Burkhatskiy Pass
Kazakhstan Mountains & Waterfalls. Kazakhstan mountain districts

Route to Burkhat pass (the place where conditional border of Asian and Siberian animal life is located). Austrian road. Entry to Katon-Karagaisky State National Nature Park.

Austrian road:

The length of its road part is 50 km (5 hours of journey), from Markakol lake to Burkhat pass. Quality - gravel mountain road difficult to traverse.

"Austrian road" is famous for its beauty.

Within the Katon-Karagaisky State National Nature Park the road is available only from the south border (Kara-Koba river) to the valley of Bukhtarma river, which is about 60 km. But it's one of the most impressive parts of the road, that passes through 16 bridges and fords.

Its name - Austrian - which is informal, the road got owing to the fact that it was built in the period from 1914 to 1916 by Austrian (Czech) prisoner of First World (Imperialistic) war.

This road can be considered as a memorial to heroic labour of a Man who at that time managed to create that monument only with the help of simple tools - shovels and picks.

Nowadays Austrian road is valuable from the historical point of view as well as being a peculiar nature monument, which comprises unique memorials such as Marble pass, Marcacol lake, Altai and Burkhat passes, valley of Kara-Koby river, etc. And in the connection with Northern Branch of Silk Road, passing through the valley of Bukhtarma river, the Austrian road is a unique natural historical object.

From Urunkhanka we move northwards to Tarbagatai mountain range through taiga and alpine meadows, getting over hi- and low lands. We are moving down to the valley of rapid mountain river Kara-Kaby. The path goes up through a picturesque ravine, crossing the river for several times by small bridges.

Katon-Karagaisky NP

We are driving to the territory of Katon-Karagaisky State National Nature Park. It is the largest national park in Kazakhstan and Altai-Sayansky eco region.

Its territory is in the region, which is rich in forest resources. Forests are lightly changed by economical activity and have little losses after forest fires. It is one of few places in the Earth, where mountain cedar (Cembra pine) forests grow.

The park territory is the only place in the Republic where a species of plants grows. Only on its territory and in the nearest surroundings Vereschagin, Ludwig iris, small-fruit cranberry grow. In this connection the park plays a leading role in preservation of these species gene pool.

17 species of plants are included into the Red Book of Kazakhstan, they are: Steppe peony (Paeonia hybrida), Spring asphodel, (Adonis vernalis), Pink rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea), Altai rhubarb (Rheum altaicum), Altai daphne (Daphne altaica), Snow (Macropodium nivale), Ludwig iris (Iris ludwigii), Siberian adder's-tongue (Erythronium sibiricum), Maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), Vereschagin (Limnas veresczaginii), Heteropetals tulip (Tulipa heteropetala), Small-fruit cranberry (Oxycoccus microcarpus), (Cymbaria dahyrica), Altai anthrax (Sibiraea altaiensis), Stemless (Leiospora excapa), Altai gimnospermium (Gimnospermium altaicum), Fir club moss (Lycopodium selago), and 5 are put into the Red Book of Russian Federation, they are Steppe peony (Paeonia hybrida), Altai rhubarb (Rheum altaicum), Altai daphne (Daphne altaica), Ludwig iris (Iris ludwigii), Siberian adder's-tongue (Erythronium sibiricum).

The transfer of desert and semi-desert zonal landscapes of Zaisan hollow into mountain ranges with well-marked alpine belt makes for existence of various in origin and rich in species composition of fauna and flora on the territory of Katon-Karagaisky SNNP. Fauna of mammals is presented by animals with wide South-Asiatic mountain-steppe and alpine habitats. On the one hand, they are species adapted to climatic conditions and aridity and on the other hand, they are ones that can adapt to the existence under severe conditions of alpine landscape.

The following species were registered on the territory of Katon-Karagaisky National Park: bone fish - 11 species, amphibious animals - 2, reptiles - 4, birds - 284, mammals - 65; totally - 366 species or 96,8% of region fauna (from 378 species of South and Central Altai).

Among bone fish, four of them permanently inhabit on the territory of SNNP. They are taimen (Hugo taimen Pallas), which is put into the Red Book of Kazakhstan, lenok - local name is uskuch (Brachynystax lenok Pallas), grayling (Thymallus arcticus Pallas) and ide (Leuciscus leuciscus Linne). In the western part of the National Park territory, in the Bukhtarma river were noticed sazan, pike, roach and some other fishes, which are not typical for this region.

Among birds 18 are put into the Red Book. They are: black stork (Ciconia nigra L.), hooping swan (Cygnus cygnus L.), hooked-nosed scoter (Melanitta deglandi Bonaparte), lammergeyer (Gupaetus barbatus L.), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos L.), sepulchre (Aquila heliaca Sav.), steppe eagle (Aquila rapax Temm.), erne (Heliaeetus albicilla L.), fish-hawk (Pandion haliaetus L.), peregrine (Falco peregrinus Tunst.), "baloban" (Falco cherrug Gray), eagle owl (Bubo bubo L.), Altai uhlar (Tetraogallus altaicus Geb.), black crane (Grus monacha Temm.), (Grus leucogeranus Pall.), demoiselle (Anthropoides virgo L.), gray crane (Grus grus L.), (Larus ichthyaetus Pall).

Five species of mammals are put into the Red Book of Kazakhstan, they are red wolf (Cuon alpinus Pallas), stone-marten (Martes foina Erxleben), snow leopard (Uncia uncia Schreber), Altai argali - wild ram-argali (Ovis ammon ammon Linnaeus), Ikonnikov bat (Miotis ikonnikovi Ognev). Snow leopard is the most striking representative and peculiar symbol of Altai and our state - Kazakhstan.

As the majority of big predators living in a specific econiche, in this case in mountains, snow leopard is not a numerous species. It is rare in Altai as well as in East Kazakhstan mountains. Within the bounds of SNNP there are 12-15 leopards individuals, including animals coming to its territory from the nearest neighborhoods.

Moving up through cedar forest and alpine meadows, overgrown with bright flowers, to Burkhat pass (2141 m), where snow leopards and mountain goats (tacks) live. When the weather is fine one can see from here a splendid panorama of Katun mountain range, crowned with sparkling double-headed mountain Belukha (4506 m) - the highest top of Altai and Siberia. Visibility is more then 100 km.

Steep meandering lowering for 1000 meters down at once. Bird's eye view allows to observe the beauty of Bukhtarma river valley. In a half an hour we drive on the good asphalted road again.

We have driven 60 km away from Urunkhaika for 4-5 hours of journey 4 hours of wonderful view.

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