Altai trip photo-potpourri: a review of what the cameras did see.

And so, our Altai-Katun rafting adventure was coming to its inevitable end, and so is my Altai-Katun series of posts detailing it. All that’s left to do is share the most interesting photos that I don’t think I’ve shown here before. If I have – apologies for the repeats. So, in this final installment to the series, a brief review of our summer Altai rafting trip – guided by a perusal through said leftover pics.

Altai-2025: a five-day hike through the Altai mountains, then an incredible 500-kilometer rafting journey down the Katun (plus a short side-foray along the Chuya) ->

The Katun and the mountains in a single shot:

But first we had to get to the starting point – along a road like this (which actually began with decent asphalt), with the Katun on the right – along which we’d soon be rafting! ->

By the way, I should mention that most of these photos weren’t taken by me, but by my fellow travelers who kindly allowed me to post them here. Naming everyone would take a while, but if they’d like me to, I will.

So, moving on. In these parts, climbing mountains means just that – no lifts, no escalators, not even steps up inclines…

If a standard step is 20cm, then 1200 meters equals… let me add it up… 6000 steps – and we made it to the top! ->

A lake whose name I can’t remember. Back in 2016 we were the only ones here – now all the meadows are packed with tourist groups! Whatever next for poor old Altai? So – here’s cheers to the growth of Russian tourism! (JIC: that was a toast:-)

Buttes atop the mountain ridge:

And just some snapshots from the hike:

What a beautiful place!

There’s Akkem Lake down in the valley ->

The Yarlu valley:

People of various temperaments are drawn here like a magnet. I have to admit, I am too…

Honestly, I consider myself pretty normal, but up here I tend to lose my head a bit. While for those who are normally a bit edgy, it seems to have the opposite effect – it balances them out. How? A mystery…

Trekking up to the Yarlu ridge:

Simple practicality! ->

Simply beautiful! ->

Wildlife. I showed you bears, right? Here’s something smaller:

We didn’t make it to the Belukha glaciers…

We tried, and kept at it…

Now, there’s “hiking” and there’s “trekking”. Meanwhile I’ve come up with a new difficulty category: “wrekking” – as in: leg-wrekking. The walk to the Belukha glaciers definitely belongs in this third category. That said, the scenery is spectacular ->

Check out the far left of the previous photo. That’s us scrambling over unpredictable, unfriendly rocks. Grrr. 100% wrekking.

Now for something positive…

With the hike over, it was time to take to the water…

But not just any old “water”; the Katun – one of the most legendary rivers in Russia!

Rafting almost from the Katun’s source to its lower rapids is just a magical experience! 2025 marked my third trip – and I hope to do it again.

The “Cheeks” rapids on the upper Katun ->

After that, a few days of relaxation and meditation:

We even had a SUP board!

Stunning scenery!

Occasionally…

From the helicopter: the gray Argut river flows into the turquoise Katun ->

The start of the Akkem Rush:

SUPper! ->

A few practical daily-living notes/pics. We had a cast-iron… cauldron! ->

I still haven’t figured out how the apple managed to float in midair…

Keeping the coffee warm…

A sausage tree?! But I thought…

Backing-up in progress:

Cooking-up in progress:

What a tree!

Shhh! Everyone’s asleep…

Another day! Some with more a.m.-energy than others:

Others…

Occasionally – a real treat out here: ice cream!

After eight (8!) days of digital detox, we finally stumbled upon a sliver of cell coverage somewhere up in the hills. I even managed to sit on an anthill – but survived. I was just too curious about what’s happening out in the world…

New day, new colors. And the weather’s holding up!

The Katun is simply beautiful – see for yourself:

Oh, a bridge! Civilization must be getting closer…

The Chuya River (a Katun tributary), and the Horizon Rapids ->

What’s not to like?

“The Stumps” rapids. The water normally looks gorgeous and is perfectly safe. But this time the water was high and the rapids were anything but gentle… Still, never mind all that, our captains made the call – we’re going in!

But the water was just wild.

We went in convoy – just in case anyone needed rescuing. And off we popped:

Honestly, it was pretty scary.

Soon after – time to relax!

And that’s it – we made it!

A huge thank you to Altai-Guide for everything they did for us. I highly recommend them, btw!

And at the farewell dinner, I intrigued everyone by showing up… in a sports jacket!

Why? How? Well – just before Altai I found myself in nearby Krasnoyarsk Krai (visiting five industrial sites – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), where I donned fairly formal (for me) attire. And I flew directly from Krasnoyarsk to Altai. And at this end-of-Alti-trip dinner, I figured I should wear it (for this and the following day heading back home) instead of it getting crumpled in my case. No intrigue, after all!…

And with that, finally, Altai-2025 – done. Over and out!