Ust-koksa & Tyungur Ур

Introducing Ust-koksa & Tyungur Ур

The valley meets the Katun River at Ust-Koksa, which has the delightful wooden Pokrovskoe Church (ul Nagornaya 31). Across the Katun River, around 10km beyond Multa, there's a maral deer farm with a small summer turbaza en route to the beautiful Multinsky Lakes. These offer yet more great hikes if you can find a guide. In the 1930s the many old believers of the Koksa and Uymon Valleys offered fierce armed resistance to collectivisation, leading to the almost total destruction of their villages by the peeved Soviet state. Nonetheless, Verkhny Uymon village has an Old Bel- ievers' Museum (Muzey Staroobryadchestva) as well as a small Nikolai Rerikh House Museum.

Tyunguris a tiny village but its well- organised Turbaza Vysotnik is a fantastic place to go to organise trekking, rafting or ascents of the mighty Mt Belukha. Decent tents, climbing equipment and even sleeping bags can be rented here. Maps, guides and horses are also available and there's the possibility of meeting other travellers to form a trekking group with. It's worth emailing ahead with your requests. If you speak some Russian ask about joining an existing Russian group (much cheaper, from around US$20 per person per day). Bring trekking supplies as Tyungur has minimal groceries. If you want to spy Mt Belukha without a full-blown expedition, take a long day hike from Tyungur partway up Mt Bayda.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009