Last minute tour in Kazakhstan.

“Thought is invisible nature”

Heinrich Heine.

Group inclusive tour in Central Asia.

In the gorge Aksay the asphalt road conducts, begins from the top automobile route Almaty - Bishkek. The mudflow which passed in 1921 down the river Aksay was much weaker, than in Kaskelen the gorge, did not take out big boulders from mountains therefore in this gorge the road equal.
The floodplain of the river Aksay wide (100 - 200 meters) that seldom meets in Mountains Tien Shan. The river Aksay originates from mountain glacial lakes. Behind the ridges seen from the valley which tops are located below the snow line there are glaciers and two mountain lakes which overflow during rough thawing of snow and ice can serve as the beginning of formation of a mud stream.
The abundance of irrigation water, fine green meadows, rich mountain chernozems and the convenient road on which there can pass cars attracts to the Aksay gorge of tourists and vacationers.
From turn in the direction of mountains from the main asphalt road on both river banks Aksay were stretched giving residents of Almaty, there are a lot of dachas. Dachas are from height of 1000 to 1600 meters above sea level, at first occupy the floodplain and low slopes of mountains on both sides of the gorge, concentrate on West side of the gorge and at tops of hills and on the plateau above.
The floodplain of the river Aksay and the next slopes are covered with thickets of a hawthorn, a wild apricot, a sea-buckthorn, Sivers's apple-tree, a willow, Semenov's maple, a barberry and a dogrose. There is a lot of sea-buckthorn and hawthorn.
At the height of 1490 meters above sea level there is the forester's cordon. Near it away from the road it is located well-known Aksay (акжар) break - very steep slope from various clay rocks. It was formed as a result of very powerful earthquake more than 100 years ago.
This place bewitches the primitive beauty and severity. Above a forest cordon fir forests with the woods of an aspen and a mountain ash Tien Shan begin. It is a lot of silver birch and pine ordinary. Small birchwoods or separate groups of trees decorate a monotonous fir-tree mountain landscape.
From the valley of the river at the beginning of the upper bound of the fir forest the wonderful panorama opens, on a gentle slope subalpine meadows of wild raspberry which alternate with the fir forest and separate enormous fir-trees grow.
Fine meadows, dachas, gardens, thickets of fruit-trees and fir forests are a panorama of the Aksay gorge. Unfortunately, Bokovoy Range blocks a view of eternal snow and glaciers. Draws the attention of a large number of fir forests in the floodplain of the river and on slopes of mountains.
In the Aksay gorge there are a lot of bushes with light pink small colors, very much decorate the gorge.

Authority:
V. L. Kazenas, A. B. Zhdanko. A photo album "On Zailiskiy Alatau".

Photos by
Alexander Petrov.