Sibiny lakes Tours from Ust-Kamenogorsk. 

«A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature»

Henry David Thoreau.

Rest and hiking on Sibiny lakes.

The unique, largest mountain group of Sibinsky lakes, is located in the southern part of the Koktau mountain range, in the north in the center of the Kalbinsky ridge, 18.5 kilometers southeast of the village of Bazanbay, 28.3 kilometers southwest of the village of Asubulak and in 57.3 kilometers (in a straight line) to the south and slightly east of the town of Ust-Kamenogorsk in the southwestern part of the Ulan district of the East Kazakhstan region.
Granite and lakes is a combination often found in Kazakhstan nature, but in the source of the river Sibinka granite include as many as five contiguous lakes. Sadyrkol, Tortkara, Shalkar, Korzhynkol and Karakol - these lakes, stretched parallel to each other, decorate the southern edge of Sibin granite massif.
Baths of the lakes are intercupola depression of the oddly curved roof of the magmatic body. The unique Sibiny natural complex is located 85 km south of the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk. More than 30 species of aquatic vegetation grows in the lakes.
Surface flora is presented by species typical for arid regions: pinnate feather grass, bluegrass ordinary, timothy grass, sedge. A number of medicinal plants are met here: burnet, yarrow, plantain large and lanceolate, geranium, etc.
The Sibin (Ablayket) lakes are one of the favorite tourist destination.
Recreation centers and health centers are built here. Rocky northern shores of lakes are the most picturesque. They can be reached only by swimming or passing through a long mountain routes. Located here beyond the reach of cars beaches (there is even a nudist) are designed for true lovers of nature and peace.
The silence and solitude people found here a long time. In XVII century near the lake Sadyrkol acted an ancient Buddhist monastery Ablaikit. Here, according to legends, is hidden a treasure, which includes a golden Buddha statue in size of an adult.
But equally significant is the treasure that has already been found - a rich library of Tibetan scrolls. Still higher, on the watershed with a Bayga river, you can see the stone walls of ancient Dzungarian fortress. Nearby is a cave Baukuys, where traces of ancient people camp are preserved.
Each lake is surrounded from three sides by steep slopes composed of Sibin granite intrusive of Late Permian (according to some data, Jurassic) age, introduced into the Devonian–Carboniferous sediments. The area of granite massif is about 280 square kilometres.
Large grained till gigant-grained porphyric leucocratic granite is painted in light gray or pinkish color. Granite domes with brightly evident mattress parting, parallel to slopes, are separated by a cup-looking depressions. In five of the deepest the Sibin lakes are located.
At the contact of Sibin granite massif with the host rocks fields of pegmatite veins are observed. The contact of Sibin granite and Kalba intrusive complexe is interesting as well, which is revealed by the surface excavation - Chernyshov stripping (1946, length 70 m), where you can find rare minerals - lepidolite, rubellite, black tourmaline, etc.
In the northern part of the Sibin massif petroglyphs (animal pictures) are found. There is an opportunity to pave the numerous hiking routes, during which you can admire the beautiful scenery - lakes and granite rocks, forming intricate shapes, and with the help of qualified guides to learn about the geological processes that shaped these landscapes.
From mountain peaks Bayga, Medvedka, Koktal and passes of the same name magnificent panoramas of the surrounding area are opened. Near Sibin mountain massif in Asubulak village, an interesting object of geological tourism is located – the placer deposit of rare minerals of pegmatite veins.
Mainly red garnet – almandine – is found. In the future it is planned to create a national park at the territory of Sibin mountain massif where under the protection will be landscape zones, plant communities and faunal complexes.
Making to the future national park the status of Geopark will widen the variety of tourist attractions and provide an additional flow of tourists.

Geographic coordinates of Sibinsky lakes: N49°26'50 E82°37'42

Authority:
Ilya Fishman, Yuliya Kazakova “Millions of years before the Silk Road. Geoparks in Kazakhstan”.  Printing house “Idan“ Kommunal’naya, 39, Almaty, Kazakhstan http://yadi.sk/d/4_6z_blyoxnqe

Photos  by:
 Alexander Petrov.