Teletskoye Lake is one of the main attractions of Altay Mountains. It is a tectonic fault, sandwiched between the rocky mountains. The lake has the shape of an inverted letter "Г". The Chulyshman River flows into Lake Teletskoye from the south, and the Biya River flows from the north.
Teletskoye Lake stretches for 78 kilometers from south to north. In narrow places, the width is only 3 kilometers, and in the widest places, it does not exceed 5 km. The average depth of Lake Teletskoye is 170 meters, but in some places, it reaches 325 meters. Thus, Lake Teletskoye is the second natural reservoir of clean drinking water after Lake Baikal.
In the northern part of the lake is the village of Artybash, which is reached by a comfortable road from Gorno-Altaysk (157 km). On the opposite bank from Artybash is the village of Iogach. They are resorts in the northern part of the lake. Most of the houses on the shore are rented to tourists. There are cafes and restaurants in the village, but the tourist infrastructure in Artybash is still being formed.
The “Teletsky” ski resort was built nearby on Mount Kokuya. It has 8 ski trails of various complexity. The total length of the trails is 17 kilometers. Trekking trails are laid near the villages of Artybash and Iogach, as well as around the Teletsky resort. The resort is open in summer for fans of hiking in the Altay taiga.
Teletskoye Lakes are often compared to Lake Baikal. The structure of the lakes is very similar, although the size of Lake Teletskoye is much smaller. Teletskoye Lake is sandwiched between rocky mountains that go steeply into the water.
Many people come to Teletskoye Lake for fishing. Here you can find whitefish, grayling, taimen and other types of "noble fish". There are a lot of fish in the lake, so fishing can be a real pleasure.
The local Altay peoples who lived in this region called the lake Altyn-Kel, which means "Golden Lake". In the 17th century, the first settlers from Russia were the Cossacks from Omsk. They named the lake Teletsky after the tribe of Teles who lived on its shore.
One of the attractions on the eastern shore of Lake Teletskoye is the Korbu Waterfall. There is a small pier near it, where small boats can moor. Korbu Waterfall is located 200 meters from the shore of Lake Teletskoye. There is a very picturesque beach covered with flat pebbles. If the water of Lake Teletskoye could be warm, then the place would be very convenient for swimming.
In the south, the Chulyshman River flows into the lake, which flows from the Ulagan Highlands. In the north, the Biya River flows out of the lake. Because of this geological feature, the winds in these places often blow from south to north. They shift the clouds from the southern part of the lake to the northern part, so precipitation and heavy fogs are quite common in Artybash. If you are planning a vacation in Artybash, then you need to take this feature into account. June is the most rainy season in Artybash.
On the southern tip of Lake Teletskoye there is a huge sand spit. It stretches for 980 meters from the western rocky shore to the place where the Chulyshman River flows into Lake Teletskoye. Its width varies from 50 to 100 meters. Behind the spit there is a small estuary filled with the waters of the river. The waves of the lake take out the trunks and branches of trees on the spit, which cover it with a dense layer. They are removed from time to time. Near the sand spit on the shore of Chulyshman river there is a small tourist camping Karagay. The highest mountain that rises above these places is Mount Tualok.
Taking into account the climatic features of the lake, the water near this sand spit can warm up to 20-22 degrees in the summer months. This is the only place in Lake Teletskoye where swimming is possible.
