Tuzkol is a salty mountain lake in Kazakhstan, located at an altitude of 1,959 m above sea level in Raiymbek District in the south-east of Almaty Oblast, about 310 km from Almaty. Translated from the Kazakh language, “tuzkol” means “salt lake”. The salinity of Lake Tuzkol varies with the seasons and is sometimes almost the same as in the Dead Sea in Israel or the Great Salt Lake in the US.

Raiymbek District is one of the most picturesque districts of Almaty Oblast. You can go there at any time of the year, but if you want to travel further into the mountains, the best time to go is from June to September. Lake Tuzkol on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast · landscapes

According to one local legend, once, the Mangistau region, located in the west of present Kazakhstan, was invaded by the hordes of enemies who covered the land like locusts.

Locals put forth their hands to heaven in prayer for help and they were heard. The heavens opened downpours, thunder and lightning. In an instant, all enemies turned to stone.

amazing and surreal place

Tags: Mangystau oblast

Urochishche Boszhira is one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan. It is a whole range of rock formations of various sizes and shapes located at the bottom of a huge canyon in the western part of the Ustyurt plateau on the Mangyshlak peninsula in Mangystau Oblast of southwestern Kazakhstan.

Boszhira is huge. It will take more than one day to explore it. The weather in Mangyshlak is harsh and unpredictable. The best time to travel to Boszhira is summer. From autumn to mid-spring it often rains here washing out already bad roads. Boszhira on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexey Zhirukhin.

magnificent landscapes

Tags: Aktau city · Mangystau oblast

The Asy Plateau is located in the south of Almaty Oblast at an altitude of about 2,200-2,750 meters above sea level. In the distant past, it was a place through which the routes of caravans from Europe and Central Asia to China and India ran.

The Asy-Turgen observatory can be found at the western end of the plateau. Today, this place is used as a summer pasture and attracts tourists. The Asy Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

amazing views

Tags: Almaty oblast

Bayanaul State National Natural Park is located in the south of Pavlodar Oblast of Kazakhstan, about 100 km from the city of Ekibastuz. It is one of the specially protected natural areas of the country.

The park was founded in 1985 and became the first national park in Kazakhstan. It was done to preserve and restore the flora and fauna of the Bayanaul mountain range. The total area of ​​the park is 684 square km. Bayanaul National Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Vasily Kosivtsov.

beautiful winter landscapes

Tags: Pavlodar oblast

The vast territory south of Lake Balkhash is called Semirechye (“the region of seven rivers”) because of seven large rivers that flow into Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in Central Asia.

The soils in this region are mostly desert and rich in various minerals. In spring, numerous lakes are formed on the salt marshes, which are of a seasonal nature; by the end of summer they dry up. As a result, minerals form very bizarre patterns on the surface of these formations. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

amazing unearthly landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Tekes is a 438 km long river, of which about 100 km flows through the territory of Kazakhstan, including 40 km inside the territory of Kazakhstan and about 60 km along the border of Kazakhstan and China.

The river originates on the northern slope of the Terskey Alatau Range. In Kazakhstan, the river flows mainly in a picturesque wide intermountain valley, which separates the Eastern Tien Shan from the Ketmen Ridge. This is one of the most beautiful places in Almaty Oblast, which, however, is little known to tourists. The Tekes River on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

picturesque river valley

Tags: Almaty oblast

Karkaraly State National Natural Park is an amazing natural attraction located in Karaganda Oblast, about 220 km southeast of the city of Karaganda. It is one of the specially protected natural areas of Kazakhstan.

The nature conservation value of this region in Central Kazakhstan is due to its unique landscape diversity. There are several hiking trails that pass through the main sights of the park. Karkaraly National Park on Google Maps. Photos by: Evgeniy Drobotenko.

beautiful natural scenery

Tags: Karaganda oblast

Trans-Ili Alatau is a mountain range located in the northwest of the Tien Shan mountain system, on the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The city of Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, is located in its northern foothills, as well as the famous Medeo sports complex, Assy-Turgen Observatory, and the alpine ski resort Chimbulak.

The name “Trans-Ili Alatau” was adopted in 1865, when the famous traveler and geographer P.P. Semenov stopped at the crossing of the Ili River and saw a grand ridge that stretched behind the river. Trans-Ili Alatau on Google Maps. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

picturesque mountain scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast

Cape Dzhigalgan (“collapsed land” in the Kazakh language) is the main attraction of the Tub-Karagan peninsula located on the Mangyshlak peninsula on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea in the west of the Mangystau region.

This is a mountain range with a giant hollow of almost perfect round shape littered with numerous rocks. Some boulders reach the size of a small village house. The rocks are scattered so chaotically that there is a feeling that the collapse has occurred recently. Cape Dzhigalgan on Google Maps. Photos by: Roman Smirnov.

very picturesque place

Tags: Aktau city · Mangystau oblast