www.walksworldwide.co.uk If thoughts of Siberia still conjure up images of Soviet salt mines and icy wastelands filled with ‘dissidents and undesirables’, in reality, an 18-day fully guided wilderness trek in the Siberian Altai with Walks Worldwide, reveals a mystical landscape of untrammelled natural beauty springing to life in the warm summer months.
This stamina-testing trek explores an area little-known to Western trekkers, high in the hauntingly beautiful Altai Mountains that straddle the border between Siberia and Mongolia.
The people of the Altai are ethnically different to Russians and still practice a form of Shamanism including techniques for out-of-body experiences.
The tour commences with a day exploring the squares and cathedrals of historic Moscow before transferring to Barnaul in southern Siberia. Spending a day in the sleepy Altai village of Tungur, walkers can prepare for the trek with an acclimatisation walk to enjoy the wonderful views along the Katun Valley.
Ten days of trekking follow old hunters’ trails across rivers and meadows, beside waterfalls and lakes, through an unspoilt Alpine environment rich in wildlife, deep into the heart of a mystical land claimed to be the site of Shambala, an earthly paradise.
Others say it is the place where the final battle between good and evil will one day be fought…a bewitching foray into another world.
En route, walkers are rewarded with glimpses of the majestic snow walls of Mount Belucha (4506 metres), Siberia’s highest peak, possible sightings of Ibex and, if lucky, Snow Leopard (the Altai Mountains are an important remaining habitat for the Snow Leopard), plus one of the most beautiful vistas in all of Siberia, the dazzling turquoise waters and thickly wooded hills of Kucherla Lake. The tour concludes with a final day of sightseeing in Moscow, taking in the Kremlin and Red Square.
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