Nature
The natural wealth of the region and the national park made Katon-Karagay a center of attraction for tourists, travelers, researchers and photographers.
Here, in the heart of Asia, on a land ringed with mountain ranges, there is a secluded corner of pristine nature, full of the purest lakes, rivers, forests and valleys.
Equidistant from all the world's oceans, the peak of Mount Belukha is the most famous natural object of the region, but not the only one.
This section briefly provides information about the main natural attractions of the region, a brief summary of flora and fauna, as well as an article about the origin, development and current state of the maral breeding industry.
Peaks:
4605 m
above sea level
Mount Belukha is the highest point of Altai
3373 m
above sea level
Mount Berkutaul is the second highest peak in the Southern Altai
Ridges:
Narymskiy
Sarymsakty
Tarbagatai
Southern Altai
Listvyaga
Katunskiy
Waterfalls
Kokkol Waterfall
is an amazing, magical creation of nature, the largest of the waterfalls in the Kazakh Altai. It is located at the foot of Belukha Mountain and you can get to the waterfall only on horseback or on foot. Height: 60 meters, width: 10 meters.
Rakhmanovskiy Waterfall or Veronika’s hair
is number of waterfalls of the cascade type. The waters of a nameless current fall in a narrow stream among sheer granite and slate rocks in three stepped cascades. Rakhmanovsky Waterfall is one of the remarkable natural objects in the area of the Rakhmanovskiye Klyuchi Resort. It is an object of cognitive recreation.
Arasan Waterfall or Mustache of Batyr
is formed by the Arasan river, flowing from Lake Rakhmanovskoye. After passing through the Small Arasan Lake (1734 m above sea level), it becomes rapid and rushes among the rocks and huge boulders.
Yazeviy/Yazyoviy Waterfall
is located on the road to the lake of the same name - Yazovoe and consists of 10 cascades. The river here cuts into a rocky massif and cuts it through a narrow, shallow gorge. One after another, small ledges and rapids follow.
The hydrographic network of the region consists of countless lakes, rivers and springs.
Rivers:
The Bukhtarma River, flowing from the northern border of the region, is the largest tributary of the Irtysh.
The Narym River, which crosses the region from east to west, is the second largest river.
Belaya Berel - is the right tributary of the Bukhtarma.
Sarymsak - the Katon-Karagai village is located in the valley of the Sarymsak at the foot of the northern slopes of the Sarymsakty mountain range.
About the lakes of the Katon-Karagai region
In some sources, you can find the definition of Katon as "Valley of Lakes" or "Land of Lakes" and this is true.
More than 400 lake-type fresh water reservoirs are located along the perimeter of the national natural park.
The most famous of them:
Rakhmanovskoye Lake
Yazevoye / Yazovoye Lake or Karakol
Bukhtarma Lake (Shangin)
Tikhoye
Maralye
Kharyuzovoye
Chernovoye (Kalmysh)
Rakhmanovskoye Lake
Rakhmanovskoye is considered dead, there are no fish or other living creatures in it. According to legend, it is divided from the inside into two halves, between which there is an air space where a shaggy old man lives. If on a full moon you sail in a boat to middle of the lake, the same creature will drag the curious to his abode. No one has yet confirmed the horror stories about the inhospitable owner of the lake, but scientists explain the absence of fish in Rakhmany by the high concentration of radon. However, it is this "lifelessness" that gives life-giving force to the human body.
Yazevoye / Yazovoye Lake or Karakol.
The picturesque lake Karakol is the only one in the region where 3-kilo ides are found.
Scientific, cultural and practical value:
The lake is located on the main route to Belukha, Kokkol waterfall and Kokkol mine.
The reservoir is located at an altitude of 1685 m above sea level, in a fold where one of the branches of the Katunsky glacier was. Its length is 3 km, its width is 800 m, and the depth of Lake Yazevoye reaches 10 m. Two small unnamed tributaries and numerous springs flow into the lake, and the Yazevaya River flows out of it.
The lake is popular with photographers from all over the world. In clear weather, the surface of the lake reflects the peaks of Belukha Mountain and you can get amazingly beautiful pictures.
Despite the status of an alpine lake, in summer, in good weather, the water is quite suitable for swimming - "Swimmimg, with a view of the highest peak of Altai and Siberia."
There are two legends about the origin of the name of the lake:
The first one says: hunter Rakhmanov in 1763, chasing a wounded maral along a bloodied trail, found it standing in the springs in a cloud of steam. Having killed the beast, old man Rakhmanov discovered that the wound on the deer's leg did not bleed and was already half covered with a healthy membrane. Suffering from rheumatism, he decided to try the miraculous remedy of the springs, and after a two weeks of swimming there he felt well.
According to the second legend , a Kazakh man, Abdrakhman, went to hunt in the mountains in winter, got cold while hunting, began to freeze and, seeing his death, decided to go down to the valley. Here he noticed steam rising from the ground and discovered hot springs. The hunter warmed himself in the water, felt extraordinary invigorated after bathing and, returning home, told the Kazakhs about the find. After that the place became popular first among the Kazakhs, and then, the Russians. The springs were called Abdrakhmanovskiye, which was later shortened to Rakhmanovskiye.
Radon baths brought fame to this region as a unique health resort. They are recommended for diseases of the musculoskeletal system: myositis, osteochondrosis, arthrosis and arthritis. The formation of radon is associated with the decay products of radioactive elements contained in rare granite minerals.
It is believed that there are not even a dozen such sources in the world.
Flora and Fauna
Katon-Karagay National Park in Kazakhstan boasts an extremely rich flora and fauna. A huge variety of plant and animal species listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan is concentrated here.
Flora is represented by 34% forests dominated by coniferous trees: spruce, Siberian cedar, larch, fir; as well as deciduous trees - birches and aspens, many mosses, lichens and mushrooms.
The fauna is represented by more than 360 species of birds, animals, fish and reptiles. In the forest you can meet a brown bear, sable, wolf and fox, elk, lynx. The birds here are capercaillie, hazel grouse, peregrine falcon, eagle owl, crane. Vertebrates include amphibians (frogs) and reptiles (lizards, vipers)
Maral or Red deer deserves special attention.
Now eleven farms of the Katon-Karagai region keep about six thousand heads of deer and sika deer. Annually they produce about nine tons of raw antlers, or 3.3 tons of concentrated form. Eight farms are certified as breeding.
In summer panto-health centers function at nine farms of the district. Every year up to 30 thousand people visit there for rehabilitation and treatment. Thus, antler therapy is becoming a locomotive for the development of not only the industry as such, but also the tourism industry.
In addition, since 1997, Aksu-DEEN, the joint Kazakh-Korean pharmaceutical company, has been operating in the region to sell maral breeding products on the domestic market, producing about twenty types of products based on deer antlers, honey, medicinal herbs and roots. The productive capacity of the pharmaceutical shop is five million bottles of medicines and biologically active additives per year. Maral breeding farms are also mastering the production of medicines from canned antlers.
You can buy healing panto products at the market in the village of Katon-Karagay.