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 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

Southern Kazakhstan is the most densely populated part of the country. Here the largest cities of Kazakhstan, Almaty and Shymkent, are located.

The landscapes of Southern Kazakhstan are surprisingly diverse and represent a combination of arid, rather cold (in winter) and hot (in summer) sparsely populated steppes and deserts, snow-capped mountains, and densely populated foothills. Photos by: Dmitry Balakirev.

Famous boundless steppes of Kazakhstan – one of the symbols of the country.

fly over Southern Kazakhstan

Tags: Almaty oblast · South Kazakhstan oblast

The Aktau (“White”) Mountains, located in the Altyn Emel National Park in the south-east of Kazakhstan in Almaty Oblast, arose on the territory where the waters of an ancient ocean used to splash in the era when dinosaurs inhabited the Earth. They are about 400 million years old.

These colorful chalky hills, formed from bluish-gray sandstone and red clay, interspersed with yellow and pink cornelian, jasper and white quartz, reminiscent of a layer cake. These lifeless slopes, made of fragile rocks, intricately cut by erosion, are so unusual that it is impossible to take your eyes off them. Photos by: Sergey Terekhov.

amazing mountains

Tags: Almaty oblast

The Dzungarian or Semirechensky Alatau is a mountain system located in the north-east of the Almaty region, between the Ili River and Lake Alakol.

This region is a place with pristine nature because it is located in the border zone with China. There are no roads and settlements here. Some areas can be reached only on horseback or by helicopter. Photos by: Grigory Bedenko.

amazing mountain scenery

Tags: Almaty oblast

Issyk is a picturesque lake located in the Issyk gorge of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range, about 40 km east of Almaty, in the southern part of Almaty Oblast.

It was formed about 8-10 thousand years ago in a landslide that created a natural dam about 300 meters high. Initially, the length of Issyk was 1,850 m, width 500 m, depth 50-79 m. The water is green-blue. The height above sea level is about 1,700 m. Lake Issyk on Google Maps. Photos by: Leonid Dyachenko.

beautiful lake

Tags: Almaty oblast

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

Lake Kaindy is located in the south-east of Kazakhstan in one of the gorges of the Kungey-Alatau mountain system at an altitude of 1,667 meters above sea level. The lake was formed as a result of the powerful Kemin earthquake in 1911.

The main feature of this unique natural reservoir is the trunks of the Tien Shan spruces, which protrude directly from the water. Before the earthquake, there was a spruce forest in the gorge. Scientists say that these trunks are about 150-200 years old. The wood is practically petrified and does not decompose.

amazing natural monument

Tags: Almaty 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

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