Natural treasures of Kazakhstan: 5 amazing places for lovers of exotic and wild nature

Cretaceous outcrops

Meetings with wild nature, mysterious the world of caves and amazing natural monuments, hiking adventures - all this can be found on the chalk outcrops of Akkeregeshin and Aktolagai, as well as Mount Imankare (in Zhylyoi region).

This trip is for those who like exotics or just enjoy geology and paleontology. When you first get on the Cretaceous outcrops of Akkeregeshina, you can not take your eyes off the bizarre weathered rocks for a long time. There is an unusual silence and whiteness here. If you come closer and wander at the foot of the rocks, you can see the prints of extinct marine animals of Upper Cretaceous deposits - bebmi, ammonites, sea urchin. And can be lucky enough to find a black tooth of an ancient shark or spine of a dinosaur. Opposite the rocks of the Three Bogatyrs, a panorama of the chalk outcrops opens. Every year paleontological expeditions for schoolchildren are organized here.

Photo: frantsouzov.livejournal.com

Sherkala: "mountain-bowl "

Sherkala is a legendary mountain, where in the Middle Ages a fortress was built, guarding the caravan trails of the Great Silk Road. Mount Sherkala is located between the central and western systems of the Karatau ridges, in the northern part of Mount Akmyshtau.

At the foot of the mountain there are remains of the walls of an ancient caravan-shed, and on the slopes - niches for guards, traces of rope ladders and rests of a secret passage , which led to the top. A lonely standing mountain of unusual shape is located 175 km from the city of Aktau and 21 km from the village of Shetpe. If you look at it from one side, the mountain looks like a huge white yurt, and on the other - a sleeping lion, who laid his huge head on its paws. Hence the name "Sherkala", which in Turkish means "lion's fortress" ("sher" - lion, "kala" - fortress).

"Lion's" mountain is surrounded by a halo of legends. Its limestone slopes are steep and only become to the top sloping, forming a giant tent resembling the top of a yurt.

Photo: el.kz

You can climb the mountain if you have a special equipment. To get around Sherkala, it will take at least three hours. And if you want to look into the caves, wander around the site of the ancient settlement, looking for the shards - witnesses of the old civilizations - time will need even more. There is a popular belief: if you make a wish before going around around Sherkaly, it will come true.

But the main thing is that each curve and turn reveals an amazing view: so unusual that it seems as if you were on an uninhabited planet./p>

In one of the caves there was a well. The locals drank his delicious water, hiding from the enemies on top of the mountain. Now the well is filled up. Still around Sherkaly there is a scattering of stone balls (concretions) of various sizes. Many have cracked under the influence of the wind, and others are broken.

Photo: el.kz

On the walls of the caves are visible prints of shells and fish. And near Sherkala, near the road, there is a green oasis: a spring and a small river Akmysh.

Island on Lake Imantau

Imantau recreation zone is a natural oasis near Kokshetau: mountain forest massive, clean water reservoirs and, of course, Lake Imantau, which is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful in the region. Imantau - a monument of nature of national importance. From a bird's eye view, the island on it has a heart shape.

Photo: tourister.ru

Imantau is one of the largest lakes in the Ayrtausky district. Its basin is located in a depression between the hills. The length of the lake is 13.3 km, the maximum width is 4.8 km, the maximum depth is 10 m. The surface of the lake is almost completely open. The south-west coast is steep, rocky, covered with mixed forests with a predominance of pine. The remaining banks are shallow, low and covered with steppe vegetation. The lake is rich in fish: here are found carp, pike, perch, crucian carp, ripus, peled. A real fisherman's dream!

The Valley of Balls

For many kilometers the plain, and then on you - stone balls-concretions, like peas scattered across the valley. Where did they fall, who put them on the peninsula of Mangyshlak? The overseas giant Atlant or brave batyr Yersary-Baba fired a cannon and the stone nuclei fell to the ground forming the Valley of the Balls?

Photo: prohunt.kz

For 250 years scientists have been puzzling over the solution, but they have not reached a consensus. Be sure to admire this fascinating phenomenon of Mangistau nature - a landmark of the Kazakhstani region.

Lake Saura

For many kilometers the desiccated desert, and here - the trunks of age-old willows, which, over time, roots. Thick thickets of rocket, which people call "Kazakh lilac", accompany the traveler along the entire gorge. Overcoming the winding path, the traveler is rewarded with an amazing spectacle - one of the wonders of the stingy Mangistau nature, Lake Saur. The pond on three sides is surrounded by steep stone walls of a spherical shape: like a half of a huge bowl 50 meters high. It beckons with its mysterious gorge Saur. Here there are marsh turtles-old women: they are content with a small lake and are not going to be friends with desert tortoises.

Photo: mangystau.info

All people are looking for a couple. Old residents of Mangistau know that the second half is also near Lake Saura - its twin lake is located 500 meters from the gorge. Having overcome a small hill, fans of new roads and impressions can admire the second part of the broken bowl. But also it not all surprises! Not far from the fresh lake is a salty sea! Its coast is covered with silky sand, and the bottom is spotlessly smooth. And what is surprising: there are a lot of huge shells, not crushed by the wheels and feet of visitors. Silver in the sun is a small lake formed during the tide ... And next to it, small streams of springs from different sides flow into a lonely lake.

We remind: to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Kazakhstan, it is not necessary to move away from civilization. For example, you can arrange a photo tour around Almatyand surrounding areas!

Source: ztb.kz.