Paste Travel’s Bucket List columnist Lauren Kilberg is a Chicago-based freelance writer. Her travels have found her camping near the Pakistani border of India and conquering volcanoes in the Philippines.

Image source: Kazakhstan.travel

1. Altyn-Emel State National Nature Park: Located approximately 93 miles from the city of Almaty, Atlyn-Emel is a nature park that was established as a place for eco-tourism in 1996 in order to preserve the unique nature of the area. Some of the most popular attractions at Altyn-Emel include:
• Singing Dune/Singing Sands
• Besshatyr burial mounds/ “Stonehenge” of Kazakh Steppes
• Tamgaly Tas
• Katutau and Aktau mountains

Image source: Eduard Kim via aboutkazakhstan.com

2. Charyn State National Natural Park: Charyn State National Natural Park was created to preserve Kazakhstan’s natural beauty, and has become a popular spot for tourists visiting the Almaty oblast. The main attraction here is the Sharyn River valley/the Charyn Canyon, which is Kazakhstan’s version of the United States’ Grand Canyon. All throughout the year, visitors flock to Charyn State National Park to experience the unique nature, as well as the historical and cultural sites such as burial grounds.

Image source: Almaty-kazakhstan.net

3. Alatau – Eliy National Park: When visiting Almaty, tourists should definitely check out Alatau – Eliy National Park. Established in 1996, the main tourist site here is Big Almaty Lake, which is located about a mile and a half above sea level. Not only is Big Almaty Lake a breathtaking, picturesque site, it is also used for water supply and hydroelectric power for the city of Almaty.

Image source: Kazakhstan.travel

4. Kolsay Lakes: Considered “a pearl of Northern Tien-Shan,” Kolsay Lakes is a gorgeous natural attraction, just a short drive away from Almaty. Kolsay Lakes is a collection of three lakes that the Kolsay River flows into: “Top”, “Mynzholki”, and “Lower.” Visitors love vacationing at Kolsay Lakes because there are plenty of fun things to do like camping, hiking, mounting bicycling, horseback riding, and more!

Well, folks, there you have it. If you ever have the chance to visit Kazakhstan and you love nature, then be sure to check out any of the parks mentioned above. Not only will the sites astound you, but you will remember them for the rest of your life.

Rakhmet!

Sources: kazinform.kz; visitkazakhstan.kz

Charyn State National Park extends from the bridge around Kurytogay village in the south, to the beginning of the river estuary in the north and represents a strip of foothill plains and intermountain hollows on either side of the river. The park is situated in territory of three regions of Almaty oblast – Uigur, Rayimbek and Enbekshikazakh regions.

Sharyn River valley is a unique site, where prehistoric flora and fauna remnants have been found. Sharyn River is a mountain river and is the largest inflow of Ili River in Kazakhstan, with the length of 393 km.

The park is rich not only in unique natural objects and complexes, but also in historical and cultural heritage, such as burial grounds and barrows. Barrows are underground or above ground burial places, constructed in a shape of barrows

The park is attractive at any time of the year, in the spring — air is filled by aroma of blossoming medicinal herbs and bushes, in the summer you can shelter yourself from the sun under a shade of a relic ash-tree, in the autumn you can admire the bright indescribable colours of ripe barberries, in the winter you can observe calmly how ice floats on dark blue water as majestic snow tops of «the Valley of Castles».