Aksu-Jabagly Nature Reserve and Koksai Canyon

Aksu-Jabagly Nature Reserve (also spelled as Aksu-Zhabagly) is located in the foothills of the Western Tien Shan mountains. The landscape here is diverse, as is the wildlife. Snow leopards, porcupines, foxes, and wolves are all known to be living here. The variety of plants will also surprise visitors,who will be greeted by St. John's wort, Greig and Kaufman tulips, yarrow, and chamomile. Alpine flowers on the slopes of snow-capped mountains look particularly beautiful! One of the main attractions of the reserve is the amazing Koksai Canyon. It’s replete with picturesque forests, meadows and steppes.

Useful tips for 2020-2021

How to get there

The starting point of all tours around the reserve is the village of Jabagly in Turkistan Province. It’s 600 km (373 mi) away from Almaty. You can get there by train, getting off at the Tulkubas station. From there, you still have to cover 18 km (11 mi) by taxi. There are also shuttle busses running along the Almaty - Tashkent highway. You need to get off in Akbiik Village. Locals will give you a ride to the reserve which is 10 km (6 mi) away.

You can also get to Jabagly from Shymkent which is only 100 km (62 mi) away. Take a bus at the bus station near the Aina market. You can also hire a minivan near the railroad station.

Food and accommodation

You can find detailed information about the reserve’s guest house here.

There are several guest houses in the village of Jabagly too. Some offer not only accommodations but also excursions around the surroundings and culinary master-classes.

If you are traveling by car, stop at small bazaars along the highway and buy southern fruits and vegetables and the world's most delicious tandoor* bread.

* Tandoor is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking and baking.