Altitudes above 2,400 meters display characteristics of tundra, with patches of alpine meadows and some trees immediately below the treeline.

[1][2] The ecoregion covers the high-peak ranges of mountains across the meeting of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, stretching about 700 km from northwest-to-southeast, and a similar distance from southwest-to-northeast.

[3] Overall, the plant life of the Altai show more closeness to Arctic species than do the more southerly mountains of Central Asia (the Tian Shan, the Himalayas, and Tibetan).

[4] There are few species in the highest, "nival" zone, where glaciers and exposed bare rock make life difficult.

The sub-nival (high-alpine) zone features moss, lichen, and creeping plants over broad areas of the high plateaus.