Katon-Karagay National Park, National park in East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan
Katon-Karagay National Park is a protected area spanning roughly 643,000 hectares across the Altai Mountains, featuring mountain ranges, dense forests, alpine lakes, and glaciers. The park sits at the meeting point where Kazakhstan, Russia, China, and Mongolia converge, creating a landscape shaped by these regional borders.
During World War I, Austro-Hungarian prisoners constructed a 60-kilometer road through the mountain terrain between 1915 and 1917. This wartime construction project left a lasting mark on how the territory could be accessed and traversed.
Mount Belukha holds sacred meaning for Siberian shamans and Tibetan Buddhists who journey here as part of their spiritual practices. The mountain's role in these traditions shapes how visitors understand the landscape today.
The park is best reached through Oskemen city, which has flights from major Kazakh cities and serves as the main hub for getting to the area. From there, visitors should prepare for mountain trails and changing weather conditions.
The park contains Lake Yazevoe at 1,685 meters altitude and Kokkol waterfall plunging over 80 meters near a former tungsten and molybdenum mining site. These natural features sit quietly today, yet their location reveals the region's past relationship with resource extraction.
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