If you are a lover of extreme relaxation, hiking, enjoy the unknown, then go to the Big Almaty Lake. Having reached it, you will already experience such emotions that you will remember them for a long time to come. The fact is that part of the path will have to be walked, since not all cars are able to overcome steep climbs. Therefore, you must be physically resilient to decide on such a route. But the views from above are worth it.
What is this lake like?
It was formed as a result of the long-term operation of the glacier, gradually leaving from here. Retreating, he left a heap of various debris material - the so-called moraine: earth, stones, gravel. Over time, melt water gradually filled the basin that formed after the glacier. In the last century, in the sixties, a whole cascade of hydroelectric power stations was built in this gorge, and, accordingly, water fence facilities were installed here.
In 1977, a mudflow fell on these places, and in the early eighties, a natural dam was strengthened, and its height was increased by eight to ten meters. The possibility of destruction was thus eliminated. Since that time, the Big Almaty Lake has constantly pleased our views. And from its shores, a real panorama of mountains with peaks shining from the snow opens up that is enchanting to any human eye.
Description of the lake
2,511 meters above sea level - at this altitude this lake is located. Its length is approximately 1,600 meters, the width reaches one kilometer, and the depth in some places reaches 35 meters. In summer, the water temperature sometimes rises to 10-12 degrees, which, given the height, is not surprising. The Big Almaty Lake is located closer to other mountain water bodies to the city of Almaty. It is located at a distance of only 28.5 kilometers south of the capital.
The lake is part of the Ile-Alatau National Park. The coastline is three kilometers; a very large volume of water mass is noted: 14,000,000 m 3 . In February and August, the recorded water level fluctuates up to 20 meters every year. The lake is considered to be very popular, ideal for relaxation. There are plenty of places to stay overnight, and there is no point in mentioning the beauty of nature once again. There is only one difficulty - the road, but it is passable.
We visit the Big Almaty Lake: how to get to this paradise?
A good, mostly unpaved road leads to this beautiful place . If you wish, you can get to the target by car in half an hour from the Orbita microdistrict, the former capital of Kazakhstan . But the best memory will remain if you dare and decide to walk on foot. In this case, you need to get to the slightly higher ring road along Navoi Street and Al-Farabi Avenue, to the bus stop No. 93 and No. 28.
If you are going on a camping trip on weekends, it is advisable to get out of the house early, otherwise you will have to “storm” the vehicle, since much more people want to relax in nature than one unit of public transport can take. Moreover, flights for some reason are not enough. In the event that you are lucky and managed to get on the bus, you need to get to the final flight number 28 or to the stopping point “Second Hydroelectric Power Station” - number 93. Further on foot along the road you will have to walk about 15 kilometers. Far away, of course, but worth it.
What can you see if you go higher
The beauties of the reservoir we are discussing will wait a little while, and we will see what the eye can still please in these places. So, before us is the Big Almaty Lake. We already learned how to get to it, at least we examined in detail one of the options. If you walk north from the dam, you will have a magnificent view: at an altitude of 4 317 meters - the peak of the Soviets, located in the southeast. In that case, if you go along the river valley up to the south, at an altitude of 4 110 meters there will be Ozerny peak. If you move from the reservoir to the southwest, climbing 3 954 meters, you will find the wooded slopes of the famous Tourist peak.
You can also see the pyramid located west of the Tourist from the city. She is 3 681 meters high, is the crest of the peak of Big Almaty. There is power to go higher - climb 2,700 meters. Once above the bowl of a blue lake , you will find yourself in a glacial valley, very ancient, where the village of the observatory is located with domes that are very spectacular in appearance. And above, near the Zhasylkezen pass, rising to 3,300 meters, you will see a space station, which is engaged in the study of various light rays.
Most of the way - by car, then - on foot
Although it is believed that you can get to the lake by car, but still most travelers do not want to lose all the opportunities to get the maximum experience from a walk in these wonderful places. Mostly tourists travel part of the way by car or book a tour by bus. Most often, however, they negotiate with taxi drivers. A trip to the lake takes all day. No matter how you try to speed up the road, eight to ten hours will come out. In general, we drive by car to the ring of Navoi, which we already know, and from this place we move to the mountains.
We will tell you in more detail how to get to the Big Almaty Lake. Before you soon after the start of the climb you will find an environmental post located in front of the fork in Almaarasan and the lake itself. The fare is paid, its cost is 350 tenge per person, which is approximately 106 Russian rubles. Before reaching the city’s water supply pipe for about one kilometer, it is best to get out of the car and continue on foot.
Continuation of the trip
Now you can uncover the camera and shoot all the beauties surrounding you. And there are a lot of them. When there are two hundred meters left before the start of the pipe, you will meet another barrier. If you continue your journey by car, you will have to fork out for 3,000 tenge (this corresponds to approximately one thousand rubles). From here begins your walking road to the Big Almaty Lake, which is very difficult, to be honest. You can (and this is the easiest way) to go through the pipe. In this way you will have to overcome only three kilometers to the lake. But the pipe is often freshly painted or slippery. In this case, you need to go along the road - about eight kilometers up.
So let's go. A steep climb is overcome in 30 minutes, then the area is more gentle. You can go and enjoy the climb, the beauty around, pine fresh air. For a while you stop looking, and sooner or later a miracle happens - you approach the long-awaited lake, the water of which is the color of sapphire. Along the way, here you can have a small picnic, relax, gather strength, relax under the fir trees, explore the nearby hills and make a photo shoot.
What attracts tourists to the lake?
Having risen to a reservoir, you immediately notice the wild, impregnable beauty of these places. Here, fortunately, there are no rafts, no cafes, no beaches. You can see besides, of course, lakes, only trees and stones and feel the wind. Therefore, it is advisable to bring a thermos with tea, a rug, a scarf and a sweater. What do you need to organize by climbing to the Big Almaty Lake? Rest, which you will certainly need after a very long climb. For this, we need the entire list of items announced a little higher.
And travelers always take food with them. If you climb here twice - in winter and summer, you can see how the lake has changed: from turquoise blue it has become light green. In addition, in winter it sometimes freezes. The view from here at this time of year opens no less fascinating than in summer. No wonder some tourists prefer to visit the pond in January rather than in July.
Vacation spots
Going to the Big Almaty Lake, few people think about an overnight stay, about further travel. Usually, everything ends with the contemplation of the surrounding beauties, the reservoir itself. Some, despite the cold and windy climate, remain here to spend the night. There are people who spend more than one day in these places. Some of them equip an overnight stay on the shore, located in tents, some move on - after about two kilometers there is the astronomical Tien Shan Observatory.
In it you can look at the sky, at the stars. Nearby there is a hotel where you can stay in order to observe the sky through a telescope after dark. You can arrange with the administration that you have a tour of the entire observatory. Yes, there is also a dining room.
Summary
Those who come here only once in a lifetime try to visit more interesting places. Arriving at the desired address (Karasai District, Kazakhstan), they inspect all the natural beauties. To begin with, travelers explore the Big Almaty Lake as much as possible. Photos taken here after the trip for a long time remind of the pristine beauties of nature and surprise people who have not yet been on the lake.
And what a view from here! The most beautiful mountain landscape is Passing Gorge, Big Almaty Peak and Tourist Peak. Both last ascents are carried out. Having been in these highland places, you can be in the largest city of Kazakhstan with all its benefits and entertainment in just an hour and a half.