Nature Kazakhstan Tours.

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn”

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Guided Natural History Tours in Kazakhstan.

The vegetation of the territory plays an important role in tourism development, notably the forests. The main forests are located in the forest-steppe zone of Northern Kazakhstan and in the mountain regions in the East and in the South.
In the first case, they are represented by birch and asp splittings (groves) and belt pine forests, and in the second - by coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests on the mountain slopes. The Kazakhstan flora is represented by about 600 types of plants, 67 of them are summer green and evergreen trees.
The Tien-Shan fir (the Shrenka fir) is the most fascinating tree, growing in the Republic, and there is, of course, haloxylon (a tree-like bush with small soft leaves). The Tien-Shan fir is one of the most beautiful and strong fir-trees.
These firs are naturally occurring on the Tien-Shan Mountain ridges. Like candles, they reach skywards, attaining 40 - 50 m heights. Draped in mist, these giants loom out of deep mountain valleys. The Kazakhstan forests, steppes, valleys and waters differ in rich and many-coloured wilderness.
Many rare mammals have been preserved there, and large numbers of birds come flying there from the forest-steppe zone, taiga and tundra to spend the winter. The Republic's fauna includes about 160 species of mammals, 485 kinds of birds and about 150 kinds of fish.
Some animals and birds are registered in the international Red Book of rare and endangered animals. Numerous saigaks, animals contemporary to the mammoth, roam the boundless steppe and semi-arid open-spaces, dzgeirans and kulans also can be found.
The desert is inhabited by gigantic lizards, snakes and spiders. The blue bird's voice can be heard in the mountain valleys, as in the Indian Thrush. Many various animals can be found in the Kazakhstan wilderness: marmots, the Usturt wild goats, Turkestan lynxes, Tien-Shan brown bears, wild boars, foxes, rabbits, arkhars, seals, pink flamingos, white swans and so on.
Such Kazakhstan animals, as ounce (irbis), falcon-balobans and kulans are of great interest to foreign tourists. In Kazakhstan, people always respect a leopard, as the most strong and proud animal. A beautiful wild cat (an ounce), an ideal rock-climber, lives high in the Tien-Shan Mountains, where glaciers border with the Alpine zone.
Having no natural enemies, ounces usually live to a very old age. The Kazakhs used a falcon-baloban in hunting for birds in ancient times. The golden eagles are natural hunters The Kazakhs took balobans' chicks from nests and trained them in hunting.
This tradition is still preserved todav The Altai and Zailiy Alatau Mountains are particular places, where one can see falcons in the wild. Kulan is a strong animal with a light step, it has always amazed people with its grace and beauty.
Not so long numerous kulan herds wandered throughout the Kazakh steppes, but unrestrained hunting of these animals resulted in their near disappearance. Earlier, the Barsa-Kelmes Island in the Aral Sea was used to protect them.
Now these animals have been relocated to the right bank of the Ili River.

Authority:
"Zhetysu is the Land of  tourism”. A Tourist Guide-book. Almaty.  2003. 68 p. and the material for this page is taken from the printed edition.

Photos
Alexander Petrov.