Nature near Almaty: 15 day trips

Almaty has mountains, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and desert within reach, and many of them work as day trips. Closest are Medeu, Shymbulak, Kok-Zhailau and Butakov Waterfall, right above the city. Within 1.5–2.5 hours’ drive are Turgen gorge, the Assy plateau and Lake Issyk. Charyn Canyon, about 200 km away, is a long but realistic day. Save the Kolsai Lakes, Kaindy and Altyn-Emel for a weekend with an overnight stay. Below are 15 places in one table, followed by a short note on each.

Comparison table: 15 places near Almaty

Each figure’s source is named in the place notes below. Seasons come from sources where they give one; “warm season” and “year-round” are our editorial guide, not park rules. Difficulty is also our assessment based on the walking and the road: “easy” is a short approach, “moderate” means several hours on foot or a dirt road, “hard” means a full day in the mountains. A dash means we found no reliable figure.

Right above the city: Medeu, Shymbulak, Mynzhylky

1. Medeu. The high-altitude skating rink on Almaty’s south-eastern outskirts, at 1,691 m (Wikipedia). Medeu is not part of Ile-Alatau but a separate regional nature park, Medeu, with its own entry rules. According to Bes.media, in September 2026 the city council adopted new rules: petrol and diesel cars will be restricted, electric cars may enter on weekdays but not at weekends or on holidays, and residents and emergency services are exempt.

2. Shymbulak. The ski resort about 25 km south of the city centre (English Wikipedia). The base station is at 2,260 m and the top at Talgar Pass, 3,200 m. A 4.5 km gondola runs from Medeu, taking no more than 15 minutes (Russian Wikipedia). In summer, hiking trails start here.

3. Mynzhylky plateau. According to Tengrinews, the plateau is at about 3,000 m, about three hours’ climb from Shymbulak, and not difficult for anyone in good shape.

Trails from the city: Kok-Zhailau and Butakov Waterfall

4. Kok-Zhailau. Tengrinews gives the plateau’s altitude as about 1,600 m and the climb as about three hours from the Ak-Bulak stop (bus No. 12); the other approach starts at the mouth of the Big Almaty gorge (bus No. 28).

5. Butakov Waterfall. The trail starts at the Medeu rink and takes about 2.5–3 hours one way (Tengrinews). Sources disagree on the waterfall’s height; Tengrinews gives 15 m.

Ile-Alatau lakes: Big Almaty Lake and Issyk

6. Big Almaty Lake. 2,511 m, about 15 km in a straight line from the city’s southern edge. Since 30 April 2026 private cars, e-scooters and e-bikes have been banned; the road walk is about 15 km with more than a kilometre of climb. No swimming. Full details in our Big Almaty Lake guide.

7. Lake Issyk. About 40 km east of Almaty (Wikipedia). In 1963 a mudflow burst its natural dam and emptied the lake. Since December 2024 the lake has been under trust management by a private company; in summer 2025, according to NUR.KZ, the regional administration declared the company’s charges to tourists illegal and the barriers were removed. The only legitimate charge is the national park’s fee at the eco-post.

Gorges to the east: Turgen and Assy

8. Turgen waterfalls. About an hour and a half along the Kuldzha highway (NUR.KZ); sources put the distance at 70 to 90 km. Seven waterfalls: Bear is a short walk from the road, Kairak a full-day hike. Details in our Turgen waterfalls guide.

9. Assy plateau. Above Turgen gorge. Tengrinews (2021) puts it about 75 km east of Almaty, 2–2.5 hours away, at 2,750 m; the Assy-Turgen observatory, per Tengrinews in 2017, is about 85 km away at 2,750 m. The plateau is at its best in late spring and summer.

Canyons and petroglyphs

10. Charyn Canyon. You can go year-round; see Charyn in winter for the off-season. It is about 195 km along the Almaty–Narynkol road (getting there); Tengrinews gives 200 km and 3–4 hours one way. The main sight is the Valley of Castles. If a day feels too long, see Charyn in a day or overnight.

11. Tamgaly. A gorge of petroglyphs in the Anrakai mountains, about 170 km north-west of Almaty, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004. The main gorge has about 2,000 carvings (Wikipedia). More in UNESCO heritage in Kazakhstan.

Overnight: Kolsai and Kaindy

12. Kolsai Lakes. Kolesa.kz puts the lower lake about 275 km away; Tengrinews says 300 km and about five hours. The lower lake lies at 1,818 m, and the trail to the middle lake is 7.8 km. More on the Kolsai Lakes park page.

13. Kaindy Lake. About 284 km by road, 5–7 hours; the last 9 km is a dirt track with a ford. The sunken spruce forest dates from the 1911 earthquake. Details in our Kaindy Lake guide.

Overnight: Altyn-Emel

14. Singing Dune. About 250 km to Basshi (Tengrinews, 2026), then 35–40 km to the dune. Height 120–150 m depending on the source. The pass covers one day and one route. Details in our Singing Dune guide.

15. Aktau and Katutau mountains. Banded clay hills with fossils, and extinct volcanoes. From Basshi to Aktau is about 70 km per Trekking Club or about 120 km per uvu.kz. Details in our Aktau and Katutau guide.

How to choose

• Half a day, no car: Medeu, Shymbulak, Kok-Zhailau, Butakov Waterfall.
• A day by car: Turgen, Assy, Issyk; Charyn if you are ready for 6–8 hours of driving there and back.
• A full-day hike: Big Almaty Lake, Kairak Waterfall, Mynzhylky.
• A weekend with an overnight stay: Kolsai and Kaindy; Altyn-Emel with the Singing Dune and Aktau.

Almost all the parks on this list set their fees in MCI under Order No. 232: Ile-Alatau 0.15 MCI per pedestrian and 0.3 MCI per car, Kolsai Lakes 0.2 and 0.7 MCI, Altyn-Emel 0.2 and 0.9 MCI. The fee calculator gives the tenge amounts for the current year. Before any trip, read what to check before visiting a park and where you need a border permit.