Altai, Land of Shamans

We are welcomed at Barnaoul airport by our guide. We take a first guided tour of the pharmacy museum. It should be noted that Altai is known for its production of wild medicinal plants.

We have lunch in the city before settling into the hotel and resting.

We go out in mid-afternoon to visit the regional museum. This allows us to learn about the three cultural periods of the region.

Stroll through the old quarter and stop at an old amusement park where we discover rides dating back to the Soviet era.

Dinner in the old Barnaoul area.

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to Gorno-Altaysk. We visit the Anokhina National Museum where we discover the culture of the first inhabitants of Altai, as well as the history of the famous mummy of the Princess of Ukok, also known as the Ice Princess. This mummy, whose limbs are covered with remarkable tattoos, suggests that she held an intrinsic role as a great shaman.

Lunch in town.

We travel to a village where a large part is inhabited by descendants of the Kumandins, a people originating from the banks of the Biya River, north of the Altai massif. Meetings with locals followed by a typical dinner accompanied by songs and stories from Kumandin women.

After dinner, we are transferred to Belokurikha.

We have breakfast at the inn. In the morning, we set off on a beautiful walk along the river of the same name. We discover the city by chairlift from the first peaks of the Altai that dominate it.

We then head towards the "Outch Enmek" reserve which is located 210 km away. On the way, we make a stop at the Seuma pass to stretch our legs while enjoying the incredible view over the sacred valley of Karakol.

Dinner and overnight stay in the reserve's accommodation.

After breakfast at the inn, we visit the "Outch Enmek" nature reserve park, which bears witness to the different civilizations of the region. This area includes 3 villages, namely Karakol, Bitchiktou-Boom and Koulada.

We taste Altai specialties on the occasion of lunch at a family's home. At the end of the meal, we attend a concert of Altai singing and storytelling performed by a master Kaï-Tchi.

We are transferred to the village of Koulada. The latter is renowned for its storytellers, poets and masters of throat singing. We stop for a visit to a small museum that will teach us more about everyday life in the Altai.

Dinner in an Ayïl (the ancestor of the yurt, made of wood). Night at the reserve hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, we are transferred to Koch-Agatch (275 km) via the Chuysky Trakt. On the way, we make a stop at the Chiketaman Pass and take the opportunity to visit the viewpoint that reveals the beauty of the landscape formed by the confluence of the Katun and Chuya rivers. We explore the archaeological complex of Kalbak-Tach which houses Turkish petroglyphs of the Talas alphabet dating back more than 10,000 years. Picnic at Aktach

After lunch, we set off on foot for a walk that leads to Geiser Lake. This lake dazzles us with its translucent waters revealing its bed composed of white clay.

We head to Koch-Agatch. Upon our arrival, we settle at the center of the Sailyugem Park reserve. Dinner with a Kazakh family in a guesthouse and overnight stay in the reserve.

After breakfast at the guesthouse, we set off to visit the museum of Kokorya village. It's an opportunity to discover the culture of the Telengites. This ethnic group from the Tchuya steppe stands out for the syncretism of its religion, which combines Buddhism and shamanism.

We visit a museum of Kazakh culture, then have lunch in a yurt.

Discovery of the Kromlech of Tarkhatins which is located near Koch-Agatch, on the trail leading to the Ukok plateau.

We dine in a guesthouse.

Night in the Sailugem Park reserve.

After breakfast at the inn, we head to the colorful mountains of Kyzyl-Tchin, also known as the "lands of Mars". We have lunch on the way.

At the end of the day, we meet a couple of shamans, Victor and Tatiana. Dinner in the form of grilled meats before attending a shamanic ritual around a sacred fire a few kilometers away. The sound of the drums that animate the event in this wild environment helps to release energies and negative tensions.

At the end of the ritual, we are transferred to Tchemal to spend the night in a comfortable guesthouse.

We have breakfast at the gite before embarking on a morning excursion to the Ion temple. This sacred site attracts pilgrims from all over the country, with its suspension bridge spanning the turquoise blue waters of the Katoun River.

Next, we head to Artybach, which is located on the shores of Lake Teletskoïe, where we explore the "Golden Lake," the pearl of the Altai, from its northern shore.

We enjoy a mini boat cruise to reach the Korbo waterfall. There, a young French woman named Eva who lives there invites us to taste homemade food products.

We return to the boat to reach the village of Yaïliou with Eva, who is delighted to share her daily life in the village with us.

Dinner with Eva and her husband Andrei at the end of the day. We taste fish caught in the lake.

Return by boat to Artybach.

After breakfast at the inn, we depart from Artybach to Barnaoul via the Chuysky Trakt road.

We make a stop for lunch, then another in Biisk to visit the historic part of this city, near the Chuysky Trakt museum. Here you can find signs of its commercial past between Siberia and Asia.

Our last dinner allows us to taste delicious Russian and Jura specialties.