26-27 May From Kosh-Agach to Ust-Koksa and Ust-Koksa

May 26, we left the very South of the Altai Republic and went up towards North-West. It was quite amusing to see the landscapes change from desert to steppe and then to forests in a matter of a couple of hours. The weather was merciful to us and the rain only started late in the afternoon after we turned towards Ust-Koksa. You might remember that 10 days ago, when we were traveling from Kamlak to Inegen we had snow all the way and missed the Chike-Taman pass. This time we were lucky and we saw it. I (Anna) hadn't realised how steep it was. If you have enough patience you can look at the 24-minute time lapse of our 8-hour journey below (I'm not expecting that).

May 27, we stayed in Ust-Koksa for a relaxing day. I was suprised to find a large (population of 4500) and a rather prosperous village lost in a middle of nowhere. We took a walk around, climbed a nearest hill to see the village and the Katun and Koksa confluence from above. We went to the visit center of the Katunsky National Park to pay the entrance fees to two lakes that we are planning to visit this week. We also received our permits to the border area to be able to be here legally. Technically, I don't need a permit to be here and at the Multa lakes where we are going next, but Pablo does as a foreigner. So if you decide to visit the area (same for Kosh-Agach by the way) and you are a foreigner, you have to apply for a permit at least 30 days in advance indicating all the places you plan to visit. If you are planning to visit a 5-km pre-border zone and you are Russian, you will also need a permit.