- July 20, 2019
- Directions
- Lena Leto
In summer, tourists from Russia increasingly crave clean air and beautiful nature, and therefore they try to go away from big cities, for example, to the Altai Mountains. And Chemal is one of the most popular places in this region. Excellent natural conditions, developed tourist infrastructure and many attractions ideally coincide here. We'll tell you where Chemal is, how to get there and what to do there.
Geographical position
The village of Chemal is located in the northwestern part of the Altai Mountains. Mountain Altai is the heart of Asia. The semi-deserts of Mongolia, the Siberian taiga and the Kazakh steppes converge here. And this is a land of beautiful nature. The village, as if on purpose, contains everything a traveler needs: a clean river, beautiful mountains, taiga. It lies on the right bank of the Katun, at the confluence of the Chemal River. At the same time, there is an excellent road leading to the settlement, and there are many places for comfortable accommodation. From the capital of the Altai Republic, Gorno-Altaisk, to Chemal is about 100 km along the highway, 61 km in a straight line. The terrain of the area is mountainous. But since the settlement stretches along the river bank, there are no large differences in elevation. Chemal lies in a valley and is surrounded by mountains of medium height, some of which are accessible for hiking.
Blue Lakes
Near the Katunya River, near the village of Askat, there is a beautiful chain of clear lakes. There are 3 of them and they are very ancient. These reservoirs are open to the public only from August to April. For the rest of the time they are flooded with Katun water. In winter, their surface becomes crystal clear. Water circulates from one body of water to another, eventually flowing into the Katun. Many springs feed on them. They got their name from their amazing turquoise color. In the smallest of the lakes, you can dive near a huge stone block that goes under water to a depth of 2 meters. The greatest depth of these lakes is 8 meters.
This is a real paradise for travelers, because every weekend a frame bathhouse is heated on an island in the middle of the lakes. Here you can swim in the lakes and bask, enjoying the indescribable beauty of the sunset distances of the Altai Mountains, breathing fresh air and drinking herbal teas with aromatic field herbs. The bathhouse is connected to the lake by a small staircase. It is booked at the Katun base.
Story
The village of Chemal (Altai Mountains) officially appeared in 1842. 30 families came here from the Smolensk volost of the Biysk district. These were the first Russian settlers in Chemal. But Altaians lived here much earlier. They did not build permanent buildings, as they led a nomadic lifestyle. But in the valley of the Chemal and Katun rivers there was a very convenient place, which they often used for parking.
The Russian settlement gradually began to grow, mainly due to immigrants from the Altai region. In 1849, representatives of the Altai spiritual mission led by monk John came here. A year later, a small wooden church was built here in honor of John the Theologian and a missionary camp was organized. The tasks of this community included the baptism of Altaians into Orthodoxy. This changed the lives of the local population. The Altaians began to gradually switch to a sedentary lifestyle and build houses in Chemal. They mastered farming, weaving, and sewing. The missionaries taught the Altai people literacy and housekeeping. Russian families were invited here to share their experience. Gradually, a special community developed here. Everyone spoke Altai and Russian and combined the traditions of Orthodoxy with the experience of the local population.
In 1861, Hieromonk Macarius came to Chemal and began a huge amount of work. He not only attracted the Altai people to the Orthodox faith, but also educated and treated the local population. Thanks to his efforts, the village grew significantly. At the end of the 19th century, Chemal became known as a balneological resort. Many scientists from Tomsk University came here. By the beginning of the 20th century, Chemal was already a large village with rich merchant houses and shops, two schools, a hospital, and a hotel. It was a real cultural and economic center of the area.
The Soviet period began in Chemal with uprisings and armed clashes. But by the end of the 20s, everything improved, government structures were organized, and a hydroelectric power station was built in the 30s. During the war, a bone-tuberculosis sanatorium was evacuated here, which continues to operate today. In Soviet times, a forestry enterprise began operating here, and a resort infrastructure was developed. After the collapse of the USSR, Chemal began to develop as a tourist and recreational zone. Today this is one of the most popular parts of the Altai Mountains, receiving a large number of vacationers every year.
Castles of Mountain Spirits
Another popular place visited by all tourists in Chemal is an amazing creation of nature, popularly called the Castles of Mountain Spirits. The sight seen is truly mesmerizing: on a flat plateau there are vertical jagged rocks, reminiscent of castle towers from afar.
These rocks have long inspired mystical horror in the local population. They said that spirits lived in them, making sounds that could kill a person. And these legends were confirmed by cases when dead travelers were found near the rocks without signs of violent death, who decided to stop here for the night.
Scientists have found that the rocks are located in such a way that the wind creates sounds of a certain frequency in them, and they kill people with their vibration. Part of the rocks were blown up, the sounds disappeared, but interest and fear of the natural miracle remained. Therefore, tourists are constantly brought here.
Climate and weather
Chemal (Altai Mountains) is located in a continental climate zone with pronounced seasonality. But the mountain peaks surrounding the village create a special, mild microclimate: it is always warmer here than in other parts of the region. So, the average annual temperature here is 4.4 degrees Celsius, and, for example, in Gorno-Altaisk - 2.8, in Barnaul - 2.6 degrees, in Kemerovo - 1.3 degrees. If we draw analogies, then temperatures in Chemal are comparable to those in Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod. The beauty of the local climate is that the sun is almost always shining here. There are only about 40 cloudy days a year.
In addition, the mountains reliably protect the valley from the winds, so it is always very comfortable here. But the continental climate causes great differences between the seasons. There are quite hot summers and cool winters. The holiday season begins in May, when the air warms up to 15-20 degrees. It is warmest here in July-August, when the thermometer hovers around 20-25 degrees. In winter, the temperature rarely drops below 10 degrees below zero. There is not much snow in Chemal, but stable snow cover remains until March. The month richest in precipitation is July.
Hydrology
The main watercourse of the region is the Chemal River, at the convenient mouth of which the district center is located. The river begins in a small mountain lake reservoir on the slope of the Tamanel peak (2254 m) in the Kumin Belkov ridge. Near the village of the same name, the Kuba River joins the Chemal, and 7 km away the waters of the Chemal join the Katun.
Other tributaries of the Chemal are the rivers Erlogol, Uozhan, Berulu, Kushkula, Sharkoy, Kush, Kologosh. The unique necklace of the Karakol lakes in the upper reaches of the Karakol river, the Cheposh lakes, and the Blue lakes in Askat are widely known in Altai. On Katun, it is popular among water tourists to overcome the two Teldekpensky, Askatsky, Elikmanarsky, and Elandinsky quite serious and extreme rapids.
How to get there
Today, many travelers are interested in eco-tourism and are looking for untouched places in Russia. One of such places is Altai. Chemal is one of the most beautiful and accessible places in this region. Tourists come here who want to combine comfortable accommodation with relaxation in a beautiful place with pristine nature. You can get here in two ways: by road or by helicopter. If you can afford the second option, then you don’t need to tell anything about it - your pilot will find out everything himself.
But in the first case there are options. Typically, the starting point for a trip by car or bus is three cities: Novosibirsk, Barnaul or Gorno-Altaisk. Each of them can be reached by train, car or plane. Let's say your starting point is Novosibirsk. Then you need to find an exit to the M52 highway “Chuysky Trakt” and follow it to the village. Ust-Sema, where you need to turn onto the Chemalsky tract. And it will lead you to the right village, where the end point of this road is. You can also get from Novosibirsk by intercity bus, which runs twice a day. Travel time will be a little more than 9 hours.
The road Barnaul (Altai Territory) - Chemal will be shorter by about 3 hours. Buses also run from here, there are 4 trips a day. By car you will need to drive along the Novosibirsk highway until the turn to Biysk. And then the path is the same as from Novosibirsk.
The easiest and fastest way is from Gorno-Altaisk. The journey will take 2-3 hours. From here you can also get to Chemal by bus.
Karakol Lakes
How to get there: The lakes are located on the western slope of the Iolgo ridge, near the foot of Mount Bagatash. From Chemal to Ozery 40 km. There is no road along which you can get directly to the lakes. The Shishiga minibus (departs daily from the Chemala bus station at 1A Pchelkina St.) can take you closest to the lakes, dropping you off on the side of the road. Typically, disembarkation takes place near the beginning of the forest route. You will see a large gate with an inscription that tells a brief history of the lakes. Follow the signs along the wide dirt road. At the very beginning (at the gate) you will be offered to rent a horse, the cost of which is 600 rubles for 1 hour. At the end of the 3 km long route there is another stable where you can leave your rented horse. We recommend booking a tour at the kiosk at the Chemal bus station. The price depends on the number of attractions in the program. An excursion to the lakes costs 580 rubles per person. You will be taken there on a comfortable bus with a guide.
Karakol lakes differ from other bodies of water in their temperature - it is low even in the sultry summer heat. The depth is small, no more than 10m. There are five lakes in total, they are located among the rocks. Perhaps this is why the water in them is always cold.
What to see along the way
If you have to travel from Novosibirsk or Barnaul (Altai Territory) to Chemal, then you should not miss the opportunity to see the sights along the road. It is not for nothing that the Chuysky tract is called one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The views along it are so breathtaking and you want to stop every minute. But the main thing to see is:
- Chuya Tract Museum. Here you can find out how this difficult road was built and get acquainted with ancient maps and models.
- The village of Srostki. This is the birthplace of the writer and film director V. Shukshin, there is his museum and monument. Also in Srostki, everyone buys the famous, very tasty pies.
- The village of Maima is the longest in Russia. Here you can look at the local temple, and also try very tasty local cheeses.
- In addition to historical attractions, there are a lot of beautiful places along the road: Arzhan-Su waterfall, the Katun River, Lake Manzherok, Tavda Caves.
Features of the holiday
The village of Chemal is a dead-end part of the highway with a well-developed infrastructure. Then you can only go on foot or ride on special equipment, and there are very few places to stay. Why do people go to Chemal? To relax in the fresh air, walk in beautiful places, climb mountains, even if they are not high. It is not for nothing that the village is considered a balneological mountain-climatic resort; here the air itself is considered healing. Therefore, first of all, you need to walk and breathe. But tourists are offered a wide range of entertainment and excursion services. Looking at the photo of Chemal (Altai Mountains), it’s hard to believe that this is not Switzerland or Austria, but Russia, the mountains and valleys here are so beautiful. This place allows you to combine several types of tourism at once: ecological, active, educational and health-improving.
Where to stay
Chemal is a resort with a long history. Sanatorium holidays and tourist services have been provided here for many years. Therefore, in the village there are hotels, bases, campsites, guest houses for every taste and budget - from very comfortable ones with their own swimming pools, like Royal Comfort and Pharaohova Dacha, to very simple ones, for example, the Berkut tourist complex or camping "Nook." Therefore, the main problem that a tourist faces is choice.
As for hotels, Chemal (Altai Mountains) offers its guests many accommodation options, which stretch along the entire Chemal tract and further beyond the village and a good road. Therefore, you need to decide why you are going. If you need civilization in the form of cafes, shops, various services, then it is better to settle in the village itself or along the highway. If you want solitude, untouched nature and silence, then it is better to drive outside the village, to less traveled places.
Another issue related to where to live is the level of comfort required. It can be very different. If you need your own shower and air conditioning in your room, a swimming pool and a high level of service, then there are very few such places here. If a roof over your head, a common simple shower and amenities in the yard are enough for you, then there are a lot of such places here; almost any residential building can accommodate you for little money. In general, all places of residence can be divided into several types: comfortable rooms, unfurnished rooms or separate summer houses, tent camps with parking for cars, guest houses and cottages for families and large companies - usually they are comfortable with a different set of additional options. There is still the opportunity to live in the private sector, that is, rent a room or an extension in a residential building.
The best camp sites in Chemal
Gorny Altai is a very popular holiday destination. That’s why new places to stay open here every year. And in general the level of service is growing. Let's look at the most popular bases in Chemal (Altai Mountains). Within the village, the Royal Comfort and Silver Springs complexes are best characterized by tourists. The Areda 2 and Areda 3 bases, where they offer premium-level holidays, are in good transport accessibility. Also, a decent level of comfort at different prices is offered by such popular bases as “Zimin Base” on the banks of the Katun, “Katun Valley”, “Maryin Island”, mini-hotel “Silver Springs”, guest house “Ivanovsky”, “Altai Foothills”.
All recreation centers (Chemal, Gorny Altai) are within walking distance of the main attractions, only the Zimin Base is located a little to the side. To get around the village you can use the services of local drivers or bicycles.
Things to do
Only at first glance, a holiday on Chemal (Altai Mountains) may seem monotonous. In fact, leisure activities for tourists are very well organized here. But the first thing you need to do is walk: along rivers, in the mountains, around the village. There are a lot of beautiful places here, there are so many views of the Katun that you could take a whole photo album. You need to walk and breathe. After this, you can visit the main attractions: the state district power station and the monastery on the island of Patmos. And after that you can indulge in other entertainments, of which there are many. These include horseback riding in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter, an amusement park with a Ferris wheel, a water park, and many prize-winning attractions: crossbow shooting, Kalashnikov assault rifle shooting, and darts.
For more advanced shooting enthusiasts, there is the Aitau shooting club in Chemal with professional stands. There is also an extreme amusement park next to the state district power plant. Here you can bungee jump with or without immersion in water, you can fly over the river on a rope, and just walking along a rope bridge is already an adventure. For lovers of secular entertainment, the village even has a nightclub where discos are held. Local residents also offer visits to their farms to feed the animals and look at the apiary; children really like all this. So there are a lot of activities at this mountain resort.
Castles of mountain spirits
How to get there: You can book a horse riding tour lasting 8 days and visit the castles. The cost is negotiated individually, the minimum price is 4,500 rubles for one adult and 6,000 rubles for one child. You can order a tour (and other excursions around the Chemal region) at the Chemal bus station, at the kiosk at the main entrance. If you decide to visit the castles of mountain spirits on your own: By taxi (1300 rubles) or bus (300 rubles) go to the bus station in the village of Chektyr. There is no further road, so you have to get to the castle on a horse - you can rent one in the village (1 hour - 400 rubles).
Castles of mountain spirits are rocks near the Karakol lakes. Their relief resembles castles, hence the name.
There is a terrible story associated with the place. Once, back in 1960, a group of scientists was sent to the location of the current castle of mountain spirits. Their goal was to study the terrain and topography of the mountain. After some time, the scientists stopped communicating. A group of specialists was sent to search for them and found the bodies of scientists near the mountains. The study discovered the presence of potentially dangerous ultrasonic waves in the area. It was decided to blow up the mountains - in their place there were only piles of stones that looked like a castle.
You cannot take anything away from the territory of this castle - not a pebble, not a flower, not a scoop of earth. Locals believe in a legend that if you take something away, the mountain spirits will see it and get angry, sending you into trouble.
Chemalskaya HPP
The main local attraction is the hydroelectric power station. It was built back in the 30s of the 20th century. In 2011, the power plant ceased to be used for its intended purpose, but was not dismantled, fortunately, and today it is an interesting tourist site. The hydroelectric power station was built by prisoners from a Siberian camp. It was located near the confluence of the Chemal River and the Katun, where a small reservoir was formed. The place is very beautiful: bubbling water, pine forest, rocks.
In 2011, the turbine hall was flooded, the station was turned off and was not repaired. In 2014, part of the dam was washed away during a flood. Now work is underway to clean the bottom of the reservoir and a project is being prepared to modernize the station so that it can provide energy to the village of Chemal and numerous bases around. For now it is used as a tourist site. You can go on a tour, look inside the station and walk around it, admire the rushing water from the suspension bridge.
Patmos Island
Not far from the village. Chemal is a very interesting place - a rock in the middle of the Katun. The island is called Patmos in honor of its Greek namesake, where John the Evangelist once prayed. According to legend, in Altai in the 19th century many monks sought solitude. One of them was a hermit on a rock, his name was John. It is by analogy with the Greek place that the island got its name. Old-timers also call it Makarievsky in honor of the enlightener Makariy, who did a lot for the local residents. There was also a second Macarius - Nevsky, he lived in this area for 15 years.
Patmos was consecrated in 1855 by Bishop Parthenius. The island served as a place of prayer and solitude for the first missionary of Chemal. For prayers, a wooden church was erected here in honor of the Trinity and John the Baptist. At the beginning of the formation of Soviet power, it was destroyed. And only at the end of the 20th century it was decided to restore the temple. Moreover, this was essentially a feat of one person - photographer Viktor Pavlov. He spent almost 20 years creating the church; with great effort, a suspension bridge was built and a temple was erected, which was consecrated in 2001 in honor of John the Theologian. Pavlov decided to donate the church to the Altai diocese, and now it belongs to the Znamensky Convent. Later, a monastic hermitage made of wood was built on the shore, where services are held.
Today Patmos is the most visited place in the Altai diocese. People come here all year round to ask for their secret. So, while relaxing in Chemal, be sure to visit this interesting place.
Cultural
For those who decide to relax and improve their health in Altai, it will be interesting to know what sights to see in Chemal related to local traditions and people. One of these objects is cultural.
It consists of 4 yurts, each of which highlights the life and customs of the Altai people:
- the first yurt is dedicated to national clothing and household items;
- the second provides information about the elders of the clans about whom materials and photographs were collected;
- the third is a yurt for thinking about peace, religion and friendship; the attributes of faith are presented here;
- the fourth tells about the nomadic life of the Altai people.
The museum is young, but more than 12,000 people have already visited it, which indicates people’s interest in the history of Altai and its inhabitants.
Where and what to eat
An important issue for tourists is catering. In Chemal in the summer there are no problems with this. There are several cafes and canteens here. Residents of hotels and tourist complexes are offered comprehensive meals on site; in some places of residence they also serve a la carte meals. Those who rent private homes with kitchens can cook their own meals using ingredients purchased at the local farmers market or grocery stores, of which there is no shortage.
Coming to Chemal, Altai, everyone wants to try the local cuisine. But it’s not easy to find this here. The village has good cafes serving Armenian and Uzbek cuisine; many establishments offer Turkic dishes: lagman, samsa, and you can often find shish kebab. But for some reason there are practically no Altai dishes.
Sanatorium Chemala
It is surprising that in the village most of the local wonders are the only ones, if not in the world, then in all of Eastern Siberia. Already, many patients of the local sanatorium have had the opportunity to improve their health and explore what attractions Chemal has prepared for them. Reviews about the treatment and conditions of detention indicate that not only the climate in the surrounding area is good, but also the atmosphere in the sanatorium is very friendly and just as healing.
Active life in the sanatorium began when Ekaterina Kalinina became its director. Initially, it was a resort to improve the health of members of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, which was also visited by many prominent figures of art and literature. Only in 1957 it was repurposed into a mountain-climatic health clinic for tuberculosis patients with varying degrees of complexity of the disease.
To get into it, you need a referral from doctors to get a voucher. Those who have already undergone treatment here note the extraordinary impact of the local air and its assistance in recovery.
Reviews from tourists
Many tourists have favorite vacation spots where they return year after year. Undoubtedly, these include Gorny Altai and Chemal. Reviews from travelers show that many have been to this place many times. What attracts them? According to them, nature and clean air, comfortable living and good service. In reviews you can also find complaints that prices for accommodation and services are often inflated. But you need to understand that the tourist season here is short, and the local population wants to compensate for their costs. Tourists also note the good climate in Chemal and various opportunities for entertainment, including not only those we have already listed, but also a bathhouse, rafting, and trips to remote natural attractions.
Nature
Around Chemal there are light pine forests with an abundance of berry bushes, Altai herbs, and thickets of bracken. The air in such a forest is saturated with essential oils, evaporation of pine resins, phytoncides, turpentine, and ionized with ozone, and tourists often say that such air can be taken in handfuls and drunk like the purest Altai water.
38 species of rare plants grow here, including evasive and steppe peony, Altai rhubarb, feather feather grass, Lady's slipper, tiger iris, Asian swimmer, Siberian kandyk. Thanks to the unique microclimate, magnificent gardens grow in Chemal. Apples, pears, plums, cherries, almonds and apricots are grown here.
In the taiga forests of the Chemal region there are many bears, hares and foxes, squirrels and lynxes, sables and chipmunks, ermines and wolves, and moose and musk deer are found. The taiga sings in different bird voices, nutcrackers and jays, tits and crossbills chirp, wood grouse and hazel grouse fuss in the undergrowth, woodpeckers knock, owls hoot. There is no excessive swampiness in the dry mountain forests, so there are no mosquitoes in Chemal, which greatly pleases guests of the area.
