When the comedy “Borat” appeared on the screens of cinemas in 2006, the Kazakh government was outraged. After all, the talented actor Sasha Cohen, playing the main role, introduced the viewer to a wild country, the inhabitants of which shock American citizens with their naively barbaric customs. But after crowds of tourists poured into Kazakhstan, dreaming to see firsthand the homeland of the "cinema" Borat, the country's government revised its attitude to the film. And when in 2012 the number of foreign guests increased 10 times compared with 2006, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic officially thanked the creators of the acclaimed film. Foreign tourists discover not only an exotic country, but also beautiful, untouched by civilization nature. Particularly attract travelers from all over the world are the lakes of Kazakhstan. Rest on them is truly unforgettable.
The country has about 48 thousand lakes. Some of them are so large that they are called seas - the Caspian and Aral. In fact, these are the real seas - only juvenile, whose connection with the World Ocean broke in the prehistoric era. Therefore, in these giant reservoirs has formed its own special fauna. The largest lake in Kazakhstan is the Caspian. It serves as a border between several countries. The northern part of this sea (Komsomolets and Kazakh bays), belonging to the republic, has long become
recreational zones. Thousands of vacationers have long flocked here.
The second largest lake in Kazakhstan is the Aral. It is rapidly decreasing in size from year to year. Despite the efforts of the government, it has not yet been possible to stop the contraction of the mirror of the reservoir. Only the so-called “wild rest” in tents is possible here, because once fishing villages have now moved dozens of kilometers deep into the mainland.
Located in the southeast of the country, Balkhash is the third largest lake in Kazakhstan. Only a narrow strait connects the western and eastern parts of the natural reservoir, and therefore in the first - fresh water, and in the second - brackish. There are about twenty species of fish, six of which are endemic. This lake has islands inhabited by birds. The tourist infrastructure in Balkhash is quite developed.
Those who want to improve their health can choose Alakol, a lake in Kazakhstan, located in the north-eastern part of the Dzhungar Alatau, for their vacation. It is rich in mineral salts and healing mud. Lake Tuzdykul (also known as Karasor), whose salinity exceeds ppm of ocean water, also has its own hospitals. The mountain lakes of the country are also magnificent: Markakol (1447 m above sea level), Big Almaty (2511), Tien Shan pearls, Kolsai lakes (2300). There are other equally beautiful ponds of this type.
Especially worth mentioning is the Big Almaty Lake, which is easy to reach, since it is located only 29 km from the old capital of the republic, the city of Almaty. The color of the water surface varies from turquoise to pale green depending on the season of the year, and the environment of mountain peaks (Sovetov, Ozerny, Tourist and Big Almaty - all under 4 thousand meters high) create a truly alpine lake. No wonder this resort is called the "local Switzerland", which glorified Kazakhstan. Lake Chelkar, which is not far from the city of Uralsk, is very strange. It attracts all the local thunderstorms. If you come to him in summer or autumn, when the salinity is greatest, then you can also improve your health. Local water perfectly heals all wounds, heals skin diseases.