Nature&Wildlife

Due to its location in the heart of Central Asia, the landscape of Southern Kazakhstan is highly diverse. Only here you will find a unique mixture of ever-snowy mountain peaks (the highest peak reaches 4238m) and vast steppes, hot deserts and cool rivers. Combine it with above 250 sunny days per year and you will get a picture!

Landscape Zones

Betpakdala desert is in the northern part of the region. A part of the largest sand desert in Central Asia - Kyzyl-Kum - can be found in the south-west of the region. The east and south-east are covered by the West Tyan-Shan Mountains range, while the Syrdarya, the second-longest river in Central Asia, crosses Southern Kazakhstan in the south westbound. Such contrasts account for the diversity of flora and fauna species in the region.

Lakes and Water Reservoirs

There are many small salty lakes in Southern Kazakhstan. The biggest water reservoir is Shardara Reservoir, that is in the south of the region. The Shardara reservoir square is as much as 400sq.m., the water storage goes up to 5200 mln cubic meters.

Steppes and Deserts

The summer temperature in steppes is deserts reaches +50 C. The air is dry and hot. You might come across small lizards, snakes (both poisonous and non-poisonous), tortoises, jerboas, and different bird species. Watch your step since scorpions, karakurts, and other insects are native inhabitants of the local steppes and deserts. Flora is represented by low bushes and saxaul.

When trees and flowers start blossoming in spring, steppes in Kazakhstan get covered by a magnificent ‘live’ carpet of multicolored tulips, later replaced by red poppies.

Fauna is represented by steppe wolf, eared hedgehog, fox, hare, geiran, saiga, archar, gopher, agama, Central Asian cobra, bustard, buzzard, jay, and many others.

Mountains

Tyan-Shan Mountains in the east and south east of the region are the home to rare flora and fauna species. In 1926, at elevations from 1100 to 4236 meters, there was established the first nature reserve in Central Asia – Aksu-Jabagly. The botanist can find here at about 150 endemic plant species, while an ornithologist – 238 bird species (golden eagle is among them). This does not include mammals represented by such extremely rare species as snow leopard.

You will be definitely delighted to see Aksu river Canyon, famous due to its steep mountainsides. The ever-snowy mountain peaks on the territory of the nature reserve are as high as 4000 meters. The mountain middle tier is represented by supalpine and alpine meadows.

In spring the landscape gets covered by rare flowers, wild tulips (Greig’s giant tulips and Kaufmann’s tulips) in particular. When in May its alpine meadows are dotted with the wild bright red tulips, a traveler can enjoy the spectacular and unforgettable view – a cover of giant flowers spreading across emerald green fields. By the way, the tulips of Holland originated from this region!

Read more in Aksu Jabagly Nature Reserve.

Rivers

The Syrdarya is the second longest river in Central Asia (2200km), with its tributaries (Arys, Keles). It crosses the territory of Southern Kazakhstan in the south westbound. The Syrdarya delta is waterlogged Turgay valley covered with lakes and inhabited by plentiful nesting places of waterfowls.

Today the local fauna is represented by 32 mammals and 160 bird species. Among them there are: pheasant, cormorant, sandpiper, cane cat, wild boar, fox, etc. Carps, perches, and pikes prevail among the fish species. Flora includes 1200 species of flowering plants, including 29 endemic plants.