Ile-Alatau

Ile-Alatau State National Natural Park — Almaty Region. Established on 22 February 1996.

Key figures

202,292 ha at its creation in 1996.

Entrance tariff

0.15 MCI per pedestrian, 0.3 MCI per car. In 2026 that is 648.8 ₸ and 1,297.5 ₸.

The tariff is set by appendix 11 to Order No. 232 of 2 October 2024.

The tariff is set in MCI units rather than tenge, so the amount changes with each January budget.

What to see

• Big Almaty Lake
• Shymbulak
• Medeu
• glaciers

Ile-Alatau in short

Ile-Alatau National Park covers the northern slope of the Zailiysky (Ile) Alatau range directly above Almaty: a strip 120 km long from the Chemolgan River in the west to the Turgen River in the east, 30–35 km wide, rising from 600 to 4,540 m. Big Almaty Lake, the Turgen gorge and its waterfalls, and the glaciers above the city are all inside the park, and entry is through checkpoints with a fee.

Two things to know for 2026: you cannot drive your own car to Big Almaty Lake, and Medeu and Shymbulak are not Ile-Alatau at all but a separate city park with its own access rules.

What to see

According to Wikipedia, the Zailiysky Alatau has 265 glaciers, many inside the park. The park’s highest summit is Constitution Peak, 4,540 m.

Big Almaty Lake

Big Almaty Lake (BAO) is the park’s best-known sight. It sits at 2,511 m, about 1.6 km long, up to a kilometre wide and 30–40 m deep; Orexca puts it 28.5 km south of Almaty. The Tien Shan Astronomical Observatory stands about 2 km further up the valley at 2,700 m.

Why the level and colour change. The lake is a reservoir on the balance sheet of Almaty Power Stations (AlES). The company says it uses the water for its own needs and for Almaty’s water supply: the lake is drawn down to its dead volume until 1 June, refills from June to November, and should be full by 1 November. Wikipedia gives a level swing of up to 20 m, lowest in February and highest in August. So the full lake is a late-summer and autumn sight.

No swimming, no fishing. Kazpravda.kz reports that BAO is one of Almaty’s drinking-water sources, and swimming and fishing there are prohibited.

Getting there. The road was closed to private vehicles in spring 2020. In April 2026 a forester of the Medeu branch of the Big Almaty Forestry confirmed that private cars, motorised vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes are banned on the section to the lake, after tourists on rented electric vehicles left the road, damaged the ground cover and were involved in accidents. A 5.3 km footpath to the lake is due to be completed by December 2026.

Route, seasons and viewpoints are covered on the Big Almaty Lake page.

Turgen gorge and waterfalls

Turgen marks the park’s eastern edge and is the most popular day-trip gorge. According to nur.kz, the drive along the Kuldzha highway takes about an hour and a half, and there is an eco-post at the entrance next to the Kiely-Bulak spring. The gorge has seven waterfalls, three of them relatively easy to reach; the best known are Medvezhy (Bear), Kairak and Skalisty (Rocky).

Trail details for each are on the Turgen waterfalls page.

Medeu and Shymbulak are not Ile-Alatau

This is the most common mix-up. Medeu and the Shymbulak area lie in the Malaya Almatinka valley but legally belong to the Medeu state regional nature park, a city-level protected area owned by the Almaty akimat and run by the city’s ecology department. It covers 708 ha, of which 208 ha are used by other landholders.

Access is set by the city, not the national park. On 12 June 2026 the Constitutional Court found the akimat’s 2016 restrictions unconstitutional, and on 18 September 2026 the Almaty maslikhat backed new rules: combustion-engine cars restricted, electric cars allowed on weekdays, and all vehicles restricted at weekends and on public holidays, with exceptions for residents and emergency and utility services.

Park routes

According to the forestry service, as quoted by bes.media in April 2026, the park has 38 tourist routes — on foot, by car, on horseback and by bike — across four branches, with state inspectors on patrol. The practical rule that follows: stay on marked routes. Driving off the road and riding rented electric vehicles without a guide is exactly what triggered the restrictions at Big Almaty Lake.

Checkpoints and payment

In 2019 the park had 8 checkpoints, 2 in the city and 6 in the surrounding region. The same year it moved to cashless payment: cameras read licence plates, and visitors were advised to pay in advance through a mobile banking app or by card on site. Rates are set in MCI by Order No. 232 — convert them with the fee calculator or compare parks in the entrance tariffs table.

Border zone

Part of the upper park lies in the border zone with Kyrgyzstan. Government Decree No. 356 specifically excludes Big Almaty Lake (zone depth 7 km) and the Ozerny (21 km), Prokhodnoy (15 km) and Zhusaly-Kezen (10 km) passes from the border-pass regime. No pass is needed even for foreigners, but carry your passport. See border zone permits.

Seasons and weather

For reference, at Medeu’s altitude (1,530 m) the January mean is −4.3 °C and the July mean +18.1 °C, with 145 frost-free days. Permanent snow and ice begin above 3,300 m. At BAO, almost a kilometre higher than Medeu, it is noticeably colder, so bring warm layers even in summer. The lake is fullest from August; in spring, before it refills, bare slopes show along the shore.

Staying safe

• Mudflows. Glacier moraines are hazardous: mudflows came off the Tuyuksu Glacier in 1956 and 1973. Keep away from riverbeds after heavy rain.
• Wildlife. The park has 48 mammal species, seven of them in Kazakhstan’s Red Book, including the Tien Shan brown bear and the snow leopard.
• Signal. In October 2026 Tele2/Altel reported better coverage at Shymbulak and Big Almaty Lake. Deeper in the gorges, do not count on it.
• Preparation. Go through what to check before visiting a national park.

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