Hiking group to Kazakh Altay.

“All art is but imitation of nature”

Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

Adventurous travellers from Almaty to Altay.

The valley Shekelmes is in the Kurshymsky Region of East Kazakhstan region on the northern coast of the Lake Zaysan. The name of this most beautiful place on the bank of the Lake Zaysan happened from the dominating mountain Shekelmes 516,9 meters high above sea level.
Distance from automobile road Kurshy - Kalzhyr through the settlement of Amanat to the valley Shekelmes makes 52 kilometers. The next settlements - the settlement of Amanat, Karatogay, Barak batyr, Kurshym.
The mountain Shekelmes towers in a middle part of the gulf which is formed by two capes, in the West the cape Barkhot and in the east the cape Baklany. The valley Shekelmes, is in 2 kilometers to the southeast from the mountain Shekelmes.
The valley is small, from the coastline on the North the valley was stretched on only 500 meters. From the West on the East as much as possible, the valley extends, no more than on 1 kilometer.
The valley strikes with the unique and not repeating paints, these are cretaceous accumulation by age in millions of years, most likely very long time ago this place the ocean lapped. Shekelmes stuns the valley and shakes by the greatness and at the same time lifelessness.
Vegetation here rare, small, the period of vegetation and growth short - a heat and lack of moisture is farther to the north from the coast of the Lake Zaysan. Here well the nature and wind, as a result the valley worked Shekelmes represents layers of sedimentary breeds with great shapes and different coloring of soil.
Cone-shaped mountains remind pyramids or some fantastic heaps which were created for us by the nature. On rising improbable views of Shekelmes environs open. Protected lakes and water the various, not repeating types on multi-colored clay.
The landscape and of the valley at sunset gains enchanting, unearthly beauty. Gulf extent on the coastline from the cape Barkhot to the cape Baklany makes exactly 10 kilometers. The gulf not obvious and on the coastline is expressed relatively as capes not far press in the water area of the lake.
From the cape Barkhot on the West, along the coast there is a natural boundary Botaolgen with anonymous dominating in the north 420,7 meters high above sea level. To the north of the mountain Shkelmes in 500 meters from its bottom the valley Tuzshunkyr on the place which, there is a picturesque saline soil is located.
To the north of the valley Tuzshunkyr is the valley Tuzkabak. The first words in names of local valleys say that the area to the north from the mountain Shekelmes consists of saline march which are filled with water in the spring and to the middle of summer almost dry.
Geographic coordinates of Shekelmes valley: N48 ° 04'11.65 "E84 ° 08'13.61"

Authority and photos
Alexander Petrov.