Altai is a land of unique and diverse nature. Behind each turn, something unknown may open: a mountain range, a plateau, a grove or a valley. Kurai steppe is one of such places. Both man and the environment have influenced it for centuries, changing beyond recognition. Such places make Altai attractive. Tourism here is booming every year.
Kurai steppe - a paradise for nomads
The steppe is bounded on both sides by mountain ranges. This is the North Chuy Range and the Kurai. Through a rather narrow exit passes the Kurai ridge, crossing the valley and overlooking the rocky foothills. The Chuya River, the course of which is calm in these places, noticeably diversifies the harsh desert landscape. The steppe is covered with pebbles; only islands of poor vegetation revive it. Like real old-timers of these places, snow-covered ridges rise above the southern horizon. This is the majestic North Chuysky ridge. No, not the versatility of natural landscapes attracts the attention of travelers to these places. There is something here that speeds up the heartbeat and fills with love and awe in relation to the surrounding nature and the world. All everyday problems are fading into the background, leaving only the most important issues of the universe.
Orohydrography
The Kurai steppe is famous for places where, in connection with the floods on the glacier-dammed lakes, unique relief fields of giant ripple signs were formed, the only ones in the world. The field developed on the Tete River, in the area of flood back flows near the right bank. The ripples were formed due to the catastrophic spillways from the lakes of Kuraisky and Chuisky, which occurred about fifteen thousand years ago. For discharges from glacial dammed lakes, such a giant ripple of the current is the main argument. For the diluvial morpholithological complex, this relief is a very exotic element. Dilyuvial ridges are composed of coarse pebble boulders with coarse-grained sand (in the region of five percent). For a better understanding of the wave scale (up to 20 meters) and the incredible flow rate, a GAZ-66 car was placed at the top of one ridge. All this is a vivid example of a classic mountain scabland. And the entire hollow, together with mountain glaciers, is a glacier park, a true nature reserve. These places attract hundreds of people to the Altai Mountains. Tourism is developing very fast here.
Features of climate and topography
The Kurai steppe is world famous. The blame for the ripples of the current. They were formed as a result of melting of massive ancient blocks of ice and floods from glacial alpine lakes. The ripple relief on the right bank of the Tete River is perfectly visible from the mountain range located near the village of Kurai, which anyone can get into, even by car. The climate in Kurai is also unusual. The sun ruthlessly burns every blade of grass in the steppe. And in winter, blizzards make it impassable. This is an inhospitable place. Even in summer, the temperature can drop so low that the entire layer of fertile soil freezes. Precipitation is very rare, but stormy winds blow. And it’s not a high location above sea level. Features of this climate are characteristic of this area because of the clear cloudless sky above the valley. Nothing prevents hurricane winds from blowing warm air warmed by it from the ground. From the end of August until spring, snowdrifts lie on the Kurai ridge. Under such weather conditions, fertile soil is out of the question. The fertile layer simply does not have time to form under the snow. The almost flat Kurai plain is more like a desert dotted with sandstone and pebbles. In some places there are patches of solonetzes or clay. Faded and nondescript fauna in rare places covers the soil. Only the Kurai steppe boasts such a unique climate. Altai is an unpredictable land of amazing nature.
Flora and fauna
There is so little rain here that talking about lush vegetation is simply impossible. She is extremely scarce. Rare low bushes cling to the channels of rivers and streams that carry their waters through the steppe. The rest of the place is occupied simply by stone and brown clay with sand. But in those places where there is vegetation, there is an amazing delicate aroma of wormwood. Low-growing grasses trample flocks of sheep, which roam in large numbers on the steppe, plucking a few remains of plants. Over time, the vegetation in Kurai becomes less and less. Some sections of the steppe are irrigated, which means that things are much better there. In the northern part and along the banks of the streams you can see larch trees. Once upon a time there were much more. Here and there, from the earth one can see stumps, so ancient that it is impossible to pick them up even with a knife. So their cruel sun of the steppes dried out. However, larch trees still stretch toward the sky from arid soil, sometimes creating entire exotic conglomerates. In the most unsuitable places for existence, trees grow no higher than a meter, and in thickness - about 20-30 cm. Closer to the Chui steppe near the settlement of Chagan-Uzun, poplar grove grows along the river banks. Here you can also find sea buckthorn thickets. And where the places are wetter, there are glades of Kuril tea. An ancient juniper spreads in huge bushes on the ground. Perhaps in the interglacial period in these parts there was a milder and warmer climate. In those days, tall trees grew here, and forbs were pleasing to the eye. However, now this region has gathered an incredible variety of flora. There is a desert camel thorn, and steppe plants, and meadow - closer to the mountain ranges, and even forest and alpine. Among the animal world in the Kurai Valley, one can meet the steppe polecat, the white hare, as well as wolves and foxes. Storks and cranes sometimes nest on the banks of the Chui River.
Archeology
Man began to explore these places since ancient times. This is evidenced by numerous archaeological research in the Kurai steppe. There is evidence of a special reverence for the steppe among local tribes. So, behind the small village of Kurai, in the floodplain of the Chui River, several impressive mounds were discovered. They were excavated in the middle of the last century, and their contents became exhibits of many museums.
Ancient monuments of Kurai
The most famous Kurai monuments of archeology were stone women, who are still found in the steppe. They belong to the Turkic period, it is approximately the 7th-9th centuries. For example, at the Chui River, in the town of Tete, the famous Kezer was discovered, depicting a bearded man standing knee-deep in the ground. It exceeds a height of one and a half meters and is made of gray-green granite. Now the statue has been transferred to the local history museum of Altai. In addition, as a result of archaeological excavations, the remains of ancient irrigation systems were found. One of the largest is in the Aktru River Valley. There is an assumption that in ancient times the channels ran tens of kilometers along the steppe.
Tales of local peoples
A few kilometers upstream, scientists noticed cave painting. Near the village of Chagan-Uzun, the river of the same name flows into Chuya, which in Mongolian means "white river". The terrain here changes significantly. On the right bank, clay mountains rise - Kyzyl-Tash or Red Mountain. There is a legend about the name of this mountain in Altai. It was as if Snakes and Dzeren, the Mongolian antelope, argued because of her, and could not solve the dispute by the world. Then they decided to find out who is stronger, and began the battle. For several days they fought without sparing each other, and finally both fell exhausted. Then the animals decided that their forces were equal, and divided the mountain among themselves. Since then, a lot of snakes have been living on the southern slope, and zeren on the south. And the mountain at sunset is painted in the color of animal blood.
Legends of Altai
Altai Territory is rich in legends and tales, the birth of which is facilitated by all surrounding nature. Therefore, a trip to Altai will undoubtedly be interesting. Near Tytygem, for example, there are three large stones. According to the legends of the Kalmyks, these are the graves of a princess from China, a maid and horses. The princess was the wife of a Kalmyk prince, but tried to escape from him to her homeland. A fierce blizzard killed both women and animals. But the abandoned husband still found their bodies and buried with honors. It is said that the Chinese learned about the treasures buried along with the royal person, and plundered the graves.
How to get to the Kurai steppe
The easiest way to get to the Kurai steppe is by car along the Chuysky tract. The steppe itself begins after 817 kilometers from the Kurai Pass. There is also a bus route from Gorno-Altaysk. For extreme people there is a walking path from the Ulagansky district and higher, along the Bashkaus River, and after that - through the Ilduhemsky Pass. It must be borne in mind that it is tall, more than two and a half kilometers.
A trip to Altai will undoubtedly be fascinating and informative. After all, the Altai Territory is full of natural wealth and beauty.