Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range

Zailiysky Alatau is a high mountain range located south of the major Kazakh city of Almaty. Together with the Kungai Alatau and the Chiliko-Kemin junction between them, it forms the Northern Tien Shan Mountains. Zailiyskiy Alatau stretches for 280 km. The range starts in the west from the Chu River and goes eastward to the Chilik River, covering the lands of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China. The northern spurs gently pass into the Kazakh plains, while the southern spurs are bounded by the valleys of the large Chilik and Chonkemin rivers.

.

Video: Zailiyskiy Alatau

” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” allowfullscreen> Contents

Highlights

The Zailiyskiy Alatau lies within four altitude belts. Up to 1600 m, forest-steppes and deciduous forests dominate here, where wild apple, apricot, aspen and rowan trees grow. Above – up to 2800 meters – coniferous forests, consisting mainly of pyramidal Tianshan spruce, extend. Above them there is a zone of alpine meadows and steppe juniper, and from the height of 3500 meters bare rocks and glaciers begin. Passes, plateaus and peaks reach 4000-4600 meters above sea level, so they are covered with snow and ice all year round. Here is the largest node of glaciation of the Northern Tien Shan – the powerful Korzhenevsky glacier, which stretches for 11 km, as well as the Bogatyr glacier, the length of which is 9.1 km. Other glaciers – Shokalsky, Grigoriev and Tuyuksu – are slightly inferior to them. Scientists counted 441 glaciers on the high mountain slopes, and the total area of glaciation reaches 171 km².

.

The highest point of the Zailiyskiy Alatau – the picturesque Talgar Peak – has a height of 4979 meters. The three-headed peak is perfectly visible from the city of Talgar and some districts of Alma-Ata. No less impressive are Aktau (4686 m), Metallurg (4600 m), Korp (4631 m) and Bogatyr (4626 m). The center of the mountain range with an area of 71.7 thousand hectares is part of the Almaty Nature Reserve, which since 1996 is considered part of the Ile-Alaut National Park.

.

In the spurs of the Zailiyskiy Alatau are located high-mountain skating rink Medeu, popular ski resort Chimbulak and the astronomical observatory Assy-Turgen. The routes of sports tourist and mountaineering groups pass here. The season for fans of mountain tourism begins in mid-July and ends at the end of September, and the most favorable period for skiing and snowboarding lasts from December to the end of March.

.

Climate

The Zailiyskiy Alatau is located in a zone of dry, sharply continental climate. In summer it can be very hot in Alma-Ata, but by evening the breezes blowing from the mountains bring long-awaited coolness. From mid-summer to mid-autumn in the mountains reigns a dry, comfortable climate. Rain is rare, and at altitudes above 3500 meters precipitation falls only in the form of snow or hail.

.

Throughout the year in the Zailiyskiy Alatau, several cold spells are recorded. In summer they occur due to the passage of powerful cyclones, and in the winter months – anticyclones. Snow cover on glaciers reaches a height of 1.5-2 meters and lasts until mid-July.

.

Animal and plant life of the Zailiyskiy Alatau

In the part of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, which is included in the nature protection zone of the Almaty Reserve, there are Tianshan brown bear, lynx, maral, ibex, roe deer, snow leopard, badger, hare and stone marten. The mountains are home to grouse, golden eagles, bearded grouse, mountain and bearded partridges, Himalayan lancers, juniper grosbeaks, bluebirds, woodpeckers and nutcrackers.

.

The flora of the mountain range is well studied because the city of Alma-Ata, which has many universities and scientific organizations, is close by. About 1600 species of plants are found on the slopes and in the valleys of the Zailiyskiy Alatau. Over 50 species are rare and 26 of them are included in the pages of the Red Book of Kazakhstan. In the undergrowth of coniferous forests one can see hawthorn, thickets of cotoneaster and rosehip, bushes of honeysuckle, cherry and barberry.

.

Many travelers come to the mountains to admire the beautiful blooming. After winter, crocuses and goosefoot are the first to blossom their delicate petals. Then comes the time when tulips, irises and peonies bloom on the mountain slopes. In early summer, brightly colored tumblers and buttercups, forget-me-nots, violets and anemones bloom, and the active blooming is completed by asters, petals, hawksbills and gentians.

.

Medeu

Near Alma-Ata, on the northern spurs of the Zailiyskiy Alatau is a unique skating rink. It is built at an altitude of 1691 meters in Medeu tract and bears his name. The high-mountain complex is used for winter sports and has the world’s largest artificial ice field, the area of which reaches 10,500 m². The purest mountain water is used for its filling. Medeu is covered with very high quality ice, and thanks to this, more than two hundred skating records have been set at the high-altitude rink.

.

Chimbulak

At an altitude of 2200-2500 meters, above Medeu, the popular ski resort of Chimbulak is spread out. Here, in the northern spurs of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, there are 8 slopes with a total height difference of 900-1000 meters.

.

The history of the resort began in the middle of the last century with a sports base Chimbulak. Nowadays, after a large-scale reconstruction, the ski resort meets the most modern requirements, and its slopes have been certified by the International Ski Federation.

The skiing area is located at an altitude of 2260-3163 meters. The maximum gradient on the slopes for skiing is 45 °. The resort operates cable-chair elevators, opened several hotels, there are restaurants, cafes and ski schools. In addition, professional and amateur snowboarding and alpine skiing competitions are held in Chimbulak.

.

How to get there

It is most convenient to get to the Zailiyskiy Alatau from the north – from the city of Alma-Ata. Russians do not need a visa to visit Kazakhstan. Upon arrival at the airport, tourists must fill out a migration card. If they plan to stay in the city for more than three days, they must register at the local OVIR. It is advised to always have a passport with registration with you. Registration is necessarily checked at the airport when leaving the country.

.

From Alma-Ata the mountains are approached by shuttle buses, cabs and trucks.

.