The protected areas in Kazakhstan are well known the world over for their natural beauty and ecological significance. Kazakhstan is the ninth largest country in the world and it borders China The country is almost entirely flat except for mountains in its eastern and southern borders and it has coastlines along the Aral and the Caspian Sea The Altyn-Emel National Park occupies an area of 1,776 square miles The Park was established in 1996 in the valley of the Ili River from mountains to sand-desert and it has a rocky terrain The park's archaeology significance is represented by the Terekty petroglyphs where rock paintings and stone carvings have been preserved The Besshatyr is a complex of burial mounds from ancient civilizations Also notable are the Atkau and Katutau Mountains Mammals in the park include the rare snow leopard The Ili River and Kapchagai human-made lake are home to abundant fish species such as catfish There are 19 cordons stationed in and around the park and they facilitate regular control by the park inspectors and monitoring of tourism activities The park remains well protected from poaching and logging Bayanaul National Park stretches for 264 Square miles The park is characterized by many mountains and four freshwater lakes Bayanaul National Park consists of four types of vegetation including forest and aspen along with shrubs such as currants and raspberries Fauna species include the endangered argali roe deer and birds such as cranes and swans The Park has a continental climate with yearly precipitation is recorded at 340 mm and average annual temperatures of 3.2 degrees Celsius Burabay National Park occupies an area of 322 square miles in the Burabay District of Kazakhstan The park is characterized by mountain peaks rising over Lake Burabay Average annual rainfall is recorded at 300 mm and snow cover is about 25-35 thick during the winter The average temperature in July is +19 degrees Celsius and -16 degrees Celsius in January The park is a legally protected nature reserve and it is under the direct jurisdiction of the country's President is situated near Almaty City and covers 772 square miles The park covers landscapes such as forests About 300 bird and animal species have been recorded and include snow leopard with the high mountainous zone receiving the highest annual rainfall of more than 600 mm The Karkaraly National Park is situated in Karaganda region The park consists of the Karkaraly and Kent Mountains The climate is continental and is characterized by harsh winters and cool summers and abrupt changes in temperatures Flora of the park includes bluegrass Karkaraly The park's 46 mammal species include red deer Bird species include the protected imperial eagle and tourism and economic activities are strictly monitored Kazakhstan is a top destination in Central Asia for nature-based tourism the country pride in flora and fauna diversity and spectacular landscapes and scenery and water sports are popular tourist activities in the country photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com