Western Tuva

Introducing Western Tuva

The route looping round to Abakan from Tuva via Askiz is scenically varied, often beautiful and mesmerisingly vast in scale, though the Chinggis Khaan stone near Ak-Dovurak is the only real 'sight'. Independent travellers should be aware of Western Tuva's fearsome reputation for wild lawlessness and unprovoked knife attacks. Even other Tuvans are nervous about travelling without a truly local companion. Sayan Ring tours come this way.

At km107, the grassland route from Kyzyl passes dramatic Mt Khayyrakan, a spiky ridge blessed by the Dalai Lama in 1992. Chadan town (Chadaana) is attractively dotted with wooden cottages and there's an appealing little museum(ul Lenina 33; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri), but the guesthouse (aalchylar bazhyngy; ul Pobedy 1) closed in 2003. Stay off those mean streets at night.

Chadan is most famous as Tuva's former spiritual centre. However, the once-great Ustuu Khuree temple was utterly devastated in the Soviet era. Only sad, chunky stumps of mud wall now remain, lost in peaceful woodlands some 6km south of Chadan and accessed via tracks off the road to Bazhin-Alaak. Stalled repairs are due to restart in the coming years, and to fund the reconstruction a large annual music festival (www.ustuhure.ru) is held on the grounds in late June/early July, embracing everything from khöömei to grunge rock. Participants camp in tents and yurts.

From Khandagayty, where the Mongolian border remains closed to foreigners, a glorious but notoriously tough truck track runs to Kosh-Agach in Altai via Mugur-Aksy, passing high, bald, glacier-topped Mt Mongun-Tayga (3976m). Bring food, a reliable guide, ample extra fuel and spare parts if you plan a truck or jeep convoy. With many deep fords, this route is impassable after rain. It's much more pleasant on horseback; Alash Travel in Kyzyl can help you organise horses. In ideal conditions it's possible to make the trip by mountain bike in around a week but getting lost is dangerously easy. For a mountaineering report see www.mountain.ru/eng/adventure/2004/na_grani/.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009