Lepsinsk

Introducing Lepsinsk

This quaint and tranquil farming village lies 1020m high at the foot of the Zhungar Alatau mountains which lie along the Chinese border. Lepsinsk’s homestay programme, operating from May to September, makes it an ideal base for exploring this beautiful and little-visited range with its thick forests, mountain lakes, abundant wildlife (including bears, wolves, maral deer and many raptors), glaciers and several snowy peaks over 4000m. The wildflowers in the Lepsinsk valley in June and July are spectacular. This is a border zone so you need a border-zone permit (5000T), which takes 20 to 30 days to obtain (or 25, 000T for one-week processing), so be sure to plan ahead. Contact the EIRC in Almaty to organise the permit and also to make arrangements for your visit.

Though no longer a Soviet-style collective, Lepsinsk farmers still tend their many cattle on a cooperative basis, with groups of two or three horsemen taking daily turns to watch over the animals as they graze the steppe outside the village.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009