Game and Nature

Ile-Alatau National Park is a national park in Kazakhstan. It was created in 1996 and covers about 200,000 ha. It is situated in the mountains south of Almaty between Gorge Turgen in the east and Chemlogan River in the west. The National Park borders Almaty Nature Reserve, which is located around Pik Talgar.

The Botanical Garden in Almaty features a vast open space with pine groves, hundreds of varieties of roses, and dozens of sorts of peonies, tulips, lilacs, and asters.  Opened in 1932 adjacent to Al-Farabi Kazakh National State University, the garden spans 108 ha (267 ac) and features a small Japanese garden, boardwalks and lotus ponds, and a greenhouse with a fine collection of cacti and tropical plants.

The First President’s Park is located in the southern part of Almaty and has a spectacular mountain backdrop. The park is the home of the annual music festival called “Almaty – my first love”. The concert is held in front of the semicircular colonnade shown in the images. The amphitheatre atmosphere is highlighted by the fountains and water features to the rear. The park is about 1.5 km from one end to the other with trees and habitats interspersed with features.