If you want to go by yourself to Altai, please mail to the Russian team: LenAlpTours in St. Petersburg, see the link in the bottom of this page.
The Russian travel organization waits for you at the international aeroport. That can be St. Petersburg or Moscow.
In Russia the economic situation is very bad for most of the Russian people. The price of the things that you want to buy is the same as in the West. You cannot change in your country your money into Russian Roubels. You have to change your money in Moscow or in St. Petersburg. The best possibilities for changing money are US Dollars. After those big cities there is on your way to Altai no possibilities to change your money anymore: too small villages and you are not able to visit banks. Traveller cheques are mostly not to change and to get money from the money automat, I cannot give any guarantee that it works.
Pocket money: About 250 US $ should be enough. You can change your Roubels in Moscow at the International aeroport to US Dollars when you leave Russia.
Passport: From the day that you arrive in Russia, your passport must still be valid three months after the day that you leave Russia. Before you give all the details to the Russian organisation Lenalp Tours, your passport number too, you should look in your passport and maybe you have to make a new one. They need the passportnumber of the new one, or the one that is still valid, to organize your invitation and with this invitation you will get your visa.
From St. Petersburg or Moscow to Altai: you can fly to Barnaul, Novosibirsk or take the train to Barnaul, Novosibirs or Bijsk.
From those cities to Tyungur: The Russian travel organisation will guide you by bus to the small village Tyungur.
The distance from Barnaul to Tyungur is about 850 km.
Arrival in Tyungur: there is the basecamp Wisotnik and you can deside if you want to sleep in your own tent or in big tents in the basecamp with wooden beds, or in a wooden house on beds, with bedclothes.
Photo's and text: Fransje Bik, the Netherlands.
Altai photo's of the helicopterflight to Belucha
Mail to: LenAlpTours in St. Petersburg