» » albums » altai mountains » pyrenees mountains » bieszczady mountains
» » Siberia 2006, athletic outdoor expedition
A monthly trip to Russia, which destination was to experience the most beautiful sights of Siberia and a visit the heart of Golden Altay Mountains. A journey lasted through Belarus to Moscow, from where 3.5 days by the transsiberian railway, around 3.500 km to the city Bijsk.
From that place we continued our travel by hired bus, going 600 km through the wilderness of Russia in order to reach the highest mountains of Siberia. We did 10.000 km total distance by rail, spent more than 2 weeks in the mountains. It was stunning outdoor adventure.
The Altai Mountains (Russian: Алтай Altay; Mongolian: Алтай) are a mountain range in central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh, Ob and Yenisei have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the Turkic peoples' birthplace. The northwest end of the range is at 52° N and between 84° and 90° E (where it merges with the Sayan Mountains to the east), and extends southeast from there to about 45° N 99° E, where it gradually becomes lower and merges into the high plateau of the Gobi Desert.
The name, in Turkic Alytau or Altay, means Al (gold), tau (mount); in Mongolian Алтайн нуруу Altain nuruu, the "Mountains of Gold". The proposed Altaic language family takes its name from the mountain range.
The Sayan Mountains (Russian: Саяны, Sayany; Kokmen Mountains during the period of the Göktürks) are a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia.
The Eastern Sayan extends 1000 km from the Yenisey River at 92° E to the southwest end of Lake Baikal at 106° E. The Western Sayan forms the eastern continuation of the Altay Mountains, stretching for 500 km from 89° E to the middle of the Eastern Sayan at 96° E.
