Many people say Buryatia is a very awesome place. The Eastern Sayan has a breathtaking landscape . The main difficulty is getting to the border village of Mondy, which is separated from Irkutsk by several hundreds of kilometers. Several areas of Buriyatia do not have public transport and Tunkinsky Valley is not an exception. Lucky enough there are guides who take people through montain tours. Though it’s not that easy to get an experienced and knowledgeable guide. A ten days hike is so satisfying since the Siberian Taiga is a manifold – morning fogs, icy fords, mountain passes, rain, storms, emerald-green mountain lakes …

The Village of Mondy. This is where the border-zone with Mongolia starts. It’s a mere 8 kilometers to the border. The sky above the mountains bodes ill especially in summer.

Not a cheerful scenery for an early morning.

After the fog, so comes the sun.

Such is the idyllic scene of  the huts of Buryat farmers.

The canyon river coils.

The first passage is known as Plosky; literally was flat (ploskiy in Russian language means flat) but has a length of several kilometers which can get you pretty exhausted.

Momentarily, disgrace can catch up with you. Storms are a part of this beautiful scenery. They are unpredictable.  But on the other hand, it is such a beautiful sight! Make sure you have a waterproof pouch for your camera.

Here a storm pelts a nearby valley.

After the storm here comes sunshine. The feelings are inexpressible! The world once more is glistened with primeval elegance.

By the River Gorlyk Gol.

This  lake is the source of the River Il’chir. A view from the Il’chir Pass. On the right, through the fog you can see the peak of Geologov.

With people as a scale the panorama is grand. While observing such view, you conclude that all that is man-made cannot be compared with nature’s creation…

Such a small mountain valley is the best place for us to update your diary. As well as  for resting and relaxing  in all possible ways.

A view from the Travyanistiy Pass. It is so tormenting! The grass is slippery from the morning dew, and to make it worse there are no trails. You can be  forced to descend along  the cliff edge.

Here is an abandoned nephrite mining base. Leaves you wondering  whether the minerals have been depleted or financing has stopped.

You can wonder what this sign means … geologists can be funny sometimes.

Ruin and desolation

Cores- samples of extracted rock  from the holes using some special method of drilling.

A view at the ridges of the Kitoi chars.

The Samarta River has an unforgettable  ford. With the water level is above the waist and the current is quite strong.

The bonfire is a good way to end the adventure. A bus usually comes in the morning and in few hours you find yourself in the Irkutsk city center.

Location: Tunkinsky National Park

via: Muumi