Travel from Almaty to Ash Grove -
Tours, excursions and travel to Charyn -
Sarytogay tract is one of the most significant natural and historical-cultural places of southeastern Kazakhstan, located in the Uyghur district of Almaty region, in the floodplain of the Charyn River. This is not just a piece of land, but a whole world where ancient trees, archaeological finds and unique landscapes are intertwined into a single whole, creating a feeling of touching something eternal. This beauty is located in Charyn National Park. The nature here is special: mild climate, proximity to the river and relatively stable humidity create ideal conditions for the growth of rare and even relict plants. The main wealth of the tract is the Charyn ash grove, which is located on the territory of Sarytogay. Here grows the Sogdian ash (Fraxinus sogdiana) - a tree of extinction, a relic tree. This species appeared in the Tertiary period, when the planet's climate was different, and survived in a few places across the planet. The Sarytogay ash grove is one of the last strongholds of its existence. These trees do not just stand for centuries - they carry the memory of the Earth, the memory of thousands of generations. The height of adult ash trees reaches 25-30 meters, and the trunk diameter is up to one meter. Their branches are wide, powerful, with a dense crown that casts a shadow, under which dozens of species of grasses, shrubs and mosses find refuge.
How to get there and visit -
The Sarytogay tract is located in the floodplain of the Charyn River on the territory of the Charyn National Park, Uyghur district, Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°33'33"N 79°18'04"E
Information -
Sarytogay tract and canyon is a place where the wind has been carving its sand sculptures for centuries, and the sun casts each stone into pure gold. It is worth coming here at dawn, when the first rays light up the steppe, turning it into a living ocean of light. Or at sunset, when the shadows draw mysterious letters on the sand, left, it seems, by the spirits of the nomads themselves. The soil in the tract is loose, fertile, it retains moisture due to its proximity to the Charyn River and is fed by periodic floods. All this makes Sarytogay a unique ecosystem, where you can find not only rare plants, but also birds, reptiles and mammals living among them. Here you can hear the cry of a roller, see a golden eagle flying over the trees, notice the tracks of a fox or a jackal in the grass.
Sarytogay is not only nature. It is also an archaeological cluster. More than a hundred burial mounds found here date back to the Saka era - the 4th-3rd centuries BC. Archaeologists have discovered household items, jewelry, weapons - all this speaks of a highly developed culture that existed here thousands of years ago. These lands were inhabited, people lived here, hunted, buried their ancestors, worshiped spirits and watched the stars. And today we can feel the breath of that era, just walking between the trees, at the foot of an ancient burial mound. Sarytogay is included in the specially protected natural areas of Kazakhstan and is deservedly part of the Charyn National Park. It is protected, explored, tourists, scientists, and ecologists come here. But at the same time, you can still find corners where no man has stepped, where everything looks the same as a thousand years ago. Coming here, you feel that time slows down and you become part of something bigger – part of history, nature and the future.
Attractions nearby:
Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon
Charyn Canyon
Sarytogay tract
Temirlik Canyon
Temerlik River
Charyn Moon Canyon
Bestamak Canyon
Bugutty Mountains
Charyn ash cottage
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