Наша
The place
A rustic shelter called “Наша” (“ours” in Russian) at 598 m in the Saryarka steppe, on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage complex “Saryarka — Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan,” which covers 450,344 hectares. Located in the area around the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve (Akmola/Karaganda province), in the heart of the Kazakh Uplands (saryarka — “the yellow range”). The complex brings together wetlands of global importance for migratory birds, including the extremely rare Siberian crane, the Dalmatian pelican, and Pallas's fish eagle — key points on the Central Asian flyway between Africa, Europe, South Asia, and Siberia. The 200,000 ha of steppe included in the site protect more than half of the region's steppe plant species and are home to the saiga antelope, critically endangered and heavily threatened by poaching. A typical shepherd's shelter, without comforts, but a living witness to Kazakh nomadic culture.
Getting there
From Astana or Karaganda, via steppe roads. Korgalzhyn Reserve permit required within the protected zone.
The setting
Saryarka steppe, Korgalzhyn Reserve, UNESCO World Heritage “Steppe and Lakes.”
