Gorny Altai: where to gain strength in the legendary “golden land”

Fans of various types of recreation come to Gorny Altai. Thrill seekers enjoy rafting, hiking and rock climbing, families with children enjoy cozy campsites where they can sleep soundly after long walks through age-old cedar forests. But first of all, Altai is one of the brightest places of power on the territory of Russia, it is not without reason that it is called “Russian Tibet”. Even inveterate cynics give up on the sublime beauty of this magnificent land.

Therefore, the most correct strategy is to choose a specific geographical reference point and explore the areas around it. We propose to take as such the Chemalsky district, located 100 km from the Gorno-Altaisk airport. Here you will find a lot of features that help, as they say, to return to the resource – we will list some of them.

The way of Chemal, posed close to the village of Chemal, chief town of the area, forms part of the old Large Road of the Silk, it is along these worn stones that the caravans went to Mongolia. In Soviet times, Chemal was a well-known health resort, which was adored by party officials and their wives. There are no industrial enterprises in the Altai Mountains, and nature has retained an almost improbable purity. And in Chemal, in addition, there is a mild climate, unusual for Siberia.

Chemal settled in a wide valley surrounded by spurs of the scenic Yolgo Range. People also come here to the suspension bridge over the Katun to see a real miracle of nature – the Dragon’s Teeth Rocks, which really resemble the jaws of a giant lizard.

There are many sights in the area, but one definitely worth noting is the island of Patmos with a wooden church of St. John the Evangelist. It is reborn: in 1920 the temple was destroyed, and in the 2000s of the last century it was restored with his own money by Russian photographer Viktor Pavlov. His widow Gayane Stepanovna still lives in Chemal and runs the Patmos History Museum. A suspension bridge leads to the island, thrown over turbulent waters the height of a standard five-story building. Surrounded by huge rocks and trees, the temple is an active women’s monastery, but passage here is open to everyone. Another miracle will be shown in the temple – a self-renewing icon of the Mother of God, who came to Patmos in the form of a blackboard, on which the image gradually appeared.

On the left bank of the Katun is the village of Askat, founded by Russian settlers at the end of the 19th century. A hundred families live there permanently, and most are descendants of these same founders.

But the village is not only famous for this. Askat is called an art village or an artists’ colony, and this is no exaggeration: painters, blacksmiths, masters of embroidery, ceramics and wood carvers live and work here. Askat has its own Gamayun Theater and the Golovan Dynasty Art Gallery, and anyone who enjoys arts and crafts will find like-minded people (and cool travel souvenirs) here.

Yoga retreats and spiritual practices also take place in Askat, and local herbalists will talk about the properties of medicinal plants and talk about the practices of shamans. If you wish, you can even get an appointment with shamans, however, you will not be able to make an appointment by phone, this is a separate story, not the easiest.

Banya is loved throughout Russia, but it seems that it was in Altai that the traditional art of soaring received new life – and, moreover, it acquired an unusual local flavor. Altai nature itself turns bathing into a true meditative practice that cleanses both body and soul.

Near the village of Anos, which lies at the confluence of the Katun and Anos rivers, on the territory of the futuristic domed hotel “vdoh”, the Vosparenie complex operates, practicing bath mentoring, a particular practice of using and transferring knowledge and skills. Stanislav Panin, winner and champion of international bathing competitions, became a mentor. He is engaged in the preparation of pairs-masters and personally controls and corrects their work, being responsible for the result.

Stanislav has his own system, the essence of which is an individual approach. In order to make vaping a useful and in a good way powerful experience for all, steam-masters evaluate the guest’s constitution, preferences, moods using a special method, and select or adapt the program . And there are a variety of programs, including delicate programs for families with young children.

For example, for Altai conditions, a special procedure has been developed that combines a “prelude” in a tank with a decoction of aromatic Altai herbs and fire therapy (contrary to the name, this is a very gentle and gradual warming of the whole body to the accompaniment of Tibetan bowls; their vibrations are believed to normalize the energies of the body). A gentle soaring with smooth, contrasting transitions helps to enter the desired state, which deepens the massage and plunges into the ice font. Crescendo is an intense effect in a hammam equipped with an author’s stove that allows you to adjust the modes “in white” And “in gray”.

The flight invariably ends with an Altai herbal tea with mountain honey – and complete relaxation, combined with incredible clarity of mind (this special state of Zen sauna is well known to connoisseurs of good steam) .

By the way, all the buildings in the “Vospareniya” are constructed of solid cedar, a tree “eternal”, which is not afraid of rot or pests. When heated, cedar purifies and disinfects the air with phytoncides – and it turns out to breathe deeper and softer than anywhere else!