Confluence of the Chuya and Katun Rivers in Altay

The confluence of the Chuya and Katun Rivers is called by local people the Place of Power of Altay. The Chuya Highway runs for hundreds of kilometers in the valleys of these great rivers of Altay. The confluence of Chuya and Katun is a landmark of Altay, which all tourists should visit. 

The segment of the Chuya Highway that runs along the Valley of the Katun River is quite short, only 30 kilometers. After that, the Chuya Highway stretches along the Chuya Valley for 210 kilometers till the village of Kosh-Agach. These 240 kilometers of the Chuya Highway are the most picturesque, here you can see the nature of various climatic zones, for example, the Kuray steppe or the North-Chuya Ridge. 

The confluence of the Chuya and Katun Rivers is located in the immediate vicinity of the Chuya Highway on the 713 kilometer of the road. Leaving the car in the parking lot, you have to walk about a two hundred meters to the high bank of Katun. It offers very beautiful views of the bend of the wide Katun River. Here it looks very full-flowing. To see the mouth of the Chuya River, you need to walk about 200 meters more along the steep bank. The Chuya River in this place looks small, its muddy waters flow into the Katun and do not mix at first, but then the Katun absorbs the waters of the Chuya. 

Depending on the time of year, the water of the Katun River changes its color. In spring and summer, when glaciers are actively melting, the waters of Katun have a milky gray color. In autumn and winter, the glaciers stop melting and the waters of Katun acquire a beautiful turquoise color. 

At the confluence, the Katun River makes a very deep bend in the form of a semicircle. Altayans call this place Kui-Moin, which means "Camel`s neck". They also sometimes call this place Chui-Oozi, which means "Mouth of the Chuya". In 2012, this place was declared a national natural park, which was named - Chui-Oozi.