Valley of Chulyshman River in the Altay

The Chulyshman River is one of the largest rivers of the Altay Mountains. It originates near Lake Julunkul on the border with Tuva, and flows into Lake Teletskoye. Its length reaches 240 km. The tourist infrastructure in the Valley of Chulyshman River is most developed on the 30-kilometer section between the Katu-Yaryk pass and the Akkurum tract, where the famous Stone Mushrooms are located. 

You can get to the Chulyshman River Valley by car through the Katu-Yaryk pass from the south. The second option is to cross by boat to the southern shore of Lake Teletskoye from the village of Artybash. Both options require a long journey. By car from Gorno-Altaysk, you need to go 360 km to the village of Aktash along the Chuya Highway and then 100 km along a dirt road to the Katu-Yaryk pass. The second option requires moving from Gorno-Altaysk (160 km) to the village of Artybash on Lake Teletskoye, and then you need to sail 78 kilometers by boat on the lake. 

In addition to the exceptional beauty of the rocks towering over Chulyshman, tourists come here to see three sights: Stone Mushrooms, the gorge of the Chulcha River and the Uchar waterfall. All of them are located near the Akkurum site. Stone Mushrooms are located on the slope of the mountain, which rises above Chulyshman, and the Uchar waterfall is 8 kilometers away. 

The height of the rocks that rise above the Chulyshman Valley reaches 800 meters. The narrow valley is protected from the winds. The remoteness and isolation of the valley from the outside world contributed to the appearance of endemic flora and fauna. 

There are no campsites in the lower course of the Chulyshman, after the Akkurum site to the confluence of the river with Lake Teletskoye. There are two small villages of Koo and Kok-Pash, as well as a large village of Balykcha. The local Teleus peoples still live in these villages. 

In the middle course of the Chulyshman (above the Katu-Yaryk pass), the flow of the river is the most turbulent. Here are the most difficult rapids of the 5th and 6th categories of difficulty in the Yazvulinsky canyon and the Shavlinsky gorge. 

There is no road along the river in this place, only small trails. This section of the Chulyshman River is visited for rafting on the river. Tourists will start near the village of Yazula. The dirt road to this village goes along the gorge along the Upper Tartagay River. A tributary of the Chulyshman, the Bashkaus River, is also often used for rafting with a high category of complexity.