Productive leisure in Kazakhstan.

“Nature abhors annihilation” 

Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Tours to Almaty natural reserve.

This is a reserve within the National Park's territory. The Almaty reserve occupies 91.6 thousand ha in the Talgar and Yesik Rivers' basin. The reserve has diverse landscapes and natural places of scientific value.
The reserve has a Museum, the exhibits of which are so actively represented, that having seen the exhibits, it is possible, to be acquainted with the flora and fauna within the reserve. The reserve presents the natural environment for an ounce, and for other animals, including deer, eagles, wild ram (arkhar) and gazelle (dzheiran).
The Almaty Preserve is in the Talgar and Issyk rivers basins (91.6 thousand ha). The area is diverse in landscape pattern and has scientifically valuable objects. The Preserve has a museum reflecting its activities where you can see representative flora and fauna inhabiting its area.
The Preserve is a habitat of the snow leopard and various animals including deer, eagles, wild sheep (argali) and gazelle (goitered gazelle). Local travel agencies can help you to have all the necessary documents to be in the Preserve.
One of the most popular approaches is the route crossing the Talgar Pass and TEO Pass. The recommended walking routes include the Issyk River and Okkol Lake. A three-day route starts with the Talgar Pass and further through the Bogdanovich Glacier Moraine.
Then it goes up to the Abai Pass (3810 m) northward of Abai town (4010m) and follows by descending to the Tuyuk Su camp. A similarly long route starts from the Talgar Pass, descends to the Left Talgar River, ascends to the Tourist River and further to the Tourist Pass (3930 m), and ends at the junction of the Mutnaya and Ozernaya Rivers and to the Large Almaty Lake.
An 18-day route to the Talgar Mountain starts from the Left Talgar River and proceeds to the Nauruksai River and TEO Pass (3600 m). It follows to the Talgar midstream through the Tustai Pass (3600m) to the Right Talgar.
Then it goes through the northeastern slope of the Right Talgar to the Metallurgist Glacier and Birkaragan Pass (3490 m) and then to the Issyk River that leads to the road. Local tourist companies can help you to get the required documents to visit the reserve.
The route across the Talgar and TEU crossings is one of the most popular trips. The recommended walking routes include the Yesik and Akkol River. A three-day route begins with the Talgar crossing, then along the Bogdanovich glacier moraine.
Then a rise to the Abai crossing (3810 m) on the northern side of the Abai Peak (4010 m), then down to uyuksu, the mountain climbers camp. A similar duration route, begins with the Talgar crossing, then down to the Left Talgar River, then a rise up to the Tourists' River, and further to the Tourist crossings (3930 m), and the trip reaches the Mutnaya and Ozemaya Rivers' confluence, and finally to the Big Almatinskoye Lake.
The eight-day route to the Talgar Mountain begins from the Left Talgar River, further to the Nauruksai River and to the TEU Crossing (3600 m). Then, up to the middle of the Talgar River through the Tustai Crossing (3600 m) to the Right Talgar, then under the north-eastern slope of the Right Talgar to the Metallurgist Glacier and to the Bir-Karagan Crossing (3490 m), and then to the Yesik River, which brings you to the road.
Almaty National Park is situated in 20km from the Southern Capital. It was taken under the state defend 69 years ago. The steppes, deciduous and conifers forests, Alpin meadow and glaciers are stretched out on the territory of more than 70 thousands hectares of the reserve.
The rivers Talgar, Issyk, Chilik rise in these glaciers. About 300 kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibious, insects dwell in the territory of the reserve. According to Oleg Homullo The director of this preserve and its employees here also dwell “the members” of the Red Book.
here is similar but with larger area the block of protected territories in Kazakhstan part  of Northern Tien-Shan. The centre is Almaty nature reserve which was formed in 1931 but underwent set of changes and reorganizations. In modern borders in exists since 1964 and its occupied territory is 71,7 thousand hectares.
The reserve in located in central high-altitude part of Zailiysky Alatau. It plays an important role in preservation mountain ecosystem, in particular in preservation of coniferous woods of relic Picea schrcnkiana as well as other kinds of biodiversity; such as the higher plants (about 1000 species), mammals (42 kinds), birds (more than 170 kinds), butterflies (135 kinds), etc.
Among them there are unique rare kinds of plants and animals, such as Sibiraea tianschanica, Saussurea involucrata, snow leopard (Uncia uncia), Gypaelus barbatus and others entered into the Red Book of Kazakhstan.

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."Guide to Kazakhstan". “Central Asia Mountains”. 2009, Almaty,Publishing house “Mektep”. Authos Aldar Gorbunov, Anna Ivachenko, Sharipa Bisarieva.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov and Sergei Mikhalkov.