Charyn Valley of castles – Kolsai

Charyn Canyon got its name after the homonymous river, which flows along its bottom. This object is proudly called the “younger brother” of the world-famous Grand Canyon (which is located in Arizona, USA). Charyn canyon is located 210 kilometers away from Almaty. About 130 kilometers separate it from the Chinese border. The site is considered a natural monument. At the same time, the Charyn River, flowing along its bottom, is believed to be the largest in the region. It originates from the slopes of the Ketmen ridge, which proudly rises above the terrain. The main tributaries of the Charyn River are Karkara and Temirlik.

The history of the Charyn River count fifteen million years! During this time, it managed to break through the canyon in the mountains, which got its name after her. It is a little over 150 kilometers long. There is a wonderful relief, extremely various and unusual. Slopes, hills, dodgers, arches and other elements are closely matched each other. Some objects can be as many as 300 meters high! At the same time, their original form immediately catches your eye – it is unlikely that somewhere else you have seen something like that.

The main attraction of this place is the “Valley of Castles”. It stretches for two kilometers. Its width ranges from 20 to 80 meters. The place got its name due to the fact that the rocks have very unusual shapes, which makes them look like ancient castles. Tourists who have been here often call the landscape alien. This looks reasonable, because you will find no more such valleys on our planet. The Charyn Canyon is full of representatives of the flora and fauna worlds due to its amazingly diverse landscape. Scientists have counted here about 1.5 thousand species of plants. 17 of them are included in the Red Book of the country and are protected very carefully.

A relic ash tree grows on the territory of the canyon, which managed to survive the famous glaciation in an incredible way before the era of the Quaternary Period! In general, the ash grove is striking for its beauty and unusualness, it spreads on the territory of about 5 thousand hectares. Here, in the valley of the Charyn River, you can see the thickets of barberry, tamarisk. And most tourists will probably recognize poplar and willow among the many trees.

The animal world is rich. On the territory of the conservation zone, you can find more than 60 species of animals, more than 100 species of birds and 25 species of reptiles. In most cases, hares, foxes, weasels, mountain goats come across the eyes. But most of all here are feathered creatures. Moreover, some species of birds are listed in the Red Book and are endangered. First of all, we should mention eagle owl, golden eagle, bearded man, kumai. From reptiles you can see agamas, geckos, muzzles and other animals. Especially tourists like unusual multi-colored snakes.

In the northern part of the Tien Shan, there is an incredible cascade of three Kolsai lakes. They are located 330 kilometers south of Almaty in the vicinity of the border with Kyrgyzstan. To get there, you should drive through the Chilik town (named after the homonymous river). Then you pass by the small village of Nura. After that, a breathtaking trip through the Kokpek gorge whose length reaches 13 kilometers is waiting for you. About 30 years ago, the road was completely destroyed by the incredible strength of the village. However, a few years later the path was restored.

Before the gaze of the traveler, the Toraigyr mountains appear. Then you need to turn right, not reaching the Charyn River, and move towards the settlement of Zhalanash. Following this path, you find yourself in another village – Saty. You need to drive along it for about three kilometers, and you will see a good quality road covering going to the left. It will lead you to the first Kolsai lake.

The opening scenery is called the Tien Shan pearl. Lakes, which have no analogues in the world, are simply called “Kolsai One”, “Kolsai Two” and “Kolsai Three”. The last reservoir is located at 2,640 meters above sea level. All these lakes were formed by the collapse of powerful landslides. Because of this, the river was unable to move on and stopped. It is noteworthy that the water in all three reservoirs is quite dark, while they are considered flowing. They are connected by a homonymous river. In the first two lakes you can see and catch trout.

Seasonality: You can come here at any time of the year. In January, however, it is quite cold (on average -6 degrees). The warmest time of the year is July. The average air temperature is 27 degrees. In winter, snow is a rarity. Therefore, the height of the snow-white cover does not exceed 20 centimeters. If you come here in the summer, be sure to bring a sun screen.