 A visit to Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve will allow you a glimps at the world as it was before the time of the great ice age. Sary-Chelek is part of the Western Tien Shan, one of the largest mountain systems of the world
It is not yet commonly known that the homeland of tulips, the nut-, apple-, and pear-tree, pomegranate, fig, plum, cherry, grape, lucerne, and desert-candle is, indeed on the grounds of a Nature reserve on the territory of the Western Tien Shan - the Sary Chelek. Here to be found are natural botanical communities that have perished completely in other parts of the world when hundreds of thousands years ago, during the glacial period, temperature changes brought the destruction of flora & fauna over huge areas.
Turn the wheel of time back 600'000 years, when the Tertiary era just ended. The nut-tree forests of that period were roamed by rhinos, saber-toothed tigers, ostriches, ancient elephants. These wild animals are extinct but the nut trees still grow at Sary-Chelek to this day.
The reserve was founded in 1959, on the area of 24,000 hectares; and in 1978, by the resolution of UNESCO, obtained the status of a “biosphere reserve” and was included into the international network of biosphere reserves.
One of natures highlights in the Western Tien Shan and the reserve is the lake-system of Sary-Chelek and its six neighboring lakes that were formed as a result of landslides damming a mountain stream. Lake Sary-Chelek at an altitude of 2,000m is 7,5km long, with a max. depth of 32m and a width of 2km. Its shores are wonderfully picturesque and set off by surrounding mountains of 2600-3000m altitude.
Officially registered on the territory of the reserve are
157 kinds of birds
5 species of reptiles
3 species of amphibias
5 species of fish
35 species of mammals
70 kinds of medicinal herbs
113 kinds of trees and shrubs
30 kinds of plants that feature on the endangered list.
 In the south-eastern part of the reserve, an Ecotourism zone has been made accessible to the general public, visitors and even overnight visitors who will not disturb the tranquility of the reserve and that of its wild animals. As part of the attractions the Ecotourism Zone offers are jeep-, horse, and walking tours winding along the small lakes within its enclosure.
Those looking for more challenging hiking and trekking will be accommodated in the guest house on the shores of lake Sary-Chelek, offering space for up to 10 visitors, from where various routes lead upwards into the mountains. In Arkyt, a village some 17 km from the lake, comfortable rooms with hot water, for up to 10 guests can be booked.
Sary-Chelek can be reached as well on horseback or on foot across the Talas ridge.
FACTS & FIGURES
Sary-Chelek biospherical reserve occupying some 23’868 hectares. Founded in 1959 in the Jalalabad oblast, with the purpose of preserving the forests and mountain landscapes that surround lake Sary-Chelek it was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1979 and contains over 1’000 species of plants, including wild varieties of many “ancestors” of commercially important plants. About 1/3 of the protected area remains as forest
Author article & photos Urmat Mambetaliev |
