Water
Lake Kindyktykul
Lake Kindyktykul (“Kin-dik-tik-kool”) borders Chikhachev Ridge in southeastern Altai and is home to over 20 species of endangered birds.
Read MoreFarewell, Teletskoye
The morning started off overcast, but settled on partly sunny during breakfast. Seven of us set out from Yailyu for a six-kilometer hike to the top of the nearest ridge. We were accompanied by two rangers, one armed with a rifle to protect us from bears. Yailyu villagers and zapovednik staff have a complicated relationship…
Read MoreArtybash onto Lake Teletskoye
EDITORIAL NOTE: Much has changed since this journal piece was published in 2010 – most importantly, there has been significant development on the southwestern and northeastern sides of the lake. I can hardly believe that this trip is going by so quickly! Must be all the sleep I’m getting now that the jet lag has…
Read MoreChemal and onward
Despite attempts by a shady cab driver to take advantage of us, we paid a fair price for a hair-raisingly fast taxi ride to Chemal, about an hour from Gorno-Altaisk. Chemal is, as always, stunningly beautiful but is more and more built up. It really does look like Switzerland, albeit with smaller mountains. It has…
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