Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan, a city very green by the standards of the metropolis. It is located on the border of two opposite worlds: the steppe blown by all the winds and cool, covered with forests and snowy mountains. The end of spring or early summer is the best time to visit these edges. The plain part of Almaty will surprise the guest with scarlet placers of poppies along the roads and wild camels in the vicinity of the city, and traveling to the mountains will give the joy of civilized hiking, fresh air and the opportunity to take amazing pictures.
How to get:
The easiest way is by plane. The cost of air tickets from Moscow to Almaty directly starts from 12,400 rubles*.
Where to live:
In Almaty, you can stay in cozy hotels near the center, for example, in the Almaty Ramada or Kazhol Almaty. From panoramic windows in the rooms, a view of the city opens. The cost of one night for a double room starts from 5,000 rubles*.
How to move:
Some of the local attractions are in the city, so they will get to them by taxi or public transport. It is more comfortable to get to other locations in a rented car. The rental price per day starts at 3,000 rubles*. Routes flying through dirt roads can be overcome on tourist UAZ or horses.
Butakovsky gorge
The gorge, named after the river flowing in it – Butakovka, is actually located within the city of Almaty. To the starting point of the pedestrian or bicycle tracks can be reached by public transport. Walking along the Butakovsky gorge is a typical weekend route for the residents of the district, so if you get into these lands, it is better to go on weekdays.
In a sense, this attraction is a trial version of the Turgen gorge: there are two waterfalls-Upper and Nizhny Butakovsky. Although they are not very high and powerful, the photographs are spectacular. Electric apple trees, aspen, barberry bushes grow along the tourist trail and, of course, ate. And if this seems a little, in Butakovka there are simple passes that lead to neighboring gorges – for example, the left Talgar. Local pedestrian routes for three thousands are also curious-Picu Pionersky and Gr. Katyrbulak, along the path to which are almost fifty-Talgar.
Turgen Gorge
On an hour drive from Almaty you can take a walk along the amazing land of waterfalls, lakes, tracts, meadows and mountain rivers. All this can be found in the Turgen Gorge, which is part of the Ile-Alatau reserve. In ancient times, a nomadic and trade path ran through it, so a person has long mastered these places well. The gorge has a sanatorium with hot springs, trout economy and even an ostrich farm. But the main value of Turgena is in nature: wild apricot groves and relict spruce trees, in which you can notice roe deer and lynx, hares and lezers, foxes and badgers.
This place is also called the edge of waterfalls. There are three of them here: bearish, Kayrac (you can find another name – Buzgul) and rocky. First, Bear waterfall – River. It is called so due to its power: the stream here is so strong that he struck a whole tunnel in the rocks. The second waterfall – Buzgul – Glane. Jets of meltwater fly down with a 30-meter height of picturesque rocks covered with Tien Shan fir trees. Rocky – Beautiful cascading waterfall. Its highest reduced is located at an altitude of about 30 meters above the fall point, but only trained travelers can get to it.
The road through the gorge goes deep into the mountains by 44 kilometers and rests on the ASSU plateau, on which the astronomical observatory is located. At night, in clear weather, it becomes obvious why the observation point for celestial bodies was erected here.
Big Almaty Lake
15 kilometers south of the city, at an altitude of about 2.5 thousand meters there is a large Almaty Lake. Contrary to its name, it has a small surface area: its length is 1.6 kilometers, and the width is 1 kilometer. In the dry season, the lake can be in half, but late in spring and summer, when glaciers melt, it is filled to the limits and amazes with its beauty. Locals call him a turquoise pearl surrounded by the harsh mountains of Tien Shan.
The passage to a magnificent reservoir for tourists is closed: several years ago, part of the serpentine leading to the lake was injured due to the collapse, and since then there has been a checkpoint there. Now you can get on a way, for example, along with employees of the weather station or an astronomical observatory. There is an option to rise: Hyking takes from two to five hours, depending on the selected route – along the road or directly through the mountains. But every minute of a difficult rise is that it will open a look at the end of the path.
Charynsky canyon
The road from Almaty to the picturesque gorge takes about three hours by car. The canyon stretches for more than 150 kilometers along the Charyn River, behind the steep bends of which dozens of natural locations of amazing beauty are hidden. For example, Valley of castles – Blurred by river water and the clay breed destroyed by erosion formed a bizarre relief here, resembling the walls and towers of medieval fortresses up to 370 meters high! Or Turanga groveWhere the Asian poplar is growing – Turanga. This tree can survive even in the most arid and rocky areas, due to which since ancient times it was revered by local residents as sacred. Part of the route along the canyon passes through the so -called Lunar landscapes. Indeed, in this long area, views greatly resemble photographs from the surface of the Earth’s satellite. It’s good that here, unlike the moon, is enough oxygen!
Lake Cainda
About 280 kilometers east of Almaty is the famous Kazakhstan Lake Caida. The reservoir is quite young – it was formed at the beginning of the last century as a result of an earthquake and a mountain collapse that blocked the river. Photos of this place were popular thanks to the trunks of dead pines sticking out of the water. It is curious that the stems above the surface of the lake are exposed, and branches and needles are preserved under its turquoise surface.
“Caines” from Kazakh is translated as “birch”: on the way to this attraction of tourists, thick birch groves with beautiful trees are encountered for mountainous areas. A environmental collection is charged to Cindda, and the road involves several simple river crossings and a walk of about three kilometers. If you are not a lover of hiking, you can get to the lake differently: at the foot of the gorge, the locals offer to climb a horse.
Kolsai lakes
Not far from Kainda, picturesque highland lakes are located, so they often go there immediately after the “birch”. In this case, even an environmental entry fee is paid once. Kolsai is a system consisting of three lakes. Tourists can get to the very lower tourists by car, the second and third are often closed due to weather conditions. Nevertheless, they can be reached by uaz or horses or walk on foot.
The main feature of the lakes is water that changes color depending on the time of day, weather and angle of view. Tourists returning to Kolsai unanimously claim that each time they see different shades.
If the second and third Kolsai are open, then it is better to linger here for a couple of days and be sure to see the second lake – it is the most beautiful. You can stop in campsites or glampings located nearby. The road to the second Kolsai on foot takes several hours and runs along the mountain streams, alpine meadows and Tien Shan fir trees-a real meditative hiking. In the season, fishing and quiet hunting are popular on the lake: mushrooms and berries grow in abundance in abundance. But most Kazakhstanis and tourists go to this place in order to be inspired by pure pristine nature and untouched beauty.
*Prices are valid at the time of publication.
To search and book hotels online use OneTwotrip.
