Magic Charm of a Small Village

Inexpressively pure air, incessant chant of birds, ladybirds everywhere, sunset glow, murmur of mountain rill, fragrance of flowers, donkeys as the vehicle, friendly people, night sky full of stars – this is but a minor part of what you can find in the village located in Nuratau Mountains.

The village Sentob, situating 30 km from the Aydarkul Lake, will be the real corner of peace for those who tired of city fuss. Between Nuratau Mountains and Kyzylkum Desert there is a village, which has preserved the quiet and moral valuables of the past and it seems that a small part of virgin nature suspended in time.

Local people build themselves houses of small stones, rocks and clay. They plant, grow and gather themselves vegetables to cook a meal. Meal is cooked in the open-fire oven. People gather and dry nuts and pistachios. Each family has a few head of livestock and poultry, which provide eggs, milk, meat and wool.

The surrounding area is rich in various animals, birds and insects, some of which are listed in the Red Book. Here you will find unique representatives of flora and fauna. Walking around the village you will have the impression that you present on excavations of a unique, well thought-out but ancient town.

In the village Sentob there are three guest houses for travelers: Muhlima, Rakhima and Maysara. Guesthouses are named in honor of owners’ wives. The owner of Rakhima Guesthouse Gulmurod Zarifullaev received first travelers in 2007. The ecotourism project and monitoring of nature area was launched in 2007.

In addition to Sentob village there are other villages, receiving ecotourists: Eski-Forish, Hayat, Uhum, Asraf and Upper Uhum. Local people usually go on foot or ride a donkey or horse. Also you can drive up to houses.

In the evening and especially in early morning the air is so fresh and pure that one can’t breathe enough. The village has electricity, but in contrast to city lights, it does not prevent from enjoying the starry sky. Sometimes the moon is so huge that it seems you can touch it.

Guests have an opportunity to experience and participate in everyday life of local people. They can participate in baking bread in clay ovens (tandyr), see a wedding ceremony and witness the traditional competition on horsebacks Kup-Kary during the game season. The most popular tourist activities are hiking, bird watching, photo shoot, ecological tours and others. Moreover you can just sit on tapchan in the company of friends and relax, sipping tea and enjoying chants of birds. By the way, drinking water is very pure and has no impurity.

30 km to the north there is the Aydarkul Lake, where you can fish, swim and just enjoy the soothing water surface and gulls. There is no better place where one can feel the rhythm of life of another world.