Hunger Steppe

Betpak-Dala, the Hungry Steppe, is an arid expanse between the lower Sarysu, the Chu River and Lake Balkhash. Its stony and clay plains have little rainfall, and salt depressions interrupt the desert vegetation. The lower Sarysu offered winter pasture and a way across this difficult country. Beyond the desert lie the Kazakh uplands, whose river valleys and hills contrast with the open dry plains.