Chaga Bayram is a traditional national holiday of Altaians. “Chaga Bayram” is translated as White Month’s Holiday and is considered as the start of the new year. The date is determined by the lunar calendar (usually in the period from the end of January till early March) and it corresponds to other similar holidays of Turkic people such as Tsagaan Sar in Mongolia, Sagaalgan in Buryatia, Shagaa in Tyva and also the Tibetian New year. The date of celebrating in Altai is chosen by the Governor of the Republic in one of the first three even days after the New Moon. In 2024 the celebration will be held on the 17th of February.

For nomads this period of time has great significance. It is the start of a new stock-raising period, time to sum up results and have a short rest before a very busy period of animal yield.

Chaga Bayram is an ancient holiday, which has delivered traditions of our ancestors through the centuries. Usually it starts early in the morning with a special ritual with the main idea – renewal of nature and people.  The patriarchs make the first fire of a new year and start praying to the Spirit of the fire, accompanying it with the ritual of feeding the fire. They ask the spirits of Altai for blessing the holiday itself, for peace and prosperity to the motherland, for well-being and health to all people and animals.

After the ritual the festival part of the holiday starts. Usually the celebrating of Chaga Bayram is very cheerful. There are theatrical performances, parades, sports contests, tobogganing, exhibitions of traditional crafts and national cuisine.

A very interesting ritual takes place – rolling down a mountainside. It is believed that while rolling, a person absorbs the power of the earth, attracts grace, good luck, and the snow cleanses from all evil. Also, the participants, accompanied by cheerful laughter and approval, compete in the distance of the roll, the further, the happier this person will live the coming year.

Joy and good mood reign on the holiday, people celebrate the arrival of the new year, as a new cycle of life. Winter is coming to an end, the revival of nature, new hopes, new events are ahead.

This year a lot of events will be held in the main square of Gorno-Altaisk city as well in the big villages.

On the pictures – celebrating of Chaga Bayram in 2017 and 2018 organized by Sailugem national park for local farmers.
Credit: Sailugem national park

Winter came very late this year to Altai, only in December. First, it covered the snow-free Kosh-Agach region with a meter-thick layer of snow, and then tested us with frosts of –30–40 °C. But such extreme events are not constant, and we can easily spend a significant part of the winter season outside: skating, snowmobiling, or just walking in the forest. But Altai is mountain land, so the main winter entertainment is alpine skiing and snowboarding! Moreover, the level of ski resorts has grown so much in recent years that it has already become fashionable to go skiing to Altai. In total, there are more than 15 ski resorts in the Altai Republic and the Altai Territory; we will tell you about the most remarkable ones.

Manzherok

Currently, Manzherok is the largest ski resort in Altai. It is just 30 km from Gorno-Altaisk, the capital of Altai Republic. The last years, a lot of new hotels and guesthouses have been built. The main accommodation is a brand new 5 star hotel. In the coming years, Manzherok will become one of the largest and most modern ski resorts in Russia. By 2025 new premium hotels are gong to be built, the ski slopes will have a total length of 67 km, so you can really spent the whole day skiing without going the same route twice during that same day.

The ski slopes in Manzherok are created on the mountain Sinyukha. The slopes are well prepared and are maintained very well during the day, if necessary with artificial snow from machines. The highest point where the slopes start is at 1240 m, the height difference in this amazing ski resort is 850 m. In the season of 2023/2024, already 30 km of ski slopes are available for guests. Of course they have a varying level of difficulty (green to black) so all guests can have fun on their own comfort level of winter sports. A modern freestyle park with possibilities to jump or do other tricks like butters or ollies with your snowboard has been built and is available. Of course, everywhere we are writing “skiing” you can also read “snowboarding” if you prefer to do that. On one of the tracks, lights have been installed so that you can enjoy skiing late afternoon or in the evening in the dark till 22:00.

A modern cable lift, with closed cabins, takes you to a height of 1020 meters. Here you can start the winter fun or take the next chairlift which takes you to a height of 1240 m. For the lower slopes a chairlift is available which can take up to 6 people at once. There is a small chairlift for children and beginners.

On the territory of the resort itself there are five-star and three-star hotels. The nearby village of Ozernoye has also turned into a resort. You can find a variety of accommodation options here. If you have your own car, you can choose from dozens of offers in the surrounding villages and on the banks of the Katun. There will be no problems with food in Manzherok either. The hotels have gourmet restaurants, and on site you can find small cafes with quite affordable prices.

Belokurikha

Blagodat

In Belokurikha you will find the Blagodat ski complex. This is a nice ski resort that exist already for many years. On Mount Tserkovka, you will find 4 well prepared slopes. A lift will bring you to the top of the mountain. Here you can find a restaurant among other places. 2 slopes start from this point. The slope has a length of 2060 meters and a height difference of 550 m. Another slope is equipped with two rope tows, its length is 850 m with a height difference of 240 m. The slopes have a blue category. If you are tired of skiing, there are plenty of other things to do in Belokurikha and surroundings.

Mishina Gora

Another ski resort, Mishkina Gora, is located in the so-called Belokurikha Gornaya. It began operating in 2018, today it offers two tracks 980 meters long with a height difference of 225 meters, as well as a unique tubing track with turns and slopes 240 meters long. The lifts are ropeway – towing.

Mishina Gora

Height: 915 m

Length of trails: 1 km.

Height difference: 225 m

Level of slopes: middle

Belokurikha is a balneological resort. Therefore, there are numerous sanatoriums, hotels and inns located near the highways; you can rent an apartment in the city itself. There is only one hotel operating in Belokurikha Gornaya, but the ski complex is easily accessible from the lower part of the resort.

Teletski

GLK “Teletski” is located in the taiga part of Altai, where there is always a lot of snow. The trails start at the top of Mount Kokuya, 1386 meters high, and also from stations at 1050 meters and 770 meters. Most have red and blue categories. A distinctive feature of the resort is its long slopes, for example, “Promenade” is 5 km long, and “Fan” is 4 km, the elevation difference on both slopes is 755 m. The total length of the slopes is about 17 km, with another 12 kilometers of slopes under construction.

A double chairlift takes skiers to the top, and a rope tow to the Comfort track. Several places are renting ski equipment, both mountain skiing and cross-country skiing. There are multiple slopes on different levels, so everybody can enjoy himself.

If you are tired of skiing or just want to enjoy lunch, there are multiple restaurants with a nice assortment of food and drinks. You can find them on the top of the mountain, in the middle level and on the lowest level. You can rent a very nice cabin here, at the foot of the mountain and very close to the start of the lifts. You can walk in 5 minutes from your cabin to the first ski lift. It is also possible to stay in Artybash which requires you to drive everyday a few kilometer. Located close to the Teleskoye lake, it is a beautiful place. Other winter sport possibilities that are available in Artybash are renting a snowscooter, go for a walk on snow shoes, or rent the special Altai skis.

How to get to the ski resorts

If you have to come to Altai republic by airplane, the nearest airport to all ski resorts is Gorno-Altaisk. To get to the ski resorts by public transport will be not easy and may take the whole day. Kaichi Travel can organize your transfer to your destination. We will pick you up at the airport and bring you to the hotel or apartment where you will be staying for your winter holiday. Of course we will come to take you again to the airport at the end of your holiday.

Things to do

If you want to have a day of rest in between all the winter fun, we also organize very interesting day trips in Altai. We have ready-made programs, you can find them on this page. We go to the unique ice-free Swan Lake, where more than 1000 whooper swans spend the winter, visit one of the best Altai breweries on a tour, admire the winter Katun River and the sights of Chemal. And, of course, we can prepare an individual program taking into account your interests.

Lake Svetloe in Altai has become incredibly popular in recent years – after all, more than 1200 whooper swans winter there. People already started to call it the Swan lake. On the Internet, information roams from site to site that in Russia there are only two reserves where whooper swans winter: in the Anadyr region of Chukotka and in the Sovietsky region of the Altai Territory. Is this true? Let’s find it out.

Whooper swans are migratory birds. They nest on the northern borders of the forests of Eurasia from Scandinavia and Scotland to Chukotka and Sakhalin. And they usually winter in regions with positive temperatures, because these birds need open water. For wintering, swans fly to Western Europe, to the north of the Mediterranean, the coast of the Caspian Sea, to Central, South and Southeast Asia, sometimes overcoming considerable distances. Whooper swans of Western Europe are more fortunate – they have to fly not so far. So, swans nesting in Iceland winter in Ireland, Finnish whooper swans fly to Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany.

Whooper swans wintering in Ireland. Photo: birdwatchireland.ie

The most difficult situation is for the Russian swans. In order to get to relatively warm wintering grounds (at least with temperatures above 0°С), they have to travel thousands of kilometers. Every winter at the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of whooper swans arrive. Big groups of Siberian swans find winter shelter in China in Hunan, Shandong and other provinces.

Swans in winter in Shandong province in China. Photo: NewChina.tv

However, sometimes birds choose non-freezing lakes or rivers for wintering in regions with sub-zero temperatures. Lake Kussharo at Hokkaido island in Japan is famous all over the world. Photographers and birdwatchers from many countries come to take photos of swans on a lake surrounded by snow.

Whooper swans at the Lake Kussharo in Japan

But in Russia there are also several places where swans spend the winter in spite of more severe climate.

The largest wintering place for whoopers and mute swans in Russia is the Volga delta and the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Astrakhan region. The Volga Delta is an ideal place for wintering, due to the abundance and availability of food, up to 50 thousand whoopers and up to 100 thousand mute swans gather there. But there are also frosty winters, when lakes and ponds are covered with ice, then flocks of swans fly further south, to the western coast of the Caspian Sea – to Dagestan and Azerbaijan, where the cold no longer threatens them.

Another place for wintering of whooper swans in Russia is Kamchatka, where lakes are not frozen due to thermal springs. On the territory of Kronotsky Nature Reserve about 300 whooper swans spend winters. Also, birds have chosen a lake near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where the thermal power plant emits warm water. 

Already several years in a row about 30 birds winter on the non-freezing section of the Vuoksa River in the Leningrad Region. From time to time not big groups of swans are observed in the south of Urals, in Bashkiria. 

Sometimes single birds or couples stay on lakes that do not freeze during warm years in the south or in the European part of Russia. In cold years, when the lake is completely covered with ice, this can turn into a tragedy. 

Swans in winter in Astrakhan region Photo: Perkovsky M., Mesccheryakov, /astravolga.ru/

But you must admit that the climate of Kamchatka and the Leningrad region, Bashkiria, and even Hokkaido is much softer than in Altai. With an average January temperature of minus 20-24 degrees Celsius and frequent frosts of minus 35-40 Celsius, there are several wintering places in Altai!

Firstly, Lake Svetloe, where the Lebediny reserve is organized. The lake is fed by a large number of underground sources with a temperature of +5 + 6 degrees Celsius, so it never completely freezes. In 2023, the Altai branch of the Russian Bird Conservation Union conducted a census and counted more than 1,200 whooper swans here. Secondly, this is Molodezhny village near Biysk, where, due to the release of warm water from the thermal power plant, a large area of the Biya River does not freeze. More than 400 birds winter there. Also, in some years, small groups of wintering whooper swans are observed in the area of the village of Yailyu on Lake Teletskoye and on the Biya River in the Turochaksky district.

Thus, Altai is the coldest wintering place for swans in Russia, but at the same time so numerous!!!

Swans at the Swan Lake in Altai Photo: J. Van der Kooij

And what about in the Anadyr region of Chukotka? This is the Arctic, there are no non-freezing reservoirs, so swans cannot winter there. They come there to nest. Probably, the mistake came from the fact that in Russia there are 2 reserves under the name “Swan” – in Altai and Chukotka.” The main task of Chukotka swan reserve to protect the nesting whooper swans. By the way, there is an interesting film about these two wildlife sanctuaries called “Swan Paradise” on the channel “Culture”. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGZimbfdzDI)

And we invite you to observe swans. We offer both one-day excursions and an 8-day tour with a visit to the Swan Lake.

Yesterday we visited some places in Altai because of the opening of the tourist season and the blossoming of the Maralnik.

First we went to a bit smaller jaarmarka where mostly handy craft is being sold. Very interesting place with very nice works. Besides there were some entertainments like round dance and other folk events. So, people made a great show together with a lot of fun.

The second place we visited was the Festival «Blossoming of Maralnik». It was much bigger, and a lot of people there. Just like on the first place, here too a lot of different kinds of handy craft was displayed and sold. Furthermore there were several podiums with different styles of music to entertain the people. Next to that, there was a lot of food being sold, from shaslik to ice cream.

 Luckily the weather was very good, really the first warm day in Altai with sun. The Fest «Blossoming of Maralnik» has created the holiday atmosphere, but unfortunately Maralnik is not yet blossoming at all due to cold April. Our Blossoming tour will start at the 6th of May, and we are certain that the Maralnik will be fully blossoming during the trip and we will see the Altai mountains in bloom.

As we travel mostly in wild nature, we always have to be careful about ticks. So, we decided to write about ticks as many people have questions about them or are scared for them. In Altai, there are many ticks during the period of end April till half of July. But as I am writing this on the 30^th of March, there is already reported a tick-bite in Altai, so be careful any time of the year.

What are Ticks

Ticks are small parasites, approximately 3-5 mm, depending on age, gender, species and “fullness”. They live on the blood of their victims. Mostly mammals, birds and sometimes reptiles. They will find you in a few different ways: smelling you, feeling your body heat/moisture and/or vibrations near them. Ticks have 8 legs, and have an ovoid/pear shaped body. The kind you find in Altai has a hard shield, and a mouth (or something looking like that) at the front. It is possible the tick is carrying tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne typhus, tick-borne borreliosis, ehrlichiosis and some other deseases.

When

As mentioned, you should be careful any time of the year although in winter you will hardly find them. But from end of March till end of October, they are active. From end of April till half of July, you have to be extra careful, it is really high season for the ticks. In Altai you will notice a lot of billboards along the Chuysky tract that will warn you.

Where

Well, ticks have even been found in Antarctica, but we are only travelling in Altai, and that means look out when you are in nature, under trees, in long grass, and even on rocks.

Prevention

It is possible to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, you have to do this in time as it requires some time to get your immune-system activated. Usually 2 or 3 doses are recommended. It will take up to 4 weeks after the first doses to build up enough resistance. After one to three months you need to get the second dose, final dose should be in 9-12 months. To keep up to date and protected you should have an additional vaccination every 3 years.

Whether to vaccinate against encephalitis, if you plan only one trip a year to regions dangerous for tick-borne diseases, is up to you. What we always do for our guests is make a insurance that if unfortunately a guest is bitten by a tick, the treatment is free.

In addition, experts advise to drink only boiled milk. In the tick season, the milk of cows and goats that are bitten by ticks is dangerous to drink without sufficient heat treatment. In the Republic of Altai, there were more than ten cases of infection with tick-borne encephalitis in this way.

How to avoid tick bites if possible:

There are a few things you can do to prevent yourself from being bitten by a tick.

• Use special sprays that protect you and your clothing. When you travel with us, we always have it in our cars available for you to use. You can read the instructions yourself or we will inform you how long it will protect. In any case, when you change clothes/trousers, use the spray again.
• Put on clothes with long sleeves, preferably tight. Ideally, if there is an elastic band on the trousers-legs and sleeves or tight-fitting cuffs. Use some kind of hat (also recommend against the sun). If necessary put your trousers in your socks.

In addition, experts advise to drink only boiled milk. In the tick season, the milk of cows and goats that are bitten by ticks is dangerous to drink without sufficient heat treatment. In the Republic of Altai, there were more than ten cases of infection with tick-borne encephalitis in this way.

How to check

Check every 15-20 minutes your body. They can even be on your backpack or usual bag, and any other things you took with you from outside. When travelling in the Altai mountains, check every evening before you go to bed your whole body. They love warm places like armpits etc.

What to do when a tick has bitten you?

In case you are unlucky and the tick has bitten you, you can remove it the following way:

Use some ammonia or alcohol to clean the area where the bit is.

Use a fine-tipped tweezers to take the tick as close as possible to your skin

Pull slowly but steadily upwards to avoid breaking the tick, till the tick let the skin go.

You can have a tick checked if it is carrying diseases if it is still alive. Just put it in a small container and it is possible to bring them to the organization that can check it.

Do you have to visit a doctor?

It is better to visit a doctor when the tick has managed to bite you. After removing the tick, immunoglobulin must be administered to prevent encephalitis (free with an insurance). There are several points in Gorno-Altaisk and Altai republic where you can do this. In districts, you should contact the Central District Hospital or the district hospital. To prevent other tick-borne infections common in the Altai Mountains (tick-borne typhus, tick-borne borreliosis, ehrlichiosis), you need to undergo antibiotic therapy as prescribed by a doctor.

Thus, if all recommendations for protection against a bite are carefully followed, then the risk of contracting diseases transmitted by a tick is minimal.

Last week we were on MITT in Moscow. We took part on the stand of Altai Republic. The stand was situated on a good place where a lot of people passed, so we had really a lot of visitors that were curious for our trips to Altai.

Our concept of “Не Спеша” also was very interesting for many visitors. The stand was good, there was enough place even to have concerts from the Kaichi, which was great to listen too.

The whole fair was visited very well, many regions from Russia and countries were taking part and presenting their selves at great stands. Now we are very busy with follow up, talking to potential business-partners and preparing for the first trips. For us it was a very busy three days, but very interesting and promising.

Let’s see what will happen and probably we will go to MITT next year again.

We are pleased to announce that from March 16 to March 18, 2023 we are participating in MITT – the international exhibition for the tourism and hospitality industry. The exhibition will be held in Moscow at the Crocus Expo exhibition complex, in pavilion No. 1. We will present our tours at the stand of the Republic of Altai.

We are interested in finding new partners in Russia. We have ready-made programs with fixed dates that will be of interest to agencies. We can also develop a special tour exclusively for your company and act as a local operator.  We will be happy to meet in person and discuss all the possibilities of cooperation.

On Saturday, March 18, we are waiting for travelers. We will be able to tell you in detail about the beautiful region – Altai, show in the photo how our tours go, answer all questions.

We look forward to seeing you at the booth of the Republic of Altai at MITT.

Siberia is a paradise for true nature lovers. With its area of about 10 million square kilometer it contains all kinds of landscapes – arctic ice shores and semi-deserts, high snowy mountains and tundra lowlands, thousands of rivers and lakes, glaciers and caves. In some areas for hundreds of kilometers you can’t find any village or settlement and nature is really wild. And of course, Siberia is a home for so many species of animals and birds which live here undisturbed by humans and feel very good.

If you wish to travel to Siberia, the first idea which comes to mind is the Trans-Siberian Express. But travelling by train, all natural beauty just sweeps by you at a speed of 100 km/h. You are not able to smell the fresh air in the mountains, to listen to the silence, to touch tender leaves, to enjoy a sunset or watch wild animals playing. To experience the real Siberia you should take a special tour to one (or more) of the following stunning Siberian destinations.

1. Altai mountains

Altai is a very picturesque and impressive mountain land situated almost in the middle of Eurasia where Siberia meets Asia. You can cross Russian Altai travelling along one of the most beautiful roads in the world – the Chuyskiy tract – and observe how mountains grow from 400 to 4000 meters and landscapes change after every turn of the road.

You can see green meadows covered with flowers and thick forests, bold rocks and snow-covered peaks, dark-blue lakes and whitewater rivers, sparkling waterfalls and endless caves.
Turn from the asphalt road and drive a few kilometers – and you find yourself in the middle of pristine nature. Clean water in the rivers which you can drink, fresh air without any pollution – there are no industrial enterprises for about 500 km around, wild animals and birds. Altai is home to the elusive snow leopard, lynx and manul. Vultures, eagles, falcons and cranes fly in the sky.

If you visit Sailugem national park, you can even check trap cameras and be the first to see new videos of snow leopards.

2. Baikal lake

Baikal is a majestic and amazing lake situated in the middle of Siberia. It has a superlative degree in many aspects – the largest world’s freshwater lake by volume, the deepest in the world – 1620 meters, the oldest existing lake. And it is superlative in its beauty.

Due to Baikal’s great length (636 km), nature also changes significantly. The Island Olkhon with its rocks and sand dunes is ideal for landscape photographers. If you want to swim in Baikal’s clear water (you can see the bottom at the depth of 40 m) better to go to the side of Republic Buryatia. In the bays, water can warm up to 20 degrees in July. And the north of the lake is impassable thick taiga. Another good idea is to come to Baikal in the winter to see its fantastic ice. The layer of ice is more than 1 meter thick, cars drive over it and it is a great destination for photographers.

Plant and animal life of the lake is very rich, the majority of species are endemic to Baikal. The real treasure of the lake is a nerpa (Baikal seal), a species of earless seal. You can take a special boat trip to the islands to watch nerpas in their habitat.

 3. Putorana Plateau

This is the wildest and less visited by tourists place in our list of travel ideas for Siberia holidays. There are almost no roads, you can get there either by helicopter or boats in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter.

The Putorana Plateau is located in northern Central Siberia. The Plateau is 100 km north of the Arctic circle. The area is famous as “the land of 10,000 lakes and 1,000 waterfalls”. The concentration of waterfalls is the highest in Russia and no other elevated province can be compared in the number and depth of lakes. The relief consist of rocks shaped in huge steps and terraces with tabletops rising up 1,000-1,500 m at sea level, cut by deep canyons.

An endemic Putorana snow sheep inhabit the plateau. It is also a place of reindeer migration twice a year. There are no human settlements on the plateau, though local tribes with a reindeer herding tradition live in a nearby village.

4. Krasnoyarsk stolby

The Stolby nature reserve is situated close to Krasnoyarsk city.

The main attraction of the park is its rocks of wonderful beauty. They stay in a distance one from each other, rising high out of the green ocean of taiga. The rocks are 60-90 m high and have strange forms which resemble people, animals or things. Every rock has its own name. They appeared due to volcanism and were shaped during time by wind, water and erosion. The word “Stolby” is translated from Russian as “Pillars”.

Because of the particular shape of the rocks, Stolby has become the local center of cliff-climbing. The original technique of free-climbing invented by local sportsmen was acclaimed worldwide.

Nature in Stolby reserve is very beautiful – it is a junction of forest steppe and mountain taiga. Nowadays the touristic area of the National Nature Reserve “Stolby” is a well-kept zone with tracking routes of different length and difficulty. There are routes of 4 km for families with kids and longer paths of 15 – 16 km for more experienced hikers.

5. Ergaki

Ergaki is a natural park and tourist center located in the Western Sayan mountains.

Surprisingly, the place remains relatively unknown even in Russia considering the natural highlights it offers to hikers, photographers, nature admirers and other travelers, who are ready to explore this area off the beaten track.
The natural park includes the Ergaki mountain range, located in the central part of the Western Sayan. From east to west, the Ergaki mountain range is about 80 kilometers long, and its maximum width is 70 kilometers. The mountains are not very high – about 2000-2500 meters. But sharp granite peaks rising to the sky and reflecting in the lakes make the views really amazing.

Nowadays tourism facilities in this corner of Siberia are being developed and you can find good accommodation and a tour itinerary to suits you best.

Visit Siberia – a real treasure of world’s nature!