Katon-Karagay is a unique national nature park in Kazakhstan

Katon-Karagai is an administrative district and a nature reserve. It is a unique place in the territory of Kazakhstan. By its sights, features of the landscape, diversity of flora and fauna in two thousand and fourteenth year, he was awarded a list of UNESCO's specially protected heritage. This region is among the top ten places popular among residents of Kakhstan and foreign tourists. Let's see why it is so wonderful.

Location of the national park, climate, relief

Katon-Karagai is located in East Kazakhstan. Almost all of its territory is located within the mountain system of the Southern Altai. These are grandiose steep mountains, with snow-capped peaks, which often rise to three thousand meters above sea level. In the north-east the reserve is bordered by the Altai Republic (Russia), in the south - with China. There are many fast, mountain rivers, remarkable for their wild beauty and bluish color of water, - Bukhtarma, White Berel. The highest and rocky ridges of Katon-Karagaya - Katun and Southern Altai.

Plants and animals

Flora and fauna of this reserve is extremely rich. Katon-Karagai has thirty species of relict plants, which in other places practically disappeared. Mighty green thickets encircle the mountains with a dense ring. There are practically no fires here and no traces of human economic activity are visible. Cedars, spruce, fir, larch, as well as birch and aspen not only delight the eye with their endless distances, but also provide shelter to brown bears, elks, sables. Here you can find snow leopard, marten, argali, golden eagle. Several species of animals and birds are rare.

Landscape, natural monuments

For tourists this is a cult place - Katon-Karagai. The nature here is not only rich and diverse, but also amazingly picturesque. These are high and majestic mountains, bushy green forests, mighty fast rivers and lakes with pure water, like a tear. Among the nature monuments of the reserve the first place is occupied by the two-headed border peak Belukha, which is located on the cordon of Russia and Kazakhstan. This is the highest mountain of Altai, and the whole of Siberia - it rises over the sea for more than four thousand meters. Its peak is reflected in the water of a small, but surprisingly beautiful Lake Karakol. It looks like a deep bowl, surrounded by a coniferous forest leading directly to the alpine meadows. Two kilometers from the lake you can see about ten cascading waterfalls and rapids. They also attract tourists with their beauty.

Katon-Karagai can boast of other beautiful cascading waterfalls. Arasan and Rakhmanovsky are located near the thermal spa. Local sources contain radon. Rakhmanov's keys treat diseases of the joints and spine. On the river Kokkol, which is a tributary of Belaya Berely, is the largest waterfall in the Altai. From a steep eighty-meter ledge, a stream 10 m wide falls into the abyss, and its lateral streams run along the rocks with snakes. When the water in the Kokkol falls, such minute dust forms that it ionizes the air in the entire valley.

Cultural and historical sites

Katon-Karagai (Kazakhstan) has long attracted people. Here came the shepherds, hunters and traders. It was not by chance that the Northern (or the so-called Golden) branch of the Great Silk Road passed to Mongolia and China. This ancient way, by which once the caravans of pack animals, loaded with precious fabrics, were very picturesque. Until now, it can be traversed from the village of Archaty to the Ukoksky Pass. Even in the national park survived the mounds of Scythian times (fourth century BC). The largest of them is the grave complex of Berel, where not only objects of everyday life and decorations were preserved, but also mummified remains of noble people and their horses (thanks to permafrost). Found a funeral room, a lot of gold products, fabrics. And according to the preserved organics it is possible to restore the appearance of those who lived in ancient times.

Even in the reserve there are monuments of recent eras - the so-called Austrian road with panoramic views of the mountains and the Kyzylkum desert, built by Czech prisoners during the First World War. It passes through many monuments of nature. And the former tungsten mine Kokkol was laid at an altitude of three thousand meters. They also bring tourists here.

Treatment

As we have already said, not only for traveling provides unique opportunities for the Katon-Karagai National Park. Sanatorium "Rakhmanovskie Klyuchi", located on the same thermal waters, treats customers with healing cocktails, herbs, and infusion on deer antlers. Radon baths and showers, as well as drinking with this composition, help with arthrosis and gastritis. And still here it is popular to wrap curative mud from the source of Moyildy. The sanatorium is located in a mountain square at the height of a mail of one thousand eight hundred meters, in the border zone between four states. Therefore, in order to rest there and undergo the necessary procedures for the correction of health, you need to get a special pass.