Hiking and Horseback Riding Along the Mountain Rivers of the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve -
Organization of Travel from Anywhere in the World to the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan -
The rivers of the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve are the pulse of the mountains. These are the veins through which life flows, feeding everything: from carpets of wild tulips to the mighty Tien Shan and juniper forests, from bears drinking from icy streams to snow leopards sneaking in the shadows of gorges. Here, rivers are not just geography, they are energy, movement, the breath of the mountains. The main, picturesque and most easily accessible river in the reserve is the Aksu River (White Water), which flows through the famous Aksu Canyon. This location is very popular, a walking trail leads to the river from the upper part of the canyon. The second river, which can be reached by a 12-kilometer horse route, is the Kishi-Kaindy River, on which the famous Kishi-Kaindy waterfall is located, and both of these locations belong to the Kishi-Kaindy tract. Another interesting place in the reserve is the Koksay gorge, through which the Koksay River flows, this location is also easily accessible for lovers of active recreation and hiking in the mountains, and you can also get here on horseback, which can be rented in the village of Zhabagly.
The rivers of the Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve are real mountain beauties with character. According to the classification of V.L. Schulz, who conducted research here in 1963, such waterways as Koksay, Aksay, Dzhabaglysu, Aksu, Baldybrek and Bala-Baldybrek receive their main nutrition from melting snow, although glaciers play a rather secondary role in this process, and somewhere their influence is completely minimal. If you look at the map, to the south of the upper reaches of Kishi-Aksu you will see the mighty Bugulutur ridge - its sharp rocky peaks are crowned with sparkling snowfields and glaciers all year round. It is these natural "reservoirs" that do not allow the rivers to dry up even in the hottest July heat, maintaining a steady flow.
Spring in the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve begins with the noise of water - the flood on these rivers usually starts in March-April and is in no hurry to end until September, and sometimes lingers until the first days of October. Imagine: somewhere 140-200 days a year the rivers live in a high-level mode, managing to pass through their channels the lion's share of the annual flow - from 70% to 85% of all water! The peak usually occurs in June, when meltwater reaches its maximum, although sometimes nature surprises, and record levels are recorded already in May. It is interesting that the behavior of each river directly depends on the height of its sources. For example, if the catchment area is located at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, then the flood begins on March 10-20. But for rivers that originate higher - at 3,000 meters, the flood is delayed for a whole month, starting only in mid-April. But the most amazing thing is how the rains interfere with this process. Although the basis of the rivers' nutrition is melted snow, it is the flash floods that often become the decisive factor, forming annual maximums. They are superimposed on an already high level, creating sharp surges. True, in low-mountain areas, these rain peaks can be barely noticeable - here the main role is still played by the gradual melting of snowfields.
This is what the Aksu-Zhabagly rivers are like: capricious, dependent on the altitude and the vagaries of the weather, but always full of life and energy. The entire ecosystem of the reserve depends on their turbulent waters, and their changeable nature makes these places especially interesting for researchers and simply lovers of wild nature.
Attractions nearby:
Kaskabulak Petroglyphs
Darbaza Tract
Tulips of the Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve
"Skazka" Cave near the village of Ak-Biik
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