Excursions to Turgen gorge.

“What are men to rocks and mountains?” 

Jane Austen. «Pride and Prejudice».

 Trip from Almaty to Turgen gorge.

Following the Almaty-Talgar-Yesik route, one will get to Turgen village, which is located in the gorge of the same name. This gorge is famous for its many sub-Alpine and Alpine pastures. The Assinskoye zhaylyau is the largest of them.
Turgen village is located just at the mountain foot at a height of 900-1000 m above sea level. It stands out amongst many very beautiful villages, covered in greenery from gardens and vineyards along the Zailiy Alatau ridge, notably with beautiful houses and bountiful faiits.
The dry-tolerant plants, such as: the Semyonov' maple, wild dry apricot, Mushketov's kurgavka are found in larger quantities in the Turgen Gorge. While firs cover slopes from 1350 - 1400 m in the Yesik Gorge, the fir tree zone begins from the altitude of 1650 m in the Turgen gorge. The increased air dryness and high number
of sunny days are mostly favourable for peoples' health and recuperation. The Turgen Gorge is famous for its Tau-Turgen sanatorium, where a warm spring wells from the depths. About 150 people visit the
sanatorium for their health monthly. It is located at an altitude of 1400 - 1500 m, 19 km from a highway on the left bank of the torrential Turgen River. Houses fit in naturally among the forests, Tien- Shan birches, poplars, willows, Sivers, wild apple-trees and apricots.
There is a bus stop at the 19th km point on
the main road along the Gorge, which leads further to the Medvezhiy Waterfall (the height is 30 m) of glacial origin. The Batan place is nearby, also. The Chinturgen's fir, a unique natural treasure, is located up along the Gorge, just at the glaciers.
The ecological post, visitors centre and rest facilities are provided by the National Park there. The Turgen Gorge is located in an ecologically pristine region of the Zailiy Alatau. Riding, fishing for Royal trout, sazan or carp, will leave an indelible impression.
The trout farm is not far from the centre. Hunting with "the Tazy", the Kazakh Borzois (hunting dog) and hunting birds have been nurtured in the Kazakh steppe since ancient times. This original Kazakh youthful pleasure deserves to become known far outside the country.
Competitions are provided annually among kusbegi and their "foster children" (hawks, eagles, falcons, balobans) in the region. Тhe Turgen Gorge in the Ile Alatau National Park (90 km from Almaty) is an ideal place to enjoy the beautiful nature. The gorge has hot springs, а trout farm, water-falls and lots of woods.
Rich in coniferous and mixed forests, alpine and sub-alpine meadows, lakes and springs, medicinal herbs and berries, the gorge plunges 44 km to the vast Assy plateau 2560 meters above sea level. Long ago caravans from Europe passed through the «Royal Gates» on their way to the East - to China and India.
The broad valley stretches east for 60 km. From here you can mountain-bike to the Charyn Canyon or the Kolsai Lakes. The Turgen Georg is famous for its seven waterfalls. The Medvezhiy (Bear) Falls drop 30 metres in а beautiful setting amidst overhanging cliffs and green fir trees, while the Bozgul Falls are known for the force of  the water, which has worn away an entire tunnel in the l rock.
The earthquake-dam-aged cliffs in the gorge still preserve traces of pre-Ice Age vegetation. Another notable feature of the gorge is the relict Chin-Turgen mossy fir forests which cover the ground and form а thick carpet of trees. The most popular spot in the Turgen Gorge is Botan, the hunting base.
Here, where three rivers meet, the gorge is at its deepest - 920 metres. The Turgen river flows south west, while the Kishi-Turgen runs south-east. There is an observatory on the plateau. Ancient burial mounds and rock drawings are dotted along the Asyriver.
There are quite а few Sacae and Usun graves in the gorge dating back to 500 ВС - 300 AD. Holiday homes such as Sinegorye and Tauturgen are located where the hot springs flow into the rapid Turgen river. The Sinegorye, situated 1,500 m above sea level in the scenic Makushino gorge (70 km from Almaty), offers а wide choice of rooms.
The small mountain lakes above the Sinegorye are wonderful for bathing and fishing, while lower down is а trout where уоu can catch your own fish and cook them for supper. Turgen gorge is rich with thermal springs, waterfalls, coniferous and mixed forests, alpine and sub-alpine meadows, lakes and springs, medicinal herbs and berries.
It goes deep for 44 km to the large plateau of Assa. Turgen ravine is famous for its waterfalls, there are seven of them. Medvezhij waterfall attracts with its 30-meter height amongst the beetling rocks and green spruces. Bozgul waterfall is famous for the powerful water flow that has made a tunnel in the rock.
Rocks in the ravine store the marks from the plants of the Pre-Glacial Age. The ravine is famous for its relict Chin-Turgen mossy fir-plantation that prostrate along the land forming compact fir carpet. The most popular place in the ravine is Botan, hunter station.
Here, at the junction of three rivers, Turgen ravine reached the greatest depth – 920 m. Along Asy River there are ancient burial mounds and rock paintings. There are a lot of sak and sun graves in the ravine.

Authority:
The guidebook across Kazakhstan . Authors Dagmar Schreiber and Jeremy Tredinnick.   Publishing house "Odyssey".2010 and the material for this page is taken from the printed edition.

Alexander Petrov
photos.