The Altai River Katun is widely known in tourist circles. It enjoys equal respect both among lovers of water rafting on various means, and among those who prefer less extreme types of recreation on its coast.
Geographic information
The Katun River, the total length of which from its source on the slope of the greatest Altai peak, Mount Belukha, to the confluence with the Biya River is 688 kilometers, is the main waterway of the Altai Mountains. The river punches its channel downstream through many obstacles. This is the reason for the large number of rapids throughout its upper and middle reaches. The Katun River along its entire length is divided into three main sections, which differ in the strength of the current, the width of the channel and the nature of the surrounding area. Upper Katun - from the source on the Gebler glacier on the southern slope of Belukha Mountain to the mouth of the Koksa River. The length of the section is 210 kilometers. The Middle Katun is a two-hundred-kilometer section from the mouth of the Koksa to the mouth of the Smulta. And the Lower Katun - 280 kilometers to the geographical point of Biya-Katun, the confluence of two equal rivers. This place is considered to be the beginning of the great Siberian river Ob, which has two sources. In the lower reaches, the Katun becomes predominantly flat.
Historicaldetails
Gorny Altai, Katun, like many other remote regions of Siberia, have traditionally been considered hard-to-reach areas. They were separated from the capitals and large industrial centers by great distances and the absence of main lines of communication. These circumstances significantly hampered the economic development of the we alth of the region. And the undoubted positive consequence of this situation is the relatively favorable state of the natural environment, which the Altai region has at the beginning of the twenty-first century. To appreciate this, it is enough to compare it with the Urals. During the Soviet period of history, there were numerous plans for the construction of dams and hydroelectric power stations on the Katun. These plans caused objections in the scientific community and protests from those who care about the ecology of their native land. And today one can only be glad that the hydropower potential of the main Altai river has remained untapped.
To Altai
The Katun River traditionally attracted those who, for various reasons, sought to temporarily or permanently break off their relations with the civilized world. In past centuries, these were the Old Believers and other persecuted religious minorities. They fled to the Altai Mountains from persecution and founded their secluded settlements on the banks of the Katun. Traces of their existence can be found in Altai today. And now Katun attracts the attention of various kinds of extreme tourists from all over the world, as well as ordinary connoisseurs of nature untouched by civilization. Gorny Altai does not deceive anyone's expectationsthose or others. To make sure of this, it is enough to open any travel media and read reviews. Katun is marked on the tourist forums with the most enthusiastic responses. It is hard to find another travel itinerary like this, where the pristine nature of the coast serves as the backdrop for extreme rafting through rapids and whirlpools.
For a dose of adrenaline
It is the lovers of extreme rafting on mountain rivers that make up the largest part of the tourist flow, every summer rushing to the shores of the main waterway of Altai. Rafting on the Katun is traditionally carried out in two ways. On light and maneuverable kayaks or on more stable (and less agile) inflatable multi-chamber rafts called "rafts". Each of the two possible alloy options has its advantages and disadvantages. The kayak is designed for a trained rafter, who, before getting to the shore of the Katun, managed to pass simpler routes. This is a prerequisite. Without it, rafting on the Katun has a high probability of becoming the last in a sports career. Therefore, most of the unskilled public is rafting on inflatable rafts, under the guidance of an experienced instructor as part of a group. Sometimes rafting is carried out on catamarans, structures of two hulls. They are quite difficult to manage and require high coordination of actions on the part of the crew. But with any type of rafting, overcoming the rapids on a mountain river is a very exciting thing. Those who have ever experienced itadventure, usually feel the desire to continue such extreme travel. And Gorny Altai traditionally pleases with a variety of possible rafting routes along its waterways.
What not to do?
You should not try to raft down the Katun on your own. And even more so alone. This can only be done by tough extreme athletes, who have experience in passing difficult tracks. But such people, firstly, are not so many, and secondly, they do not need advice and certainly know the level of complexity of rafting on the Katun. For all other tourists, such an adventure will be close to suicidal. Rafting on the Katun is the very case when you should not save on the services of an experienced instructor, a group leader. The Katun River does not forgive neglect of itself; for many tourists, rafting along it has become the last. This is evidenced by memorial plaques that can be found on the coastal rocks. This should be remembered when heading to Altai. Katun, by the way, is not the only dangerous river. Some of its tributaries are as extreme as the main stream.
Katun, map of tourist routes
It is customary to start any serious journey with a visual route on a topographic map. In this case, the matter is complicated by the fact that the number of natural attractions and simply beautiful places on both banks of the river is difficult to calculate and map. But when rafting down the river, the location of rapids and other obstacles must be known without fail. itvital, you should not rely only on the rafting instructor. Fortunately, all the rapids available on the Katun have been thoroughly studied and mapped with small details of the approaches to them. Generations of tourists have done this work. In addition, the map shows significant natural objects on both banks, which should not be missed if you are carried away by overcoming obstacles in the riverbed. Also, one should not neglect the advice of experienced people on the tactics of overcoming thresholds. Each of them requires an individual approach.
Middle Katun
In the upper reaches of the river, rafting is practically not carried out. Hiking groups of lovers of untrodden paths are sometimes sent to these hard-to-reach places. The main rafting routes are located in the middle reaches. It is here that most of the rapids that Katun is famous for are located. The photos illustrating the overcoming of these obstacles have certainly been seen by everyone. These vivid visual images are familiar even to those who have not yet been lucky enough to visit the Altai Mountains. Most tourist structures that offer clients rafting on the Katun under the guidance of experienced instructors lay their routes along the middle course of the river. Where, by the way, is relatively easy to get to, both to the starting point of the route, and to return home from the place where the rafting is completed. Those who are planning rafting on the Katun should remember that although inflatable rafts do not sink, they very much turn over on steep rapids.
Lower Katun
Downstreamthe river loses its stormy mountainous character and gradually becomes flat. It is even navigable over a thirty-kilometer section, from the confluence with the Biya to the settlement of Shulginka. The calm nature of the current makes kayaking and light boat rafting possible. Despite the fact that high mountain ranges with snow-white peaks are left behind, nature on the banks of the Katun is expressive in its lower reaches. The places here are more habitable. Among the sights it is worth noting the village of Srostki, the birthplace of the outstanding Russian writer and film director Vasily Shukshin. In the lower reaches of the river there are a significant number of recreation centers and tourist camps.
Chuysky tract, how to get to Katun
This is the main highway connecting Gorny Altai with the outside world. The historical Chuisky tract, which is today part of the federal highway from Novosibirsk to the Mongolian border, passes for a considerable distance in the immediate vicinity of the Katun. It is along this road that rafting tourists get to the starting points of the route. And along it they return back to the city of Biysk, located on the Biya River, two dozen kilometers from its confluence with the Katun. Biysk is located on the railway, by which it is relatively easy to get to it from anywhere in the Russian Federation. True, this will most likely have to be done with transplants. Since Biysk is located on the periphery of the main directions. But in the city it is easy to find road carriers specializing in the delivery of tourists in the direction of Gorny Altai. Time inthe journey along the Chuisky tract to the starting point of the route along the Katun may take several hours.
