Of the twenty-five specially protected natural areas, ten have the status of reserves in Kazakhstan, and another eleven are called national parks. From all this diversity, the traveler always has something to choose in order to enjoy the diverse nature of the country and go through its most interesting hiking trails.
Statistics know everything
Among the reserves of Kazakhstan, there are several record-holders, elders, so respected in the east:
- The status of a reserve in the republic of Aksu-Zhabaglinsky received the very first. This happened back in 1926, and since then more than 1,700 plant species, more than 260 bird species and at least fifty species of mammals have been protected on its territory. The symbol of this nature reserve is the Greig tulip, the varieties of which have been identified by biologists in a separate class. About a hundred varieties of Greig tulips are cultivated in the Netherlands. The pride of the Aksu-Zhabaglinsky Nature Reserve is a rare snow leopard, included in the list of endangered species.
- In the Almaty reserve, formed in 1931, the natural complexes of the Northern Tien Shan mountains are protected and studied. But not only the opportunity to see argali, gazelle, lynx or snow leopard in their natural habitat attracts tourists here. The reserve is very popular among climbers who want to conquer several peaks of the four-thousanders. 160 glaciers of the reserve and dozens of lakes create landscapes of unique beauty, attracting photographers to this region.
National treasure
The protected areas of Kazakhstan, which have the status of national parks, cannot boast of an ideal tourist infrastructure. Nevertheless, the shores of the lakes in Bayanaul Park become a favorite vacation spot for residents of the central and northern regions of the country in summer. In addition to sunbathing and swimming in the clear waters of mountain lakes, tourists practice rock climbing, hiking and mountain biking here. For fans of educational recreation, the administration of the national park has developed a route through natural attractions - caves, rocks of an interesting shape and the surrounding mountain rivers and lakes.
The Singing Dune dune, over 130 meters high, is the main natural attraction of the Altyn-Emel National Park. But the man-made masterpieces of this reserve of Kazakhstan are of undoubted interest for archaeologists - the necropolis of nomads from the VIII-III centuries BC can be seen not far from the Ile River.
