Author: goldsmith

The Golden ring tour includes visits to the national parks “Altyn-Emel”, “Charyn”, “Kolsay lakes”, “Ili-Alatau”, Bartogoi reservoir —  Zharkent city, Belzhailau plateau.

Altyn-Emel national Park is the largest and the most famous nature reserve in Kazakhstan. Located 300 km from Almaty, in the valley of the Ili river. This is a unique natural complex of archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

It includes unique objects of nature like the singing dunes, the mountains of Aktau and Katutau, stones of Genghis Khan, Shokan Valikhanov spring.

Zharkent City. The most significant attraction is the Zharkent mosque, built in 1895 from the Tien Shan spruce by the Chinese architect Hong-Pik. The minaret is surrounded by 52 columns, the interior is decorated with Arabic script using national ornaments. The impression made by the mosque, built in the style of a Chinese pagoda, remains without exaggeration for many years. It turns out that three similar buildings were built: a temple in Shanghai, a mosque in Kulja, and a mosque in Zharkent.

The temple in Shanghai was destroyed when China began to build socialism, and the mosque in Kulja burned down. During its 116-year history, the Zharkent mosque has one throuh a lot, but it has survived. In 1910, the mosque withstood a major earthquake. Many buildings in the city were reduced to rubble, and it only received some damage. And in 1965, a hurricane wind swept through Zharkent, but the structure resisted this natural cataclysm. In different years, the building was used for warehouses and granaries, people lived in it, and every year it fell into more and more decline.

Zharkent residents could have completely lost this ancient monument if the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the CP of the Republic Dinmukhamed Kunaev had not visited it in the late 70’s. After this visit, restoration work began in the mosque, and the monument was taken under state protection.

Plateau Belzhalau. Beautiful foothills of the Dzungarian Alatau, located not far from the city of Zharkent.

Zhailau means summer pasture. Actually, this is what we will see around us-yurts, shepherds, cattle. A slow, measured life. Compared to the heat of Zharkent, here, as in any foothills, it is fresh and good. They say that in this place there was a battle of the Kazakhs with the superior forces of the Dzungars. Having blocked the gorge in the narrowest place, the Kazakhs did not allow the Dzungars to pass.

Kolsay lakes national Park. A visit to lake Kolsai and Kaindy. Incredible mountain lakes of a  tectonic origin.

Charyn National Park  you will get acquainted with amazing canyons of a  stunning beauty. Landscapes will take you to the atmosphere of the wild West, because the Charyn canyon, without a doubt, can be put on a par with the famous Grand canyon in America. The tour program includes visits to the Valley of Castles, Bestamak and Temerlik canyon, Clay canyon.

Bartogay Reservoir. Bartogai reservoir is located at an altitude of 1010 meters above sea level, 175 km from Almaty, in the Western part of the Syugatinsky intermountain depression, at the intersection of its valley of the Chilik river.

The floodplain of the Chilik river is blocked by a 60-meter rock-fill dam with a length of 330 meters, which formed a reservoir. The total capacity of Bartogai is 320 cubic meters, the area of the water mirror is 13 square kilometers.

“Ili-Alatau” national Park. Turgen Canyon, Assy Plateau.

Turgen Canyon is famous for its beauty and waterfalls.  There are seven of them. The most accessible waterfall is the Bear waterfalls, the trail goes through a picturesque canyon and its length is about 1.5 km. The height of the fall of the stream is 30 meters, this is a favorite place of tourists.

The Assy plateau is a breathtaking valley in between two mountains, more than 40 km long and 15 km wide, located at an altitude of 2700 m above sea level.

Along the route, you will see various natural and climatic zones from Alpine meadows to semi-deserts, plunge into the era of the ancient Saks, see barrows and burial grounds, observe the petroglyphs.

You can learn more about these wonderful objects of nature taking our one-day and two-day tours.

First day:

Charyn canyon is located 195 km from Almaty, and this place is definitely worth a visit. The stunning beauty of the landscape will take you into the atmosphere of the wild West, because the Charyn canyon, without a doubt, can be put on a par with the famous Grand canyon in the United States of America.

Some facts about the canyon:

• the length of the canyon is 154 km along the Charyn river;

• it is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old;

• is actually the bottom of the Tethys proto-ocean;

• the height of the steep mountains of the canyon reaches 150-300 meters;

• the most beautiful place is considered to be the valley of Castles, its length is about 3 km, width-20-80 m.

Second day:

Kolsay lakes trail

Kolsay lakes — a system of three lakes in the Northern Tien Shan, in the Kolsay canyon, in the bridge connecting the Kungei-Alatau and Zailiysky Alatau ranges.

The absolute height of the lakes above sea level is 1818 m, 2252 m and 2850 m.

In this tour, we will only visit the first one. The length of the lake is 1520 m, width 222 m, depth 366 m!

Kolsay is an incredible lake! The color of the water is amazing, changing depending on the weather, from bright turquoise, azure to green and gray-blue!

The lake is rich in diverse flora and fauna, there are king trout, ducks, eagles, you can meet hares and marmots.

The path to the second Kolsay lake — Mynzhygli, is not less beautiful than the lake itself, 8 kilometers of mountain route with unique, pristine nature!

Lake Mynzhygli – the largest and most beautiful of the three lakes, has a length of 1235 meters, the greatest width of 564 meters, the greatest depth of the lake is about 50 meters.

The first thing you see when you go out to the lake is a natural dam of fallen fir trees. The view is impressive! The second lake is flowing, connected to the first lake by the Kolsay river.

We have lunch and return to Saty village

Third day:

Kaindy Lake

Kaindy lake is located on the Northern slope of the Kungei Ala-Too mountain canyon at an altitude of 1,867 meters above sea level in a dense coniferous forest. It’s 21 kilometers between Kolsay lake and Kaindy lake.

Kaindy  means “abundant birch” or “birch” in Kazakh language. Although you will not find a single birch tree on the lake, you will find the birch five kilometers below the lake.

Kaindy lake is a natural wonder! It was formed as a result of the Kemin earthquake in 1911! The earthquake lasted about 5 minutes with an amplitude of 8 points! Can you imagine the power? Naturally, this led to changes in the landscape — deep cracks, ruptures and numerous landslides occurred. One of these landslides blocked the river – and the mountain valley got filled with water, flooding the coniferous forest growing there. In any other place, the trees would have rotted long ago, but in Kaindy such cold water (even in July, no higher than 6C) that the trees are literally preserved! In clear weather, they are clearly visible through the water.

Back to Saty village, dinner, departure

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Кольсай #garintrip_Каинды #Kolsay #Kaindy

#garintrip_Charyn #Charyn #Charyncanyon

Kolsay lake, Kaindy lake, Charyn ,Charyncanyon, valley of Castles

The Assy plateau is the most beautiful place in Almaty region. National Park “ Kolsay lakes” is similar to its beauty. 3-days trail is to visit these places.

Day 1:

The high-mountain plateau of Assy is an incredibly beautiful place, it is a huge inter-mountain summer pasture (Zhailau). The length of the plateau is more than 40 km long and 15 km wide, with a relative altitude of 2700 m above sea level. Along the route, you will see various natural and climatic zones from Alpine meadows to semi-deserts.

Here is the Assy-Turgen Observatory, the only Observatory in Kazakhstan with an ideal astronomical climate.

As well as the plateau is the most valuable historical monument of the Bronze Age, there are a huge number of burial mounds and petroglyphs.

We will walk through the picturesque pass Kyzylaus -3200 km above the sea level.

Arrival in the village of Saty – check in at the guesthouse.

Day 2:

Kolsay lakes trail

Kolsay lakes — a system of three lakes in the Northern Tien Shan, in the Kolsay canyon, in the bridge connecting the Kungei-Alatau and Zailiysky Alatau ranges.

The absolute height of the lakes above sea level is 1818 m, 2252 m and 2850 m.

In this tour, we will only visit the first one. The length of the lake is 1520 m, width 222 m, depth 366 m!

Kolsay is an incredible lake! The color of the water is amazing, changing depending on the weather, from bright turquoise, azure to green and gray-blue!

The lake is rich in diverse flora and fauna, there are king trout, ducks, eagles, you can meet hares and marmots.

The path to the second Kolsay lake — Mynzhygli, is not less beautiful than the lake itself, 8 kilometers of mountain route with unique, pristine nature!

Lake Mynzhygli – the largest and most beautiful of the three lakes, has a length of 1235 meters, the greatest width of 564 meters, the greatest depth of the lake is about 50 meters.

The first thing you see when you go out to the lake is a natural dam of fallen fir trees. The view is impressive! The second lake is flowing, connected to the first lake by the Kolsay river.

We have lunch and return to Saty village

Day 3:

Kaindy Lake

Kaindy lake is located on the Northern slope of the Kungei Ala-Too mountain canyon at an altitude of 1,867 meters above sea level in a dense coniferous forest. It’s 21 kilometers between Kolsay lake and Kaindy lake.

Kaindy  means “abundant birch” or “birch” in Kazakh language. Although you will not find a single birch tree on the lake, you will find the birch five kilometers below the lake.

Kaindy lake is a natural wonder! It was formed as a result of the Kemin earthquake in 1911! The earthquake lasted about 5 minutes with an amplitude of 8 points! Can you imagine the power? Naturally, this led to changes in the landscape — deep cracks, ruptures and numerous landslides occurred. One of these landslides blocked the river – and the mountain valley got filled with water, flooding the coniferous forest growing there. In any other place, the trees would have rotted long ago, but in Kaindy such cold water (even in July, no higher than 6C) that the trees are literally preserved! In clear weather, they are clearly visible through the water.

Back to Saty village, dinner, departure

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Кольсай #garintrip_Каинды #Kolsai #Kaindy

#garintrip_Assy #Assy #Assyplateau

Kolsay lake, Kaindy lake, Assy plateau

Route length: 350 km (700 km round trip)

Travel time: 6-7 hours to Lake Tuzkol, 1-1.5 hours to Komershy canyon

Seasonality: April-October

Best time to travel: June-August

Tour duration: 2 days

The way to the lake and to the canyon goes through the Ketmen mountain range, located 400 km from Almaty.

Interesting facts:

• The word “Ketmen” in the Turkic language is a hand tool like a hoe, which is used for hoeing crops, digging and cleaning ditches. There is a legend according to which these mountains got their name on the day when the land relief was created by the Creator. Tired of working, he threw the useless tool on the ground, and where it fell, a small but very beautiful mountain range grew up.

• The ridge does not have sharp changes in height and, therefore, does not have clear peaks;

• The height does not reach the snow line when the glaciers are formed, and therefore does not have glaciations and snowfields, but has a permafrost zone; the Peaks are flat and wide. The slopes are flat and almost treeless.

• The total length of the ridge is 310 km, it is located on the territory of two States Kazakhstan and China;

Tuzkol lake or Kazakhstan’s Dead sea

* Bitter-salty mountain lake, the salinity of the water reaches 300 g per liter (at the Dead sea in the area of 350) and varies depending on the season;

• From Kazakh it is translated “salt lake” (Tuz-salt; Kol-lake);

• During the Soviet Union, salt was extracted on an industrial scale on the lake, now only abandoned buildings located at the water’s edge remind of this;

* Located in the mountain frame of the Kegen depression (1959 m above sea level), 70 km East of Kegen (on the highway to Narynkol);

* The lake is medium-sized, about 5 km long and up to 1 km wide in places;

• No river flows into the lake, and nothing flows out of it. Tuzkol is fed exclusively by underground sources;

• The shores of the lake are rich in healing mud, which is used in hospitals of Almaty;

• Maximum depth of 3 meters, average depth of 0.3 meters;

• In clear weather, the seven-thousandth Tien Shan peaks — Khan Tengri peak (7010 meters above sea level) and the right-hand trapezium of Victory peak (7439 meters above sea level) are visible from Tuzkol);

• The lake is teeming with the ruddy shelducks, the young growth eats the plankton;

* The noise of ducks is heard all night and with the first rays of the sun it even get twice louder.

Komershy Canyon

The Canyon is famous for its white rocks, incredible beauty, and a Holy spring. Locals make a pilgrimage here. In a place where  should be an ordinary flat lifeless rock, water comes out of nowhere! Out of stone!

Around the spring, some stones are covered with a thin film of water, others “cry” with a drop and the main source erupts from a deep niche of the rock as a miniature waterfall.

Overnight accommodation-tent camp.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_комерши #garintrip_тузколь #serotonal

Komershy Canyon, lake Tuzkol

Route length: 800 km

Seasonality: May-September

Best time to travel: June-August

Tour duration: 2 days

If you ask, what we think is the most beautiful place in Almaty region, we will definitely answer-the Assy plateau.

The high-mountain plateau of Assy is an incredibly beautiful place, it is a huge inter-mountain summer pasture (Zhailau). The length of the plateau is more than 40 km long and 15 km wide, with a relative altitude of 2700 m above sea level. Along the route, you will see various natural and climatic zones from Alpine meadows to semi-deserts.

Here is the Assy-Turgen Observatory, the only Observatory in Kazakhstan with an ideal astronomical climate.

As well as the plateau is the most valuable historical monument of the bronze age, there are a huge number of burial mounds and petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs are located on the southern slope of the mountain range and stretch along the river Assy for many kilometers, interrupting and resuming again.

The most common subject is wild animals: mountain goats and deer, elks, as well as domestic animals: horses, dogs, two-humped camels, and chthonic ones: snakes.

There are many images of men in so-called ritual poses or dancing, horsemen, archers, and hunting scenes. A special feature of the Assy petroglyphs are small image forms.

Then the path will go past an interesting place called Red rocks, a river, and bizarre rocks made of clay and sedimentary deposits of red color make this place magical.

The road from the plateau will gradually lead us to Bartogai reservoir, located in Assy canyon. Bartogay reservoir is formed as a result of the overlap of the Chilik river, a 60-meter stone-fill dam with a length of 330 m.

It came into operation in 1985 and was created to feed the Great Almaty canal (BAC), which is about 160 km long. Water from the canal is used for irrigation of fields in Almaty region.

Charyn canyon

Charyn canyon is located 195 km from Almaty, and this place is definitely worth a visit. The stunning beauty of the landscape will take you into the atmosphere of the wild West, because the Charyn canyon, without a doubt, can be put on a par with the famous Grand canyon in the United States of America.

Some facts about the canyon:

• the length of the canyon is 154 km along the Charyn river;

• it is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old;

• is actually the bottom of the Tethys proto-ocean;

• the height of the steep mountains of the canyon reaches 150-300 meters;

• the most beautiful place is considered to be the valley of Castles, its length is about 3 km, width-20-80 m.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Ассы #assy #platessa #beregistered

#garintrip_Чарын #Sharyn #christycanyon

Assy plateau, bartogay reservoir, Charyn canyon.

Route length: 650 km

Travel time: 4-5 hours to the Valley of Castles

Seasonality: all year round

The best time to travel: April, May, September, October.

Tour duration: 2 days.

Charyn canyon is located 195 km from Almaty, and this place is definitely worth a visit. The stunning beauty of the landscape will take you into the atmosphere of the wild West, because the Charyn canyon, without a doubt, can be put on a par with the famous Grand canyon in the United States of America.

Some facts about the canyon:

• the length of the canyon is 154 km along the Charyn river;

• it is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old;

• is actually the bottom of the Tethys proto-ocean;

• the height of the steep mountains of the canyon reaches 150-300 meters;

• the most beautiful place is considered to be the valley of Castles, its length is about 3 km, width-20-80 m.

Temerlik canyon or an oasis in the hot desert.

The canyon stretches along the Temerlik river, which flows into the Charyn from the East 10 km North of the valley of castles.

A huge advantage of this canyon over others is the presence of dense green poplar bushes that create a comfortable microclimate at the bottom of the canyon. Along the river Sogdian ash, poplar and barberry create shade and coolness. There are not many people here either, it is very comfortable to stay here for the night.

The Canyon Bestamak.

It is also called small, because the composition of the rocks and the similarity of the terrain resemble the Charyn canyon in miniature. And the canyon has a name — Yellow, because  this color prevails in the landscape.

A few facts about it:

* located on the right Bank of the Charyn river;

• it is a natural channel for rain;

• there are seven types of vegetation: steppe, desert, shrub, forest, tugai, meadow and swamp;

* interesting fossils of extinct flora and fauna are still found in the canyon.

Clay or moon canyon.

It is located between the Kuluktau mountains and the Charyn river. It has an interesting landscape that resembles large clay stalagmites.

Accommodation for the night will depend on your preferences – tent camp, Yurt.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Чарын #Sharyn #christycanyon #garintrip_каньоны

Charyn canyon, valley of castles, Bestamak canyon, Temerlik canyon, Clay canyon.

Route length: 800 (770) km

Travel time: 3-4 hours to the village of Basshi, 1 hour to the Singing Dune, 1.5-2 hours to theAktau mountains.

Seasonality: all year round

The best time to travel: April, May, September, October.

Tour duration: 2 days.

Altyn-Emel national Park is the largest and most famous nature reserve in Kazakhstan. It is located 300 km from Almaty, in the valley of the Ili river. This is a unique natural complex of archaeological, historical and cultural monuments, rare and endangered species of plants and animals.

First day of the tour:

Arrival in the village of Bosshi, check-in at the hotel, lunch, departure to the Park.

The stones of Genghis Khan or of the stele “Oshaktas»

There are two versions of their origin and purpose. The first is a giant hearth made of two-meter stones for a large cauldron, for the purpose of cooking food for the soldiers, because during the invasion of Genghis Khan’s army, a camp was organized here. Another version is a signal point from which smoke was sent to warn of the appearance of an enemy.

Chokan Valikhanov’s Spring

Right at the foot of the “Singing dune” is the famous spring with crystal clear water. Among the people, it is famous as a Saint with healing water that cures many diseases.

The famous traveler and scientist Chokan Valikhanov stopped for a rest in this place, traveling from Russia to Kashgaria.

So, the amazing oasis was included in his notes, and later received the name Valikhanov.

Singing dune.

This 150-meter sand dune, about 3 km long, rises near the river Ili between the two ridges of the Dzungarian Alatau-Small and Large Kalkan. The stony desert, overgrown with saxaul and small bushes surrounds this place. There are three questions popin up in the head when you look at the dune: from where is the sand here? Why hasn’t it blown away yet? And how does it sing?

There was a dune thanks to the wind, called Shilik. For thousands of years, it raised clouds of sand dust from the shallows of the river Ili and persistently carried it in one direction. But there were Large and Small Kalkans standin on its way  – and when the wind hit this barrier, it got weak  and dropped sand… a huge sand dune grew here.

The second question is more complicated, nobody really knows why the dune is standing still. Because the fluctuation of the sand, and the slope of the plain, and constantly blowing strong winds, should make  the dune roamed. But no, Barkhan is a “stay-at-home”dude.

As for the singing of the dune, everything is simple, pure physics. In dry and hot weather, grains of sand move (from the wind or walking on a dune) rub against each other and make a variety of sounds – from a barely discernible “squeak” to a frightening roar that is carried for many kilometers around. They say if you are lucky, you can even hear the “organ concert”, which is performed by the wind, moving a lot of sand.

Return to Bosshi village, dinner.

Second day:

Breakfast, departure to the Park.

Katutau mountains or volcanic mountains.

In prehistoric times, this area had plenty volcanoes, equal to Vesuvius. Then the volcanic activity subsided, and a large reservoir was formed. But time did its work and  the water was gone, and the wind remained dominant! It blew out the muddy remains, exposing the vents and lava flows of long-forgotten volcanoes.

Aktau mountains-chalk mountains.

Aktau is translated from the Kazakh language as “white mountains”. These mountains have, in fact, different colors — red, yellow, maroon, green, blue shades, but the main color is white. Here you can find picturesque and rare landscapes.

The age of mountain is about  60-70 million years, the length is 30 km. These mountains, like other mountains of the Northern Tien Shan, are still growing.

There is a documentary with Ed Stafford on Discovery channel about this place – A game of departure. Kazakhstan (2 episode, 1 season). Watch it and there is 100% you may want to visit it!

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_АЭ

National Park Altynemel

Route length: 325 km (650 km round trip)

Travel time: 6 hours to Saty village, 30 min. to Kolsay lake, and 30 minutes to Kaindy lake.

Seasonality: all year round

Best time to travel: May-September

Tour duration: 2 days.

The lakes are located 10 km up to the North of the border with Kyrgyzstan, 330 km South-East of Almaty. Road goes through the picturesque Uyghur village of Bayseit.

Today, the village is a kind of transshipment point. Through it, travelers pass to the hot springs in Chunju, to the Bartogai reservoir, Kolsay lakes, Kaindy, Charyn canyon. Lon time ago it was part of the Great silk road, where huge caravans passed and there was a brisk trade.

It is worth noting that trade thrives here nowadays. The main street of Baiseit is a large Bazaar – market, where locals sell fruits and vegetables.

Once in the village, an attentive traveler will notice the open gates to each house.  People have a strong believe  this way a good spirit enters the house “the Guest will not come alone, but with an angel”. The gates are closed at night though.

Kolsay lakes — a system of three lakes in the Northern Tien Shan, in the Kolsay canyon, in the bridge connecting the Kungei-Alatau and Zailiysky Alatau ranges.

The absolute height of the lakes above sea level is 1818 m, 2252 m and 2850 m.

In this tour, we will only visit the first one. The length of the lake is 1520 m, width 222 m, depth 366 m!

Kolsay is an incredible lake! The color of the water is amazing, changing depending on the weather, from bright turquoise, azure to green and gray-blue!

The lake is rich in diverse flora and fauna, there are king trout, ducks, eagles, you can meet hares and marmots.

Upon arrival, we will take a trail the lake. You can take a boat or catamaran trip on the lake too.

For the night,  you can stay in a guest house in the village of Saty, rent a hotel room with a view of the lake, settle in a Yurt, or set up a tent camp.

Kaindy Lake

Kaindy lake is located on the Northern slope of the Kungei Ala-Too mountain canyon at an altitude of 1,867 meters above sea level in a dense coniferous forest. It’s 21 kilometers between Kolsay lake and Kaindy lake.

Kaindy  means “abundant birch” or “birch” in Kazakh language. Although you will not find a single birch tree on the lake, you will find the birch five kilometers below the lake.

Kaindy lake is a natural wonder! It was formed as a result of the Kemin earthquake in 1911! The earthquake lasted about 5 minutes with an amplitude of 8 points! Can you imagine the power? Naturally, this led to changes in the landscape — deep cracks, ruptures and numerous landslides occurred. One of these landslides blocked the river – and the mountain valley got filled with water, flooding the coniferous forest growing there. In any other place, the trees would have rotted long ago, but in Kaindy such cold water (even in July, no higher than 6C) that the trees are literally preserved! In clear weather, they are clearly visible through the water.

Accommodation for the night will depend on your preferences – tent camp, guest house, Yurt.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Кольсай #garintrip_Каинды #Kolsai #Kaindy

Kolsay lake, Kaindy lake

Route length: 740 km

Travel time: 6-8 hours to the Bartogay reservoir through the mountains, 4-5 hours return on the way to Almaty.

Seasonality: May – September

Best time to travel: June-August

Walking duration: 1 day.

If you ask, what we think is the most beautiful place in Almaty region, we will definitely answer-the Assy plateau.

The high-mountain plateau of Assy is an incredibly beautiful place, it is a huge inter-mountain summer pasture (Zhailau). The length of the plateau is more than 40 km long and 15 km wide, with a relative altitude of 2700 m above sea level. Along the route, you will see various natural and climatic zones from Alpine meadows to semi-deserts.

Here is the Assy-Turgen Observatory, the only Observatory in Kazakhstan with an ideal astronomical climate.

As well as the plateau is the most valuable historical monument of the bronze age, there are a huge number of burial mounds and petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs are located on the southern slope of the mountain range and stretch along the river Assy for many kilometers, interrupting and resuming again.

The most common thing is wild animals: mountain goats and deer, elks, as well as domestic animals: horses, dogs, two-humped camels, and chthonic ones: snakes.

There are many images of men in so-called ritual poses or dancing, horsemen, archers, and hunting scenes. A special feature of the Assy petroglyphs are small image forms.

Then the path will go past an interesting place called Red rocks, a river, and bizarre rocks made of clay and sedimentary deposits of red color make this place magical.

The road from the plateau will gradually lead us to Bartogai reservoir, located in Assy canyon. Bartogay reservoir is formed as a result of the overlap of the Chilik river, a 60-meter stone-fill dam with a length of 330 m.

It came into operation in 1985 and was created to feed the Great Almaty canal (BAC), which is about 160 km long. Water from the canal is used for irrigation of fields in Almaty region.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Ассы #assy #plateassa #beregistered

Assy plateau, bartogay reservoir

Route length: 211 km (422 km round trip)

Travel time to the location: 4-5 hours

Seasonality: all year round

Best time to travel: April 15 – June 15, September 1 – October 30

Walking duration: 1 day.

Charyn canyon is located 195 km from Almaty, and this place is definitely worth a visit. The stunning beauty of the landscape will take you into the atmosphere of the wild West, because the Charyn canyon, without a doubt, can be put on a par with the famous Grand canyon in the United States of America.

Some facts about the canyon:

• the length of the canyon is 154 km along the Charyn river;

• it is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old;

• is actually the bottom of the Tethys proto-ocean;

• the height of the steep mountains of the canyon reaches 150-300 meters;

• the most beautiful place is considered to be the valley of Castles, its length is about 3 km, width-20-80 m.

Hashtags / keywords to search for:

#garintrip_Чарын #Sharyn #christycanyon

Charyn canyon, valley of castles