Probable Altai Itinerary 2008

Day 1 Fly NYC-Moscow.

Day 2 Fly Moscow-Barnaul ( evening flight).

Day 3 Meet Erjen Khamaganova, long time friend, colleague, and Russian/English interpreter. She will be coming from Ulan Ude, not far from the shores of Lake Baikal. Take microbus to to city of Gorno-Altaisk (capitol of the Altai Republic) Sleep in, get acclimated.

Day 4-8 Microbus to the Uch-Enmek Nature Park (60,000 hectares) near the small city of Ongudai. Meet our main guide Danil Mamyev ( who does not call himself a shaman but is) who will arrange meetings with shamans and throat singers, Olga and Arzhan. Possible trip to high mountain lake with horses carrying belongings. Very serene. Great for meditation.

Day 8-9 Then to the Ust-Kan region to visit shaman-musician-herbalists, Elbek and Maya Kalkin, Visit Denisova cave where human habitation may be 200,000 years!

Day 10-12 Southward to Chu-Oozi Nature/Culture Park where we may plant trees and visit an incredible petroglyph complex.( see more detail below) Then to the southernmost point, Kosh Agach, near Chinese and Mongolian borders to be with shamans Maria and Valery. There are large standing stones older than Stonehenge in this area which we may visit.

Day 13 Back to Gorno-Altaisk and Barnaul.

Day 14 Fly out of Barnaul on July 17th arrive in Moscow in the morning. Spend day in Moscow. See Red Square and the Kremlin. Gift shopping. Georgian dinner.

Day 15 Fly back to NY-JFK