The mountainous and jagged river Katun in its rapid flow makes its way among the hard rock. So, in one place, she literally dug a deep canyon. The river bed here narrows to twenty meters. And below the threshold is tyldikpen. This massive pile of stones narrows the bed even further. Since there is another rapid ridge five hundred meters downstream of the Katun, the number one is assigned to the upper one. This Tyldykpen is more popular with tourists, as it is decorated with Oroktoy bridge. Guides on the Altai Mountains often post photos of this design. Although the bridge itself is quite new. Why is he so interested in travelers that they go on long hikes every summer (on off-road vehicles or on rafts on the Katun River)? You will learn about this from this article.
Altai legends about crossing Katun
Local legends tell how the bridge was built across the wayward and turbulent river. There was once an ancient hero named Sartakpay. He was sad because the inhabitants of the villages of Oroktoi and Chemal could not meet, because they were on different banks. And Sartakpay planned to build a bridge. He collected huge boulders and began to throw them into the river - in the very place where Katun was already everything. But the stormy river only roared over this barrier. So the hero could not complete his work. He went in search of new feats, and the locals called the Tildykpen rapids the “Gate of Sartakpay”. For a long time, residents were content with the ferry. And now, access roads and poles to which the cables were attached indicate its tracks. In the middle of the twentieth century, the first Oroctoy bridge was erected. It was wooden, and in the early nineties during the flood, stormy Katun demolished it. The inhabitants of Oroctoy had to renew the ferry crossing.
What is interesting Oroktoysky bridge
Mountain Altai is rich in natural attractions. But the bridge connecting the town of Chemal with the village of Orokta is unusual. Firstly, it is suspended. It relies only on concrete pedestals along the banks, and above the deep gorge, at the bottom of which the river is seething, it is only supported by cables. The road through the bridge is the only one that connects the village of Oroktoy with the outside world. And finally, with this architectural landmark, a beautiful view of the Tõldykpen rapids opens up. Since they are qualified by raftingists as the third category of difficulty, most tourists who are in love with the beauty of the Altai Mountains prefer to come to Oroktoy Bridge to take impressive photos. In this place, the bed of the Katun is already only some twenty meters. All the power of the stream goes down. They say that the depth of the river in this place is as much as 70 meters.
Bridge as a tourist attraction
On the Tyldykpen rapids, you can rafting on rafts, kayaks and catamarans only in the summer, when there is little rainfall, and the course of the Katun River calms down a bit. Why does the hiking trail not overgrow on the Oroctoy Bridge? Many routes run through it, both automobile, horse and pedestrian. The suspension form of the bridge itself is quite unusual. Many have doubts: will he withstand heavy cars? But the carrying capacity of the bridge is eight tons. And this is with a length of 95 meters between the supports and a width of 3. On the same bank of the Katun there is a "shaman tree." It is easy to recognize by the fluttering shreds of fabric that tourists cling to branches to fulfill their wishes. In addition, if you go down to the river along the access roads to the old ferry, you can find sandy beaches. They are favorite tourist destinations. Not everyone decides to enter a river flowing along a rocky corridor, whose sheer walls rise five meters. But you can find natural baths, where the flow is not felt. They tend to warm up perfectly.
How to get to Oroctoy Bridge
Altai is not a place for a city car with low ground clearance. The road is given to overpower only four-wheel drive car. From Biysk for 150 km the M-52 highway is pleased with high-quality asphalt pavement. But from the village of Ust-Sema, you should turn to Chemal. Passing the town, we reach the village of Elanda. Here the asphalt ends. On gravel or off-road you need to drive another forty kilometers. Follow the road signs to the village of Kuyus. Behind the fork, the Oroctoy Bridge will appear. The road is not very difficult. Moreover, along the way there are such interesting sights of the Altai Mountains as cave paintings and an observation deck on the Valley of Spirits (Che-Chkysh).