Kamenskoe Plateau above Almaty: observatory and trails

Kamenskoe Plateau (Kamenskoye Plato) is a foothill terrace and residential neighbourhood above Almaty, in Medeu District between the Yesentai and Remizovka rivers (OpenStreetMap; Wild Ticket Asia). Visitors come for two reasons: the observatory of the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, which opens for evening tours, and the trails that climb from here to Kok-Zhailau.

Getting there

The institute gives these directions:

1. Bus 5. Board at any stop on Dostyk Avenue. Buses 5a and 5b go the opposite way, so do not take them.
2. Observatoriya stop. Get off and walk about 300 m up the road under the Observatory sign to the meeting point.
3. Taxi. Use the address 23 Observatoriya Street.

The institute does not give a journey time. Check the bus in the 2GIS app on the day, especially for the late return after an evening tour. More car-free ideas on Almaty without a car.

The observatory and its evening tours

The observatory belongs to the V. G. Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute and stands at 1,450 m (institute website). According to Wikipedia, the site was chosen in 1945 and building began in 1947; it carries the International Astronomical Union code 210.

The evening programme, as listed by the institute, includes the institute’s history, a walk along the 77th meridian, the historic telescopes, a tour of the night sky and a fragment of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite. For upcoming meteor showers and darker skies outside the city, see our stargazing calendar. Tickets cover a group of up to five, with a fee for each extra person; schedules and booking are on the institute’s ticket page. The institute’s office is open weekdays 8:45–17:15.

The institute’s other observatories, Tien Shan near Big Almaty Lake and Assy-Turgen, are high in the mountains and far from the plateau.

Trails to Kok-Zhailau

Tengrinews route 203 runs from the Big Almaty eco-post over Kok-Zhailau and down the Observatory ridge through dachas to the Ak-Kain sanatorium, where bus 5 picks you up: 14.24 km, 1,088 m of ascent, high point 2,251 m, 3–4 hours (4–5 in the article text), rated a medium trek and walkable all year. Our Kok-Zhailau page covers the plateau above, its heights and the ski resort construction there.

We found no described trail from Kamenskoe Plateau to Kok-Tobe. For a city view with a cable car, Kok-Tobe is a separate trip.

Fees, status and slopes

We could not confirm whether the plateau lies inside Ile-Alatau National Park: one tour site says so, but maps and news describe a residential area zoned for houses and gardens, and the park fee order has no line for it. Above the plateau, the rules of Ile-Alatau National Park apply.

The slopes are unstable. In April 2022 the mudflow protection agency confirmed loess soils here, and in 2016 two landslides of over 1,000 m³ in total hit one slope (Tengrinews, 2022). After heavy rain, stay on roads. For ticks on the trails above, see ticks, snakes and bears.