Aksu-Zhabagly

Declared in 1926 in the early years of the Soviet Union, it is the oldest nature reserve in the whole of Central Asia, with almost a century of unbroken scientific protection under the zapovednik system. Set at the western end of the Tian Shan, it holds deep river canyons, alpine meadows and more than 1,000 plant species, some of them direct wild ancestors of the tulips grown in gardens around the world, Central Asia being the genetic home of the genus. For decades its management has combined scientific research with limited, strictly regulated nature tourism.