Experiential tourism in Kazakhstan.

“I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there” 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Faith tourism in Kazakhstan.

Karatal river flows in the territory of Almaty oblast. The length is 390km, the area of water land is 19100sq km. It rises in glaciers on the south-western mountainsides of Jungar Alatau and flows into Balkhash Lake. Full-flowing tributories Koksu and Bizhe flow into upper and middle streams of Karatal.
The river-bed is extended, the stream is getting slow and river flows in desert plane and deserts Zhetysu, Moinkum, Saryesik-Atyrau, Zhamankum, Bestas, Lekkum. Average annual consumption of water near Ushtobe town is 66,7m/s. ?
Karatal and its tributaries Koksu, Mukur, Bizhe, Kartoi and Erkin feed on Karatal irrigation system. The area of irrigation is over 120000 hectares in the territory of Kirovsky, Karatalsky and Taldykorgansky districts. The water is drinking and used to water supplying many populated areas.
The town Taldyckgan, Ushtobe and the settlement of urban type Karabulak are located on the banks of Karatal river. This is one of the largest rivers in the basin of Balkhash Lake. Its sources are located in the ridges of Zhungar Alatau.
The upper stream and tributaries Kora and Chizhe are typical mountain rivers with deep and narrow rivers. In the lower stream after the river goes out of the mountains, it flows along the valley amongst the sands. The river’s valley becomes wider, with gentle slopes.
Karatal, like Ili River, flows into Balkhash with several distributaries forming the delta.

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.