Every traveller dreams to see as much as possible. It's very important in our rush time. Kazakhstan is the country of vast spaces. Travelling by train you can observe similar landscapes day and night – feather-grass steppes, saline and sandy deserts. But South Kazakhstan is the exception to the rule. It's such a part of Asia where you can see a lot in a short term. Every day you can enojy different landscapes, make the acquaintance with dozens of new plants and animals.
Several neighbouring mountain formations here differ from each other greatly. These are Talass and Ugam ranges, Karatau mountains. The first one is an axled range of all West Tjan-Shan (maximal height – 4488 metres above sea level). It is also an example of the most interesting in geology, lanscape, flora and fauna in West Tjan-Shan. Here is situated the famous 25-kilometer canyon of Aksu river with the depth of 500 metres and width of 1 kilometre. And here you can find the famous nature reserve "Aksu-Dzhabagly" located on the square of more than 100 thousands hectares.
The Ugam range adjoins with Talass range and forms the so-called threshold to the warmer part of Tjan Shan mountains protected from cold airflows. Walnut forests grow on its south mountain sides and only on Ugam range you can meet relic Menzbira marmot.
Karatau mountains is a unique place. This ancient range is situated in the meridial direction and is surrounded by deserts from three sides. The relic nature of the landscapes has been kept safe here. It's flora contains 25% relic types of plants. Many plants’ and animals’ stamps of Jurassic (the so-called "fish plates") are found in slates of Aksu-Dzhabagly.
The Tjan-Shan flora counts more than 1500 forms of plants (real paradise for botany-lovers). For example, just one tulip kind counts 6 sorts on the nature reserve territory. In West Tjan-Shan dwell 400 types of vertebrates including snow leopard, white-clawed bear, golden eagle and other animals.
The piedmont plains near each range are unique in their own way. Somewhere there are vast steppes, somewhere saline or sandy deserts. Each area has its own face, own plants and animals. Local rivers and lakes also look differ depending on area they pass. They have their own microclimate, microrelief, animals and plants community.
It takes about 2-3 hours to get to these places. The journey will always be interesting because of changing landscapes. And travel to the mountains can be also called "a journey in time" – from summer to spring. You can see different plants blooming beneath and above in different times when travelling. For example, you can meet blooming tulips in May and June while they finished blossoming in March-April beneath.
So, let’s take a trip!
Sensation!!! The first photo of a lemmers tulip (Tulipa lemmersii), which have made in a nature.
Every traveller dreams to see as much as possible. It's very important in our rush time. Kazakhstan is the country of vast spaces. Travelling by train you can observe similar landscapes day and night – feather-grass steppes, saline and sandy deserts. But South Kazakhstan is the exception to the rule. It's such a part of Asia where you can see a lot in a short term. Every day you can enojy different landscapes, make the acquaintance with dozens of new plants and animals.
It takes about 2-3 hours to get to these places. The journey will always be interesting because of changing landscapes. And travel to the mountains can be also called "a journey in time" – from summer to spring. You can see different plants blooming beneath and above in different times when travelling. For example, you can meet blooming tulips in May and June while they finished blossoming in March-April beneath.
