Issyk is a lake located at an altitude of 1756 meters in Issyk gorge of Trans-Ili Alatau, about 70 km east of Almaty. The lake was formed about 8-10 thousand years ago in a landslide.

Originally, Issyk length was 1850 meters, width – 500 meters, depth – 50-79 meters. In 1959, the park with hotel and restaurant was opened here. Lake Issyk on Google Maps. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

picturesque mountain lake

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Trans-Ili Alatau is a mountain range in the north-west of Tien Shan (on the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) extending for 360 km with the prevailing heights – 4000-4600 meters.

Almaty, also known as the southern capital of Kazakhstan, is located in the northern foothills of Trans-Ili Alatau. Here you can find famous sports complex Medeo and alpine ski resort Chimbulak. Photos by SkorovS

beautiful winter scenery

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Beautiful photos of Southern Kazakhstan (Almaty region) taken by Denis Frantsouzov

picturesque nature views

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Charyn Canyon is a beautiful natural monument located in Almaty region, to the east of Almaty. It is often compared to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. Surprisingly, from all the sides the canyon is surrounded by the usual steppe.

The most interesting place to visit is the Castle Valley (about 2 km length, width – 20-80 meters). Bizarre shapes of the rocks resembling castles attract tourists from all over the world. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

amazing scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

The Big Almaty Lake is located in one of the gorges originating from the southern outskirts of Almaty. On the way to the lake, you will drive a winding road passing mudflow areas and two “ecological” posts. To pass them, you need to pay a small amount of money.

At an altitude of 2500 meters, you will find the lake itself. Actually, it doesn’t look big. The lake is not filled with water because of the possible dam failure and mudflow that may hit the city. The Big Almaty Lake location on Google Maps. Photos by Vladimir Varfolomeev

beautiful mountain landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Beautiful series of photos depicting the scenic areas located in the eastern part of Almaty region.

In particular, you can see Boguty – unusually bright red rocks. It looks like you are standing on another planet, for example on Mars at a time when it still had water on the surface. Photos by Denis Frantsouzov

magnificent nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

Charyn Canyon is a canyon along the Charyn River located about 200 km east of Almaty, close to the border with China. It is the part of the Charyn National Park.

This canyon is a natural monument composed of sedimentary rocks that are about 12 million years old. The height of the steep canyon walls is about 150-300 meters. Most interesting place for tourists is the so-called Castle Valley. Photos by Dmitry Chistoprudov

picturesque mountainous landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

The second part of beautiful landscapes of Dzhungar Alatau region located in Almaty oblast. Photos by Konstantin Pastbin

more beautiful landscapes

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Dzhungar Alatau is a mountainous system located in the south-eastern part of Kazakhstan, stretching from the west – southwest to the east – northeast for almost 400 kilometers along the border with China.

It is a beautiful region of several geographical landscapes. It should be noted that these places are close enough to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, and at the same time are rarely visited by tourists. Photos by Konstantin Pastbin

explore the mountainous landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

If you decide to travel by car and your route runs along the south of Kazakhstan, I recommend you to visit the following unique Kazakhstan monument of rock art – Tamgaly.

Petroglyphs (rock carvings) of the archaeological landscape Tamgaly are one of the oldest and most striking monuments of Semirechye (Seven Rivers) rock art, since 2004 it has the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Tags: Almaty oblast