After waiting till there were 6 people we all got into a speedboat for the scenic cruise up the lake to 4 waterfalls and back at around 11.00 hrs. With a speed of 48 km/hr we did the 64 km round trip in some 2 ½ hrs and were in time to drive on. The shores of the lake are mostly steep and forested with a mixture of pine and birch. Here and there, there were some chalets and campers on the shore. The cruise on the water was relaxing in the sunshine. As waterfalls goes they were not too spectacular but a good break from all the driving.
The route out of the Altay mountains was over the water shed (900 m) to the North into the Kemerovskaya region. Although the road was not tarmac it was mostly well maintained gravel road and wide enough to pick up a bit of speed. As we had left late and Jamaliah wanted to check out the ski resort at Sheregesh, we had quite some terrain to cover. The town itself was not too interesting. It is a mining town with a large number of soviet style apartment blocks. Outside town up the mountain (800 m) we found a path towards a closed ski lift. The guard did not react to us staying overnight there.
Rudy Welling's Travels 