Travel and hiking in Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve -
Nature and attractions of the Turkestan region -
Kishi-Kaindy Gorge is a lost world among rock giants, where each stone breathes antiquity, and the transparent waters of the mountain river Kishi-Kaindy, like living silver, shimmer in the sun with all shades of turquoise and emerald. This natural phenomenon, hidden in the heart of the Western Tien Shan at an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level, is a grandiose stone corridor about 7 kilometers long, where sheer cliffs rise to a height of 300 meters, creating the feeling of being at the bottom of a fantastic stone ocean. The gorge and the river in it are part of the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve and are its natural attractions. Here in this gorge is the eponymous Kishi-Kaindy waterfall, which has 5 water cascades. Also in this gorge is the famous "Trizna" house, which was built here in 1933 and is an architectural landmark of the gorge. The first director of the reserve, Boris Petrovich Trizna, lived in this house. These places are like the scenery for a fantasy film: rocks covered with velvet moss and lichen, centuries-old Tien Shan forests clinging to stone ledges, and waterfalls cascading from a height of tens of meters. Here, in the shade of the rocks, relict trees grow, remembering the era of the Great Silk Road, and the air is filled with the aroma of mountain herbs and the freshness of glacial waters.
How to get there and visit -
Kishi-Kaindy Gorge is located on the northern slope of the Alatau Mountains on the territory of the Aksu-Zhabagly Nature Reserve, Tyulkubas District, Turkestan Region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 42°24'17"N 70°34'59"E
Information -
You can drive through the Kishi-Kaindy Gorge by a 4x4 all-terrain jeep on a country road. The distance from the village of Zhabagly to the Kishi-Kaindy waterfall is 12 kilometers. This distance can be covered on foot or on horseback. We recommend doing this on horseback, which can be rented in the village. In the upper reaches of the gorge there is the Kishi-Kaindy mountain pass, the height of which is 2951 meters above sea level. Through this pass, along the mountain route, you can go to the Zhosaly gorge. The geological history of this place is more than 300 million years old – it was then that these majestic rock massifs, composed of limestone, shale and sandstone of the Permian period, began to form. Of particular value are the rare paleontological finds – fossilized imprints of ancient plants and marine organisms, indicating that a prehistoric sea once splashed here.
The flora of the Kishi-Kaindy gorge is a unique botanical phenomenon – relict groves of Turkestan juniper have been preserved here, the age of some trees exceeds 800 years. In spring, the slopes are covered with a carpet of endemic Kaufman tulips and Greig tulips, and in hard-to-reach crevices you can find the rarest golden root (rhodiola rosea) and Tien Shan edelweiss. The special microclimate of the gorge creates ideal conditions for 17 species of orchids, including the unique lady's slipper orchid, listed in the Red Book.
The fauna of the Kishi-Kaindy gorge is no less unique - this is the last refuge of many endangered species. Bearded and golden eagles nest in rock niches, lynx hunt at night in dense thickets, and herds of argali and mountain goats can be found in the alpine meadows. Scientists have recorded traces of the snow leopard here - the most mysterious predator in Asia. Endemic Tien Shan trout lives in the clear waters of the Kaindy River, and rare species of butterfly’s flutter on the flowering slopes, including the giant Apollo.
For true connoisseurs of nature, the Kishi-Kaindy Gorge is more than a natural landmark, it is a portal to an ancient world where the pristine harmony of the elements has been preserved. Here, among the silent witnesses of geological eras, you begin to understand the true value of wild nature and your responsibility to preserve these last islands of untouched beauty for future generations.
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