Ashy's on-line vegetarian cookbook more photos recipes stories cartoons

Aksu Zhabagly Nature reserve

I visited this nature reserve in South Kazakhstan at the end of April. I travelled with friends from Almaty and we took an overnight train on a Friday evening. We arrived at 6.30 in the morning and had two full days to explore the area before returning on the Sunday evening train. We were very lucky with the weather. This time of year can be cold and wet in Kazakhstan. There was a snowfall in the mountains shortly after our arrival back in Almaty and you can see the contrast in the last row of photos which were taken a few days later in the Zailisky Alatau mountains near Almaty.


Zhabagly is a peaceful little village at the foot of the Talasky Alatau mountains. We stayed with a family in the village as part of an ecotourism project being developed by the NGO, Wild Nature. Our hosts were very welcoming and our stay in their home was one of the highlights of our trip. The photos above show the area surrounding the house. The apple orchard on the right was full of bees.

On the left, some of my travelling companions sporting a nice range of mountain head gear. On the right, the children of our host family.

In the evening we went to a concert given by young students of traditional Kazakh music. Part of the money raised through the ecotourism project goes into developing the local community and these children are just some of the people who benefit.

On the Sunday, the school bus took us to the Aksu Gorge. The road from the village rose up gradually to a plateau about 30 kilometres wide which ended abruptly at the edge of the gorge. We were able to walk down into the gorge to the Aksu River, but the climb back out again under the midday sun was hot and tiring.

On the way back across the plateau we stopped at this village to buy cheese. It is made by hand to a traditional recipe and in small quantities, so it is hard to find in markets outside the village. Apparently, the cheese is delicious but we arrived after one batch had been sold and before the next was ready.

A few days after returning to Almaty, I took a friend to the mountains south of Almaty. At 3400 metres above sea level, there is a collection of semi-derelict buildings known locally as the Kosmostantsia, as it was previously an astronomical research centre.
We met this guy at the Kosmostantsia. At first he appeared a little aggressive but it turned out to be all show. For the price of a condensed milk bun, he escorted us for the rest of the day. When we reached the village below, we were worried that he wouldn't be able to find his way home, but a local resident assured us he would have no problem and knew all the best places to stop for a bite to eat or a drink.
Back to the top