Tavdinsky caves of Gorny Altai

Tavdinsky caves are an array of several caves of karst origin. They are located in the vicinity of the village of Limankovy Maiminskiy on the left coast of Katun, near the source of Arzhan-Suu. At this point the border of the Republic of Altai closely approaches Katun, after which it goes further down the river, hence the main part of the complex is in the Altai Territory.

Tavdinsky caves (which are more than thirty here) are considered a natural monument. Their total length along the coast is about five kilometers. They are at an altitude of about 200 meters above the river, while many of them have several entrances and they join together, forming a huge interconnected system. To get to the Tavdinsky caves, you need to move over the toll bridge across Katun. Then drive along the asphalt for a few more kilometers. The entrances to them can be seen in the lumens of trees, and there is also a signpost near the road.

Taldin caves got their name from the settlement of Talda, once existing on this place. Here also flows the Taldushka River, which in the Atlas of Altai is called Tavdushka. Surprising is the moment that the complex in various sources is called "Tavdinsky caves".

Altai is an amazing land, about which legends are built. According to the Altai ancient legend, once there lived a wicked, cunning and powerful hansha Tavda. In addition to all her shortcomings, she was also remarkable for her greed and gave no life to her subjects, constantly picking them up to the last thread. At that time, what kind of accusations and quitrent was not invented! The poor people were deeply unhappy, the songs were completely silent in the edges, the carefree children's laughter disappeared. But at some point in the possession of Tavda came a mysterious couple - Katyung and Manzherok. Manzherok knew how to make wonderful pottery from clay, Katyong also wove incredibly strong nets for fishermen. The people immediately fell in love with his wife and husband, their glory reached the greedy hanshee. Immediately, Tavda appointed an unbearable quitrent to the couple. Manzherok then offered the hanshe a wonderful jug - he contained as much koumiss as the people brought to her. Kating also wove a new magic net, which allowed from the surrounding lakes to catch all the fish. Only Tavde of those gifts a little seemed. She turned her husband into a lake, and his wife became a river. The very hansha struck with anger at the ground and disappeared. At this place, then, the road to the Tavdin caves opened.

Since those amazing events, not one hundred years have passed, but this complex is still interesting as a unique natural structure. At the moment, many excursion tours are organized in the Tavdinsky caves. Mountain Altai (photo can be seen above) is famous for the tourist routes that lie in this area and certainly include visiting caves. Consequently, in summer tourists are eager to get here. The main number of routes passes through a small viewing platform. From it opens a stunning panorama of the valley of the river. Katun. It should be noted that visiting the caves with a huge number of tourists caused them great damage.