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Altai - Listening to the sky

Region: Altai 

The Altaian Mountains is a beautiful part of wildlife on the Earth. If you are interested in birds and mountains you may join our Bird Watching trip «Listening to the sky».  During the trip we may observe about 120 species of birds. Here you will be able to meet such rare species as Imperial Eagle, Sacer Falkon, Demoiselle Crane, Whooper Swan, endemic species Altai Snowcock, Brandt’a Mountain Finch, Pallas’s Rose Finch. Besides, such species as Bar Headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck nest on the shores of beautiful unique alpine lakes. A very rare hunter - snow leopard lives on the alpine mountain ranges. If you are lucky enough, you will see the prints of his paws on the snow. The trip doesn’t require you to be perfectly fit. Excursions in the wilderness during the day, different landscape, spending some nights in a tent – all these will certainly help you to become closer to nature.

Our guides Birds checklist

Photogallery of tour:

The nature of Altai
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Hey men!
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Wheatear
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View all photos of the tour


Itinerary:

1 day

Early morning arrival to Gorno-Altaysk.
Transfer to Seminsky Pass (150 km). Overnight in a hotel on the top of the Pass at altitude 1800 m.
Meals on road in cafes and dinner in a hotel are of the extra expeces.
During the trip we'll make stops for birding and we'll get aquainted with the species of pine forests such as Crested Honey, Buzzard, European Scops Owl, Ural Owl, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Red-spotted Bluethroat, Red-flanked Bluetail, Spotted Nutcracker and others.

2 Day

Breakfast in a hotel.
Transfer Seminsky Pass - Aktash (300 km). Overnight in a hotel. Lunch on road in a cafe (extra expence), dinner in a hotel.
During our trip we'll see the change of various landscapes from forest to rocky mountains.
Near the hotel we'll walk along small river where are good places for nesting of Pine Bunting , Mistle Trush, Black Stork.

3 Day

Breakfast in a hotel.
During the day we'll walk to mountain lakes and forest. Birds for today: Rufous-tailed Rock, Black Stork, Cinereous Vulture, Eastern Imperial Eagle and others.
Lunch pack, dinner in the hotel.

4 Day

Breakfast in a hotel.
Transfer Aktash - Elangash river (70km).
Along the road watching birds of prey and inhabitants of the lakes in the Chuya river valley. Bird species: Gray Shrike, Wheatear, Pied Wheatear, Horned Lark, Gray-necked Bunting, Whooper Swan, Black-throated Diver, Bar-headed Goose, Steppe Eagle etc.
Meals on road in cafes and dinner cooked by the tour team on fire. Overnight in tents.

5-6 Days

Elangash river valley.
Walking tours to the bottom of the mountains of 2300-2500 m altitude. The river starts in glaciers and create green valley surrounded by the high pics. Landscapes vary from alpine meadows to steep rocks.
Birds for these days: Richard's Pipit, Blakiston's Pipit, Eastern Black Redstart, Lammergeier, Booted Eagle, Upland Buzzard, Red-billed Chough, Isabelline Wheatear. The luckiest will meet with Altay endemic – Snowcock.
Overnight in tents, meals in the camp and lunch pack.

7 Day

Breakfast in the camp, transfer to Ortolyk settlement (km). Lunch in a cafe on road (extra expence), accommodation in tourist hotel. Dinner in the hotel.
Birding along the nearby lakes of the Chuya steppe. Water birds of the day: Grebes, Black-throated Loon, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Shelduck, Whooper Swan, Redshank, Little-shilluk, Black-winged Stilt, White Heron and a rare species – Mountain Goose.

8 Day

Excursion to the Chuya Steppe.
The steepe is surrounded by high mountain rangers. There are Mongolian and Siberian fauna combined and we can observe interesting species: Lesser Kestrel, Pallas’ sandgrouse, Demoiselle Crane, Sociable Plover, Solitary Snipe as well Hooper Swan, Eurasian Bittern, Grey heron, Black Tern, Red-throated diver, White-winged Tern, Black-winged stilt, Pied Avocet, Horned Lark, Rock Sparrow.
Overnight and meals in a hotel.

9 Day

Excursion to the valley of river Buguzun.
We can observe the landscapes with alpine meadow and bushes. There are good places for nesting of such species as Upland Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Ptarmigan, Black Stork, Solitary Snipe, Pallas's Rosefinch and even Snowcock.
Overnight and meals in a hotel.

10 Day

We are coming back to Chuysky Path and move to Karakolskaya valley. (km).
Mountains are lower here (2000-2500 m) and we get into beautiful larch forest. These places are sacred for local people, national park is organized here. There are a lot of petrogliphs — ancient pictures on the stones.
There we meet Fork-tailed Swift, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Grey-necked Bunting, Mistle Thrush, Yellow-Browed Warbler.
Overnight in a hotel. Breakfast and dinner in the hotels, lunch on road in a cafe (extra expence).

11 Day

Transfer from Karakolsky valley to the suburbs of Belokurikha city.
Our hotel is situated near the river on the border of mountains, we could visit the rocks with colonia of Lesser Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Saker Falcon.
Overnight in a hotel.Breakfast and dinner in the hotels, lunch on road in a cafe (extra expence).

12 Day

Return to Gorno-Altaysk (km). Overnight in a hotel near the airport. Breakfast and dinner in the hotels, lunch on road in a cafe (extra expence).

13 Day

Breakfast in the hotel. Shuttle to the airport. Departure to Moscow.


INCLUDED:
land transportation, accommodation, meals, rent of the equipment, insurance, private guide and driver.
NOT INCLUDED:
Airtickets Moscow-Gorno-Altaysk-Moscow, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses

Equipment


Notes:

Encephalitis vaccination is obligatory
 
(916)
410-66-66

General info:

13

tents, guest houses

FB

moderate

12

auto

summer



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