The ridge Chihacheva is a nominal boundary between Tuva and Altai and along the highest, Southern part of the ridge a frontier extends.
Smooth forms of peaks and deep partition by valleys are typical of ridge Chihacheva. Mountain range Turgen-Ula, that belongs to the system of the ridge Chihacheva, but is different from it for it’s alpine forms of relief, considerable altitude and mature glaciation, is situated in Mongolia. It is the highest point of the region. (Peak Turgeni-Eheni-Ula, 4029.3 m).
The massif seems to be a typical high mountain region with mature glaciation (the largest glacier is deposited at the Northern slope of peak Narin-Golin-Eheni-Ula, 3952 m, it’s length is about 5 km).
The massif is divided into two parts by the meridional valley of the river Aspaita. The highest point of the ridge that is situated on the territory of Russia is a nodal peak 3601 m. (peak Compromiss).
The region is very rarely visited there are only two known successfully passed routes. The developing of sport resources of the region was stimulated by a super tourist-alpinist from St. Petersburg Konstantin Beketov.
The best time recommended for trips and ascents in the massif Turgen-Ula is February and June-July.
Topographical map of the region of the ridge Chihacheva (Hi-Res (6 Mб))
2. Variants of approaches, customs and boundary formalities.
The main way to the region is the Cuyskiy highway. From the cities Barnaul or Biysk, having booked motortransport beforehand, it is necessary to reach (it takes about 1.5 days) a settlement Tashanta where a custom terminal is situated.
For visiting the territory of Mongolia on legal ground you should validate the visa in Embassy of the Mongolian Republic. (In Moscow it is situated in Borisoglebsky str, 11, phone number 290-67-92).
Visas formalities (recommendations by the group of travelers under the direction of the guide from Novosibirsk M. Luchko, September 2005).
For camping in Mongolia it is necessary to get a visa.
The business address of the Mongolian Embassy:
191069 Moscow,
Borisoglebsky str, 11
(Metro station «Smolenskaya», not far from Noviy Arbat)
Extra information about phone, fax numbers, e-mail addresses can be found at the Embassy website http://www.mongolianembassy.ru/.
The address of the consular service:
Moscow,
Spasopeskovsky str, 7/1
metro stations “Smolenskaya” and Arbatskaya, not far from Stary Arbat)
phone number: (495) 241-1548
fax number: (495) 244-7867
Documents, those are necessary to get a visa:
1. Passport for traveling abroad
2. A copy of a page from the passport for traveling abroad where the information about the owner is represented
3. Two black-and-white shots 3x4
4. A fulfilled form.
It usually takes 5 workdays to make an ordinary visa, it costs 900 rubles. An urgent visa you can get in 1 day, it costs 1650 rubles (information true for summer 2005).
They take documents from 09.30 till 12.00
They give documents out from 16.00 till 17.00
The tourists that are planning to be in Mongolia for more than 30 days are to register themselves in Ulan-Bator (in the office of information and registration) or in the local police department in the residence.
Notes of people that have gone through getting visa:
1. In spite of the fact that the Mongolian Embassy has a website, the information, got from there can appear to be incorrect, as the site does not renew regularly. Especially this concerns the form for getting visa.
2. It is impossible to get the information about getting visa by phone. First of all, employers in the consulate, that we came across with, didn’t know Russian well. And if in a private conversation this disadvantage can be compensated, using pantomime, then in phone talk you can be misunderstood. Secondly, in the consulate nobody takes the phone receiver or the modem is on.
3. If you have an opportunity, you should go to the consulate yourself and try to convince an employee that is busy with gathering/giving back documents that you need the example of the form for getting tourist visa. If they try to convince you that the form is to be given in a tourist firm, insist on the absence of the forms there. Otherwise you are risking to rewrite your form at the last moment as it can be written on the old-fashioned blank.
4. Near the window of gathering/giving out documents there is an informational stand, that is useful to become acquainted with, even if you had learned the website thoroughly. This stand can contain more fresh information.
5. If you had fulfilled the form incorrectly, don’t despond. The employees in the consulate are truly to rewriting the forms just at the sense.
Extra information: The Consulate General of Mongolia in Ulan-Ude:
Ulan-Ude, Profsouznaya, 6.
Phone number: +976 (1) 342-145, 342-445.
E-mail: irconsul@angara.ru
The Embassy of Russian Federation in Mongolia:
Enkhtayvany gudamzh, A-6, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
P.O. Box 661, Ulaanbaatar-13, Mongolia
Тел. +976 (1) 327 071, 327 506.
Факс +976 (1) 327 018
E-mail: embassy_ru@mongol.net
The boundary and the custom.
On the Russian-Mongolian boundary (almost 3500 km long) there are 10 check-points: 8 motor-cars and 2 railway. As for us, we passed the boundary via the motor-car check-point “Tashanta – Cagannuur” that is situated in Kosh-Agachsky region of the Republic of Altai.
Address of the customs station Tashantinsky (Gorno-Altaic custom house)
649787 the Republic of Altai,
Kosh-Agachsky region, settlement Tashanta
Phone: +7 (38842) 22289
Office hours: from 09.00 till 18.00 except Saturdays and Sundays.
Lunch time from 13.00 till 14.00
A way from the Russian check-point to a Mongolian one goes via the pass Durbet-Daba (2400 m) neutral zone is 23 km wide. Straight at the pass boundary posts (old, of soviet times and modern ones) and a turnpike are placed.
First of all at the turnpike Russian customers check your documents once more. Secondly, if the Russian terminal is too busy, cars that are going from Mongolia are stopped there. Just beyond the turnpike the asphalt road ends and the earth road begins. There is a rule at the check-point: nobody could rest at the neutral zone. So, you must cross the boundary before the time of closing terminals. If you have no enough time, you will have to start the procedure of registration from the very beginning the next day.
Special features of registration motorcar:
To enter Mongolia by the personal car you should have only an international driving license, they don’t demand any other permissive documents from Russian State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate. It is also unnecessary to change Russian license plate to Mongolian one. If the car is driven by power of attorney, a notarially attested power of attorney is demanded.
When crossing the boundary local duties are raised. The Russian side raise duties for registration the car and when going to Russia – about 6$ (in rubles) for sanitary disposal. The Mongolian side raises transport taxi and insurance – all in all about 30$.
The information about the car is put down by the owner of the car to a customs declaration and is received by a computer database of Mongolian custom.
Special features of import/export different goods:
1. Sport and expeditional equipment is temporarily imported to Mongolia without limitations.
2. Using motorcar radio transmitter, portable satellite terminals and GPS is allowed at the Mongolian territory, so import them is not limited too. Problems can appear on the Russian custom that demands declaring such a technique with specifying serial numbers and etc. So it is preferably to use the technique, certificated in Russia, otherwise even if you manage to import the device, you will fail to export them back.
3. Importation of narcotic, asphyxiant and explosive substances as well as uncanned meat to Mongolia is prohibited.
4. Importation of fish and meat from Mongolia to the territory of Russia is prohibited.
5. Importation is realized by general rules of importation of hunting weapon and in the presence of the international license. At the boundary the owner of the weapon should be met by the representative of Mongolian side with the permissive document from the Mongolian police. There should be indicated the name of the weapon and the serial number of the barrel.
The currency is imported to and exported from Mongolia without limitation.
Important comments:
1. The check-point Tashantinsky is a rather modern terminal, appointed with an arch of metal finder (that wasn’t working) and an X-ray unit like in airports. Customs official treat tourists with rucksacks truly, - they have enough problems with “shuttles”. In order not to provoke extra questions, it is desirable to show them one trunk with equipment, in that case you will not have to unpack all rucksacks.
2. They were only going to open a new terminal at the Mongolian side. That time all the custom service were sitting in a small one-storied house and of all methods of supervision use only visual examination. This expedites the process of registration noticeably.
3. When leaving Mongolia they demand to fill a special declaration where main information about the person who departs is presented and also the presence/absence of symptoms of infectious diseases (plague and cholera) is marked. There are the examples of filling the declaration in Russian and in English at the check-point. A form of the declaration costs 3 rubles, so it is desirable to have on yourself small change.
4. At the entrance to Russia in the Russian terminal the car is subjected to sanitary disposal (foot-and-mouth disease), and people pass medical examination (external symptoms of plague and cholera). All the procedure takes 2-3 minutes.
5. Even if there is no queue, it takes at best 2-4 hours to pass the boundary.
6. If you are going to pass the boundary on Friday, it is necessary to stand in a queue from the early morning or lately night. It concerns specially those cars that are going to a boundary from Mongolian side: by the time of opening the check- point several tens of cars that are stuffed with “shuttles”. They are being examined thoroughly and for a long time.
7. If you nevertheless have to pass the night near the boundary, it’s better to do it straight in the car, not leaving the queue.
8. A privileged order of crossing the boundary for inhabitants of the Kosh-Agachsky region was repealed, so even natives are to have a passport for traveling abroad with visa or All-Russian passport and an invitation. You have to take it into account if you are going to cross the boundary by the car with native driver.
It is recommended to register your group in a local rescue and recovery service: Western Siberia V.V. Zukov rescue and recovery service, Barnaul, Papanincev str, 190, phone number 62-29-00 local one, the leader –Ivanov Vladimir.
2.1. Other variants:
To groups, that are planning a route at this region, we recommend strongly to profit by the service of the company “BiyskAltayTur”, phones: (3854) 233111, 719600 (dispatcher). E-mail: ivan@mail.biysk.ru bialtur@mail.biysk.ru. The leader – Zamchalov Ivan. You can order a car for entry and entrance beforehand. (In February 2005 a car of this company takes tourists to start of the route, mine Warm Spring)
There is no problem to hire a car to any point of Altai in Biysk. There a company “BiyskAltayTur” is working. The cost of approaching along asphalt roads is about 5r/km, a cross-country approach - according to agreement. There is no regular bus from Kosh-Agach to Gorno-Altaisk longer, everyone profits by the service of private taxi. A bus station has already been working in Gorno-Altaisk, there is a timetable and you don’t need to wait for a bus to Barnaul. Some tourists prefer private taxi that costs as many as regular bus, but is much more comfortable.
3. Peaks, Passes, Routes in the ridge Chihacheva.3.1. Peaks.
The developing of the region by alpinists is still forward by as for wall ascenting the richest for them is peak Narin-Golin-Ehini-Ula, 3952m.
3.1.1. The highest point of the Southern part of the ridge Chihacheva – mount Turgeni-Eheni-Ula, 4029 m.
A solo-ascent by geologist V. Ermakov was made on 25th of September 1982. (The route from the side of watershed pass Turgeni-Gol – Talain-Gol). The following winter and summer ascents of 2004 were made in bunch: pass Dguchi-han + pass Zajitnikov Otechestva + mount Turgen-Ula (2B-3A-graded).
View to peak Turgeni-Eheni-Ula from the pass Zajitnikov Otechestva from the basic camp on the glacier Talain.
Peak Turgen-Ula. The last but one obstacle - corn snow range.
При вводе Логина и Пароля,
