Natural Monuments and Travel to Charyn -
Tours and Excursions to Nature Reserves and Nature Parks of Kazakhstan -
Flora and Fauna of Charyn National Park is a real living museum of nature, where rare, ancient and incredibly diverse species of plants and animals are collected in one place. The Park is located in a unique natural zone at the junction of mountains, steppes and deserts, which makes it one of the most biodiverse corners of southeastern Kazakhstan.
The flora here is especially rich. In total, there are more than one and a half thousand species of plants on the territory of the park, and among them there are real relics. The main star is the Sogdian ash, preserved here since the Tertiary period. Its massifs form the famous Charyn ash grove - the only one of its kind in the entire post-Soviet space. These trees, whose age can reach several hundred years, look impressive and inspire respect with their strength and resilience. In addition to ash, you can find silver oleaster, poplar, wild almond, black saxaul acacia, as well as many steppe and desert herbs and shrubs: wormwood, ephedra, kermek, yarrow, feather grass and others. In spring, Charyn blooms with a carpet of flowers - tulips, poppy fields, wild irises bloom here. A real extravaganza of color and aroma.
And the fauna? Everything is serious here too. The Park is home to more than 150 species of birds, including rare predators such as the golden eagle, peregrine falcon, saker falcon and eagle owl. Among mammals, you can meet a fox, wolf, stone marten, jerboa, saiga, gazelle and, if you are very lucky, even a snow leopard, which sometimes descends here from the mountains. The mountains adjacent to the park provide shelter for badgers, mountain goats and marmots. Among the reptiles there are agamas, lizards, blunt-nosed vipers and steppe vipers. Rivers and streams hide a variety of amphibians and insects, and the air itself is filled with sounds - the chirping of grasshoppers, the trills of birds, the rustling of leaves.
But the most important thing is the feeling of wild, untouched nature. There is no feeling of a zoo or a botanical garden here. Everything lives its own life: the wind carries pollen from flower to flower, snakes bask on the stones, an eagle soars in the sky in search of prey, and somewhere in the depths of the canyon a spring babble. Nature here is not a background. It is the main character. Imagine a morning in Charyn: the first rays of the sun awaken the steppe, and it comes to life - the call of birds, the rustling of lizards between the stones, the barely audible clatter of goitered gazelles somewhere behind the hill are carried in the dry air. In the ash grove, where the old trees creak their branches, telling stories of the Ice Age, the rarest butterflies with ochre-colored wings hide. You won’t find them anywhere else here – only in this unique corner of the planet. And in the depths of the canyons, where the rocks come together almost tightly, live real steppe ghosts – manuls with their mysterious yellow eyes and marbled birds, swift as lightning. Their tracks are lost among the stone labyrinths, as if these creatures were a figment of the imagination. But if you freeze for a minute, you will see a furry face appear from behind a boulder, look at you appraisingly and disappear just as silently.
But the true miracle of Charyn is its invisible life. Myriads of insects, many of which exist only here. Plants that have learned to survive in conditions of severe drought. Bacteria invisible to the eye that turn stones into soil. This delicate balance has been preserved for millions of years – ever since the ancient sea retreated, leaving behind this amazing world. Now, when the sun sets and the rocks flash crimson, somewhere in the depths of the canyon another life awakens – the night life. Bats circle above the river, badgers go hunting, and fireflies light up in the ash grove, like stars that have descended to earth. This world does not tolerate fuss. It reveals its secrets only to those who are ready to slow down, listen, feel. Who are not afraid of the scorching sun and will patiently wait until a cautious fox appears from behind a rock or a scarlet tulip blooms, which is found nowhere else on Earth.
Charyn National Park is a place where you can see and feel what the world was like before civilization. This is a journey into the past and at the same time a reminder of how important it is to preserve this beauty for the future.
Attractions nearby:
Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon
Charyn Canyon
Charyn River
Kurtogay tract
Sarytogay tract
Temirlik Canyon
Temerlik River
Charyn Moon Canyon
Bestamak Canyon
Bugutty Mountains
Charyn ash grove
Charyn ash cottage
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