Mountain hike to
Big Almaty Lake (BAL)

Big Almaty Lake: hiking program


🍴 Food - Snack from home / Lunchboxes from guide (extra charge).

🕒 Time -8/9 hours. Distance 14 km both ways.

🌞 Weather - +25°C to -15°C depending on time of year. It is recommended to wear layers.

💲 Price per tour - Standard Tour (mountain guide; Group up to 6 people) - from 45 000 tenge.

💲Additional price for entrance tickets to the national park.

Transfer from the place of accommodation is possible (extra charge)

✔ Any tour can be changed according to your wishes.

08.00
08.00
Meet with a Guide
Meeting at a designated place or transfer from the accommodation (extra charge)
08:40
08:40
Ozernoe Gorge, Ayusay
We leave the car at the post, and begin the ascent to the lake BA.
13:00
13:00
Big Almaty Lake (2500m)
After climbing Japanese steps we go to Shukur Gorge, as the main road to BAO goes along the road, the guide will show you more picturesque place. After climbing up Shukur the view of the lake opens from the side
17:00
17:00
Return to the Ayusai parking lot
Transfer to Almaty.

Big Almaty Lake (BAL)

One of the most beautiful lakes of the Trans-Ili Alatau is conveniently located for tourists. If all other pearls of the Tien Shan are located at a sufficient distance from the city, the BAO is only 15 km from the city of Almaty, above the gorge of Alma-Arasan.

Big Almaty Lake is located in the border area with Kyrgyzstan, and is a regime facility, as it serves as a source of fresh water for the city.

The characteristics of the lake are:
  • location altitude - 2,510m ,
  • length - 1.6 km,
  • width - 750 m to 1 km,
  • depth - about 40 m.
From Big Almaty Lake you can see the mountain peaks - Peak Sovetov, Peak Tourist and Peak Ozerny, as well as the famous pyramid - Big Almaty Peak, which has a height of 3,681m.

Until recently it was possible to get to the observation platform of the lake by car through the mountain serpentine and dam, but because of the construction of another dam in March 2020 the passage was closed, so the hike to the Big Almaty Lake (BAO) is now on foot.

We will ascend by off-road vehicle up to a height of 1700 m and then hike along the Ozernoye Gorge and then along the Shukur (Chukur) Gorge. The distance of the campaign is about 8 km one way, the level of complexity is low, no special skills or equipment is required.

There are certain rules of conduct on BAL - it is forbidden to bathe, fish, and in general to go down to the water. Prohibited passage of vehicles, walking animals. You don't need any special permits to be near the Big Almaty Lake, but you should have your ID card or passport.

Big Almaty lake is an incredibly picturesque place. The purest mountain air, careful observation of the cleanliness around will allow you to enjoy the mountain beauty. Alma-Arasan Gorge, through which the route is passed, is beautiful in any season of the year - green in summer and stunning contrasting bright colors in fall.

Above the Big Almaty Lake, 2 km up the mountain path, there is the Tien Shan Observatory. There is a hotel and an opportunity to look at the stars through a telescope, but it is necessary to be specified and booked.

The guide has a mountain hiking instructor certificate and first aid certificate, so you can feel safe and enjoy the hike.

The mountains are a place of high danger, we recommend not to hike alone, it is better to rely on an experienced instructor.

Where to go on a mountain hike:

Where you can go on a jeep tour:

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