Excursion to Ulken Kaindy gorge in Aksu Jabagly nature reserve
Ulken-Kaindy is a beautiful mountain tract, part of Kazakhstan's oldest nature reserve, Aksu-Zhabagly. The Kishi-Kaindy tract is also located here.
Both tracts are home to a wide variety of animals and birds, and are popular with those who enjoy observing and photographing birds in the wild, a hobby known as ornithological tourism. The tract boasts a beautiful coniferous forest and a beautiful mountain stream.
The Kishi-Kaindy tract is very popular among foreign tourists; you can always spot foreigners birdwatching here. Birdwatching is a common hobby in Europe, and it also attracts visitors from Japan.
- Distance of the route:
22 km
- Season time:
May - September
- Best time:
June - August
- Group size:
not more 12 person
- Days & nights:
1 day
Tour itinerary:
We depart for the Asel Hotel, located five kilometers from the village of Zhabagly, where we will begin our horseback ride. From the hotel, we head to the Kishi-Kaindy botanists' lodge, located at an altitude of 1,800 meters above sea level. Our route will run along a slope with the Zhabagly River babbling below.
Following this road, we will ride to a waterfall on the Kishi-Kaindy River.
After visiting the waterfall, we will continue along an easy and beautiful trail into the Ulken-Kaindy Gorge. At the beginning of the trail, we will overcome a steep climb from the Kishi-Kaindy Stream, after which we will find ourselves in a beautiful mountain meadow, home to a multitude of beautiful flowers.
During the season, the meadow changes color several times, depending on the plants blooming there. The various colors are created by the mass blooms of St. John's wort, white umbels, larkspur, multicolored onions, betony, Gelzer's pink, and many others. A juniper forest borders the meadow.
Among the birds, we might encounter quail, a flock of partridges, chukars, and if you look up, you might even spot a black vulture. Continuing along the trail, we'll pass a beautiful stream with orchids on its banks, after which we'll reach the Ulken-Kaindy stream valley, overgrown with ligularia and fireweed.
From the Ulken-Kaindy Gorge, you can also take another excursion along the Zhabagly River along a beautiful trail, or climb the Ulken-Kaindy Pass, which offers picturesque views, or visit the Kaska-Bulak tract, which, at an altitude of 3,200 meters above sea level, is home to ancient petroglyphs and various subalpine and alpine flora.
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