Juniper forests
Three species in belts up the slopes.
Mirzozominiy — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arina Pan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Humoyun Mehridinov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Humoyun Mehridinov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Humoyun Mehridinov — CC BY-SA 4.0
Zaamin National Park protects juniper forests on the northern slopes of the Turkestan Range in Jizzakh region, from about 1,000 m to some 4,030 m on Shaukartau. Created in 1976, it now covers about 23,400 hectares and borders the Zaamin State Reserve; in 2024 Uzbekistan put both on its UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List as the Zomin Mountains. The first nature reserve here, Guralash, was founded in 1926 and revived in 1960 as the Zaamin State Reserve; the park followed, guarding the juniper (archa) forests while opening them to visitors. Zeravshan, hemispherical and Turkestan junipers, some centuries old, grow in belts up to about 3,300 m among over 1,200 plant species. Wildlife includes Siberian ibex, Turkestan lynx, Tian Shan brown bears, bearded vultures and black storks. The Zaamin sanatorium, a mountain health resort at about 2,000 m, stands near a waterfall among the park's hotels and guesthouses. The giant Bobo-Yongok walnut grows near Uriklisoy; higher up, around the flat Suffa plateau (about 2,400 m), lie the deep Chortangi canyons, the Sherbulak spring and a reputedly thousand-year-old juniper. A cable car runs over 2 km, and a suspension footbridge of about 300 m, 150 m high, opened in December 2023. The park's gate stands at Uriklisoy, by road about 30 km south of Zaamin town and 90 km from Jizzakh. Samarkand's Registan is 120 km west as the crow flies but 180 to 210 km by road, about three hours' drive, so stay a night. Come from May to October; winter can bring snow and frosts below −30 °C.
Three species in belts up the slopes.
A flat tableland at about 2,400 m.
A giant walnut near Uriklisoy.
Turkestan Range, about 30 km south of Zaamin town, Jizzakh region
A huge old walnut tree near Uriklisoy whose name means Grandfather Walnut; it stands about 20 m tall with a crown some 28 m across. Estimates of its age vary widely, from about 300 to 700 years.
Yes: the park has more than 20 tourist routes, and older descriptions of the park give designated day routes of 5 to 13 km one way, of moderate difficulty. Keep to designated paths and rest areas, pick no plants, and carry water and warm, waterproof layers, as mountain weather can turn quickly.