Tokrau

The Tokrau flows south from the central Kazakh hills towards Lake Balkhash. Fed chiefly by snow, it swells in spring but usually disappears into the sands north of the lake, reaching its waters only in exceptionally wet years. Its broad lower valley preserves an old delta, while the upper course passes burial sites such as Egizkoytas. Willow and other plants grow along the river where the steppe gives way to its valley.