The West Altai National Nature Reserve is a unique natural object that includes several vegetation zones: deciduous forest, dark coniferous taiga, alpine and subalpine meadows and high-altitude tundra. It is home to 230 species of animals and 883 species of higher vascular plants, 27 of which are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan.
The reserve has developed special tourist routes, during which there is a rare opportunity to observe the changing landscape and ecosystems. The administrative building of the reserve is located in Ridder, 9 Semipalatinskaya Street. This is where you need to get a pass to the reserve. The nature reserve itself is 48 km from Ridder. Exit from the eastern part of the city on a dirt road.
The highest point of the West Altai Reserve is located on the top of the Kholzun – Lininsky belok ridge. Its height is 2598 meters above sea level. Kholzun is the natural border between the Southern and Western Altai, as well as the boundary between Kazakhstan and Russia.
The West Altai Nature Reserve is known to many tourists and travelers because of the stone remains on the tops of the mountains at the junction of the three main ridges of the district: Koksuisky, Ivanovsky and Kholzun. The place popularly called "Stone Fairy Tale". At an area of almost 16 km2 in the area of the Skazka peak (2169 m), there are granite remains of a bizarre shape, sometimes reaching a height of 35 meters. Many of them have their own names: Meeting the Sun, Heroes, Dolphin, Observer, Lizard, Talking Elders, and others.
A small hill of regular geometric shape-a hemisphere, covered with cedar and spruce forest. Around the "cap" lies a swamp, which especially underlines the "Monomakh's Cap" as a separate object of nature. This is one of the relict areas of the forest, which was not affected by fires and other natural disasters that changed the vegetation of all the surrounding areas of the Lineyskiy ridge. It received its name for its external similarity to the royal headdress.
Reserves must be visited with an instructor or tour operator.
