Have you ever heard of the Ukok Plateau? Maybe you already managed to go to this amazing and unique way in your own way? Unfortunately, in most cases the answer to both questions will be negative. It geographically happened that this natural site is quite far from popular tourist destinations. Charter flights are not organized on the Ukok plateau (Gorny Altai), verandas of cafes and restaurants are not landscaped for a certain season, new hotels are not opened every year, but, nevertheless, it is worth visiting here at the first opportunity.
This article will tell you about this amazing object on the map of Russia. The reader will receive all the necessary information in order to one day, no matter what, collect things and go to the Ukok plateau. How to get there, which places to visit first and what to look for before and during the trip? We will try to give the most detailed answer to all these questions. So...
The sacred plateau Ukok. general description
First of all, we note that this geographical feature is located in the south of Altai, high in the mountains, in the place where the border between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia passes.
Today, the plateau is on the UNESCO list. And the prerequisites for entering the famous list were actually more than enough. We list some of them. Firstly, this area attracts tourists with its pristine appearance and harsh wildlife. In general, the Ukok plateau, whose photo can be found in almost every atlas dedicated to the Russian Federation, is considered difficult to access. And, by the way, it was the lack of human activity that contributed to the conservation of nature in a virgin state.
Secondly, now this area will open up a lot of interesting things for tourists. For example, here you can find healing radon springs, wander among the walls of the once prosperous, and now almost destroyed weather station of the USSR, climb the princess mound, admire the mountains of four thousand meters and stand on the shore of the cleanest lakes inhabited by grayling.
Location Features
As mentioned above, the Ukok plateau (Altai Republic) lies high in the mountains and has a rather harsh climate. It is known that in ancient times this territory served as a place of worship for heavenly forces. It was here that the monks rose, the sorcerers hurried, and the shamans rushed in search of answers to their eternal questions.
Now, any trip to the Ukok plateau is a chance to visit a beautiful and inaccessible place. And at the same time, this object is open to all nationalities, for it is considered a region of intensive interaction of cultures of various Eurasian ethnic groups. That is why, by the way, he was nicknamed the altar of Eurasia.
In the central part of the plateau at an altitude of more than 2 thousand meters, the Bertekskaya basin is located, and from the north the plateau is limited by the ridge of the same name. It should also be noted that there is absolutely no forest on the Ukok plateau, but there are many streams, rivers, swamps and glacial lakes.
The most basic river with the complex name Ak-Alakh flows through the Bertek Basin. From the south, the plateau is framed by a majestic massif called Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola. Glaciers feed the most important rivers in the region: Katun, Irtysh and Khovd.
The Ukok plateau massif is the geographical and cultural center of the Eurasian continent.
What does the name of this place mean?
It is unambiguously difficult to assert here. For example, in translation from Mongolian “ukok” means “massive mountain” or “large hill with a flat top”. But in the Kyrgyz language, the word "ukok" is used to designate all plains, without exception.
Locals call the Ukok plateau a kind of "end of everything." It is believed that pastures of the plateaus are located on the very threshold of the sky, already beyond the limits of human influence. By the way, the Altai people also believe that you can’t shout and generally speak loudly, because this will be sacrilege and insult to spirits.
Ukok Plateau. How can I get to. Road junction
First of all, it should be noted that difficult to overcome roads lead to the plateau through high mountain passes, to which the river valley. Kaluga can be reached along the Chuysky tract. However, further this path becomes passable only for specialized vehicles.
By the way, one should take into account the fact that the main part of the year the passes are in an avalanche hazard and are covered with snow, rockfalls also often occur here.
Section 5. How to get there by car
In principle, you can get to the village of Kosh-Agach by any type of car, but at an acceptable speed you can actually reach the Teply Kluch on your own. The pass itself can be overcome by motor transport only 2 months a year.
Only cars with all-wheel drive, mud wheels, a power body kit, a winch, a jack, two reserves, a full tank and a fuel reserve of 60 liters can reach the plateau.
In addition, experienced travelers recommend going to the Ukok plateau, whose photos are often found in modern country guides, with teams of 2-3 cars.
Section 6. What is the Ukok Quiet Zone?
A “rest zone” is a new geological formation that has no world analogues and serves as a kind of reserve for the natural resources of this territory. The international classification refers the neoplasm to the temporary VI category, denoting a purely given resource reserve.
Such gradation will be used until the terrain is assigned a permanent category.
The current objectives of the “Rest Zone” include not only the conservation of natural resources, but also a ban on any economic activity that, one way or another, could harm the protected area.
Time and story of creation
The need to include the plateau in the list of specially protected areas is caused by an increase in aggressive anthropogenic interference. The first steps to preserve all the resources of the Ukok plateau (Altai Mountains) were taken back in the 60-70s. XX century Then the local authorities adopted a special resolution that controlled the pasture load, river pollution, hunting and fishing. In addition, several natural objects of the plateau were declared natural monuments.
In general, it is worth noting that Ukok has a large concentration of archaeological sites of different chronological periods, from the Paleolithic to the present.
Animal and plant world
Until our time, the flora of the “Rest Zone” has not been fully studied. Although it is known that the bulk are high-mountain steppe species. Forest and alpine features are very poorly expressed. Given the high originality of the flora of the Ukok Plateau, reviews of which are not found in guidebooks as often as we would like, its connection with Asian vegetation can be traced.
Every year, many species of rare plants appear here: astragalus, ostracodis, Altai rhubarb, low onion, larkspur, frosty Rhodiola, etc.
In the "Rest Zone" the fauna is also very diverse. Invertebrates are represented here by lepidoptera, which are quite rare in the wild, like ordinary Apollon, Apollon Phoebus, Mongolian jaundice, Keferstein chernushka, etc. Only two species of fish are found in the Ukok reservoirs : grayling and Altai Ottoman.
Until now, reptiles and freshwater have not been found here, but there are many birds. There are a lot of Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, there are tundra and partridge, which belong to the chicken family.
In general, more than 20 species of mammals live in the "Rest Zone".
Many species of animals and plants are listed in the Altai Red Book.
Ukok - the land of permafrost
The development of icing phenomena in the western basins of Ukok determines the shallow occurrence of permafrost due to poor filtering of precipitation.
The role of numerous ice formations is mainly in the redistribution of surface runoff from autumn to the warm season.
Ice floes are often planted on faults formed by groundwater. Their seasonal appearance increases the intensity of the sources and frosty weathering. In addition, due to them, waterlogging of the adjacent territory occurs, conditions are created for the development of moisture-loving vegetation in these areas.
Archaeological finds
In the 90s of the last century, sensational finds were made in the Bertek depression. Here they discovered the burial of cultures that existed in the III-II millennium BC. e.
Excavations of Scythian barrows made it possible for scientists to get acquainted with the culture of the Iron Age. The discovery of the “Ukok princess” in the resting zone was a world discovery.
In addition, a huge number of burials, stone calculations, ritual complexes and cave paintings were found in this region.
In general, the Ukok Plateau (reviews from inquisitive travelers will not let you lie) is a truly magnificent natural and cultural treasury of Eurasia, requiring care and protection.
Who is Ukok princess?
This name began to be called the mummy of a woman, which during excavations was discovered by Russian archaeologists in the late twentieth century. This discovery has become one of the most important in the scientific field.
The mound in which the princess was buried, at the time of excavation in 1993, was in a dilapidated and ruined state. Excavations were carried out by a doctor of historical sciences and an archaeologist from Novosibirsk, N. Polosmak.
Initially, the princess was not found in the mound of the plateau Ukok. There was discovered a parking place, which could be attributed to the Iron Age. At the site of one of the ancient burials, archaeologists discovered a deck with the body of a woman filled with ice. They opened the burial chamber very carefully, trying not to damage the contents. Archaeologists had to gradually melt the ice over several days.
Inside, they found 6 horses with harness and saddles, a wooden deck boarded up with bronze nails. All this indicated the burial of a noble person of the middle strata of society. In the course of research, it turned out that the mummy belongs to the V-III centuries. BC e. The princess was 25 years old.
Today it is stored in the Novosibirsk Museum. At the moment, a mummy-like building is under construction to store the mummy.
Problems of the region: Ukok and gas pipeline construction
A serious problem has ripened in this region today. Gas workers and officials want to lay a gas pipeline along the "Rest Zone".
The blog of the Head of the Altai Republic posted a special campaign sheet in support of the construction of the gas pipeline. This document supposedly emphasizes the importance for Gazprom of an agreement between Gazprom and a certain Chinese oil and gas company. He also reports that the construction of this facility will allow gasification of the most remote areas, thereby ensuring new revenues to the budget and jobs.
The Ukok Plateau is the unique most important natural heritage and heritage of mankind. Its importance can be compared with the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. To sacrifice such a magnificent natural park to the coming billions is extremely unworthy. Now the world is in full swing growing indignation in connection with the destruction of unique monuments of the past, so the gas attack on the Ukok becomes even more unsightly.
The laying of an environmentally harmful gas pipeline by Gazprom violates not only the legislation of the Russian Federation, but also many international agreements, in particular those related to the UNESCO World Heritage List compiled over the years.