Kazakhstan nature, national parks & wildlife

Kazakhstan is one of the largest countries in the world, yet it is rarely explored beyond the capital, Almaty, which is a regular stop for those travelling the Silk Road. Those who do venture elsewhere on one of our Kazakhstan nature holidays – east to the Charyn Canyon and Altyn Emel national parks, perhaps, or west as far as the Mangystau region, find themselves in the enviable position of being almost completely alone among these spectacular landscapes.

And they are, truly, spectacular. Kazakhstan is largely a desert country but to the east it is bounded by mountains and glaciers, to the west by the Caspian Sea, while in the centre there is vast rolling steppe. There are canyons, forests, alpine meadows and glacial lakes here, too, all of it protected by 14 national parks, 10 nature reserves and seven wildlife reserves. Snow leopards, lynx, brown bears and wild horses roam. This is wilderness on the grandest possible canvas.

Kazakhstan’s national parks and other protected areas are helping many threatened species to recover and thrive. These include the impressively horned saiga antelope and Przewalski’s horse. As their numbers grow, they perform a vital grazing function which in turn creates lower vegetation that endangered birds like steppe eagles and sociable lapwings prefer for breeding.

The Kazakhstan government is not oblivious to the appeal of its natural spaces. There are numerous initiatives underway to develop new walking trails, observation points and experiences, from handicraft demonstrations to food tastings. You can try qurt, a pungent, chalky cheese that is churned inside the saddlebags of nomadic horseriders, or sur-yet – salted and smoked horsemeat.

But while visitor numbers to Kazakhstan’s national parks are just two million a year (for context, the UK has 15 national parks which see 100 million visitors every year), those numbers are growing. There have been reported issues of discarded waste, fires, and vandalism such as graffitied rocks, while infrastructure developments like roads and car parks are often built with little consideration for nature. Promoting environmental tourism to conserve biodiversity has long been a focus here, however the parks are not set up to cope with large groups. Small scale, responsible Kazakhstan national park holidays are vital to protect majestic but fragile places like those below.

Among the wildlife you might encounter in Altyn Emel National Park, 250km north-east of Almaty, are goitered gazelles, camels, and the rare Przewalski’s horses. Although there are few fully nomadic communities on the steppe anymore, horses are still revered in Kazakhstan, having once been indispensable for transport, fighting, milk and, when necessary, food.

The park also boasts a number of ancient burial mounds, and petroglyphs (rock carvings) dating back to the Bronze Age. But the main attraction in Altyn Emel is the Singing Dunes. When the wind blows, the dry grains of these steep-sided sand dunes rub together and produce a sound that resembles whale song. The largest of the dunes is 150m high, and you can take off your boots and climb to the top of it.

Comparisons are frequently drawn between the Charyn Canyon (200km west of Almaty) and the USA’s Grand Canyon. While the Kazakh canyon is half the length and a fraction of the depth of its American cousin, it doesn’t hold back on the spectacle. The extraordinary rock formations here have been carved by erosion over millions of years. Walking among them, one feels dwarfed by their scale and that of the towering canyon walls that reach 300m in places.

There are actually several canyons here. The most-visited is the Valley of Castles – 2km long and best seen at sunrise or sunset when the red rock glows softly. And despite the harsh, arid climate, life finds a way here. Hares, gerbils, lizards and even foxes scamper in and out of cracks in the rock, snakes bask in the sun, while up above, keeping a close eye on proceedings, are falcons, golden eagles and vultures.

Few tourists make it as far as Katon-Karagay in a remote corner of eastern Kazakhstan, but those who do find the kind of wilderness that makes you want to immediately build a log cabin and start living the simple life. Clear lakes reflect images of the surrounding alpine meadows and snowcapped mountains, and although you can certainly hike here, the finest way to explore Katon-Karagay is beyond any doubt on horseback.

Horse-riding in Katon-Karagay, you’ll be accompanied by brilliant local rangers who will wrangle your steeds for you, and explain the park’s history, geology and wildlife. With 6,400km² of park to explore, tours follow no itinerary, but you’ll roam valleys and high passes, camping in the backcountry, eating around the fire and washing in rivers. There are thermal springs here, and gushing waterfalls, and because horses produce little to no engine noise, you may well get close enough to enjoy a few wildlife sightings too. Wolves, lynx and bears are among the predators known to stalk Katon-Karagay, so bring binoculars as you never know what will appear off in the distance.

They call them the devil’s balls. Huge spherical boulders of rock scattered across the steppe, like the remnants of a game of marbles played by giants. The Valley of the Balls, or Torysh, as it is more widely known, is just one of many geological formations to marvel at in the Mangystau region, in the south-west of Kazakhstan bordering the Caspian Sea.

You have to fly here, so great are the distances, but Mangystau’s awe-inspiring landscapes make it worth the journey. There are barren salt flats here, multi-hued mountains, surreal canyons and jagged pinnacles of rock jutting out of the desert like rotting teeth. You can also visit Beket-Ata, an ancient underground mosque that is a major place of pilgrimage.

Aksu-Zhabagly is the oldest protected area in Central Asia, named for two rivers that flow through it. This is one of the most important places for wildlife in Kazakhstan, home to Himalayan brown bears, ibex, marmots and elusive snow leopards. Steppe gives way to the western Tian Shan mountains, on the other side of which lies China. Aksu-Zhabagly’s rugged terrain, topped with attractive alpine meadows, makes it a popular spot for nature hiking. Come in spring, and the hills are peppered with bright red tulips.

A UNESCO biosphere reserve (where biodiversity conservation is balanced with sustainable use), the Alakol State Nature Reserve encompasses three islands on Lake Alakol. These sites are used as stopovers by migratory birds, making the reserve an immensely popular stop for our Kazakhstan birdwatching tours in May and June.

Lake Alakol is not far from the Chinese border, but the full-day drive from Almaty is very scenic. Of particular interest here is the relict gull, though with numbers in decline it can be tricky to spot them. You may also see endangered demoiselle cranes and short-toed snake eagles, Dalmatian and pink pelicans, booted and imperial eagles, and a range of water birds.