Ile-Alatau National Park

Ile-Alatau National Park is located on the Northern slope of the Zailiysky Alatau range and covers over 2000 sq km of mountain terrain along the border between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The park starts at only few kilometers from Almaty and reaches tens of kilometers towards east and also west from the city. This, mostly untouched, park holds differing habitats from forests to Alpine meadows, glaciers and meltwater lakes. There are also numerous valleys and trekking routes that allow visiting anywhere within from few hours to few weeks, though amongst the most spectacular and still only a quick visit away, is the Turgen Gorge. 

The park includes a large variety of trees that are an essential part of it. Here you can find apricot, maple Semenov, currants Yancheuski, Caucasian carcass and of course the famous Almaty apple Sievers. The area also has the genetic source of all the types of apple trees in the world and it is believed that all the apple trees in the world originate from this area. In addition, the park is a home to about 300 species of animals and birds, including the snow leopard, Central-Asian lynx, Tian-Shan brown bear, Central Asian stone marten, mountain goat, bearded vulture and the golden eagle. The peaks of the park reach up to more than 3000 meters offering a variety of landscapes but most locations are still fairly easy to reach and for this reason Ile Alatau is included in some of our Kazakhstan Tours and Central Asia Tours.