UZBEKISTAN
Echoes of the Tien Shan
Ugam-Chatkal National Park is a vast protected land of 574,000 hectares in northeastern Uzbekistan, located about 76 kilometers away from Tashkent. Imagine a bowl with gently sloping walls. Now imagine that Tashkent is located at the bottom of the bowl, so its sloping walls are the mountains of the Tashkent region, gradually rising upwards, separating Uzbekistan from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Ugam-Chatkal was established in 1990 to protect the unique flora and fauna of the area. The park is known for its stunning natural beauty, making it a popular destination for ecotourism and outdoor activities. The landscape of the park mainly consists of the mountain ranges of the Western Tien Shan. The mountains form numerous gorges and canyons, and between them flow the rivers Pskem, Chatkal, Ugam and Koksu. Peak Adelunga, the highest peak, belongs to the Pskem Range and has a height of 4.301m.
The park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, making it an important ecological area in Uzbekistan. Among the inhabitants of the park there are snow leopards, Marco Polo Sheep, wild boars, red foxes, Menzbir’s marmots, Tien Shan brown bears, wolves, black storks, golden eagles and many other species.
In the floodplains of mountain rivers and along the slopes of the gorges, one can see dense woody vegetation and juniper forests. In the foothill areas there are wild thickets and planted orchards. Hawthorn, maple, almond, cherry plum are often mixed with artisanal vegetation – with barberry, wild rose, honeysuckle, etc. Also in the foothills there are wild apple trees and birch groves, for example, in the Aksakata tract in the Western Tien Shan Mountains.
In addition, there are a few archaeological sites in the park. In the Karasau tract you can see ancient rock paintings. Ancient tools, utensils and ritual burial sites were found at the sites in Paltau, Obirakhmat, Khodjikent, Kulbulak and Pulatkhan.
Numerous resorts, hotels and children’s camps are located in the most picturesque areas of the park: along the perimeter of the Charvak Reservoir, in the foothills of the Small and Big Chimgan Mountains and in the Beldersay tract. These include the ski resorts of Amirsoy, Chimgan and Beldersay, as well as the sanatoriums and medical resorts of Khumsan, Tibet, Chartak and many others.
Le Chalet by Amirsoy offers Alpine-style chalets that provide comfortable accommodation. Guests can enjoy a seasonal outdoor pool, a terrace, a restaurant and a bar. The chalets are equipped with fully functional kitchens and private gardens, where you can dine with family or friends while enjoying breathtaking views of the mountains and the valley.
