BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Bayanaul Mountains are located in the center of the Asian continent and therefore have a continental-type climate. The average annual temperature is 3.2°C. The average temperature in January is -13.7°C, the minimum is -17.8°C.
The average temperature in July is 14.6°C, the maximum one reaches 32.6°C. The average duration of the frost-free period is only 140 days. The annual precipitation is 340 mm with variations in some years from 190 to 494 mm. The average annual wind speed in Bayanaul is 2.9 m/sec.
Although the area is characterized by a sharply continental climate, there are no strong winds and sandstorms in Bayanaul, which are usual for steppe areas of Pavlodar oblast.
Bayanaul is one of the favorite places for tourists, mainly from nearby cities of Central and Northern Kazakhstan. There are a large number of houses and recreation areas on the territory of the park. Most of these zones, however, are provided with only primitive infrastructure and living conditions close to Spartan. In particular, there is no sewerage, there are no drinking water sources and washbasins in cottages, and in order to get into the shower, as a rule, you need to stand in line.
All this, however, does not stop tourists attracted by the beauty of the local nature, as well as individual places considered “sacred” by religious people.
There are several types of recreation available in the park, including swimming, mountain walking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. In many recreation areas there are tourist excursions, where paying a relatively small fee (about KZT500 as of 2007), you can see the main beauty sights of the park — “sacred cave”, “stone head” (Baba Yaga), “manhood” stone and others. The main place for swimming is Lake Zhasybai, as the cleanest and clearest among the other lakes. In addition, there is a picturesque view from its shores. It is on the shore of this lake that the largest number of recreation areas operate, and catamarans and rowing boats are available for rent on the beach. The recreation area near the four main lakes was created according to the project of the laureate of the State Prize of Kazakhstan, Muratbek Zhandauletov.
Individual rocks and stones that have taken on bizarre shapes as a result of centuries-old processing by wind and water and sometimes resemble animals, people or even a truck descending from the mountain are of particular interest to tourists in Bayanaul. Among the most famous is the statue of Baba Yaga (in Kazakh - kempir tas). When viewed from a certain angle, it does vaguely resemble the head of a bald, toothless old woman with an insidious grin. Another equally well—known creation of the local nature is the “manhood” stone, which speaks for itself by its name. Other oddly shaped stones include a camel, mammoth and gorilla heads, a profile, a flying saucer, a dinosaur, a pigeon, a horse’s head and many others.
The Naizatas mountain, which translates from Kazakh as “stone spear” and the Peak of the Bold, as well as Akbet mountain, as the highest one, are popular among rock climbers. On the top of the Naizatas mountain there are six lakes that dry up during the dry period.
One of the local beauty sights is the Konyr-Aulie cave. According to beliefs, it is assumed that everyone who enters the cave and makes a wish by touching the wall with his/her palm, and then comes out without turning his/her head to the exit, the wish will come true. There is also a belief that the cave helps infertile parents to have a child, for which a special ritual is performed in it. Whether this is true or not, the flow of tourists to the cave on the days when it is open to the public does not stop. It is located on a fairly significant elevation and the ascent of more than a kilometer to it has to be overcome on foot. In 2020, a modern staircase with recreation areas was erected from the foot to the cave itself.