The Zailiysky Alatau and the Kungey Alatau farther south are spurs of the Tian Shan running east west between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul. Together with the Kyrgyz Alatau, which stretches from Zhambyl to Bishkek, they form the Northern Tian Shan.
The mountains are high and beautiful, with many peaks over 4000 meters, lots of glaciers and wild rivers, and Tian Shan firs covering the steep valley sides. In summer the valleys are used as summer pasture and herders set up yurt camps. The summer snowline is around 3800 to 4100 meters. The Almatinsky Nature reserve (Almatinsky Zapovednik), are rugged area of about 750 sq km south of the towns of Talgar and Yessyk, east of Almaty, is an important snow leopard habitat. Other inhabitants include the arkhar (a big horned wild sheep) and the goiter gazelle, known locally as the zheyran. The reserve also contains Mt Talgar, the highest peak in the Zailiysky Alatau at 4979 meters. The reserve is off limits to those without special permit.
