Tourists have discovered an abandoned site in the Katon-Karagai National Park in the East Kazakhstan Region, marked on tourist maps as 'Nursultan Nazarbayev's Camp.' The location is littered with broken dishes, interior items, and remnants of a campsite. The district akimat of the East Kazakhstan Region told Kursiv how the place is connected to Kazakhstan's first president and why it remains in disrepair, according to infohub.kz.
Photos provided to the editorial team show garbage bags with broken plates buried in the ground, a gilded chandelier, a staircase, and wooden platforms for yurts.
The name 'Nazarbayev's Camp' stuck among tourists due to a label on online maps. However, it is unknown who marked the area that way and whether the former president actually stopped there.
The akimat of Katon-Karagai District in the East Kazakhstan Region said the location has no official name 'Nursultan Nazarbayev's Camp' and is in no way connected to the first president's visits to the region.
"We believe that the name of the location on electronic maps could have been indicated by the creators or other users," the akimat noted.
However, local authorities clarified that the area is part of a tourism and recreation zone. By law, such areas permit the organization of tourist routes, trails, campsites, and viewing platforms. The tourism infrastructure in this area was created during the development of the 'Belaya Berel' tourist route, which is part of the national park.
"Currently, the tourist infrastructure is used by visitors of the national park and the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan for setting up tent camps," district authorities explained.
It turned out that Nursultan Nazarbayev did visit the area around Mount Belukha in the national park in 2013. He shared his impressions of the trip with students of Lyceum No. 64 in the capital. The former head of state flew over the area by helicopter and called it an incredibly interesting and attractive place.
The akimat of Katon-Karagai District attributed the litter left by tourists to the hard-to-reach terrain and lack of roads.
"The collection and removal of existing garbage is carried out periodically by national park employees on horseback," district authorities explained.
At the same time, the akimat assured that structures are repaired annually, and unusable facilities are dismantled.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that investors with medical licenses and experience in the sanatorium sector are being sought for another well-known tourist site in the East Kazakhstan Region — the Rakhmanov Springs resort.