Drive down the Chuisky Trakt
Altai (Republic)
In the past, it took weeks or even months to tackle this dangerous path, which was even described in Chinese books three thousand years ago.
In 1938, a major trading route with Russia’s Asian neighbors was reconstructed and, today, a journey down the federal highway takes only seven hours. But we don’t recommend doing it that fast. Otherwise, how would you have time to make a video about your trip along the Chuisky Tract (Chuya Highway)? 🚗
How to drive down the Chuisky Trakt?
🚘 Formally, the federal highway R256, which is almost a thousand kilometers long, begins in Novosibirsk and ends at the border with Mongolia. Many people rent a car in Gorno-Altaisk or in Barnaul and, thus, reduce the distance to 500 kilometers and focus on the most beautiful part of the road.
🌄 If you want to visit just the most famous sights of the Altai Mountains, which are strung on the Chuisky Tract like beads – a 10-day trip is more than enough.
🏔 If you want to go further and visit, for example, the Aktru glacier, it’s worth adding a couple more days to your schedule and changing your sedan or crossover to a more passable UAZ.
🛣️ You will not be able to quickly travel 500 kilometers from Gorno-Altaisk to Tashanta, which is located on the border with Mongolia. However, the Chuisky Trakt provokes drivers to speed up: the perfect highway bends smoothly between the mountains ahead and disappears somewhere beyond the horizon. But around every corner is a landscape, for the sake of which it is definitely worth hitting the brakes.
