Practical information for those who are going on a trip to Altai in 2021: how to get there, what are the prices for accommodation and meals, a list of the best recreation centers, as well as tips and reviews of tourists for 2020.
Our trip... For a month and a half we traveled by car in Gorny Altai. The team visited all the most interesting places from Manzherok to the border with Mongolia. We share our experience with you in a series of articles about rest in Gorny Altai.
Gorny Altai is a very cool place! I recommend that you go at least once and drive the entire Chuisky tract. It is stunningly beautiful, authentic and interesting here. I hope my guide can help you bring your idea to life.
How to get to Altai
By plane... You need to fly to Novosibirsk, Barnaul or Gorno-Altaysk (since 2019, Pobeda flies there). Tickets from Moscow cost 9000-13000 rubles, in summer they cost 3000-4000 more. Then you need to go by bus or car to the recreation center. Regular bus service has been established from Biysk, Gorno-Altaysk, Barnaul, Novosibirsk. During the summer season, local companies organize transfers and sightseeing buses. Search for the best price tickets on Skyscanner. See also my tips on how to find cheap flights correctly.
By train... There are trains to Biysk, Novosibirsk and Barnaul. Tickets from Moscow to Biysk cost from 12,300 rubles (compartment), they are quickly disassembled, and the train runs only on even numbers. Tickets to Novosibirsk from the capital are cheaper (from 5500 rubles in a reserved seat), and there are much more trains.
By car... This is the best option, because it is much more interesting, more pleasant and cheaper to travel around Gorny Altai in your car. My team and I traveled to Altai from Perm for three days and the same amount back. The road is normal, the main problem on the highway is repair work, which is very delaying. Find out more about a trip to Altai by car.
The quality of roads in Altai... Chuisky tract is an ideal asphalt, and everything to the side of it is broken roads, dirt roads or off-roads of varying degrees of difficulty. In principle, you can go to Altai in any car, you can still see a lot. But an SUV is better - there are places where you simply cannot drive a low car without an all-wheel drive. If you do not have an SUV, you can take an excursion or drop-off to the desired point from local companies - it is easy to find them.
I went to Gorny Altai in my UAZ "Patriot" and thanks to it I got to the most remote places. I didn’t go only to the Ukok plateau - for this we need a well-trained off-road vehicle and other crews for safety net.
Where to relax in Altai
Most popular... According to the reviews of most tourists, it is best to rest in Altai in the villages of Aya and Chemal, as well as in the north of Lake Teletskoye. The easiest way to get there, there is the most developed infrastructure and a large selection of bases. But I think that there are too many tourists in these places and too little interesting. The real Altai is not there, it is further along the Chuysky tract, beyond the Seminsky pass.
Real Altai... If you are a lover of adventure, seclusion and majestic mountain scenery, go beyond these tourist spots. I especially liked these places: Uch-Enmek park, Ilgumensky threshold, petroglyphs, Ulagan lakes, Katu-Yaryk pass, Chulyshman river valley, Kurai and Chuya steppes, Mars. All these places have infrastructure: camp sites, cafes, gas stations. You can get there by any car.
The wildest lands... And the best places in Altai are those that are difficult and far to reach. My favorites: Dzhumaly springs, Yustyd river valley, Achik pass. There is also the most inaccessible place - the Ukok plateau, so far I have not had the opportunity to get there, but I really want to.
So, where is it better to have a rest in Altai? If you do not have the time and desire to travel far into the depths of the republic, and you just want to relax in nature, barbecue, fish, then choose the villages of Chemal, Aya, Manzherok - in general, Nizhnyaya Katun. If this is not enough for you, you want to see real mountains, Altai steppes, get acquainted with the local culture, then I recommend driving the entire Chuisky tract to the very border with Mongolia.
How to look for housing
Gorny Altai is a rather wild place, there are not so many hotels and recreation centers here as in the South of Russia or in Karelia. But fewer tourists also come here, so there is usually enough housing for everyone.
Attention! At the height of the summer season, especially on weekends, many people come to Altai to rest. Therefore, you need to book accommodation in advance. For a month and a half of traveling, even in the most remote corners, I saw many cases of tourists coming to the base, but there were no places. Book your accommodation in advance online or come and check in in the morning before other tourists.
Where to look for housing:
- Booking - there are tourist complexes, hotels, guest houses, recreation centers, campings at any price.
- Rumguru - compares prices, can be found cheaper than on Booking.
- In place - travel to the bases, watch, choose.
Housing is different: from the budget segment to the VIP. Almost every recreation center has a bathhouse, kitchen, barbecue and internet. In summer, campings are very popular among vacationers in Gorny Altai - this is the most budgetary option. Families with children usually choose comfortable cottages near Katun. Find out about the best of our selection of hotels and resorts for families with children.
In reviews about the rest in Altai, they often write about the shortcomings of some camp sites: dirt, poor-quality or monotonous food, damaged plumbing and worn furniture. We tried not to pay attention to this, after a week of living in a tent in the taiga, any economy room with a bed and a shower was like a royal mansion for us. Service at recreation centers is often lame - for your money, you can get nasty.
Housing prices in Gorny Altai for two:
| Lodging | price, rub. | Example |
| Place for a tent | 150-300 | |
| Guest house room | from 1000 | Cedar coast |
| Ail or house | from 1200 | Thurman |
| Resort room 3 stars | from 2200 | Hotel Manzherok |
| Excellent Reviews Junior Suite | from 4000 | The ark |
| 4 star hotel with pool | from 4500 | Leshotel |
| Comfortable glamping tent | from 6700 | Saikol Kamain |
| Chalet by Lake Teletskoye | from 7000 | Chalet O&K |
How to have a rest in Altai
What to do on vacation in Gorny Altai:
- excursions,
- mountain excursions or multi-day hikes,
- alloys,
- horseback riding,
- rest on the banks of rivers or lakes (you can swim, but the water invigorates),
- fishing,
- picking berries.
Our rest in Altai... We rode a lot in a car, drove the entire Chuisky tract and not only. For a long time we lived in tents on the banks of the Katun, in a camping in Aktash and on the Ulagan lakes. They also lived in traditional villages, hotels and recreation centers. We met and communicated with the locals, studied the culture of the Altai, took a lot of photos and videos. We often went on small hikes to the forest, picked berries, and swam in Katun. Most of all we liked the area south of Aktash: steppes and snow-capped mountains. And we went to the famous Mars three times.
Reviews of tourists about rest in Altai. People love the nature and grandeur of the mountains, but many are disappointed by the cold waters of rivers and lakes, and heated pools are not yet common. Summer is short, it gets dark early. There are mosquitoes and midges, but not too many.
Prices for holidays in Altai in 2021
Many recreation centers of Gorny Altai offer a leisure program for their vacationers, have cafes and restaurants, organize entertainment and excursions. You can safely surrender into their hands and not worry about anything, but such a vacation will be expensive.
Food in cafes depends on the level of the establishment; along the highway and in large villages there are enough cafes and canteens. Our average check is 200-300 rubles per person. Complex meals at recreation centers in Altai cost 700-1000 rubles.
Excursions there are different, prices are high and depend on the saturation of the program and the distance of the trip.Excursions to the Chemal hydroelectric power station, to Manzherok lakes and Mount Sinyukha, Tavdinskie caves, visiting a botanical garden, a blossoming nursery "Biolit" and a maral (rhododendron) - from 500 to 1000 rubles. Full-day excursions with a visit to the mound, Kalbak-Tash tract, Lake Teletskoye and Korbu waterfall cost about 2,000 rubles. All places are cheaper and more interesting to visit on your own in your car.
Our expenses in Altai
We spent a month and a half in Altai: July-August. We drove in our car from Perm in the company of friends, there were five of us. We bought most of the food in advance and often prepared it ourselves. We lived in tents, hotels, in recreation centers.
Here are our expenses in terms of two people (except for gasoline - this is the total amount):
| Gasoline for round trip | 23 000 |
| Gasoline in Altai | 10 000 |
| Auto repair | 1 000 |
| Accommodation on the way | 5 600 |
| Accommodation in Altai | 19 500 |
| Products | 21 500 |
| Cafe | 10 700 |
| Stock of coffee | 3 400 |
| Internet and communication | 1 700 |
| sights | 1 300 |
| Everyday life | 5 000 |
| Tick vaccinations | 3 500 |
| Medicines | 2 900 |
| Total for two | 109 100 rubles |
Additional expenses: tourist equipment - 48,000 rubles. I had to buy a lot, but these things are not for one trip.
Except for gasoline and accommodation on the way, repairs, vaccinations, a first-aid kit and grain coffee (without which we personally cannot live), we get 70,000 rubles for two or 35,000 rubles per person. These are pure spending on the rest in Gorny Altai. Very little! After all, we spent a month and a half there and visited everywhere.
The best recreation centers in Gorny Altai
Recreation center "AltaiRai"
Fans of active recreation and unity with nature can stay in the summer at the AltaiRai recreation center in the village of Elekmonar. Three meals a day in the dining room, there is a bar and a cafe. Bathhouse, free parking, private beach, water park, bike rental, horse riding, tourist office. Accommodation in a standard double room - from 3500 rubles per day.
Park-hotel "Manzherok"
The year-round recreation center is located in a pine forest on the banks of the Katun River. Nearby there is a village, a ski track and a cable car. Large buildings made of wood and stone, beautiful and well-groomed territory, barbecue area, outdoor pool, sauna and terrace. It is very convenient to have a rest with children. Accommodation is from 1500 to 3600 rubles per day, meals in the dining room are paid, breakfast is included in the price. Disadvantages: there is no daily change of towels and linen in the rooms, there is not always the Internet.
Recreation center "Zaimka Kamza"
The recreation center "Zaimka Kamza" in the village of Tyuguryuk is also located in an equally picturesque place. The territory is very large and beautiful, there is street lighting and wooden flooring, neat wooden houses are made in the same style. There is an outdoor pool and playground, gazebos, and deer are kept on the territory. The cost of living is from 2000 rubles for a double room. Disadvantages: paid parking.
Eco-hotel "Lesotel"
According to tourists, "Lesotel" in Souzga is an excellent place to relax in Altai. The hotel is located on the banks of the Katun River in a picturesque place, not far from Gorno-Altaysk. The area is well appointed, with wooden country houses. The restaurant offers Russian and European cuisine, a sauna, a spa center, a swimming pool, a cafe, Wi-Fi, and a variety of entertainment. Well suited for families with children. The cost is from 3000 to 9000 rubles per day for a double room.
Yurt Camping Gold Camel
An interesting option for a summer vacation in Altai is accommodation in a yurt camp located in the village of Kosh-Agach. Authentic heated yurts and cabins are very picturesque. You can ride camels, rent a bike or book a jeep tour. There is a sauna, restaurant and shared kitchen. Accommodation from 3000 rubles per day - the yurt is designed for five.
Advice
Gorny Altai is not a place for "mattresses": people come here to play sports, walk a lot and enjoy nature. Those who are used to spending their vacation on the beach in the pose of a starfish will hardly like such a vacation.
To save money, do not go for elite tourist complexes - it is very expensive. Choose recreation centers, inexpensive hotels, live in a tent. In cafes and canteens, prices are not high, but it will be cheaper to cook on your own. Buy groceries in advance in the big city.
When going on vacation to Gorny Altai in the summer of 2021, be sure to take medicines with you (there are not pharmacies everywhere), as well as repellents.
Check out our tips for travel tips and 17 most useful things.
Come to rest in your car. You need to travel around Altai, not sit in one place!
