Herders revel in tradition and tourism

Horseback riding

Bahargul has much to do before she returns to the Narat in June. She plans to buy an eco-shower system for the yurts and list the hotel on travel websites. "I wish I had time to rest, like the grassland," she said.

Next to the hotel, the herders have established another cooperative, which allows tourists to experience the feeling of roaming the grassland on horseback like true Kazaks.

Before the horse herd cooperative was set up in 2012, the herders randomly picked up tourists who wanted to ride horses, which sometimes led to fights over customers. Also, some herders allowed tourists to ride the horses on their own without providing any protection, said Arken Meyir, who is the head of the cooperative.

The number of families involved has risen to 150 from the original 40, and each household provides two horses. "The herdsmen need to wait in line for tourists like taxi drivers. There are no more fights," Arken said.

To ensure safety and environmental protection, tourists are only allowed to ride on designated horse lanes and they must be accompanied by experienced riders.

Before the herders return to their yurts at the end of each day, they are required to clean up the horse lanes and take away all the rubbish, he added.

"Actually, the tourists don't disturb the herders' normal lives, because most of us live quite far from the tourist area, which is only a very small part of the Narat," Arken said.

Bahetnur Sutanhaz was born on the Narat grassland and was first put on a horse when he was 3. The tourism boom has allowed the 37-year-old to open three restaurants offering authentic Kazak cuisine in Narat township.

"No matter how busy I am, I drive up to the family's pasture on the grassland almost every day during summer to check on the livestock. I would feel uncomfortable if my feet didn't touch the grassland for a day. I think that's caused by my Kazak blood," he said, adding that he has recently started teaching his 7-year-old son to ride.

"He needs to be a real Kazak man, no matter what he does when he grows up. Also, he should always remember that our roots lie in the grassland."

Contact the writers at cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn