Katon-Karagay, Rakhmanov Springs and the view of Belukha

The Kazakh Altai: larch forests, alpine lakes, hot springs and the white double summit of Belukha.

Region

East

Start from

Ust-Kamenogorsk (Oskemen)

Distance

about 450–500 km

Time needed

4–6 days

Best season

July – early September

Difficulty

Challenging

Transport

4×4 or tour; the last section is a rough mountain road

Permits

Border zone permit needed for Rakhmanov Springs; apply weeks in advance

Why go

Katon-Karagay National Park covers the Kazakh part of the Altai mountains in the far east of the country. It's green, wild and very different from the rest of Kazakhstan: dense forest, rushing rivers, flower meadows and old Russian Old Believer villages.

Rakhmanov Springs (Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi) is a small resort with hot radon springs on the shore of a mountain lake. From here, multi-day hikes lead towards the Belukha massif, the highest mountain of the Altai, sacred in many local traditions.

Getting there takes effort and planning, which is why it remains so quiet. For hikers, it's one of the best destinations in the country.

The story

The Berel burial mounds in the Bukhtarma valley belong to the Pazyryk culture, related to the Scythians, from around the fourth to third centuries BC. Thanks to permafrost, archaeologists found remarkably preserved horses, saddles and decorations in the tombs.

The Altai has long attracted mystics and explorers. The Roerich expedition passed through the region in the 1920s, and stories about the legendary land of Shambhala hidden in these mountains still circulate among visitors.

The Old Believer villages, founded by Russian religious dissidents who fled persecution in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, are part of the area's unique culture, with wooden houses, beekeeping and maral deer farming.

Getting there

From Ust-Kamenogorsk, drive east through the Bukhtarma valley to Katon-Karagay village. The road to Rakhmanov Springs is unpaved and requires a high-clearance 4×4.

Because the area is close to the borders with Russia and China, you need a border zone permit. Agencies and the national park can help; foreign visitors should allow several weeks for processing.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1–2Ust-Kamenogorsk to Katon-Karagay village, visit the national park museum and the Old Believer village of Uryl or Berel.
2. Day 34×4 to Rakhmanov Springs, bathe in the hot springs.
3. Day 4–5Hike to the Yazevoye lake and the Belukha viewpoints, or join a multi-day guided trek.
4. Day 6Return.

Where to stay

Guesthouses in Katon-Karagay and Uryl; a resort at Rakhmanov Springs; camping on treks.

Good to know

• The Berel burial mounds, where frozen Scythian-era horse burials were found, are worth a stop.
• Weather in the Altai is unpredictable; bring full rain gear.
• Maral (deer) farms in the area are a local industry and curiosity.