Katun River in the Altai Mountains

In the Altai Mountains there is a place of unreal beauty - Patmos Island. Not far from it is the stormy Katun River. Not far from Biysk, Katun, connecting with the Bia River, forms the largest river of Siberia Ob. From here, the Chui tract M52 and the Katun River run close to each other. Katun is divided geographically into 3 parts: upper, middle and lower part.

Between Biysk and the village of Maima, the flow of the river corresponds to the steppe character, its size is wide, and the current is calm. The length of the river is 688 km. In the local dialect, Katun means the mistress. The name of the river has a certain meaning. The flow of the river begins with the southern slope of Mount Belukha from the waters of the Katun Glacier.
Other rivers flow in. Many rivers that feed Katun are of glacial origin, because the water there is ice 10-15 C. In the summer heat, you can’t swim there. Many daredevils dive into the icy water, they immediately jump out of there.

People say that the river punishes the drunk and can kill them. There are many interesting stories and legends about this place, it is difficult to understand what is true and what is fiction. The landscapes here are amazing. A lot of extreme lovers come here. On Katun you can see small islands of different sizes, in some places there is a little vegetation, around many large rocks.

There are many strong bridges that can withstand vehicles, for example, the bridge leading to Turquoise Katun. Katun is able to change colors from gray to turquoise. You can look at Katun from the height of chair lifts on Lake Manzherok, so you can see each bend of the river. There are also many beautiful places.

To visit these wonderful places, you first need to get to Barnaul, Gorno-Altaisk or Novosibirsk. The price of a plane ticket is 7000-12000 rubles from Moscow or St. Petersburg. The company S7 has proved itself best. You can also take a train from Moscow. Upon arrival at the designated place, you need to walk to the bus station and familiarize yourself with the schedule. The bus can take tourists to any corner of Altai.