Kazakhstan is a treasure of ice-capped mountain peaks, shining glaciers, susurrate rivers, evergreen forests, giant rocky canyons painted vibrantly by emerald mountain lakes, vivid rainbows, elegiac sunrises, and unique flora and fauna.
The Turgen Gorge in the Ili-Alatau National Park is 90 km from Almaty blessed with the abundant bounties of natures. The gorge has hot wells, a trout farm, cascades and thick forests. Full of coniferous and assorted trees, apine and sub-alpine bawns, springs and lakes, herbs and berries of medicinal value, the gorge descends 44 km into the expanse of Assy plateau (2,560m). In the bygone days, caravans from Asia and Europe crossed the Royal Gates enroute to India and China. The broad valley extends 60 km east.
The Turgen Gorge is famous for its seven waterfalls: the Medvezhy (Bear) falls has a drop of 30 m flanked by massive cliffs and green fir trees; the Bozgul Falls is known for the sheer might of the water as it washes away an entire tunnel in the solid rough rocks. Another major attraction of the gorge are the earliest Chin Chin-Turgen mossy fir forests which forms a thick vegetation cover with dense layer of trees.
A must-visit spot in the Turgen Gorge is Boten, the hunting base. The very place of the confluence of three rivers, it is the deepest point of the gorge – 920 meters. While the Kishi-Turgen flows southeast, the Turgen River runs southwest. The plateau also has an observatory. Prehistoric burial mounds and rock drawings are found along the River Asy. Also dotted are several Sacae and Usun graves in the gorge belonging to the period between 500 BC-300 AD. There are a couple of resorts located around the natural hot springs that discharge into the swift flowing Turgen river. The Sinegorye, found at height of 1500m above sea level in the picturesque Mirushino gorge (which is about 70 km from Almaty), gives you a wide choice of accommodations. The small mountain lakes above the Sinegorye offers good possibilities to fish and bathe; the lower down, a trout farm, allows you to test your fishing skills, and maybe catch a few fish if you’re lucky, for supper.
