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

Aktau Mountains (translated as “white mountains”) are chalk mountains of different colors, mostly white, located in the territory of the national park of Altyn-Emel in the central part of Almaty Oblast. It will take you about 5-7 hours to get here from Almaty. Aktau Mountains on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful colorful landscapes

Tags: Almaty oblast

Asy (Assy), a mountain plateau located at an altitude of 2,560 meters above sea level about 100 kilometers east of Almaty, is one of the largest intermountain valleys of the Northern Tien Shan. The length of the plateau is more than 20 km, the width – up to 15 km.

In summer, this area is used as a huge pasture. The best time to visit the plateau is the end of May – the beginning of June, when numerous herbs bloom here. Asy Plateau on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

amazing place

Tags: Almaty oblast

On the territory of Kazakhstan, the Tekes River flows mainly in a wide intermountain valley in Raiymbek District – one of the most beautiful places in Almaty Oblast located in its southeastern part. This area is rarely visited by tourists, which contributed to the preservation of its pristine nature. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

beautiful nature views

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Valley of Balls is one of the most interesting and unusual sights of Mangystau Oblast and Western Kazakhstan. Stones of almost perfect spherical shape are scattered along the plateau and its slopes. The height of some stones reaches 1.5 meters or more.

The origin of these stone spheres is still not clear. Their shapes are gradually changing and the landscape becomes more and more mysterious. The Valley of Balls on Google Maps. Photos by: Roman Smirnov.

unique geological formations

Tags: Aktau city · Mangystau oblast

The chalk mountains of Aktau (literally “white mountains”), located about 260 km northeast of Almaty, is a unique natural monument that is part of the Altyn Emel National Park.

These multi-colored hills formed from bluish-gray sandstone and red clay, interspersed with yellow and pink cornelian, jasper, and white quartz, look like a layer cake. The height of the geological deposits reaches hundreds of meters. The Aktau Mountains on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

amazing scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast

The following beautiful photos were taken on the top of Mount Akkogyt (3,009 m) located in the south-east of the Almaty region and belonging to the mountain range of Terskey Alatau (Terskey Ala-Too).

Most of this mountain range is situated in Kyrgyzstan, but there is a small part of it on the territory of Kazakhstan. Mount Akkogyt on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

great hiking place

Tags: Almaty oblast

Tuzkol is a picturesque salty mountain lake located at an altitude of about 1,950 meters above sea level in the southeast of the Almaty region. In clear weather, in the south, you can see the majestic peaks of the Tien Shan.

Salinity of Lake Tuzkol varies by seasons and can reach almost the same levels as in the Dead Sea in Israel or the Great Salt Lake in the USA. Lake Tuzkol on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

very scenic spot

Tags: Almaty oblast

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