Altai Traverse

Travel across Altai Mountains from Russia and into Mongolia through the backdoor. Traversing the Altai Mountains on the scenic Chuya Highway. Once in Mongolia you will notice the shift to a pastoral economy, where people remain nomads to this day. Stay at your private wilderness ger camp close to eagle hunter family, under the snow-capped mountain.

PRICE              On request

SEASON          May to October

TRIP TYPE      Jeep Safari

ACCOMMODATION     3-star hotels and guest houses in Russia, with ensuite facilities. 360° Camp. Hotel of your choice in Ulan Bator

ACTIVITIES                    Touring, archaeology, native peoples

DURATION                     11 days ex-Ulan Bator

Our Altai Traverse itinerary begins with a journey through the Russian Altai scenic landscapes. Snow capped mountains, lush valleys, on the meandering Chuya Highway. We explore Altaian indigenous villages, a turkic speaking minority group. The region is rich in archaeology.

Crossing into Mongolia you’ll notice the Altai shifts from partly forested green landscapes to more highland desert biomes and more snow-capped mountains. Here we will encounter the Kazakh traditional culture, as pastoralism have survived the pressures of time in Mongolia. Your posh private ger camp has been deployed next to a nomadic family who engage in the now famous hunts using Golden Eagles.

We would love to tailor a custom trip to the West for you

The Details

Suggested Itinerary

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1-2

Gorno-Altaisk, Karakol Valley and Inegen

After your arrival at Gorno-Altaisk airport, you’ll enjoy a guided afternoon visit to the famous Anokhina Museum, wherein lies the mummified Ice Maiden of Ukok, alongside impressive archaeological and historical exhibits of the region. The next day drive across the Seminskiy Pass adorned with beautiful Siberian pines and making for the intermontane Karakol Valley. Rich in archaeological remains revealing the historical layers of the Altai since the Bronze Age. Origins dating back to the Scythians and the Huns. There are three traditional villages in the valley, with Altaian indigenous populations. Here you will enjoy a local home lunch.

Day 3-4

Argut River Valley, Kosh-Agach and Mt Belukha

We explore the Argut River valley, which originates on the distant Ukok plateau bordering Mongolia. Russia’s prime habitat for rare snow leopards. Optional: From your lodge, subject to availability, you may opt for a half-day flight in a Robinson R-66 helicopter to the eternally snow-capped Mt Belukha, the highest mountain in southern Siberia at 4506 meters. View its dramatic rock faces and glaciers before touching down in remote alpine meadows beside waterfalls. There are worthwhile stops on route such as the amazing Geizernoye (Geyser) Lake just beyond Aktash. Eventually, we will arrive at the Kurai Steppe, a highland intermontane plain resembling the Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia.

Day 5

To Mongolia

In the morning we will load into Mongolian vehicles for the one-hour drive to the Tashanta border. We will continue on a partial gravel road to Ölgii, the capital of Bayan-Ölgii province, for a late lunch in a local restaurant. Then we will drive downstream along the Hovd River for one hour to the Altantsögts community, where your camp will be pitched adjacent to a family of Kazakh nomads with eagle hunters, on the north side of the eternally snow-capped twin peaks of Tsambagarav and Tsast.

Day 6-7

Altantsögts & Tsambagarav Mountain

Enjoying the landscape of Altantsögts and getting to know your ger neighbours, you will experience first-hand the culture and livelihoods of nomadic people. Famous eagle hunters reside here; we will meet them and their families and witness their work as pastoralists. Bayan-Ölgii province is largely populated by ethnic Kazakhs. Mongolia is likely the largest nomadic society left on Earth. If you wish to explore further, one of the days, we will drive up the mountain to Tavanbelchir (‘Five Pastures’) for high-elevation hikes beside the eternally snow-capped peaks of Tsast and Tsambagarav.

Day 8-9

To Hovd & Ulan Bator

Enjoying the landscape of Altantsögts and getting to know your ger neighbours, you will experience first-hand the culture and livelihoods of nomadic people. Famous eagle hunters reside here; we will meet them and their families and witness their work as pastoralists. Bayan-Ölgii province is largely populated by ethnic Kazakhs. Mongolia is likely the largest nomadic society left on Earth. If you wish to explore further, one of the days, we will drive up the mountain to Tavanbelchir (‘Five Pastures’) for high-elevation hikes beside the eternally snow-capped peaks of Tsast and Tsambagarav.

Day 10-11

Ulan Bator

We suggest a morning visit to the Gandan Monastery, the busiest Buddhist site in Mongolia. Mongols share a strong religious affinity with Tibet, mostly adhering to the Yellow Hat lineage of Lamaism with the Dalai Lama as its supreme leader. Another recommendation is the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan. Bogd Khan (Bogd means ‘sacred’) was the theocratic leader of Mongolia, and the eighth of his line. The next day you will be transferred to the airport or station in time for your international flight or train to your onward destination.

Adventure Level

This is a moderately paced trip. We spend two nights in the key location, in order to explore the area, and visit with the locals. Travel days are generally limited to 5 hours of driving time, occasionally 6 – 7 hours may be required.

A normal level of balance is recommended to be able to walk in the hills. Although there are opportunities for hikes up steep hillsides to reach viewpoints, the trip can also be completed without any hiking, and the journey is comfortable despite being remote. Most of the driving is on tarmac roads, with occasional bumpy jeep tracks (especially in the vicinity of Tsambagarav Mountain).

Includes

What’s Included

Included

• All overnight accommodations
• All transport and activities as per itinerary.
• All meals outside Ulan Bator.
• Domestic flight Hovd to Ulan Bator.
• Camp entourage including cook and guide while at the private 360° wilderness ger camp.
• National Park entry fee.

Not Included

  • International air and train tickets
  • Laundry
  • Visas
  • Gratuities
Optional Extras

Customization Options

It’s possible to add on two nights in the vicinity of Ulan Bator, in order to visit Hustai National Park for a wildlife experience in the steppe hills. Or, with at least two extra nights, you could stay in Jalman Meadows in the Upper Tuul River, a forested and riverine part of central Mongolia resembling the habitats of the Russian Altai. This is an ideal place to ride Mongolian horses or take a walk on the wild side.
For a Mongolian desert experience, we recommended adding on a few days in Hovd in order to visit Khar Us Nuur National Park, where Mongolia’s largest sand dunes descend into the waters of the Great Lakes Basin. Here you can swim in isolation and ride with local nomads on Bactrian camels on the beaches and the dunes.
The Altai Traverse operates also very well in the reverse direction. Starting the trip in Ulan Bator.

Ulan Bator Arrangements

Our trips can be customized and combined in a modular fashion. Your stay in Ulan Bator may be quoted separately, allowing you the choice of hotels and experiences matching your entries and exits in our capital.

All our Ulan Bator services include:
• private chauffeur service to and from the airport at the start and end of your trip;
• city guide and private driver available as required;
• the services of our Ulan Bator guest relations team;

Featured Accommodation

Private and pristine, 360° Wilderness Ger Camps singularize our travel programs from all others in Mongolia. These innovative camps can be defined as five-star pop-up accommodations that are flexible and lightweight enough to be deployed anywhere in the country. Our camp systems, designed to be loaded onto a truck, yak caravan or camel cart, grant us access to every corner of the great Mongolian void. Our pitches are painstakingly pre-chosen for their serene, isolated beauty.

At a 360° Wilderness Ger Camp you will sleep in a traditional Mongolian ger and wake up to 360 degrees of uninterrupted landscape views in every direction.

The above gers look like any nomadic family, but they are our guest gers, deployed in the Altai Mountains. Our gers are simply but stylishly decorated with colorful Mongolian crafts, and furnished with proper beds and full bedding. Meals are served in a separate ger or traditional Mongolian marquee-style tent, each featuring diverse and delicious dishes created from traditional recipes. Every 360° Wilderness Ger Camp entourage always includes a skilled cook and a camp master.

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