Bayanaul National Park

Bayanaul was designated in 1985 as the first national park in Kazakhstan, protecting a group of low granite mountains rising from the Pavlodar steppe, weathered into rounded shapes that visitors and guides have named after what they resemble, with the Kempirtas rock the best known. Pine forest grows on the slopes and four lakes lie among the hills: Zhasybai, Sabyndykol, Toraigyr and Birzhankol. Caves in the granite include Konyr Aulie, a cave with an underground lake used as a place of pilgrimage. Petroglyphs and burial mounds are scattered through the park. It is a summer holiday area for Pavlodar and Karaganda with camps and guesthouses on the lake shores.

What you actually see

• Weathered granite - the rock forms and named outcrops.
• The lakes - Zhasybai, Sabyndykol and the smaller waters.
• Konyr Aulie cave - the pilgrimage cave with its underground water.
• Pine forest - the woodland on the granite slopes.

When to go

June to September for the lakes and the walking; July and August are the busy holiday months. Winter is severe and most facilities close. Spring and autumn are quiet but cold.

Honest expectations

Summer weekends fill the lakeshore camps and litter is a problem. Accommodation is mostly basic Soviet-style bases. Access from the main roads is long. Entry fees are charged at gates and separately for some sites.

Nearby

Pavlodar lies northeast; Karkaraly is south.