When we were planning this trip, which was one great unknown, we did not even dare to dream of such perfect conditions. In this aspect, Altai surprised us incredibly. However, we had to admit to ourselves that when it comes to the expected loneliness on the wild glaciers of Siberia, we were also surprised.

There was a growing number of arriving Russians who, often carrying heavy luggage, reached the Blue Lake. The spectrum of tourists arriving there was very wide: starting with family trips, through beginner skiers, ending with ambitious mountaineers. 

The latter set off on their 12- or even 16-hour trip to the Aktru summit the very next day after their arrival. The others just carelessly enjoyed the mountain atmosphere. By evening, a real town was built around us, with as many as 14 tents!

We were very surprised to learn that when planning our trip, we did not take into account the date of the Russian holidays, related to the Victory Day. It’s a tradition, that a lot of Russians spend those holidays in the Altai Mountains. The atmosphere in the camp quickly became very nice – everyone feasted under the open sky.