Kok-Zhailau: the plateau above Almaty between the two Almaty gorges

Kok-Zhailau is a high meadow in the Trans-Ili Alatau, wedged between the Small and Big Almaty gorges about 10 km from Almaty and inside Ile-Alatau National Park. It is the hike locals do without a car: bus No. 12 drops you at the Ak-Bulak stop, and a single, easy-to-follow trail climbs to the plateau in about three hours. Go between June and October. From the top you see the city, Medeu, Shymbulak and Big Almaty Peak.

Kok-Zhailau at a glance

The name is translated as “green pasture” (Wikipedia) or “heavenly pasture” (Tengrinews). The altitude figures differ because they measure different things: Wikipedia the gentle meadow itself, the hiking sources the pass above it at 2,240–2,251 m.

Getting to the trail

From Ak-Bulak (Small Almaty side). Take bus No. 12 up Dostyk Avenue and get off at Ak-Bulak (once called Prosveshchenets), where a spring gives drinking water. Tengrinews (2020) explains: walk down a little, turn left on the asphalt, which soon ends; the path climbs steeply to a ridge and then rises gently along it. There is only one trail. Trekking Club describes the same slope as a climb through birch groves, almost entirely in forest, about two hours to the pass — and with no entry fee on this side.

From the Big Almaty gorge. Take bus No. 28 to the Dulati Street stop by the First President’s Park and walk into the gorge; the eco-post collects the park fee. Tengrinews (2022) describes 4–5 km of asphalt from the eco-post to the Kumbel Hotel and the upper barrier (cars can park there), then a trail past an unfinished substation; from the hotel to the meadow is 1–1.5 hours.

The traverse. You can cross the plateau: up from the Big Almaty eco-post and down to Ak-Bulak. Tengrinews puts it at 14.26 km, 1,020 m of ascent and 3–4 hours, graded medium. The descent to Ak-Bulak takes 40 minutes to an hour, and bus No. 12 takes you back to town. Tengrinews publishes GPX and KML tracks — download them, because Trekking Club notes that mobile coverage on the trail is patchy.

What you will see

• Picnic tables on the meadow, the classic lunch stop.
• Waterfalls — a short detour from the south side of the meadow leads to the Kok-Zhailau waterfall; Tengrinews also mentions the “Batareyka” falls 15–20 minutes from the tables on a hidden path to the left.
• The Three Brothers — rock towers taller than a person on the way to Kumbel peak, visible from the trail in good weather. Tengrinews suggests beginners turn around there.
• Kumbel peak — for strong hikers: 14.15 km one way, 28 km return, 1,987 m of ascent, 8–10 hours. Sources give its height as either 3,160 or 3,400 m.
• Wildlife — Wikipedia lists 105 bird species including the black stork and golden eagle, 145 species of butterflies, and spring flowers such as Ostrovsky’s and Zinaida’s tulips and the Alatau crocus.

When to go

Tengrinews recommends June to October. In July there is no snow and daytime temperatures run +15 to +25 °C (Trekking Club). In winter people come for backcountry skiing and snow hikes, with 0.5–1 m of snow in January. March and April are the risky months: warming and heavy snow on the gorge slopes create avalanche danger. There are a few clean springs on the route, but carry your own water.

Fees

If you start in the Big Almaty gorge you pass the Ile-Alatau National Park eco-post: 0.15 MRP per walker and 0.3 MRP per car under Order No. 232 — convert with our fee calculator. From the Small Almaty side, according to Trekking Club, there is no charge.

The ski resort question

Kok-Zhailau has been at the centre of a long fight over a ski resort. President Tokayev banned the earlier project on 29 October 2019. In May 2025 the idea returned at a government meeting on the Almaty mountain cluster: the Almaty Superski concept would cover Kumbel peak and Kok-Zhailau with more than 65 km of runs and 16 lifts (Bes.media). In June 2025 the tourism ministry said the land would stay in the national park, with no more than 2–3% used for commercial buildings.

Opponents cite erosion, pollution and depletion of aquifers. According to Wikipedia, a May 2023 Supreme Court decision created a buffer zone with stricter recreation rules, and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre recommended that Kazakhstan abandon the resort.

Nearby

• Medeu and Shymbulak — in the Small Almaty valley next door.
• Big Almaty Lake — up the Big Almaty gorge, walk-in only.
• Ile-Alatau National Park
• Nature near Almaty: 15 day trips.