Tour Tulips of South Kazakhstan
Watching tulips bloom in Central Kazakhstan -
Photo tour for tulips of Kazakhstan -
Tulips of Kazakhstan - wild-growing tulips of various species grow in most of Kazakhstan, both in the mountains and on the plains. This tour is becoming popular, the tour passes through the natural sights of Kazakhstan in the mountainous and flat areas, here we will observe the flowering of wild tulips. The tour consists of 15 days, the combined tour can be made longer or shorter as you wish. In this program we will see such tulips as: tulip Buse (Tulipa buhseana), Iliysky tulip (Tulip Tetraphylla), Bem's tulip (Tulipa behmiana), Albert tulips (Tulipa alberti), Kolpakovsky's tulip (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana), Greig's tulips (Tulipa Greigii), Leman's tulip (Tulipa Lehmanniana), Turkestan tulip (Tulip turkeslanica), Kaufman's tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana). Tau, on this tour, we will see other plants and flowers, you can see more detailed information about them in the detailed description day by day.
Detailed tour program day by day to Akkol lake and Berkara gorge:
- Distance of the route:
3030 km
- Season time:
Summer Time
- Best time:
May, Hune
- Group size:
1-25
- Days & nights:
16 days, 15 nights
Tour itinerary:
Transfer: Almaty - Shelek settlement - Baiseit settlement (123 km). From Almaty to the village of Shelek is 130 kilometers. Almost throughout the trip passes among the villages alternating one after another, stretching out one continuous street to Shelek.
After the village of Shelek, we pass the bridge on the Chilik River and soon there will be the first short stop in the village of Baiseit, on the main street of which there is a large vegetable market. Visiting the bazaar in the village of Baiseit.
Transfer: Bayseit village - Nura village - Kokpek gorge (46 km). Optional visit to the Berkutchi Museum in the village of Nura. The further way lies in the narrow gorge of Kokpek, 11 kilometers long. Meeting with a four-leaf tulip (Tulipa tetraphylla) in the Kokpek gorge.
Transfer: Kokpek gorge - Kokpek village - Soget valley (23 km). The further way lies through a small ridge of Sogety. The Sogety ridge separates the Ili river valley from the large latitudinal ridge of the Zailiyskiy Alatau.
Gradually, the Kokpek gorge expands and passes into the Sogety valley, which is fenced from the north by the Sogety ridge, from the north by the Toruaygyr ridge. The Sogetinskaya valley stretches from west to east and the extreme northern border of the valley is the Ili River, the southern one is the Charyn River. Here we will see Buse's tulip (Tulipa buhseana) and, possibly, Kolpakovsky's tulip (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana regel).
Transfer: Sogetinskaya valley - Akai Nusipbekov village - Karabulak village - Lake Kaindy (94 km). En route meeting with the Ili tulip (Tulip Tetraphylla) and Tien Shan adonis (Adonis tyanschanica (Adolf) Lipsch).
Having passed the Sogetinskaya valley, the road begins to go deep into the Alasy gorge of the Toruaygyr ridge. Arrival at the national natural park "Kolsai kolderi", in which the Kaindy lake is located, a walk in the surroundings. Encounter with hairy staminate tulip (Tulipa dasystemon). Lunch at Kaindy lake.
Transfer: Kaindy lake - Saty village - guest house in the Kolsai gorge (26 km). Arrival at the guest house, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: guest house in the Kolsai gorge - Lake Lower Lake Kolsai (8 km). Today we will take a walk to the Middle Lake Kolsay located at an altitude of 2252 meters above sea level (8 + 8 = 16 km). On the way to Upper Lake we met with the Ili tulip (Tulip Tetraphylla).
The middle lake is located eight kilometers from the lake of the Lower Lake Kolsai. The trail runs along the left bank of the lake, the trail offers magnificent views of the First Kolsai Lake and the surrounding mountains.
King trout lives in the Lower Kolsai Lake. The Kolsai River flows in from the south, the length of the lake is 1350 meters, the depth is up to 80 meters. The lake is surrounded by high mountains covered with Tien Shan spruce.
Lunch at the Middle Lake Kolsai. Return to the Lower Lake Kolsai. Transfer to the guest house (8 km). Dinner and overnight at the guest house.
Breakfast. Transfer: guest house - Saty village - Karabulak village - Akai Nusipbekov village - Zhalanash village - Togyzbulak village - Shet-Merke river - Orta-Merke river - Kensu river - Kensu village - Bestyubinsk reservoir (61 km).
Botanical excursions along the way. Visiting the Bestyubinsk reservoir, a walk in the vicinity. Transfer: Bestyubinsk reservoir - Kensu village - Taldy village - Karkara village - Shyrganak village - Karkara river - Kegen village (44). Botanical excursions along the way. Lunch in Kegen.
Transfer: Kegen village - Kegen pass 1952.3 meters above sea level (14 km). Botanical walk for Adonis Tien Shan. (Adonis tyanschanica (Adolf) Lipsch.), Ili tulip (Tulip Tetraphylla).
Transfer: Kegensky pass - Temerlik river - Temerlik canyon (24 km). Walk around the canyon.
Transfer: Temerlik canyon - Chundzha village - Taskarasu village - Koktal village - Atyzhek mountains (152 km). Meeting with tulip mace (Tulip Corynestemon).
Transfer: Atyzhek mountains - Konyrolen village - Basshi village (62 km). Meeting with Caragana Camille Schneider (Caragana camilli-schneideri Kom). Arrival in Basshi, transfer to the guest house, accommodation, dinner.
Breakfast. Transfer: Basshi village - Shagan cordon - Mynbulak cordon - Singing Dune (48 km). Walking in the vicinity of the mountain of sand, if desired, climbing along loose sand to the top of the sand dune. Encounter with broomrape (Cictanche salsa), eremurus unequal-winged (Eremurus anisopterus (Kar. & Kir.) Regel (family Asphodelaceae).
Transfer: Singing dune - Valikhanov spring (2 km), descent to the spring, according to legend, where the Kazakh traveler Shokan Valikhanov stopped, a walk in the vicinity.
Transfer: Valikhanov spring - Oshaktas monument (8 km). Walk around the Oshaktas stone steles.
Transfer: Oshaktas - cordon Mynbulak (1 km). At the Mynbulak cordon, you can visit a small pond, which is home to a small family of carp and other fish. Ancient willows, half a century old, will also attract your attention, in their shade you can relax after visiting the Singing Dune and drink cold water from the spring. Meeting with Dzungarian Cynomorium (Cynomorium songarcum).
Transfer: Mynbulak - settlement Basshi (37 km). Arrival in Basshi village, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Basshi - Aktau mountains (71 km). After the village of Basshi we pass two small villages and after them our path lies to the east between the Aktau mountains and the Ili river. Gradually, the country road leads us to the mountains, and the further path runs along the southern slopes of the Katu-Tau and Aktau mountains. Arrival at the colorful mountains of Aktau, a walk up the gorge. Encounter with broomrape (Cictanche salsa), truncated barnyard (Anabasis truncata (Schrenk) Bunge.
Transfer: Aktau - Katu-Tau gorge (26 km). Arrival at the Katu-Tau rock massif, walks in the vicinity. Meeting with Litvinov's poppy (Papaver litwinowii), elegant poppy (Glaucium elegans). Dinner.
Transfer: Katu-Tau - cordon tract Kosbastau (27 km). There is a small artificial pond and several hundred-year-old willows at the Kosbastau cordon, one of them is 700 years old. Walk in the vicinity of the tract.
Transfer: Kosbastau - settlement Basshi (29 km). Arrival in Basshi, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Basshi - mountains Matai (21 km). Meeting with short-staminated tulip (Tulipa brachystemon), glandular iris (Iris scariosa).
Transfer: Matai mountains - Altyn-Emel pass 1711 meters above sea level - Saryozek village - Arkharly pass 1086 meters above sea level - Shengeldy village - right bank of the Kapshagay reservoir (172 km). On the way from the Altyn-Emel pass, excursions in the vicinity of the Kapshagay reservoir for the Kolpakovskiy tulip (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana) and the Bem tulip (Tulipa behmiana).
Transfer: Kapshagai water reservoir - the vicinity of the automobile bridge across the Ili River (26 km). Meeting with tulips Albert (Tulipa alberti), Buse (Tulipa buhseana), passing plants Iliysky onion, Eremopyrom bounapartis, Eremopyrom orientale, Eremopyrom triticum, Chordeum spontaneum.
Transfer: bridge across the Ili river - Kapshagay city - Almaty (85 km). Arrival in Almaty, transfer to the hotel, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Almaty - Samsy village - Targap village - Kordai pass 1233 meters above sea level (165 km). Our path from Almaty lies to the west along the Almaty-Tashkent highway, we pass the small villages of Samsy and Targap, after turning to the village of Otar, the road rises to the Kordai pass.
On the way along the road you can meet Kolpakovsky's tulips (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana). Stop at the Kordai pass. Walk for Ostrovsky's tulips (Tulipa ostrowskiana). Lunch on the way.
Transfer: pass Kordai - village Merke (192 km). Arrival in Merke village, hotel accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer to Merke Gorge (16 km). Walk in the vicinity of the seismological station to the tulip of Zinaida (Tulipa Zenaidae), in front of the station on the slope you can see Greig's tulips (Tulipa Greigii) on the way back to the bridge you can meet Ostrovsky's tulip (Tulipa ostrowskiana Regel), Juno Kushakevich (Juno kuschakewiczii). At the exit from the Merke Gorge, to the left of the road, we can meet Kolpakovsky's tulip (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana regel).
Transfer: Merke gorge - Merke village - Aksholak village - Akyrtas ancient settlement (144 km). A walk in the vicinity of the ancient settlement Akyrtas, here on the Tortkul hill among the excavations of the ancient settlement we will see Greig's tulips (Tulipa Greigii) and not far from the Akyrtas palace Kolpakovsky's tulips (Tulipa Kolpokovskiana regel).
Walk to the settlement of Tortkul and the Akyrtas palace complex. Transfer: settlement Akyrtas - the city of Taraz (47 km). Arrival in the city of Taraz, transfer to the hotel, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Taraz - Asa village - Kumtiyn village - Kumburl dune - (36 km). Our path from Taraz leads to the northeast. Beyond Taraz we pass the industrial zone of the city with the Zhambyl phosphate plant, and our path lies to the village of Asa, the administrative center of the Zhambyl region.
Passing the village of Asa, after the village of Kumtiyn, we turn off onto the road leading to the village of Zhuma and Lake Bilikol. Soon, the high dune Zhuma is visible from the road, to the left of the road, this is our place of excursion, where we will meet the Leman tulip (Tulipa Lehmanniana).
An old asphalt road leads to the dune, which literally hangs over a sand pit. Behind the dune, on the western side, the Asa River flows, which flows to Lake Bilikol.
Transfer: dune Zhuma - village Karakemer - village Akkol - lake Akkol (72 km). Our further transfer to Albert's tulip (Tulipa alberti Regel). We pass the small villages of Karakemer and Akkol located near the road.
We go up by car along the plain to the steep shore of Lake Akkol, from which a beautiful panorama of the lake opens. Salt marshes of the dry lake Ashchykol are visible in the northwest. Dinner. Here on the edge of the cliff and the steppe plain walk.
Transfer: Akkol lake - Saudakent village - Kumkent village - Kyzylkol lake (112 km). In the vicinity of the northwestern shore of the lake Kyzylkol meeting with Borschov's tulip (Tulipa borszczowii Regel).
Transfer: lake Kyzylkol - settlement Sholakkurgan (29 km). Arrival in the village, transfer to the hotel, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Sholakkurgan - Saudakent village - Zhanatas city - Aktogay village - Berkara gorge. Arrival in the Berkara gorge, transfer to the hotel, accommodation, lunch.
A short walk along the left side of the gorge to the tulips of Greig (Tulipa Greigii) and Kaufman (Tulipa kaufmanniana), Severtsov's tulips (Korolkowia sewerzowii Regel). Return to the hotel, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. A walk to the famous Berkara gorge, where the most interesting color shades of the Greig tulip are concentrated. Dinner. Transfer: Berkara gorge - Karatau mountains (Kuraksay tract) (53 km).
Soon the picturesque Kuyuk Gorge begins, the road stretches along the Kuyuk River, stopping near the statue of an eagle. A walk in the surroundings, here we will see the Stenantera rhinopetalum, orchid juno (Juno orchioides), a hybrid of blue and archid juno, lactiflorous eremurus (Eremurus lactiflorus O. Fedtsch), Kolpakovsky's iridodictium (Iridodictyum kolpakowskianum (Regel).
Transfer: Kuyuk gorge - Kuyuk pass 981 meters above sea level - Teris-Ashchybulak reservoir - Surum village - Kyzylaryk village - Andreevka village - Koksay canyon 1609 meters above sea level (67 km). Walk and excursion to the Koksay canyon. Lunch - lunch boxes.
Transfer: Koksay canyon - Surum village - Shakpak-Ata village - Zhabagly village (93 km). On the way, in the vicinity of the station Abail meeting with the Turkestan tulip (Tulip turkeslanica). Arrival in Zhabagly village, transfer to the guest house, accommodation, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. The first excursion in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve. Transfer: Zhabagly village - Eltai village - Irsu village - Mailikentsky pass 1361 meters above sea level - Aksu canyon - Jaeger post at Aksu canyon 1609 meters above sea level (26 km).
The descent into the canyon to the Aksu River to the pedestrian bridge 1350 meters above sea level takes 30-40 minutes (1.3 km). Walk along the canyon at the footbridge. Meeting with Greig's tulip (Tulipa Greigii).
Return to the Jaeger post, the ascent from the canyon takes from 1 to 1.5 hours. The canyon of the Aksu River is a beautiful and picturesque corner of the nature reserve. Lunch at the Jaeger post. Return to Zhabagly village, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer to the beginning of horseback riding at the beginning of the Kishi-Kaindy gorge (5 km). Horseback riding: Kishi-Kaindy gorge - field base of Kishi-Kaindy botanists 1722 meters above sea level (7 km).
Lunch - lan-boxes. Meeting with Turkestan tulip (Tulip turkeslanica), Greig's tulip (Tulipa Greigii) and Kaufman's tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana). Walk in the vicinity of the botanists' house, walk to the waterfall on the Kishi-Kaindy river 1723 meters above sea level. Return to the beginning of the gorge. Transfer to Zhabagly village, dinner, overnight.
Breakfast. Transfer: Zhabagly village - Turar Ryskulov village (Vannovka) - Kershetas village - Mashat canyon (65 km). Arrival in the Mashat canyon, walks around the canyon, here we will see Kaufmann's tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana Regel), Greig's tulip (Tulipa greigii Regel), Kochi's katran (Severtsov's katran) (Crambe kotschyana Boiss), prickly almond (Amygdalus spinosissima Bunge), onion Karatavian (Allium karataviense Regel).
Transfer to the plateau above the Mashat canyon 709 meters above sea level (3 km). Dinner. Walking over the Mashat canyon, here we are we will meet an endemic tulip, which is found only in the Mashat canyon - Lemers tulip (Tulipa lemmersii), also a false two-flowered tulip, Greig's tulip (Tulipa greigii Regel).
From the edge of the cliff, beautiful views of the Mashat canyon and the Talas Alatau mountains open up. End of the tour. Return to Zhabagly settlement (68 km). Dinner. End of the program in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve.
Transfer: settlement Zhabagly - railway station Tyulkubas (18 km). Transfer by train to Almaty, overnight on the train.
Breakfast. Transfer: Almaty - Verkhnyaya Kamenka village - Kyrgauldy village - Kaskelen gorge - upper dacha array (39 km). Walk along the eastern slope of the gorge, where among the meadowsweet bushes we will meet Ostrovsky's tulips (Tulipa ostrowskiana Regel) 1151 meters above sea level.
Transfer: the upper dacha array - the tract Kasymbek 1725 meters above sea level (12 km). After the upper dacha array, we will return to the main road. Along the way, on the left side of the gorge, among the rose hips, we will see meadows with Ostrovsky's tulips. In the vicinity of the Kasymbek tract, we will meet a hairy stalk tulip (Tulipa dasystemon). Dinner.
Further transfer to the vicinity of the deer breeding farm, which is located on the left side of the gorge (3 km).
Marals graze behind a wooden fence on the southern slope, here, not far in the shade of a coniferous forest, there is a glade of Alatau crocus (Crocus alatavicus Regel Semenov-Tian-Schansky, V.P.), juniper grows on the right bank of the river. Walk around the gorge.
Return to Almaty, dinner, overnight at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport.
Photogallery:
