3 months in Central Asia: Early spring in the Western Tien-Shan
Today we take you on a tour along the slopes of the Western Tien Shan to see how spring awakens nature and the mountain villages of Birgulyuk and Tau Samaly.
In the last article, we recounted our inaugural day trip to Temirlan and Ordabasy from our three-month adventure in Central Asia. Today, we continue with the next day’s journey, an exploration filled with unexpected moments and serene beauty. We first drove with our rental car to Lenger, the nearest town to Shymkent, known for its famous Kazakhstani ice cream company Lengerskoe. Yet, our aim was not the ice cream but the nearby Sairam-Ugam mountain range which is part of the Western Tien-Shan. Parts of these mountainous area is under state protection and listed as a natural site on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Our first place to get in touch with the mountains was the village Birgulyuk. The village is about fifty kilometers away from Shymkent. We followed from the town Lenger the mountain river Uluchur, the left tributary of the Badam river. The valley of this river with the soft, lush green slopes of the valley and the still snow-capped peaks of the nearby Sairam-Ugam mountains in the background offered a picturesque view and we could not resist stopping on the road to enjoy this sight on this early spring day before continuing our way uphill towards Birgulyuk.
The mountain village is located in a narrow valley of the Western Tien-Shan mountains with healthy mountain air and it is home to a famous sanatorium where spa guests can undergo various treatments using Kumis (fermented mare’s milk). The sanatorium is surrounded by many vacation homes, hotels and dachas waiting to welcome people who want to relax from the busy city life or recover from various diseases.
But as we ventured towards Birgulyuk, we hadn’t anticipated that the summer season was still a bit away. With the season yet to start, the area was almost empty and serene. And the possibility to climb up a little bit toward the Birgulyuk mountain went complicated because the path to the mountain was obstructed by private properties or recreation centers. This isolation and the impossibility to reach the mountain lent an unpredictability to our journey. So we decided without hesitation to drive further along the Sairam-Ugam mountain range eastward to the first and only ski resort in the Turkistan Region – the Tau Samaly Ski Resort.
As we arrived in mountain village Tau Samaly we recognized that the surrounding mountains and hills offered a more open view compared to Birgulyuk. But since the ski season had already ended and the two kilometers long ski slopes were no longer covered in snow and the three ski lifts stopped operating, the last winter guests already left and this place was deserted as well. But for us this serene wasn’t bad at all. We were able to have a quick hike uphill to observe a few shepherds driving their herds of horses over the already green slopes of the Sairam-Ugam mountains. And the first songbirds – like the Central Asian Gold finch – also came to drink from the melting water streams and flew in front of our camera lens.
But soon we walked back to the car to arrive in Shymkent before nightfall. To get a few more new impressions of the region, we chose the route through the valley of the Sairam-Su river for the return journey. The fact that spring was already in full swing despite the cool temperatures was also evident from the many farmers who were plowing the fields for the next crop with their small tractors on the left and right of the road. Before we reached the valley and the first suburbs of Shymkent, we stopped for a final photo stop to look back at the green slopes and snow-capped peaks of the Sairam-Ugam mountains. A beautiful sight!
Despite the fact that the sun had not shown itself that day, we were grateful that we could do this tour along the Western Tien-Shan mountains and were excited to see what the next few days would bring – we hope you, too.
Stay tuned for more stories from our three month journey through Central Asia. If you want to support us, follow us on social networks! The story will be continued.