Saddle travel

1 DAY (Saturday). Meeting of tourists in Barnaul (Biysk, Gorno-Altaisk, Chemal) at the airport and at railway stations. We gather with the whole group and calmly go by bus to the base camp, located near the village of Edigan Chemal district (420 km from Barnaul or 150 km from Gorno-Altaisk). Steppes of the Altai Territory at the entrance to the Altai Republic give way to mountain landscapes. The road takes us south, winding along the right bank of Katun. Along the way, there are some decent places to have breakfast or lunch. At the request of the group, you can stop at the source of Arzhan-Suu (a well-known spring with water rich in silver), at the local souvenir market to see (buy) products of local craftsmen, visit the museum of Altai culture in the village of Chemal. The base camp is located near the village of Edigan, on the bank of the river of the same name. The water in the river is very clean, there are fish here, but not everyone can catch it. We take the time to explore the surrounding area. Now we are at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. We are surrounded by mountains on all sides. We don't have mosquitoes - beauty! We stay overnight (in tents or pre-ordered houses), relax, prepare for the hike.

2 DAY. We put personal belongings, sleeping bags and food in saddle bags. We leave extra things in our backpacks for storage. We listen to the basics of safety and horse management rules. We get to know our horse, adjust the harness and make our first training trip. Yay! It worked! We'll have tea before the road, and we'll go. We begin the horse crossing up the Kainzara River. The country road leads us to the village of Edigan up. Lower pastures are replaced by haymaking and then pass into the real taiga. Horses constantly have to go up, so we move slowly. Along the way, we will meet a maralka, in which marals are grown, and in June they offer to take pant baths. If we are lucky, we will be able to photograph these large and beautiful deer. For an overnight stay, we stop a little higher, in the Skin tract, where you can feed horses plenty of succulent alpine herbs (as horse tourists, we will primarily think about horses when choosing parking).

3 DAY. Today we go through the alpine meadows of Aksas. In all directions endless mountain ranges are perfectly visible. Here, at the top, we enter the realm of the Wind, which in summer is often light and warm, but often piercing travelers to the bones, carrying snow and hail. The terrain around is slightly swampy, large areas of meadows are covered with dwarf shrubs: willow and birch. The tops of the mountains are stony, and in some places still in snow. The trail will pass next to the highest mountain in these places – Mount Kabarga. Not far from the main path, hidden from travelers by mountain slopes, lies Lake Manas. Let’s make a small hook and visit this lake, deep, wide, surprising with its contrasts. The water in it is not warm, but those who wish can swim, feel this miracle with every cell of their body. After a meal, we go uphill. On the left in the bush shines a small stream - here is born the fast river Chemal, on which in the lower reaches, just 50 km, there is the Chemal HPP. Overnight at the beginning of the Toguskol Valley.

4 DAY. Today we are not in a hurry, we leave things in the parking lot and, having a tight breakfast, lightly go for a walk, make a radial trip along Toguskol. The valley gets its name from nine lakes known for their warm, clean water. Many people enjoy swimming in them. The valley is also known for its rich pastures. In Soviet times, numerous cattle fed fat here, shepherds and herdsmen lived in the parking lots. In our time, the mountains can be said to rest. In summer, only semi-wild herds of horses graze here, and tourists appear. We will climb to the Upper Toguskol Lake or pass steep stony paths to the ridges surrounding the valley, go to the observation points in the Bayoyuk lighthouse area. At the edge of steep precipices there are giant stone giants, and at the bottom, like small mirrors, the Bayoyuk lakes shine, the upper reaches of Small Sumulta are visible. And again around, as long as eyes are enough, mountain ranges diverge in a blue haze like giant waves. This is where the most beautiful and memorable photos come from. We're going back to the parking lot for the night.

5 DAY. We cross the Kara-Irbak canyon and go through the Taman-Ajou pass. Before the pass, the slightly swampy Upper Chemal Lake. The path to the top is rocky, inconvenient for horses, in any weather and people, and horses here have a hard time. At the pass itself (in Altai it is often called Diaman-Del - bad road) there can be fog or snow. In order not to get lost in bad weather, the trail here is marked by small slides of stones. At the highest point of the pass is made of stones pyramid "ob". Here they stop and descend from the horses to thank the spirit of the pass. Some leave notes with wishes and treat the spirit according to local custom, ask for good weather and a good road. The Kyzyl-Gak valley is green below. This huge alpine meadow under the pass is also always in bloom. Especially bright colors burn solid floral carpet in late June lights. We go down to the valley and go along the Kuminsky ridge to the parking lot in the upper reaches of the Ayul River. Overnight.

6 DAY. We go to the Kara-Timosh pass, descend by serpentine down to the Edihta River. There's already a country road leading us to base camp. Cedars are replaced by birches and shrubs. Archemaks are almost empty, and the horses, feeling the house, go faster and faster. On the way you can stop at the village store. We'll have lunch at camp. The active part of the tour is over. You can go to the bath, exchange photos, make kebabs to celebrate the last evening together. There's a guitar in camp.

7 DAY (Friday). In the morning, the group leaves for Barnaul, Gorno-Altaisk or Biysk. It is possible to leave by bus immediately to Novosibirsk (bus ticket buy at your own expense).