It is assumed that Lake Balkhash was discovered even before our era by the Chinese, who maintained close ties with the tribes of Central Asia. This people gave him the unusual name "Si-Hai", which in translation sounds like "Western Sea". Over the centuries-old history of its existence, the reservoir was renamed by the Turks more than once: first into "Ak-Dengiz", and then into "Kukcha-Dengiz". The Kazakhs limited themselves to a simpler name - "Tengiz" (sea). The first major expeditions to these places began in the middle of the 18th century.
Where is Lake Balkhash
The location of the attraction is in the east of Kazakhstan, 400 km from Karaganda. It occupies 3 regions of the country at once - Karagadi, Almaty and Zhambyl. The reservoir is surrounded by two large sandy massifs. On the south side it is surrounded by the low Chu-Ili mountains, and in the west there is a picturesque steppe with small hills. There are several towns and villages on the shore - Balkhash, Priozersk, Lepsy, Chubar-Tyubek. Desired coordinates: latitude - 46 ° 32'27 "s. sh., longitude - 74 ° 52'44 "E. etc. 
The most convenient way to get to the place is from Karaganda and Astana. From these cities there are buses and trains to the station. Balkhash. Travel time is about 9 hours. You cannot get to the shore by car, parking near the water is prohibited.
Description of the attraction
The word "Balkhash" is translated into Russian as "bumps in the swamp". The lake is of natural origin, it appeared as a result of the uneven subsidence of the Turan plate and the flooding of the formed depressions, presumably in the second period of the Cenozoic era. There are many small islands and two large ones - Basaral and Tasaral. Referring Lake Balkhash to waste or endless, it is more correct to choose the second option, because it does not have water drainage. 
According to scientists, the basin is characterized by an uneven bottom with large elevation differences. In the western part, between Cape Korzhyntubek and Tasaral Island, the deepest depth is 11 m.In the east, this figure rises to 27 m.On one side of the coast, rocks with a height of 20-30 m protrude, and on the other, they are relatively uniform, no higher than 2 m Because of this, water often flows out of the basin. So many small and large bays were formed.
Balkhash ranks second after the Caspian Sea in the list of persistent salt lakes in the world. It is also the largest in Kazakhstan. 
Here are a few more characteristics of the reservoir:
- the total volume does not exceed 120 km²;
- the area is approximately 16 thousand km²;
- height above sea level - about 300 m;
- dimensions of Lake Balkhash: length - 600 km, width in the western part - up to 70 km, and in the east - up to 20 km;
- there are 43 islands, of which it grows over the years due to a decrease in the water level in the basin;
- the coastline is very uneven, its length is at least 2300 km;
- rivers flowing into the lake - Lepsi, Aksu, Karatal, Ayaguz and Ili;
- the salinity of water in the east does not exceed 5.2%, and in the west it is fresh;
- food is provided by groundwater, glaciers, snow and rain.
The fauna of the lake is not very diverse; only 20 species of fish live here. For industrial purposes, they catch carp, bream, pike perch and asp. But the birds were more fortunate - these places were chosen by about 120 species of birds, some of which are listed in the Red Book. The flora is quite diverse and attracts botanists. 
What makes the place unique
Of interest is the fact that the lake consists of two basins, radically different due to the characteristics of the water. Since they are separated by an isthmus 4 km wide, they do not touch each other. Because of this, difficulties arise in determining the type of reservoir, salty or fresh, therefore Lake Balkhash is referred to as semi-freshwater. No less interesting is the fact that in the two parts the degree of water mineralization differs sharply. 
Geographers and botanists are also surprised by the geographic location of the reservoir, because the continental climate, dry air, low rainfall and lack of drainage did not contribute to its emergence.
Weather features
The climate in this area is typical for deserts; it is very hot in summer, in July the air can warm up to 30 ° C. The water temperature is slightly lower, 20-25 ° C, and is generally suitable for swimming. In winter, the time of frost comes, sharp cold snaps up to -14 ° C are possible. Water usually freezes in November, and the ice melts closer to April. Its thickness can be up to a meter. Due to the low amount of precipitation, droughts are quite common here. Strong winds often blow here, causing high waves. 
The origin of Lake Balkhash has its own secrets. If you believe the old legend, then in these places once lived a rich magician Balkhash, who really wanted to marry his beautiful daughter. To do this, he summoned the best applicants for the girl's heart from different parts of the world. It should have gone to a strong, handsome and rich guy. Of course, the sons of the Chinese emperor, the Mongol khan and Bukhara merchants could not lose this opportunity. They came to visit with numerous generous gifts in the hope of good luck. But one young man, a simple shepherd, did not hesitate to come penniless, and, as luck would have it, it was he who liked the bride. 
Karatal, that was the name of the young man, took part in the battle and won the battle honestly. But the girl's father was not happy about this and, very indignant, expelled him. The bride's heart could not stand this, and at night Or left her father's house with her chosen one. When her father found out about the escape, he cursed both and they became two rivers. Their waters rushed along the slopes of the mountains, and so that they never met, the sorcerer fell between them. From intense excitement, he turned gray and turned into this very lake. 
Environmental problems of the reservoir
There is an acute problem of active decrease in the volume of Lake Balkhash due to the increased water intake from the rivers flowing into it, especially from the Ili. Its main consumer is the people of China. Ecologists say that if this continues, the reservoir may repeat the fate of the Aral Sea, which has completely dried up. The metallurgical plant of the city of Balkhash is also dangerous, the emissions of which pollute the lake and cause irreparable damage to it. 
Where can you stay
Since the reservoir is prized for its recreational opportunities, there are many places on its shore where you can stay in comfort. Here are just a few of them:
- recreation center "Swallow's Nest" in Torangalyk;
- city dispensary in Balkhash;
- hotel complex "Pegas";
- boarding house "Gulfstream";
- hotel "Pearl".
The cost of accommodation in a standard room without treatment and meals is approximately 2500 rubles per day for two. Vacation at tourist centers is the cheapest. Sanatoriums near Lake Balkhash are chosen when there are health problems.
Entertainment and leisure for guests
Fishing is very popular here, which is allowed at specialized bases. Among the visitors there are also many who like to hunt a pheasant, a hare or a wild duck. The season usually opens in September and lasts until winter. It is also possible to catch wild boars with a dog. 
In the warm season, people come here mainly for beach vacations and scuba diving to take beautiful photos. Among the entertainment available are jet skis, catamarans and boats. Snowmobiling and skiing are popular in winter. On the territory of hotels and sanatoriums there are:
- table tennis;
- pool;
- billiards;
- horse rides;
- sauna;
- cinema;
- bowling;
- gym;
- paintball game;
- bike rides.
Near Lake Balkhash there is all the necessary infrastructure - a hospital, pharmacies, shops. The deserted coast was chosen by "savages" who come here with tents. Overall, this is a great place to stay!
Balkhash is like Baikal, only in Central Asia. The same irregular crescent shape, the same dissimilarity of lands on different sides of the lake, the same aspirated "sea" in the terminology of local residents. Balkhash is also famous for the fact that these are actually two lakes - its western half is fresh, and the eastern half is salty. Like Baikal, Balkhash has its own "poisoner", and a much more severe one - the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Combine, a full-cycle copper plant, the second largest in the former USSR after Norilsk. The copper mines of Balkhash, scattered along the northern coast for 250 kilometers, from Kounrad to Sayak, were opened in 1928 by Mikhail Rusakov, and the combine and the city under him were built by prisoners in 1931-37, having been handed over on a turnkey basis. They did not bother with the name especially: the city was called Balkhash and in 1973 was included in the copper Zhezkazgan region, where it was almost equal to the regional center (100 thousand versus 122 thousand). Nowadays 70 thousand people live here (31% are Russians), but despite the loss of a third of the population, Balkhash seemed to me one of the most comfortable and prosperous in Kazakhstan.
About the city, lake and suburbs - another part of the journey through the Great Steppe. And starting from this post, instead of "I" will be "we" - a day earlier, in Karaganda, I was joined by darkiya_v who left Moscow 10 days later than me.
There is a night train from Karaganda to Balkhash, and either we were lucky, or it is always the case here, but the train turned out to be surprisingly civil, about the level of the fast non-branded trains of the Russian Railways - and after the Arkalyk and Zhezkazgan clunkers it was the height of comfort! Another day through Balkhash is the Karaganda-Semipalatinsk train, once a week there is a train from Zhezkazgan, but you cannot get to Alma-Ata without a change. Waking up in the morning and leaving the compartment, I saw a green geometric plane outside the window - this is the edge of Betpak-Dala, or the Hungry Steppe. It was not possible to shoot much through the prohibitively dirty windows - here is just a frame with some kind of dull stop (was not Buranny Edigey working here?). There is a problem with the station architecture in Kazakhstan (except for the Tashkent railway) - in principle, it exists only in large cities, during the entire trip I have not seen a single beautiful, but simply remarkable station at small stations:
Half an hour before arrival, the Balkhash people begin to peer into the steppe, waiting for the pipes to appear. This is how the Balkhash Mining and Metallurgical Combine looks from the side of the road, and they say that when the wind blows on the city, it smells of sulfur. On our arrival, unfortunately or fortunately, the wind carried copper fumes into the steppe:
If in Zhezkazgan the railway runs along the southern outskirts, in Balkhash - along the northern. Moreover, within the city there are two stations at once. First - Balkhash-1, aka Old Balkhash - the station of the late 1950s, behind it is a quarter of three-story stalinkas, perhaps even pre-war ones (I could not photograph). The train stops here for 20 minutes:
As I understand it, Balkhash-1 is mainly a freight station, and Old Balkhash serves as a town for railway workers:
Halfway between the two stations - the entrance to the city from the highway, the main national highway Alma-Ata - Astana. The entrance is along an overpass above the railway, the beginning of which is marked by two charming fish, nicknamed by the people Erlan and Nurlan:
And finally, Balkhash-2 station, completely and completely passenger, with a huge and repulsively ugly station of the 1980s. I would venture to suggest that this is the largest station in the Karaganda region, in addition equipped with a high platform. Why exactly here, given the insignificance of traffic, I don’t presume:
The center is about two kilometers from here. For some reason I remembered that the bus station should be near the station, and we went there on foot - the first step was to find out the bus schedule to Sary-Shagan, from where we had a train to Alma-Ata in the evening. We asked for directions from a Kazakh peasant who was passing by, he thought and thought, and then suddenly greeted another peasant who was passing by, clearly a friend, and asked him to accompany us. In 20 minutes of travel, he managed to tell a lot about the vicissitudes of life in Kazakhstan - in general, in the prosperous Balkhash, the people are much more nostalgic for the Union than in many much poorer cities. But only when we approached the station and said goodbye to the peasant, we discovered that he was not going here and deviated from the route specifically to see us off.
This is how the microdistricts named after Mukhamedzhanov and Shashubai located between the station and the bus station look like (unlike Zhezkazgan and Arkalyk, the microdistricts here are not numbered, but nominal) - a Soviet city under the White Sun of the Desert:
A small and very civilian bus station stands opposite the Central Market, and there we learned that there will be three passing buses to Sary-Shagan (about 16, 18 and 21), it will take an hour and a half, tickets upon arrival. From there, minibuses went to the nearest villages - for example, to Kounrad with a giant quarry, or to Shashubai on a peninsula in the middle of a lake. I had seen enough of the industry, and we decided to go to Shashubai ... therefore, everything that I will show next, in fact, we examined in the reverse order.
The bazaar separates the bus station from the central Independence Square, which is decorated with a monument to Agybai-batyr:
For all the medievalness of his appearance, Agybai Konyrbayuly is a character from the 19th century, a comrade-in-arms of Kenesary Khan, with whom he fought against the Russians, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz for the restoration of Kazakh independence, and continued the war for several years after the death of Kenesary - until 1849. When it became clear that the Russians could not be defeated, and the majority of Kazakhs did not really want to, he gave up military affairs and, having received something like an amnesty from the tsarist authorities, until 1885 he quietly lived in the distant steppe. Monuments to "fighters against tsarism" in Kazakhstan are quite rare - from the places where I have been, only and are remembered offhand. Agybai is also immortalized here because he was born on Balkhash and spent his old age.
The square is bordered by Karamende-bi street (you should know who it is), behind which Sotsgorod begins. Opposite the monument to Agybai, Karl Marx Boulevard descends to the lake:
Sotsgorod in the "Malenkovsky" version of Stalinism on Balkhash is colorful. In the quarters on both sides of the Marx Boulevard, it is quite monumental and with oriental motives characteristic of Kazakhstan:
And on other streets and courtyards, it is as if you are returning to the 1960s:
It's not even about the landscape (the streets are pretty neglected here), but about the atmosphere itself - everything here is somehow simple, simple, understandable, understandable. As in those dusty books about Soviet pioneers. I am unable to convey this in the photograph - but this feeling became the brightest in Balkhash-city (i.e., not counting the lake):
There are also many artifacts preserved here, which, however, you get used to very quickly in Kazakhstan:
And a characteristic feature of local architecture is such wooden canopies:
Now let's go back to Marx Boulevard - its length is about a kilometer, and the high number of storeys, monumentality and well-groomed make it feel like we are in a big city:
The boulevard descends to Lenin Street (toponymy in Kazakhstan, with the almost complete eradication of the Ilyich monuments, in most cities remained Soviet), behind which there is a really huge Khamzin Palace of Metallurgists:
Notable for very good sculptures - pay attention, by the way, to the clearly Kazakh appearance:
Behind the palace is a fairly neglected park, a monument to Mikhal Rusakov, a T-34 tank ...
Victory Memorial (where for some reason we forgot to go) ...
And finally - Balkhash! It is difficult to describe in words the delight that you feel on the banks of the water receding to the horizon after two weeks of wandering across the steppes and deserts, where most of the rivers can be wade, and the "big" Tobol and Ishim are already the Moskva rivers. Here Balkhash is even a larger sea than Lake Baikal in Siberia, which is rich in water.
From the pier to the right, the pipes of the BMMC are clearly visible, spewing dense smoke, and the lonely rock of Chechenka is not a dump, as it might seem, but an outlier:
Better to look to the left. The thick "sea green" is not a photoshop or a photographic defect, Balkhash is really like this:
From here you can clearly see a rock with ruins of something, a broken pipe and a metal "torch", which I noticed on the way to Shashubai:
And on the way from Shashubai, Darkia and I decided to climb it. It is about 3 kilometers from the center to it, so it is better to go by bus. By the road - this is the sign:
Here the story is more interesting than it seems - initially, in 1931, the village of Pribalkhash arose here, and an experimental processing plant was working on a hill near the lake - its pipe is visible from afar. The copper ore of the Balkhash deposits had a rather specific composition, and here they were looking for a way to extract the metal from it in the most productive way, having received a decent result only by 1935. At the same time, a plant was being built on the other side of the bay, operating at full capacity in 1937-38. The need for an enrichment plant disappeared, the inhabitants of the Pribalkhashsky district moved to the social city - so only a pipe and foundations on the slope remained from the factory:
Memorial, on the other hand, opened in 1978, and now is a rather pitiful sight. Particularly impressive is the staircase, the steps of which are at a tangible angle to the horizon - that is, apparently it was supported by metal supports, which were then plundered, and now it simply lies on the slope. The sensation of climbing on it is very strange:
But the view from there is amazing! Nowhere else, except perhaps the river, have I seen water of such a pleasant color. Balkhash just caresses the eye:
Let's look at the city from right to left. Here is the center - DK Metallurgov and the pier. Boats are fishing, departmental and pleasure boats, there has been no passenger navigation on Balkhash for a very long time:
But the late Soviet Balkhash complete with a lake and the smoke of the plant reminds us of:
And finally, the Balkhash mining and metallurgical plant itself, stretched along the peninsula for 4 kilometers. A rather rare case is a full cycle copper plant (and as you know, the copper production cycle is very complicated), and I think it is the largest plant in the whole of Kazakhstan. About a third of all investments in the industry of the Kazakh SSR were allocated for its construction in the 1930s:
Chechen Mountain. Most of the plant is rather squat workshops, so it is difficult to assess its true scale from afar, it is best seen on the map, surpassing the city itself:
Another feature: if in Russia the largest copper deposits are mainly copper-nickel, then on Balkhash - copper-molybdenum. And molybdenum is, firstly, irreplaceable metal, secondly, very expensive (about $ 32 thousand per ton), and thirdly, in the former USSR it is scarce - more than half of the reserves and production are in the United States. In the Soviet Union, the largest molybdenum deposit was in Armenia, and production was established here in 1942 - as well as not from a good life: the Nazis cut off the railway to the Caucasus.
In general, there is a lot of everything in copper ore - lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel, arsenic ... Copper metallurgy is the dirtiest industry (examples -,), and here it can be seen with the naked eye:
So we'd better not look at the plant anymore. To the left is the Tooth Peninsula. Although Balkhash stands on the Bertys Bay between two larger peninsulas, locals know only it as a "peninsula".
And what kind of hill is in the distance, I never figured it out:
At the exit from the Bertys bay there is a long and low Green Island:
We ourselves are at the beginning of a large peninsula on the eastern side of the Bertys Bay. There is its extremity - the village of Rembaza is located on the cape, where buses run every 2-3 hours, but we went to Shashubai - it is also on this peninsula, but (relative to the frame) to the left, and faces an open lake:
And here we are on the shore - a wave is splashing, seagulls are screaming ... Behind is a dusty steppe. Now I regret that I did not taste the water - I was afraid of some kind of infection. As already mentioned, in fact, Balkhash is two lakes that are separated by the Saryesik peninsula and the Uzun-Aral strait: Western Balkhash is 58% of the area, Eastern - 54% of the volume. Balkhash separates the endless steppes of Sary-Arka and Betpak-Dala on the one hand - and Semirechye on the other, and as the name implies, all rivers flow into it from the south. In the east, these are small Ayagoz, Lepsy, Aksu and Karatal, and in the west - the huge Ili by Kazakh standards. But nothing flows out of Balkhash - it is the world's largest closed lake. To some extent, the Uzun-Aral is also a river, along which water from the fresh Western Balkhash continuously flows into the salty Eastern Balkhash, which leaves only in the form of steam. So, why about "taste the taste" - although it is indicated everywhere that Western Balkhash is fresh, the locals told us in the evening that the water here is salty. In general, with an area of 18 thousand square kilometers (almost half the size of Baikal) and a length of 604 kilometers, Balkhash is the 13th largest lake on Earth and the 2nd in the former USSR (after Lake Baikal, as well as the untimely dried Aral Sea, which used to be larger than both of them). But the depth did not come out - no more than 26 meters, and on average 5-6 meters.
We walked a little around Shashubai - a dusty aul or a suburb with extremely annoying dogs and quite urban, but no less extremely curious inhabitants:
For some reason we decided to walk along the lake, stumbled upon a small industrial zone and began to try to bypass it, for which we climbed straight along the red coastal rocks:
At some point, it became clear that it was impossible to go further, but almost a staircase led upstairs. We crawled out into some kind of closed area, a wasteland behind barbed wire, and I remembered a well-known folk omen that going tied up at night in the trunk is a big trouble. However, to all appearances, the industrial zone is abandoned, and the thorn is a relic:
48.
(this and the next photo are by Darkia)
We passed another hill - and we got this view, calm and majestic. We found a secluded rock and talked for a long time. I didn't want to leave: a damp warm wind, the splash and shine of the waves - peace ...
And the landscapes here are completely different than even near Zhezkazgan. This is already real Central Asia, a dusty and red-hot semi-desert. On which we went back to the city, on the way we filmed a characteristic Kazakh cemetery, about which there was a separate post. This is how the city looks from the steppe, and the plant here seems nothing more than an eerie mirage:
And in the city we went to the bazaar, bought kurt and shubat there. Kurt are small balls of hard and dry salted cottage cheese, very satisfying, and therefore a favorite food of nomads. Shubat is even cooler than kumis, a fermented milk drink made from camel milk. The barmaid girl, before pouring, shook the 10-liter can properly (a good shubat should be foamy), and when she turned the lid, there was a natural explosion: the lid ricocheted away through the entire room, and the girl was tangibly hit on the hand. After that we joked about the bottle of shubat: "Don't drop it - it will explode!" By bus, we went to the Sary-Shagan station, from where, completely unscheduled, we got to Priozersk - the "capital" of the Sary-Shagan missile range. But more on that in the next part.
My other posts about Kazakhstan -
It appeared in Kazakhstan in the 30s of the last century near the lake of the same name, famous for its unique structure. Lake Balkhash is famous for the fact that, due to its special shape and location, half of the water in it is practically fresh, and the other half is brackish.
Although tourism around Balkhash is only developing, here you can meet tourists from different parts of the world. Someone is in a hurry to rest here by rail, most of them are mastering highways.
The entrance to the city is symbolic: through the overpass bridge over the railway, before entering which everyone will definitely pay attention to the huge carp monuments along the edges of the bridge. Locals affectionately call their fish Nurlan and Yerlan. 🙂
Entrance to the city of Balkhash - bridge with carp
Crossing the Balkhash bridge, speed lovers should not run into trouble and slow down. A surprise awaits the reckless driver - the police post is not visible, but a police car suddenly appears magically along the course. An unpleasant situation that can be avoided simply by observing the speed limit and not overshadowing your first acquaintance with the city.
Before entering the city (to the bridge), you can refuel the car and at the same time realize that you have arrived in a really hot summer, and possibly a very warm autumn or winter.
Summer Balkhash is greenery, a variety of flowers, fruits for every taste, fountains and a lake inviting coolness.
You can stay in Balkhash in a hotel - it is near the center. There are more modest options, but you need to worry about them in advance - rent an apartment in the city (also in the center) in a couple of months. This option is much more economical and the convenience is slightly expanded in terms of providing a washing machine for use, a kitchen with all kinds of electrical appliances - you can quickly cook breakfast or dinner if you are late. Refrigerator, TV, air conditioning and furniture with bedding are also included in the apartment rental. It is also convenient that you receive the keys to the apartment and no one bothers you during your stay in it. You can resolve any emerging issues with the owner by phone. Prices for apartments for rent start at 6-8 euros per night and can be found on classifieds websites.
In Balkhash, the most attractive places are the lake, bazaar and fountains.
The lake is just a stone's throw away - right from the city center, after walking a couple of blocks, you find yourself on the embankment. It has changed: the city is preparing to become a tourist center. The beach is organized - it is crowded here during the day. The water beckons and blows cool, bringing joy to adults and children especially.
As a rule, everyone goes to the beach after visiting the bazaar. There is an abundance of fruits, soft drinks, and in addition, swimming equipment is available in different shapes and colors. A separate topic is delicious Balkhash fish, of which there is a great variety in the bazaar.
Fountains attract people both during the day and in the evening. During the day, of course, it is a little sultry, but this does not bother the children, they ride on typewriters and bicycles around the square around the fountains.
Fountains of the city of Balkhash
In the evening, fountains with music and light. Life around the fountains does not subside: children can hear laughter, the quiet rustle of leaves, the breath of the wind and the voices of guests from the benches.
In Balkhash, there is where to walk, as an option: visit the pier and watch the fishermen.
All local residents here are certainly fishermen "from young to old." You can catch not only fish with a fishing rod, but also crayfish. Usually adult fishermen give them to children to catch.
Near the lake there is a monument to the first builders of Balkhash. At night, the monument glows with a soft light.
On one of the streets there is a monument to the repressed - the people of Balkhash were also affected by this fate.
There are many different small shops and boutiques in the city center with very affordable prices. In Balkhash, there is a bright and colorful house of culture - once having been here at a holiday, you will remember it for a lifetime.
Balkhash is a cozy city with friendly locals. It is always a pleasure to visit any of the many cafes offering both national and classic cuisine. It is worth noting that the portions here, as in all cities of Kazakhstan, are large, therefore, before ordering a dish, it is better to inquire about the size of the portion and, if necessary, divide it in half. It is difficult for children to overpower a whole portion.
In the near future, the city of Balkhash will become a resort area, but for now it is just an oasis of life in the Kazakh steppes, which few people are aware of. We can say, a pristine little corner of paradise on Earth.
Video about the city of Balkhash:
Lake Balkhash is one of the unique lakes on the world map. It has neither surface water runoff nor underground drainage. In fact, such bodies of water are salty. But this lake is salty and fresh at the same time. It is unique in that its water area is divided into two zones: western and eastern. Throughout its length, rivers flow into it, replenishing with water.
In the first, shallow water, the water is fresh, in the second, deeper, it is salty. This body of water ranks 2nd after the Caspian in terms of size of non-drying salt lakes and is in 14th place as the largest salt and fresh lake in the world. This interesting place on the map of Kazakhstan attracts tourists from many countries, including Russia. Travelers travel to local hotels and sanatoriums to find a break from the city's stuffiness.
An old legend
There is a legend about the origin of the lake. Once an imperious and mighty khan named Balkhash picked up and adopted a little girl, calling her Ili.
Over the years, she grew up to be a beauty. When the time came for her to marry, a tournament was organized, and a poor man named Karatal won it. Balkhash did not want to give his daughter in marriage to the poor man, and the young people decided to run away. Rushing in pursuit, Balkhash used evil magic to separate the lovers, turning them into two halves of the lake.
If you look at the map, there is Lake Balkhash in the southeastern part of Kazakhstan in the Balkhash-Alakol water basin. The basin of the reservoir has the shape of a crescent, into which the rivers flow, and is divided into two zones, connected by an isthmus, the depth of which is not great. The length of the coastline, very winding, indented by bays and coves, reaches 2500 km. The average depth in Lake Balkhash is 5.8 m.
In the north and west the shores are rocky, in the south the coast is sandy. The rivers flowing into Balkhash provide replenishment of the water balance. The map shows a large river Ili, also flowing into the lake, the main source running from the glaciers of the Tien Shan to where Lake Balkhash is located.
The weather here is determined by the peculiarities of the climate. On the territory adjacent to the lake, there is a desert climate, summer temperature is about + 30 ° C, the water warms up to + 28 ° C, in winter it can be up to -15 ° C. Wind, rather dry climate and high temperatures cause rapid evaporation of water.
Lake Balkhash has a rich and varied flora and fauna, which attracts travelers here.
The drainless lake Balkhash - water world
Leisure activities
Recreation opportunities on Lake Balkhash are varied. This is due to the very comfortable weather on Lake Balkhash, as well as the fact that it is quite warm and well warmed up.
Here you can choose from different types of vacations. This is an active and passive pastime in a sanatorium, hotel, recreation center on Lake Balkhash. Only having been here once, you can see how beautiful this lake is, what a comfortable weather here.
There are many sandy beaches along the shores. The air temperature and the depth of the reservoir allow organizing the swimming season from May to September. Comfortable water temperature, optimal depth, wonderful weather throughout the beach season attracts hundreds of tourists here to rest.
Recreation areas of Lake Balkhash are located along almost the entire coastline. It offers vacationers boat or yacht rides, scooter riding, swimming and surfing, diving and spearfishing. You can go for a ride on horses or camels.
Recreation centers and hotels invite the most daring travelers on helicopter tours, where Lake Balkhash will appear from above, and tourists will see how beautiful it is. For 3.5 hours of flight, you will have to pay about 35 thousand rubles.
Winter holidays can also be unforgettable. The weather in winter is mild, the air temperature at this time rarely drops below 15 ° C, which allows you to go to different leisure areas: skiing along the shore of a frozen reservoir, snowmobiling, and windsurfing on ice is also popular.
Such entertainment is given to the traveler by this extraordinary fresh and at the same time salty lake.
Fishing paradise
Fishing is good on Lake Balkhash, as there is a rich fauna that provides fishermen with exciting leisure hours. There are special places for fishing here with accommodation, you can also rent the necessary equipment. Having retired with a fishing rod, even a beginner will be rewarded with a good catch.
Fishermen come here for the most famous fish of Lake Balkhash - vobla. She is lured in all sorts of ways: for a worm, corn, maggot. They fish with a fishing rod and a donkey.
Also during the season (spring and July-September) Lake Balkhash is rich in crucian carp, carp, catfish, asp. And also snakeheads are found here. It is a very scary looking fish, but very tasty. Fans of fishing on Balkhash should also know about the marinka fish, or kara-balyk. It is poisonous, or rather its caviar, milk, and black films on the belly. And the marinka meat is very fatty and tasty. The recreation areas also offer spear fishing.
Fishing on Lake Balkhash
A calm, peaceful atmosphere on the banks of the Balkhash or the river flowing into it and a rich catch invite hundreds of fishermen from Russia here every year. Both the avid fisherman and the amateur will get a good rest here.
Where to stay at Lake Balkhash
Travelers will find a wide range of accommodation options for their holidays on the lake. These are recreation centers, sanatoriums, and the private sector.
The most affordable option is tourist camps and rest houses in villages located on the coastline. It:
- Torangylyk,
- Chyubar-Tyubek,
- Rembaza,
- Shubartubek and many others.
Living conditions here are modest. The room is located in a wooden house with no amenities. Shower, toilet, washbasin are shared. The price in such a house is 150 rubles per day per person.
A higher level of accommodation awaits the tourist at the hotel. For example, the Doszhan hotel offers everything you need for comfort, there is also satellite TV, a beach, sports grounds, and a gym. A double room in such a hotel will cost 500-1000 rubles.
The most comfortable accommodation can be found in the Riva Lepsy recreation area. Here all the amenities, three meals a day, mud treatments, peeling, massage. Guests can enjoy water skiing, billiards, dancing. There is a playground with inflatable pools. The price ranges from 600 rubles to 2000 for two, depending on the season.
If you are interested in the life of local residents, you can stay in private accommodation in small villages and villages located on the coast and not far from it. Here tourists are always welcome. You can rent a small room in the owner's house, a whole house or a yurt. It will cost from 200 rubles per person per day.
Treatment on Balkhash
Lake Balkhash is ready to provide not only rest, but also treatment, which is facilitated by good weather throughout most of the year. Sanatoriums have been built here. The treatment is based on the strengthening properties of salt water, as well as mud, rich in minerals and hydrogen sulphide. Added to this is the pure air of the steppe, enriched with mineral salts. Such treatment can be obtained in sanatoriums on Lake Balkhash.
One of the most famous sanatoriums is Balkhash. Located in the city of Priozersk, it offers mud therapy and balneotherapy. Treatment in this sanatorium, located a hundred meters from the lake, can be successfully combined with a beach holiday. There are three buildings at the disposal of guests in the sanatorium: sleeping, sports, and medical.
There are many health procedures in the sanatorium, ranging from hydrotherapy and inhalation to massage and various special examinations. There are procedures included in the price of the voucher, as well as treatment for children. The cost of the voucher, depending on the category, ranges from 29,000 to 49,000 rubles.
The Balkhash dispensary is also widely known among tourists. There are many visitors to this sanatorium every year, since the rest here is also comfortable. The cost of the voucher is from 27,000 rubles.
Video: Disaster at Lake Balkhash
The unique closed semi-freshwater lake Balkhash is the second largest undying salt lake (after the Caspian Sea) and thirteenth in the list of the largest lakes in the world. Its uniqueness lies in the division of the water area by a narrow strait into two parts, in which the water has different chemical characteristics.
Where is Lake Balkhash?
This very beautiful lake is located in the east of Kazakhstan. It is located on the territory of three regions - Almaty, Karaganda and Zhambyl. Lake Balkhash has the shape of a boomerang.
The strait divides the reservoir into two approximately equal parts. In its western part, the water is fresh, and in the east it is salty. This water composition is unique. Scientists believe that Lake Balkhash is the remnant of an ancient sea that was once located in the Alakol depression.
Features of the lake
Most of the tourists who come to Kazakhstan every year are interested in: "Where is Lake Balkhash?" Those who come to the country on a tourist voucher do not need to worry about this. Almost all excursion routes start from this place.
All guests in Kazakhstan are told a beautiful legend about how Lake Balkhash appeared. We will tell you it too.
In ancient times, in those places where Lake Balkhash today carries its waters, there lived a rich and powerful Bai Balkash, who was also a sorcerer. He had an only beautiful daughter. When she matured, her father decided to marry her off, which he immediately announced to the whole world and announced a competition for applicants. Poor shepherd Karatal was among the notable participants in the competition. It so happened that the girl fell in love with him. Or she helped her beloved young man to win.
However, Balkash did not want to give his daughter to a poor guy. The young people decided to run away. The angry father cursed the obstinate daughter and turned her and her chosen one into rivers. So that they could never be together, Balkash himself rushed after them and turned into a huge lake that divided the lovers forever. The Ili River flows into Lake Balkhash, however, like Karatal.
Lake Balkhash has been studied by specialists from all over the world for over a hundred years. However, it still remains unexplored. It amazes scientists with its mystery.
Lake Balkhash, a photo of which can be seen in all tourist advertising brochures in Kazakhstan, stretches over six hundred kilometers in length, and its maximum width is seventy kilometers.
Rivers
Various rivers of Semirechye flow into this amazing lake - Ili, Aksu, Karatal, Koksu, Lepsy, Ayaguz, Tentek. The Karatal River is formed at the confluence of the Shizhe, Karai rivers and the Koksu tributary. They rapidly carry clear waters from the mountains of the Dzhungarsky and Trans-Ili Alatau and Tarbagatai. In the western part of the lake there is the largest river flowing into Lake Balkhash - Ili. It accounts for more than 80% of the total watercourse. In the eastern part, smaller rivers flow into the lake (Aksu, Karatal, Lepsy, Ayaguz).
Lake riddles
Scientists consider it a geographic paradox that this huge lake is located in a desert with a continental climate and does not have a drain. There are five climatic zones on this territory. The lands near the lake are highly saline. At the same time, the vegetation is quite diverse here. The salt of the lake has healing properties and is used for many diseases.
Another mysterious feature of Balkhash is its unique sediment control ability. The rivers of Semirechya have a high level of clay and sand. Such conditions would contribute to the fact that the Balkhash basin would be completely filled with sediments in three centuries. But the lake is independently cleared of these elements, fenced off by river deltas, which restrain the flow of sediments.
In deltas, rivers descend from the mountains and are divided into many branches and channels. Then, sediment accumulating lakes are formed. In this case, the water is completely purified to full transparency.
Scientists were unable to find chemogenic sediments in the lake. Typically, deep-water lakes generate and accumulate carbon dioxide due to wind drift currents. In this case, carbon dioxide is a decomposition product of organic matter. In shallow Balkhash, constant wind mixing is recorded, so there is no carbon dioxide here.
Rest on Lake Balkhash
Today Lake Balkhash, the photo of which you see in our article, attracts tourists from near and far abroad. It should be noted that today there are excellent conditions for recreation. There are many recreation centers, equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable pastime.
"Blue Lagoon"
This is an excellent recreation center where everyone who wants to relax on the beach or on the lake can stay. Well-appointed rooms are equipped with air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs, satellite TV. The suites have a separate bathroom, shower, washbasin.
Many tourists celebrate the well-organized meals in the modern spacious cafe with forty seats. Here you can relax on a summer terrace in a shady alley or on an observation deck located a few steps from the beach.
Vacationers are offered a varied menu. All dishes are prepared by chefs of the highest categories with extensive experience. At the request of guests, they can prepare meals to order.
Recreation center "Volna"
It is located near the town of Balkhash. It is designed for 30 guests. The residential complex consists of five comfortable houses. They are insulated from the inside and sheathed with decorative panels.
2-, 3-, 4-bed cozy rooms are equipped with air conditioning, autonomous heating. On the territory of the base there is a bar, a Russian bath. For those who came to Balkhash for fishing, the services of a guide and a boat are offered. At the recreation center "Volna" corporate parties and birthdays are held. Here you can have fun with your colleagues.
"Pearl"
This is one of the most picturesque places on the shores of Lake Balkhash. Those who are tired of the hustle and bustle of the city like to stay here. The recreation center "Pearl" is located 3 kilometers from the center of the city of Balkhash.
Here you will find everything you need for a comfortable stay: spacious hotel suites and junior suites, a parking lot, a restaurant and a bar, a magnificent banquet hall. Those who wish can visit the sauna and soak up the warm sands of the beach.
Pension and recreation center "Aquamarine"
The boarding house and base with the same name are located in the village of Chubar-Tyubek. It is very close to Lake Balkhash. On the territory there are cafes, free (for guests) parking.
The boarding house has its own sand and pebble beach, which will allow you to enjoy the gentle sun. Many water sports can be enjoyed here.
At the recreation center, tourists are offered to settle in a 2-storey building, in double and triple comfortable rooms.
Fishing
Lake Balkhash is very popular among fishing enthusiasts. More than 20 species of fish are found here. More often than others, there are:
- Balkhash marinka;
- Ili marinka;
- Balkhash perch;
- spotted sloth beetle;
- monochromatic sponger.
The rest of the fish species found in Balkhash are introduced. These include thorn and carp, oriental bream and Siberian dace, tench and pike perch, osman and asp and others.
Fishing on Lake Balkhash is carried out in different ways. The most popular fishing is from boats. Although in some places you can quite successfully catch a medium-sized carp from the bank. For more serious fish you need to go by boat.
There are sections of the lake with significant depths relatively close to the coast. Most often, these places are located near the islands. Here you can fish for medium-sized pike perch on a spinning rod.
The asp, which has taken root in the lake, is the second most important fish for spinning fish. It is caught by castmasters, spinners, wobblers. You can count on an active bite of this fish in the fall.
Bream, carp are most often caught from boats. Although you can catch a large carp from the bank on the bottom tackle. But, however, it does not always come close to the coastline. The same can be said for bream. Usually this fish is pre-fed.
Fishing on Balkhash is no less interesting for catfish lovers. It is also produced from boats. They catch him on bottom gear, sometimes they use the method of catching with a quok.
You need to know that in addition to summer fishing, winter fishing is also popular on Lake Balkhash. The ice here reaches such a solid thickness that you can easily navigate on it by car. Winter night fishing is especially interesting. At this time, many glowing tents can be seen on the ice. From them you can determine the place where the school of fish is located. In winter, white fish, pike perch, local perch are well caught.
Spearfishing becomes an interesting adventure for many guests. It is important that in order to take part in this exciting entertainment, you do not need to have professional equipment. It is enough to take with you an underwater gun, masks and snorkels. Most of the fishermen-submariners began to spend their holidays on Lake Balkhash.
Fishing on Lake Balkhash will give real pleasure to fishing lovers, as well as to those who want to relax in nature.
Hunting
Hunting enthusiasts also have great opportunities here. On the territory adjacent to the lake, it is allowed to hunt foxes, wild boars, gray duck, hares, wolves, pheasants, as well as coot and mallard.
