The Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve is referred to as a realm of magical beauty, located on the southern slopes of the Chatkal Range, in the basin of the Khoja-Ata River in the Jalal-Abad region. The territory of the reserve stretches from the foothill steppes to the snow-capped peaks. Towering mountain ranges and blooming valleys, sheer weathered cliffs and turbulent rivers, deciduous and coniferous forests, snowy summits and blue lakes, high grass meadows and impenetrable thickets — all of this is represented within the small territory of the reserve. The flora counts over a thousand species. Around 160 species of birds and 34 species of mammals inhabit the area. The nut forests are the realm of wild boars, badgers, and porcupines. It is not uncommon to encounter a roe deer or a lynx. In autumn, when apples and nuts ripen, a resident of the subalpine zone — the Himalayan bear — descends here. When organizing the reserve for acclimatization, noble deer, fallow deer, bison, minks, and several other species of animals, birds, and fish were introduced to Sary-Chelek. Y. S. Lynok, who worked for many years in the reserves of Western Tien Shan, bitterly writes about this poorly thought-out initiative: “The bison never fit into the natural complex of the reserve from the very beginning, but it turned out to be easier to introduce it than to remove it — for a quarter of a century, bison have roamed the Sary-Chelek forest, causing irreparable damage to the vegetation. Burdened by the acclimatized species and an abnormally high population of wild boars, Sary-Chelek unexpectedly acquired another misfortune: from the steppe zone, a jackal has made its way almost to the high mountains. It has settled in and feels quite well...”
In the subalpine zone of the reserve lies a plateau — a monument to an ancient geological catastrophe. A natural dam covering an area of about fifteen square kilometers, supporting Lake Sary-Chelek, was formed as a result of the collapse of two ridges. The landslide blocked the river, creating a lake. The fractures of the ridges and depressions on the giant landslide filled with water and became six more lakes, the shores of which are covered with vegetation reminiscent of a savanna. Over the two-meter tall grass rise millennia-old junipers. The alpine zone is harsher, with an arctic climate and prolonged winters. The landscape matches the climate. But even here, one can often encounter the Siberian ibex, snow leopards, and marmots. The cliffs here are inaccessible in the most literal sense of the word, not metaphorically. It is no coincidence that the ancient Eastern warning sounds so vividly: “Traveler! You are like a tear on an eyelash, be careful!” In this land, every lake or river, every peak and every animal has its own legend or myth. Try to explain without myth-making why Lake Sary-Chelek has “no bottom” even at its shores. Or why Lake Kara-Kel is “dead” — birds do not land on it, there are no fish or algae, and its shores are desolate. The plant world also holds many mysteries. The prango blooms abundantly in the Sary-Chelek zone — a plant with hairy leaves and bright yellow flowers. The honey plant, used as fodder for livestock in winter (it is poisonous in its green form), can be quite unkind to newcomers: contact with its hairy leaves causes the skin to break out in huge blisters. Folk belief states that the only way to relieve the ailment is to rub the palms with soil taken from under the roots of the prango. Apparently, due to the color of the abundant grass here, it has been given the current household name “yellow barrel” or “yellow bucket.” However, old maps provide its former, “real” name: Tuskaul. This name belongs to a hero of the folk epic who accomplished a series of glorious feats, which the locals are happy to recount while pointing to the earthen mound on the southern shore of the lake, where the hero's grave is located. His horse is still alive, and occasionally, in the twilight, a white horse emerges from the depths of the lake, grazing on the grass along the shores. One of the legends tells of a gigantic snake that lives in the lake.
