Greater Altai (Altay) straddles corners of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, as well as southern Siberia. Within the Russian Federation it’s divided administratively between the almost flat Altai Territory and the mountainous Altai Republic. Here steppe, mountains, semideserts and over 7000 lakes culminate in the Unesco-cited ‘Golden Mountains’ including Mt Belukha (4506m), Siberia’s highest peak. Celebrated by artists Rerikh and Choros Gurkin, it’s called Shambala or Belovodye by Russian New Age groups who revere the region as a major pole of spiritual energy. From do-nothing relax- ation to extreme-adventure sports, the region is one of Siberia’s tourism magnets.
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Between Mayma and Chemal the rock- dotted Katun River weaves prettily through forests and between tall grey cliffs. Villages all along the route have a range of accommodation from basic summer huts to swanky new hotel-style complexes, many operating from May to September only. Most people simply come to unwind but between all those vodka-drinking sessions with holidaying Siberians you can usually arrange easy rafting day trips. Tour agencies in Barnaul, Novosibirsk or beyond have extensive catalogues, but in July and August many have minimum three-day stays and most are heavily prebooked.
The world’s largest open-pit asbestos mine dominates Ak-Dovurak, Tuva’s unlovable second city. Around 10km away, the only ‘sight’ is the Chinggis Khaan Stone, a remark- ably well preserved moustachioed stone idol (kameny baba in Russian or kizhigozher in Tuvan). To find it, cross the Shui River to marginally nicer Kyzyl-Mazhalik town then drive 8km towards Ayangalty. About 500m after passing the turn-off to tiny Bizhiktigh Haya village, the stone stands all alone in a field, 400m west of the road. Ak-Dovurak taxis want R200 return. Another scenic excursion heads 38km west to Teeli – where there’s a very basic hotel, Chonar Dash (24222, 21192; ul Lenina 25, Komsomolskaya ul 121) – and continues to the soapstone-carving village of Kyzyl-Dag. Personal security is a worry.
Khakassia’s capital is a pleasant, leafy but terminally dull 20th-century transport hub. It started life as a Russian fort in 1707, but until the 1930s remained insignificant compared to suave neighbouring Minusinsk, which was the region’s centre of European civilisation.