Walking tour to West Altai reserve.

“Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere”

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Horse-riding in West Altai reserve.

Eastern part of Kazakhstan is another unique place with spectacular nature. It has captivating history and local culture. During the wonder of western Altai nature reserve tour, you will discover the beauty of the West-Altai National Reserve.
This place is famous not only for its natural riches, but also for mysterious phenomena. The reserve was created relatively recently, and the study of local flora and fauna continues. So this is a good chance to look at the untouched natural world of the Western Altai.
Besides that, during the tour you can feel the atmosphere of a bygone era, as well as familiarize yourself with the tradition and life of the old village nearby the forest.
In June, 2017 we a hike with employees of the West Altai national park to the amazing and unforgettable place of the Kazakhstan Altai - Lineysky columns (The stone fairy tale).
The physiographic characteristic of the area is submitted by the Koksuysky ridge which from the northwest direction, smoothly passes into the ridge Holzun which in turn, goes to the southeast. From the West, this line of ridges across which there passes the frontier of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the Russian Federation is adjoined perpendicularly by the Ivanovskiy ridge, with the highest mark of 2777 meters above sea level - the Above-Ivanovo ridge.
The dominating top in the neighborhood of the Stone fairy tale Lineysky ridge of 2598 meters above sea level towers. From the city of Ridder by the beginning of our trekking where we left the car of the reserve, 65 kilometers.
In 2010 construction of automobile, grader Ridder Road - the pass Koksuiskiy was finished. This grader, the city of Ridder had to connect to the highway between the Russian villages of Ust-Koksa and Ust-Kan of Altai Republic and further on the Chuya highway and the city of Gorno-Altaysk, Barnaul, in one party and in other party on the Mongolian border to the settlement Kosh-Agach.
Unfortunately, to this project, it was not fated to be carried out, the road was constructed only from the Kazakhstan side, Russia refrained from construction. On our way from Ridder to the pass Koksuisky the following sights of Ridder district meet: in 27 kilometers there is a village Poperechnoe, in 33 kilometers, there is a recreation facility - the Grey meadow and in 36 kilometers the Klimovka tourist center is located. Without reaching one kilometer, to the pass Koksuisky we left the car and at 8:45 began our hiking to the Stone fairy tale.
The first place of a halt, on our card of a way, we noted on Sukhoi stream, 1710 meters on sea level, here at 9:55. The picturesque vacation spot, a noisy stream with crystal clear, snow water with three-meter falls which are in 20 meters below the place of a halt.
We chose the second vacation spot after a stream Bolotnyi, at the height of 1765 meters above sea level, at 10:54. A way not difficult, in the beginning, approximately through one kilometer, the track brought us to a good track which is laid on the southern slope.
Here still last year's snow lies, the track was lost, but it is easy to find it. In that place where there is an intermountain hollow separating the Ivanovskiy ridge from the ridge Holzun the Watershed moor which has the poetic name Gulbiche was located (here at height wild animals walk escaping from insects).
After that we overcomes this boggy place, we begin to rise gradually by the western slope of the Ivanovskiy ridge in the neighborhood of Lineysky ridge. Soon we in the remarkable, taiga place, at the height of 1905 meters above sea level, here our camp in the Stone fairy tale.
Here we spent for a way 5 hours of time, distance from the road where we were left by the car, to the camp at the Stone fairy tale of 8 kilometers. Two days we walked in charming fantastic places, here we met dawn, had tea with herbs at an evening fire, listened to taiga stories from the huntsman of the reserve Philip Guryanovich Korobeynikov and botanical sketches from Natalya Premina - the botanist of the reserve. The way back took us 4 hours.    

Authority and photos
Alexander Petrov.