Now I will tell you how we ran into radiation high in the Altai mountains! Find out about the Jumala springs, how to get there, where to live there and how to protect your health.
Dzhumala springs in Altai are a paradise for an introvert, a dream of anyone who wants to escape from civilization. Yes, and from any of the most terrible epidemic there, too, it will turn out to hide. So take note, otherwise who knows.
Dzhumaly springs are radon sources. Cool water: +15 ... + 20 ° С. The keys are located at an altitude of 2600 meters on the way to the Ukok plateau, 100 km from the nearest village, and 30 of them are off-road, accessible only to jeeps and reliable crossovers.
Find out more about how to go to Altai by car.
The locals, as always happens, are convinced that the springs are curative and cure everything. It is permissible to take a bath for no more than 20 minutes a day, but not everything is so simple! These water treatments are extremely dangerous, so be sure to consult with your doctor and do not go into the water or drink it without his permission. Even we, young and healthy, felt sick after bathing, and it happens that some people even die there - right in the baths, because our hearts cannot stand it. As we found out, having already returned home, these sources are radioactive. The specificity of the treatment of radon waters is ionizing radiation, accompanied by the decay of radon and its daughter products. Radon-222 is a radon isotope that occurs during the alpha decay of radium-226 and is part of the uranium-238 radioactive family. So much for the wellness treatments. Read more on Wikipedia.
One way or another, the landscapes along the way are very beautiful and for the sake of them it is definitely worth going. True, the road is exhausting and with stops it takes about 4 hours one way. You need to go by SUV. On the way, you will pass the border guards control - it takes about 10 minutes, they check passports, ask about the destination.
In the Warm Key there are uncomfortable houses with bunks, smoking potbelly stoves and impudent mice. Mice calmly crawl along the legs and arms. Put all things in the car or hang them from the ceiling with nails. The cost of living is 200 rubles per person. A bunch of firewood - 250 rubles. Bathing in the baths - 200 rubles per person per day.
How to get there? From Kosh-Agach you need to go south, towards the village of Dzhazator. The road is bad - a grater, but you can go pretty fast - 60-80 km / h. After 25 km on the left you will see the Tarkhatinsky megalithic complex (Altai "stonehenge", an ancient observatory). After another couple of kilometers - the border post, where your documents will be checked. Then you need to drive another 40 km to the fork: straight - to the village of Dzhazator, to the left - to the springs. The remaining 30 km will have to go off-road, but run-in and quite passable. The road passes through the high-mountain tundra - in our opinion, these are the most beautiful places in the Altai Mountains! 15 km after the fork there will be another fork: you need to go to the right - this is a new and more passable road to the springs and the Ukok plateau. It remains to drive another 15 km. Total from Kosh-Agach to the springs is exactly 100 km.
