“Ancestor’s Trail" or "Shaman's Trail" has been known in Khakassia for a long time and is included in the rating of the most visited excursions. The ancient name of this unique rock mass means "Nine Mouths". If you look from a high point on the coast, you can see 9 large grottoes that look like open mouths.
The first one is Proskuryakov's grotto, the dwelling of the Neolithic people. People had lived here for long millennia and left many traces of their life, ocher petroglyphic drawings 4.5 thousand years old. From the grotto, the trail leads to the crest of the ridge, opening up a picturesque view of the Bely Iyus valley. Further up the slope, past the rocks of the “Paltsy” (Fingers), past the remains of an ancient copper-smelting furnace, through a narrow rocky passage, the trail rises and goes further and further on, moving from cave to cave. The main “mouth” of the ridge is the Bolshaya Tokhzasskaya cave named after it. Here were found and preserved the traces of a runic inscription, about 800 years old. A little further than the Tokhzasskaya cave, you can see the end of the trail - the majestic arch of “Trekhglazka" (“Three-eyed”), but ascending to this arch is complicated by loosened rocks, and therefore not recommended.
The length of the Ancestor’s trail is about 3.5 kilometers, the excursion walk lasts about 3.5 - 4 hours. We advise you to keep alert and careful while descending and ascending, and also ask you to take due care of the objects of cultural and natural heritage.
