Ayusai Gorge Almaty: waterfall trail and visitor centre

Ayusai Gorge, Almaty: visitor centre and waterfall trail

Ayusai is a short side gorge of the Big Almaty valley inside Ile-Alatau National Park, with a visitor centre at the trailhead. A 1.9 km path climbs 415 m past three waterfalls; allow 2 to 2.5 hours. City bus 28 gets you most of the way.

1.9 km trail

415 m climb

2–2.5 hours

Fee 0.15 MCI

Ayusai Gorge, Almaty: when to go, month by month

January: possible

February: possible

March: possible

April: good

May: best time

June: best time

July: best time

August: best time

September: best time

October: good

November: possible

December: possible

The visitor centre is open all year; the trail to the third waterfall opens in summer only.

Ayusai Gorge, Almaty: why go

Three waterfalls

The first is about 700 m from the lawn and 5–6 m high; the third is about 10 m and open in summer only.

A visitor centre with a safety log

Opened in 2021; hikers are logged, and anyone not back by 22:00 triggers a search.

Bear gorge

Bear signs are recorded every season since 2010; do not go beyond the third waterfall.

Ayusai means “bear gorge” in Kazakh, as Tengrinews explains the name. It is a side valley of the Big Almaty river inside Ile-Alatau National Park, and it offers a short waterfall walk close to the city: a signed path from a visitor centre, 1.9 km each way, with 415 m of climbing (Tengrinews, 23.07.2021).

Not at Medeu Ayusai is often listed alongside Medeu and Kimasar, but it sits in a different valley, on the road to Big Almaty Lake near the second hydro plant. Put the visitor centre’s address in your map app: Kokshoky 1A (coordinates 43.10128, 76.94444, OpenStreetMap).

Getting there

By car it is about 12.5 km from the Al-Farabi and Navoi junction (Sxodim, 2022). Without a car:

Bus 28 runs to the end of the line, after which you walk up the road to the gorge. Sources give 45 minutes (Tengrinews, 2021) or about 1.5 hours (undated Tengrinews guide), possibly because they mean different stops. Allow the longer time.
Bus 211 ran to the barrier at weekends in 2021, and a weekend shuttle from the First President’s Park car park was announced in February 2023. We could not confirm either for 2026.
A taxi to Kokshoky 1A is the simplest option if your time is short.

For other mountain spots on city buses, see Almaty without a car.

The visitor centre

The centre opened in January 2021 as a timber building of three modules with no concrete foundation (Informburo). Qazaq National Parks runs it (Tengrinews, 2024).

Hours: 08:00–19:00 April to October, 09:00–18:00 November to March (Tengrinews, 19.01.2024). Older and undated sources disagree.
Facilities: free toilet (Informburo, 2021; OpenStreetMap, 2025); a café was operating in 2024. We found no confirmation of gear rental.
Safety log: volunteers note who heads up the trail, and anyone not back by 22:00 triggers a search (Informburo, 2021). Sign in with your route and group size before you go.

The waterfall trail

The path starts by the “Three Bears” sculpture on the lawn (OpenStreetMap) and is rated moderate by Tengrinews.

Waterfall	Distance	Height	Notes
First (lower)	about 700 m from the lawn	5–6 m	slippery edge above it
Second	just beyond the first	about 3 m (Tengrinews) or 5–6 m (Sxodim)	go round the first on the right to a viewpoint
Third (upper)	further up the canyon	about 10 m	open in summer only

Expect rockfall in the narrow canyon and crossings on stones and logs. Wear proper hiking shoes, carry water, a rain jacket and sun protection, and do not light fires on the trail. With young children, turn round at the first waterfall.

Fees and park rules

Order No. 232 (Annex 11, ed. 15.12.2025) sets the Ile-Alatau tariff:

Item	Fee
Visitor	0.15 MCI per person per day
Car entry	0.3 MCI
Parking	0.1 MCI per space per day
Tents and camp sites	0.2 MCI per person per day

MCI (the monthly calculation index) is set in tenge each year; our fee calculator does the sum. The order also lists photo and video shooting fees of 6.8 and 15.3 MCI per day without saying whether casual phone pictures count, and it has no line for drones. In December 2025 the park said that staying on its land without paying is an offence carrying a fine from 5 MCI (Tengrinews). We could not confirm where exactly Ayusai visitors pay.

During fire danger the park bans all fires: on 18 July 2026 the ban covered the whole park including equipped picnic areas (Bes.media). If you hike with a dog, read hiking with a dog first; we found no Ayusai-specific rule.

Bears, mudflows and avalanches

Researchers have recorded bear signs in Ayusai every season since 2010, and the visitor centre, on the Zoology Institute’s advice, asks hikers to stay below the third waterfall (Tengrinews, 2022). Our page on ticks, snakes and bears covers what to do.

A mudflow dam 41.1 m high with room for 2.3 million m³ of debris has guarded the gorge mouth since 1 June 2023 (Bes.media). In March 2026 avalanches were recorded at 2,000–3,000 m and above in the Big and Small Almaty basins (Finance.kz), so in winter check emergency service warnings before heading up.

Ayusai weather by month

There is no weather station in the gorge. The chart shows a computed ERA5 reanalysis normal for 2011–2020 at the visitor centre; the upper fall, 400 m higher, is cooler.

Climate by month · ERA5 grid point (1656 m) · records 2011–2020

-4°-13° -3°-11° 4°-5° 10°-1° 15°4° 19°8° 22°11° 20°9° 16°5° 9°-2° 1°-9° -4°-11°

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Day high, °C / Night low, °C · Rain/snow, mm

A computed reanalysis normal, not weather station records. Temperature is from ERA5-Land (about 9 km grid); precipitation is from ERA5, a value for a cell about 25 km wide rather than a mountain station, so it may miss extra mountain precipitation.

Monthly figures

Month	Day high, °C	Night low, °C	Rain/snow, mm
Jan	-4.4	-12.8	24.9
Feb	-2.8	-10.8	36.9
Mar	3.5	-5.2	79.5
Apr	9.5	-0.6	146.4
May	14.5	3.9	115.4
Jun	18.7	8	76.4
Jul	21.7	10.5	49.7
Aug	20.4	9.4	58.2
Sep	16.1	5.1	52.5
Oct	9	-1.6	60.3
Nov	0.5	-8.9	55.7
Dec	-3.5	-11.4	30.6

Source: Open-Meteo: ERA5-Land (temperature) and ERA5 (precipitation), 2011–2020

In the computed normal the warmest month is July, averaging 21.7 °C by day and 10.5 °C at night; the coldest is January, at −4.4 °C by day and −12.8 °C at night. Nights average below freezing in 6 months of the year. April is the wettest month with about 146 mm, out of about 786 mm a year.

The third waterfall opens in summer only. For how temperatures fall with height in these mountains, see mountain weather.

Ayusai or another gorge?

Gorge	Bus	Walk	Time
Ayusai	28, then 45 min to 1.5 h on foot	1.9 km to the falls, 415 m up	2–2.5 h
Kimasar	12 to Medeu	1,870 m to the swings at 2,520 m	not stated
Butakovka	12 to Medeu, then over a pass	to the waterfall	2.5–3 h one way from Medeu

For a three-hour round trip without a car, Ayusai’s falls or the lower part of Kimasar fit; Butakovka from Medeu takes most of a day. Higher up the same valley is Big Almaty Lake.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ayusai Gorge?

On the road from Almaty to Big Almaty Lake, near the Kokshoky settlement and the second hydro plant. The visitor centre’s address is Kokshoky 1A. It is not next to Medeu, which lies in the neighbouring valley.

How do I get to Ayusai by public transport?

Take city bus 28 to the end of the line, then walk up the road: 45 minutes according to Tengrinews (2021), about 1.5 hours according to an undated Tengrinews guide. A weekend bus 211 and a weekend shuttle existed in 2021–2023; we could not confirm them for 2026.

How long is the Ayusai waterfall hike?

1.9 km one way with 415 m of height gain, 2 to 2.5 hours in total (Tengrinews, 2021). The first waterfall is only about 700 m from the visitor centre lawn.

Is there an entry fee?

Yes. Ile-Alatau National Park charges 0.15 MCI per person per day and 0.3 MCI per car. One MCI is a fixed amount in tenge set each year.

What are the visitor centre's opening hours?

Tengrinews (19.01.2024) lists 08:00–19:00 from April to October and 09:00–18:00 from November to March. Other sources give different hours, so check before you go.

Are there bears in Ayusai?

Researchers find bear signs in the gorge every season since 2010. The visitor centre asks hikers not to go beyond the third waterfall.

Is the trail suitable for children?

Tengrinews rates it moderate, with rock and log crossings, rockfall in a narrow section and a slippery edge above the lower fall. With small children, the first waterfall is a sensible turnaround.