Excursion to the rock massif Togys – As “The Trail of Ancestors”

The hiking route along the Ancestral Path (shaman path) begins at the bridge over White Iyus near the village of Ephremkino. The trail goes along the high bank of the river descending and rising, passing through valleys, arches and steep slopes. The ancient name of this unique rock massif is “Togys Az”, which means “Nine mouths”. And indeed, if you look from the opposite shore to the one along which the trail passes, you can see 9 large grottoes, similar to open mouths.

The first object to stop at is Proskuryakov’s grotto, the home of Neolithic people. The exit from the grotto is made to the south side and is well warmed by the sun. In front of the grotto, a convenient platform, protected from the wind and quite hidden from view, water is nearby. People have lived here for thousands of years and left many traces of their life, rock paintings of ocher age 4.5 thousand years and runic inscription.

From the grotto, the trail goes up the rocky sidewalk and through a low karst arch leads to the crest of the ridge from where a picturesque view of the valley of White Jus opens. Soon we will meet an ancient mine, where the ancestors mined ore. Still in the dumps of the pit a lot of iron ore and stones with a green coating of copper oxides. At the very top of the Togys Az massif there is another huge arch. The passage under it is partially blocked by a stone wall, and at the northwestern portal there is an entrance to the Mirtovskaya cave. There are no large caves here, but for a historian and an archaeologist there is certainly something to look for. Repeatedly there are grottoes with partially laid entrances, traces of fires, with incomprehensible stones carved signs.

Organizational details

• 8:00 Departure for an excursion from Abakan (240 kilometers).
• 12:00 Approximate time of arrival, the beginning of the hiking route.
• 13:00 Short stop for lunch.
• 16:00 End of the route, rest, departure.
• 20:00 arrival at Abakan.

Cost: from 1 to 3 people - 17000 rubles, 4-5 people - 21000, 6-10 people - 26000 rubles, 11-20 people - 3900 rubles per person
Transport is a comfortable minivan or sedan.

Walking route provides good physical training of participants
Drinking water while driving along the trail to take with you.
Please observe personal safety and carefully follow the guide’s recommendations.
There is an opportunity to combine this tour with a visit to the ancient observatory “Sunduki”.

The tour is held daily from May to September.

• Tour guide services, transport, entrance tickets to museums.