course is extremely fast in this place. Then we will visit the place of power – the confluence of the Chuya River into the Katun River. On the way, there will be a stop at the Kalbak-Tash Area and an excursion to a large natural complex with rock paintings – petroglyphs. The flattened rocky hill, located across the valley of the Chuya River, contains over 500 compositions, numbering more than 5 thousand drawings. All of them were knocked out with stone or metal tools, mainly by a point-like method. Arrival at the Kochevnik Tourist Complex. Accommodation in a new building “Kozerog (Capricorn)”, in a double room with private facilities. Supper in the cafe.

04.05.2020

Day 4 – Geyser Lake. Return to Barnaul (615 km – by car, 1 km – on foot)

After breakfast, we will take a walk to the picturesque geyser lake located outside the Aktash Village. This is the one-of-a-kind lake in Altai – rare in terms of beauty, clean, non-freezing even in winter, with an amazing turquoise color. You can see round or oval stains on the mirror of the lake, which in fact are only a reflection of the processes taking place at the bottom of the lake. There, in the mysterious depths of the lake, “geysers” revive from time to time, throwing a mixture of bluish clay and sand onto the surface, which form visible concentric circles at the bottom. Return to Barnaul. There is a stop at the Arzhan-Suu Spring on the way back. The water in the spring is saturated with silver, copper and other mineral impurities therefore it is stored for a long time and, most importantly, has a beneficial effect on the improvement of metabolic processes in the body. There is a large souvenir market near the spring where you can buy maps, books, art objects and cedar products. Arrival in the city at about 19.30 p.m. Those wishing to stay can be accommodated in city hotels*. Transfer to the airport or railway station.