The Chulyshman is the largest tributary of Teletskoye Lake. The part of its waters in the lake is great – about 70 %. The river originates in Dzhulukul Lake at a height of 2200 m above the sea level and falls into the southern part of Teletskoye Lake, overcoming more than 200 km.

The water level is quite high in the beginning of summer. During the rainy period flood can be observed there. The river flows along a narrow valley, fringed with high mountains. The biggest tributaries of the Chulyshman are the Bashkaus, the Shavla and the Chulcha, where the biggest waterfall in Altai called Chulchinsky is situated.

The Chulyshman and the Bashkaus are famous for their rapids and attract a great number of tourists ready to test their possibilities in rafting along these rivers. The Chulyshman is rich for fish, especially grayling in the upper reaches. In Dzhulukul Lake different kinds of fish can be found such as Siberian loach, taimen, pollan, pike, dace, perch, eel-pot and others, that makes the lower reaches of the river attractive for fishing.