About the Area

On the northern slopes of Zhungar Alatau there are famous thermal radon springs Zharkent-Arasan, Kapal-Arasan, which are resorts.

In North-Zhungar region, in the desert zone, the foothills are desert-steppe. Lowlands here have apple-tree and pine forests and bushes along the river valleys; medium hills have forests and meadows, as well as steppes. Forests primarily consist of Tien-Shan spruces. Above, in the highlands there are sub-alpine and alpine meadows, eternal snow and glaciers. Mountainous meadows serve as summer grasslands (zhailau). They have such grasses as cobresia, syndow, wild leek, poppy and buttercup. Sometimes you can see the white-green flower of edelweiss. Sub-alpine meadows are covered with juniper.

On Lepsy, Tentek and other mountainous rivers, as well as on Alakol Lake there are water trips by rafts, canoes or inflatable vessels.

The starting point for the routes is Taldykorgan. Starting points for routes in the north are located on Taldykorgan-Kzylagash Road; they lead along the valleys of Biyen, Aksu, Sarkand rivers, which are 30-50 km; in the east the starting point is Tekeli town; they lead along the valleys of Koktal and Koksu Rivers, which are up to 100 km; in the south the starting point is Zharkent; from it routes (50-70km) lead along the valleys of Usek and Tyshkan Rivers.

Here you can see typical mountainous animals like argali, ibex (tau-teke), snow leopard and brown bear.

The mountainous country, Zhungar Alatau, is very diverse. Korinskoye Ravine is one of the most picturesque mountain tracts in Zhungar Alatau. Its length is 90 km, the highest point is 4100 m above sea level. The ravine is ideal for the arrangement of a skiing resort. This area is also famous because it has one of the biggest waterfalls in Zhetysu - “Burkhan-Bulak”.

Balneal resort “Arasan-Kapal” is established near the mineral springs of the same name and is located in the northern edges of Zhungar Alatau in the valley of Biyen River.

The resort is immersed in the greenery of the big park, which consists of poplars and elms. Around the park there is the steppe with rare bushes. From the territory of the resort you can perfectly see the beautiful snow ridges and tops of Zhungar Alatau.

Arasan-Kapal mineral springs features light radioactive, light sulphate-chloride and sodium characteristics. They go out of the cracks in the granite covered with land waste. The temperature of major springs constitutes 35-37 degrees centigrade. With regard to water content, temperature and radioactivity the water is similar to Tshaltubo Springs. The springs have a good influence on people who suffer from rheumatism, metabolic disease, diseases of peripheral system and blood vessels, as well as on the diseases of women and on the people who were poisoned with copper, lead and other metals. Every year Arasan-Kapal Resort accepts around 2000 patients.

About Your Guide

Bolatkhan was and still is a legendary figure in the Taldykorgan, Kapal Arasan and Kok Su areas. He comes from a family which had acquired great wealth and prestige not only through agriculture, but in the diplomatic world during the Soviet era. When he was only one year old, his Father was labeled an "enemy of the state" and executed. The following year, his Mother also being labeled an "enemy of the state" was taken away by Stalin's troops. He never saw her again.

Despite these adversities, Bolatkhan became the Director of the collective farm operations in Kapal Arasan overseeing 4000 agronomists, scientists of agriculture and workers for all of Kapal. He knows this land like the back of his hand having supervised operations for over 100,000 hectares on horse-back.

In its heyday, the farming operation produced 48 metric tons of milk per day, almost 1,700 cattle ready for slaughter each day, 60,000 tons of wheat per year, 120,000 head of sheep per year, chickens, butter, 500 hectares of potatoes. There is almost nothing they didn't produce. The residents here are very proud, and quite often heard to say that since the 1840's, they fed the Russian army no matter the regime.

And Bolatkhan will be the first to tell you that this was accomplished on some of the most fertile land in the world without the use of fertilizers and chemicals. That tradition continues today on some of the most pristine agricultural land in the world.

Hot Water Springs There are 51 groundwater springs, many of which are used for spa therapy purposes. The Alma- Arasan hot spring water is similar in its chemical composition to French mineral waters of the Pyre-nean type (Aix les Bains, etc.)	Abundant Fresh Pristine Mountain Water Supplies About a half of the country’s water resources are located in the Almaty oblast. Seven rivers flow through the region, including the Ili (815 km within Kazakhstan), Lepsy (417km), Karatal (390 km), Aksu (316 km),Tentek (200 km) and Yrgaity (69 km).
Mineral Resources There are 27 metalliferous deposits in the region, including gold (35), lead and zinc (7), copper (2), silver (12), tungsten (1) and uranium (3).The region has 172 deposits of common minerals. Significant reserves of ornamental stone have been discovered, principally granite (Kapal-Arasan deposits). Widespread mineral resources, such as marble, quartz sand, limestone, gypsum, potter’s and coal clay, and building and facing stone make it possible to develop the building material sector in the oblast. Some new process lines were com- missioned: Almatygazservice (ceramic and walling materials), Mountain Mineral (marble flour), Bazalt–D (mineral wool) and also a roofing felt plant, 13 brick plants and four plants to produce metalloplastics.	Prime Agricultural Land Arable land occupies 884,300 ha (4.8% of the total arable land in the country). Most of this land (496,600 ha) is used to grow crops. However the oblast’s gross crop yield ranks only fourth in the country (7% of the national yield) totalling 979,700 tonnes, almost a half of which is wheat. The crop yield averaged 2,040 kg/ha (more than twice the national average). The oblast is one of the coun- try’s largest producers of soybean (99.4% of the national output), tobacco (80.4%), white beet (95.6%), corn (62.4%), potato, and vegetables. In 2005, the yield of white beet was 347,100 tonnes from about 16,300 ha. The yield is fully processed by the oblast’s five sugar refineries. In 2005, 65,300 ha of land yielded 269,700 tonnes of corn (feed grains) or 26.1% of the national total. Growing of apple and other fruits is one of primary concerns in the oblast. Fruits are produced from 16,700 ha of land in total.The oblast’s mild climate makes possible the production of table and wine grapes from 4,600 ha (47% of grape planting area in the country). Eco Agroproduct is a producer of grapes. The company makes selection of new European sorts of grape to suit them to the local growing conditions. The company has more than 2,000 ha of vineyards located in the Turgen Valley.The Agricultural products processing accounts for 74.4% of the region’s industrial output, with 40.2% being in the tobacco industry. The largest enterprises in the region are the tobacco companies Philip Morris Kazakhstan (14.7% of the region’s industrial output) and Gallaher Kazakhstan (9.2%). Other large enterprises include sugar manufacturers, such as Almatinsky Sakhar (4.1%) and Almaty Kanty (2.2%).
Prime Pasture and Livestock Land The area's climate, natural and large pastures (89.6% of the total farmlands) make it possible to develop livestock farming intensively. The area's horse stock numbering 180,400 head (15.6% of the national total) is the largest in the country. The area is the second largest producer of cattle stock (646,900 head or 11.9%), and sheep and goats (2,461,500 head or 17.2%). Pigs numbered 131,300 head (9.9%). During the five recent years cattle livestock has increased by 26.3%, sheep and goats by 11.6%, horses by 12.7%, and poultry by 40.5%. The area is the country’s largest producer of poultry, which reached 6.3 million head in 2005 (or 24% of the national total). The production of poultry meat and eggs satifies the consumer demand for the entire area as well as for export.	Maral, Ibex, Bear and Wild Boar Hunting Tokhty, Zaisan and Kapal close to Taldy Khurgan are considered to be the areas with best Maral (also known as the Tian Shan Wapiti) trophies in all Asia. In fact, two years ago, the new world record was taken there, which exceeded 18 kilos. Regular trophies are up to 10 kilos, but in this area a Maral up to 13-14 kilos can be guaranteed. In the same area there is a large population of Mid-Asian Ibex.