Burabay Lakes

The Burabay lakes, often known by the Russian name Borovoye, form the scenic core of Burabay National Nature Park in Akmola Region, an area of roughly 835 square kilometers established in August 2000 and placed under the administration of the Presidential Affairs office. Fourteen lakes larger than one square kilometer lie within the park, the best known being Borovoye itself alongside Bolshoye Chebachye, Maloye Chebachye, and Shchuchye, set among granite outcrops, pine forest, and open steppe in the Kokshetau Hills. The park supports roughly 800 plant species and more than 300 vertebrate species, with roe deer, elk, wild boar, and wolves in its woodlands and golden eagles and other raptors among its birdlife. The combination of clear lakes, oddly weathered granite cliffs, and forested ridges has made Burabay one of Kazakhstan's most visited domestic resort destinations, often described as the country's answer to a Swiss alpine landscape.