The Maltan is a river in Magadan Oblast, Russia. It has a length of 157 km and a drainage basin of 4900 km2. The Maltan is the longest tributary of the Bakhapcha, of the Kolyma basin. The river flows across an uninhabited area, the nearest village is Sinegorye, located to the north. The name of the river originated in an Even word for "bend" or "curvature".

Course

The source of the Maltan is in the northern slopes of Mount Nukh (Гора Нух) of the Olsky Plateau area, at the western end of the Kolyma Mountains, close to the R504 Kolyma Highway. It flows near Atka in its upper course, not far from the sources of the Yama. The river heads in a NNW direction along the western slopes of the Maymandzhin Range. Finally it turns to the WNW below the southern slopes of Mount Khetinskaya (Гора Хетинская) and joins the right bank of the Bakhapcha 122 km from its mouth in the Kolyma. The river freezes yearly between late October and late May.

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Maltan are the 31 km long Veyer (Snorovka), the 56 km long Nosegchen (Nasakchan or Nyazakhchan) and the 50 km long Khurendzha (Khirunda) from the left and the 45 km long Asan, the 61 km long Kheta and the 45 km long Basandra from the right.