Kazakhstanis who want to reach the foot of Mount Belukha (Muztau) are forced to trek through swamps. The Katon-Karagay National Park has no plans to build a more convenient route due to its proximity to the state border with the Russian Federation, reports infohub.kz.
The national park told Kursiv that it has 14 tourist routes in total. The Belaya Berel trail remains the shortest path leading to the foot of Mount Belukha.
However, because part of the route to the mountain passes through Russian territory, tourists have to make a detour through swampy and difficult terrain on the Kazakh side. It is precisely because of the border status of this area that the national park does not plan to lay a new route.
"Options for creating an alternative route on the section from Yazevoye Lake to the Sarsembay tract are not being considered by the national park. This is due to the difficult terrain and the proximity of the state border with the Russian Federation running alongside the route," the agency said.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the demarcation of the Kazakh-Russian border in the Altai region is planned to be fully completed by the end of 2026. The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan assured that the final stage of demarcation at the summit of Mount Belukha will not block access to the popular tourist route.