Morning on the plateau of Aktolagay – a snow-white mountain range located in the very west of Aktobe Oblast, about 250 km east of Atyrau. This is a picturesque wasteland with no paved roads, houses, trees, and even drinking water – the realm of the wind where sometimes you can meet horses and camels.

Wind and water, flowing abundantly down the mountain range during heavy rains, turned the plateau into an amazing world of chalk figures. Aktolagay Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Aleksandr Manzhosov.

beautiful dawn scenery

Tags: Aktobe oblast

Akkergeshen Plateau, known for its bizarre weathered snow-white cliffs, is located about 56 km northeast of the town of Kulsary in the Atyrau region.

Shark teeth, remains of dinosaurs, prints of ancient plants and animals on stones – all this can still be found on this chalky plateau. Akkergeshen Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Denis Frantsouzov.

fantastic landscapes

Tags: Atyrau oblast

Balkhash is a drainless semi-freshwater lake located in the south-east of Kazakhstan in the Almaty, Zhambyl and Karaganda regions. This is the second largest perennial salt lake (after the Caspian Sea) and the 14th in the list of the largest lakes in the world.

The uniqueness of Balkhash is that it is divided into two parts by a narrow strait with different chemical characteristics of the water – in the western part it is almost fresh, and in the eastern part it is brackish. Lake Balkhash on Google Maps. Photos by: Andrey Zhuravlev.

the largest inner lake of Kazakhstan

Tags: Almaty oblast · Karaganda oblast · Zhambyl oblast

Aktolagay, a snow-white mountain range almost 50 km long and about 10 km wide, is located in the southwest of the Aktobe region. The unusual, almost unparalleled landscape of the plateau makes it unique and attracts people interested in geotourism and auto-travelers.

In the distant past, it was the seabed. Here you can find fossilized remains of mollusks, bones and teeth of sharks and other living creatures that once inhabited the ancient sea. Aktolagay on Google Maps. Photos by: Natalya Kozlovskaya.

amazing white landscapes

Tags: Aktobe oblast

Sor Tuzbair is a solonchak (salt marsh) located in the Mangystau region in the south-west of Kazakhstan. Almost the entire territory of this region is covered with saline and deserts, water sources are absent.

This is a picturesque area combining three colors: white – salt, limestone, clouds; blue – the sky; yellow-brown – the color of the soil, which emphasizes the whiteness of salt. Sor Tuzbair is a natural combination of deserts, hills and cliffs. People come here to explore the salt marsh and conquer rocky peaks. Sor Tuzbair on Google Maps. Photos by: Natalya Kozlovskaya.

amazing kingdom of white

Tags: Mangystau oblast

The Tian Shan is a mountain system located in Central Asia in the territory of five countries: Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It is one of the highest mountain systems in the world with more than thirty peaks over 6,000 meters high.

Let’s look at the landscapes of the northern part of the Tien Shan located in Kazakhstan, near Almaty. The mountains of the Northern Tian Shan are the most visited in Kazakhstan. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

Big Almaty Lake located at an altitude of 2,511 meters above sea level.

fly over the Northern Tian Shan

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range located on the border of the Almaty Region of Kazakhstan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, between the Ili River and Lake Alakol.

The mountains are named for the nearby desert. The length of this picturesque range is about 450 km, the width varies from 50 to 90 km, the height – up to 4,622 m (Semenov-Tian-Shansky Peak). The Dzungarian Alatau on Google Maps. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

very picturesque mountains

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range located in the northeast of the Almaty region of Kazakhstan, between the Ili River and Lake Alakol. The range extends from the west-southwest to east-northeast along the state border of Kazakhstan and China.

The length of the range is about 450 km, the width – 50-90 km. The main peaks of the Dzungarian Alatau rise above 4,000 m. The Dzungarian Alatau on Google Maps. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

beautiful mountain scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Singing Barkhan is a large sand dune located in the territory of the Altyn Emel National Park in the Almaty region, 182 km northeast of Almaty. The length of it is up to 3 km, the height – about 150 m.

This natural monument is famous for the fact that in dry weather its sands emit sounds similar to an organ melody. The Singing Barkhan looks especially picturesque on a windy day. The Singing Barkhan on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

amazing sandy landscape

Tags: Almaty oblast

Kiin Kirish, an amazingly picturesque clay canyon, is a unique natural monument located 120 km southeast of the town of Kurshim in the East Kazakhstan region and covers an area of 300 hectares.

This place is also known as “The Town of Spirits”. Multicolored clays, eroded by water and wind, form vivid, bizarre landscapes here. The optimal time for a trip is 3-4 days. Kiin Kirish on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Silantjev.

beautiful monument of nature

Tags: East Kazakhstan oblast · Ust-Kamenogorsk city