{"id":281463,"date":"2025-06-08T12:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T12:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/adventure\/hiking-in-russias-altai-mountains\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T12:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T12:41:16","slug":"hiking-in-russias-altai-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=281463","title":{"rendered":"Hiking In Russia&#8217;s Altai Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s day eight of the first-ever Uncharted Expedition and I\u2019m hiking to the Blue Lake (2,840 metres) in the Altai Mountains in a remote pocket of southern Siberia, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russia<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On paper, this 12-kilometre trek from Aktru Base Camp should take about six hours to complete, up and back. But I\u2019m not making good time \u2013 in fact, none of us are. And it\u2019s not the altitude and thinning air that\u2019s slowing us down; at least, it isn\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I\u2019m repeatedly lured, dare I say, compelled, to stop and attempt to capture these incredible glacial vistas through the viewfinder of my camera. So it\u2019s two steps forwards, one step back as I frame and zoom and turn and click my shutter, again and again and again. Of course, it\u2019s never really possible to fully capture such dynamic beauty in a two-dimensional image, but I\u2019m getting mighty hopeful that at least one of these shots will do the Aktru glacier justice.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38425 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149.jpg\" alt=\"Two hikers climbing a glacier\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149.jpg\" alt=\"Two hikers climbing a glacier\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-1-e1570769956149-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>Although considered the most accessible launching point to explore the Altai Mountains, getting to the Aktru Base Camp was anything but easy. We\u2019re talking about a 24-hour train ride from Karaganda, Kazakhstan to Barnaul, Russia, 635-kilometres of driving in a van via the Seminsky Pass, and then a bone-crunching ride up muddy mountain roads and through raging rivers in a three-and-a-half tonne, ex-Soviet military truck, otherwise known as a ZIL-131. We jumped into this 6\u00d76 off-road beast after plates of Russian dumplings in the tiny village of Kuray, Russia, that has, according to Wikipedia, six streets and a population of 427 as of 2016. Our intrepid group of travellers and guides boosted that figure to a healthy 441 \u2013 I\u2019m sure the mayor was happy that day.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38432 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124.jpg\" alt=\"A traveller sitting next to a waterfall in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124.jpg\" alt=\"A traveller sitting next to a waterfall in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Waterfall-1-e1570771459124-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>Situated in one of the most remote parts of the planet, hiking to the Blue Lake from Aktru Base Camp is our first real chance to stretch our legs on this Uncharted Expedition. It\u2019s also a litmus test to gauge our fitness levels for a much longer, 38-kilometre overnight trek that\u2019s still to come in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/mongolia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mongolia<\/a>. But at its core, hiking here is an opportunity to connect with nature and the mountains \u2013 minus the crowds.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/mongolia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CHECK OUT OUR RANGE OF ADVENTURES IN MONGOLIA HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38429 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253.jpg\" alt=\"Hikers making their way up a mountain in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38429\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253.jpg\" alt=\"Hikers making their way up a mountain in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek-5-e1570771210253-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>Indeed, in contrast to other well-known (and over saturated) treks around the world, Aktru sees only a trickle of travellers each year. \u201cThis trek feels as if it\u2019s just us out here,\u201d Kim, my new friend from Canberra, chuckles. She\u2019s nearly right: apart from our group of 11, there are only about 10 or so small groups here, 99 per cent Russian.<\/p>\n<p>Fast-forward to the time I notice that I\u2019m severely behind schedule, and we\u2019ve already walked through small cedar forests and crossed multiple rivers. It\u2019s been pretty easy by this point, to be honest, and I\u2019m just barely breaking a sweat. But this next section screams a challenge. Up ahead, the route tracks its way up a gravelly mountain slope\u00ad \u2013 looking like the result of a landslide \u2013 before disappearing behind wispy cloud. After only a few minutes and near tumbles, it\u2019s apparent that we\u2019ll need to use all four limbs to keep our balance and stop ourselves from rolling down the mountain. It\u2019s like a real-life version of snakes and ladders, and you can feel it in every muscle.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38427 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350.jpg\" alt=\"A traveller sitting on a rock in the Aktru Mountains\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350.jpg\" alt=\"A traveller sitting on a rock in the Aktru Mountains\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-e1570770067350-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>Eventually, I make it to the top and join the rest of the group sitting on a rocky outcrop. After the slog, it\u2019s time for a well-deserved break. We pose for photos against the mountainous backdrop and the Small and Big Aktru glaciers. And then it hits me like a fallen icicle: this whole landscape is glacial, and much of the permafrost is hidden under mounds of rocks from dramatic landslides. It\u2019s like a layered cake, with gravelly icing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/expeditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TRAVEL ON A NEW KIND OF ADVENTURE ON AN INTREPID EXPEDITION. MORE INFO HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not all rock and ice, however. Sparingly, scrubs of vegetation peek out between rocks and skirt the sides of rivers, such as\u00a0kuril (used in a tea to treat high blood pressure), and badan (often used to treat colds and headaches).\u00a0There are over 2,700 species of plants in the Altai Mountains, we\u2019re told by Ksenia, our local guide from Barnaul, and many are endemic to the area. These medicinal plants are used not just locally, but throughout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russia<\/a> and exported around the world. Anton, our trip leader that\u2019s been with us since the start of this adventure in Nur Sultan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/kazakhstan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kazakhstan<\/a>, collects some tea for later, waxing lyrical on their numerous health benefits.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38428 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727.jpg\" alt=\"Hikers making their way up a mountain in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727.jpg\" alt=\"Hikers making their way up a mountain in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Mountain-4-e1570771146727-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/disconnecting-atlas-mountains-morocco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED: LEARNINGS FROM A MOROCCAN MOUNTAIN EXPEDITION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Before pressing on and continuing to the Blue Lake, we fill our water bottles at a small turquoise pond. The water is freezing cold and absolutely clean. We pass a pile of snow on our left as we ascend the small hill, and then the broad mouth of Big Aktru reveals itself across the horizon \u2013 a monochromatic behemoth of solid ice, its profile smoothly contoured, its surface scarred by cracks like wrinkles on an old face. Some of these cracks overflow with milky-white meltwater joining the rivers and streams below. In the distance, a pair of moving red and black dots can be seen; mountaineers climbing the beast with crampons and courage. I get my camera out and another 10 minutes pass like the wind.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38424 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764.jpg\" alt=\"Travellers at the Blue Lake, Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38424\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764.jpg\" alt=\"Travellers at the Blue Lake, Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake-e1570769898764-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>Only a hundred metres left to go. The clouds have parted now, painting the moraines and glacier in a gorgeous gilded light as we finally arrive at the Blue Lake, which is actually more turquoise than blue \u00ad\u2013 the result of mineral sediments on its floor. Scattered around the lake are congregations of hikers huddled around boiling stoves and basking in the toasty sunlight. A lonely wooden hut, yellow and weathered, along with a single drop toilet are the only man-made structures here. These facilities have served teams of glaciologists, geomorphologists, hydrologists and botanists from Tomsk State University since the 1950s. They\u2019ve been studying this natural wonder and keeping an eye on its size ever since. Unfortunately, most recent data indicate that the glacier is shrinking by about 15 cubic metres every year.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38426 lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352.jpg\" alt=\"A group of trekkers hiking to a glacier in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter size-full wp-image-38426\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352.jpg\" alt=\"A group of trekkers hiking to a glacier in Russia\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Russia_Aktru_Blue_Lake_Trek_Glacier-4-e1570770002352-585x329.jpg 585w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/>I join the rest of my group in the sun and collapse onto a rock. Anton has already made friends with a neighbouring Russian family; they offer to boil our group some hot water for tea to go with our picnic lunch, and we accept. Surprisingly, Russian hospitality can be found in the most unlikely of places, even at the top of a mountain in an otherwise inhospitable terrain. And unsurprisingly, we\u2019re in no hurry to head back to camp: views like this deserved to be savoured, especially with a nice cup of tea.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hike through the Altai Mountains on our 18-day Altai Mountains Expedition.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>All images by Shaun Busuttil.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s day eight of the first-ever Uncharted Expedition and I\u2019m hiking to the Blue Lake (2,840 metres) in the Altai Mountains in a remote pocket of southern Siberia, Russia. On paper, this 12-kilometre trek from Aktru Base Camp should take about six hours to complete, up and back. But I\u2019m not making good time \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":281464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11760],"tags":[110839,425,16491,6693],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-281463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","tag-altai","tag-hiking","tag-mountains","tag-russias"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hiking In Russia&#039;s Altai Mountains - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=281463\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hiking In Russia&#039;s Altai Mountains - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s day eight of the first-ever Uncharted Expedition and I\u2019m hiking to the Blue Lake (2,840 metres) in the Altai Mountains in a remote pocket of southern Siberia, Russia. On paper, this 12-kilometre trek from Aktru Base Camp should take about six hours to complete, up and back. 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