Charyn – Chundzha Hot Springs

Geothermal springs stretch along the Ili River east to the very Chinese border. Over the entire 150 kilometers, a curious detail can be noted. On the one hand, the Ketmen Range and Ulken Buguty mountains rise above the floodplain of the river, and on the other hand, there is southern part of the Dzhungarsk Alatau mountain ridge. Water flows from these highest mountains. Then, under strong pressure, they seep to great depths. Moreover, often it exceeds 1 kilometer. It is there that the water will meet with heated igneous rocks and now the hot water tends to reach the surface of the earth. A similar process has already been described in detail by numerous geologists. And even received the official name – “convective circulation”. It is because of the above steps that the geothermal springs appear that are so popular all over the world.

If we talk about the origin of the word “geothermal”, then it owes its appearance to the Greek language. “Geo,” as you know, means earth. And “terma” is translated as “heat”. A spring is classified as hot if its temperature exceeds the average temperature in the area where it is located. More than 30 million years ago, active volcanic actiona took place on the territory of Zhetysu.

Moreover, magma sleeves (intrusions), whose temperature is very high, still lie at a rather shallow depth. These elements are a kind of heating system for water, which flows from wells drilled by geologists or naturally comes to the surface. Therefore, wells located in this area are artificial. In the last century, specialists actively created artesian wells here so that local residents use water for irrigation. And many were surprised when some began to come out of hot water.

The distance from Almaty to Chunja village is about 240 kilometers. If you go along the Kuldzhinsky tract, the path is rather difficult. Therefore, tourists can relax and eat in roadside cafes, of which there are a lot of people on the way.

And if you go along the new high-speed concrete road to Tashkarasu village, you will find not a single food point.

The Chunja-Kolzhat highway, where the springs are scattered, are full with various hotels, campsites and cafes. In this area, not all wells can be reached on foot or by ordinary car. To reach some of the springs, you need a powerful off-roader with high traffic.

It is more difficult to get here in winter. Even if the roads are not covered with ice or snow, the journey takes about 5 hours or more. As a result, travelers who come here try to stretch their pleasure for at least a few days. Chunji geothermal springs are very popular with many people. They come here in the Uigur region every year to enjoy healing water and spend time in the company of your beloved ones.

In the mid 90-ies of the last century, the district akim turned for help to medical specialists. It asked to study in detail the the water composition in the springs. Within a year, doctors painstakingly conducted their research. Each spring has a technical passport with a full description of water and its chemical composition. They noted that chlorides, bicarbonates, chlorine ions, silicic acid and other chemical elements will be contained in water. Doctors managed to prove the usefulness of the springs. In particular, they positively affect the digestive tract, the genitourinary system, the nervous and endocrine systems, and help in the fight against diseases of the skin, blood vessels, and heart.

Thermal springs have a classification. Warm (water temperature from 20 to 37 degrees), hot (from 37 to 50 degrees) and very hot (from 50 to 100 degrees). Most sptings located in this region have temperatures close to 45 degrees. You can experiment by puring hot water to the pool and get something similar to the “Furaco” – the famous Japanese bath.

You can visit the geothermal springs all year round. Although the ideal time for a visit is autumn and winter (and early March). In January, it is the coldest time here, and the highest temperature is seen in July (up to 32 degrees in the shade). Snow is quite rare in winter. The snow cover does not exceed 20 centimeters.