Big Almaty Lake, Kazakhstan: Getting There, Trekking & Tours 2026

​

Recommended Almaty Travel Itinerary, Kazakhstan

Big Almaty Lake

Comparing Ways to Get There, My Trekking Experience

© Photos/Text by Hyery

And so begins another travel journal from your joyful global explorer, Hyery 🌏

During my trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan, the place I was most

excited about was undoubtedly Big Almaty Lake!

Its reputation for emerald waters nestled among the Tian Shan mountains

made it a must-see for me. This time, I decided to take a taxi and then trek

the rest of the way myself.

I'm excited to share how I got to the truly beautiful Big Almaty Lake,

and compare tour options for you! 💚

1. What Kind of Place is Big Almaty Lake?

Big Almaty Lake is a prime natural attraction located about

an hour's drive from Almaty city center. It's found at an altitude

over 2,500 meters above sea level!

2. How to Get to Big Almaty Lake

There are largely three ways to get up to Big Almaty Lake.

(Refer to the map: A is the bus stop, B is the hiking trail entrance, C is Big Almaty Lake)

​

1. Bus

The bus drops you off at A, but you have to walk all the way to C,

which is genuinely too far. Not recommended...

2. Taxi

City hotel > B via Yandex Go taxi: 3,500 Tenge

Big Almaty Lake entrance fee: 1,300 Tenge

B > A: 3,000 Tenge

A > City hotel: 2,500 Tenge

💸 Total: 10,300 Tenge (approximately ~$23)

🥾 Trekking time: 5 hours round trip

3. Tour

Highly recommended for those who dislike trekking or have limited travel time!!!

You can easily see the lake without any strenuous hiking.

Prices may vary depending on promotions and exchange rates.

Please check the price after clicking the booking link!

​

3. My Experience at Big Almaty Lake: Taxi & Trekking

As I generally enjoy trekking,

I didn't opt for a tour. Instead, I called a

Yandex Go taxi from in front of my hotel!

In addition to the taxi fare of 3,200 Tenge, I paid an

additional vehicle entrance fee of 1,300 Tenge at the checkpoint.

Cash payment wasn't possible, so I completed the payment with my travel wallet!

Taking a taxi up was great because it allowed me to bypass the bus stop

and get directly to the very beginning of the hiking trail.

💡 Essentials

Water bottle, light lunch, hiking shoes, arm sleeves

We visited in mid-July, and it was incredibly hot.

For water, make sure to buy some and bring it with you!

You can also fill up your water bottle near the trailhead 🚰

Also, the sun here is much stronger than in Korea, so I almost got sunburned.

Even if it's hot, definitely wear a windbreaker or arm sleeves...!

We officially started our hike at 9 AM!

There are two paths up, so you can choose whichever suits you:

1. The longer, gentler hiking trail

2. The direct path following the pipe (a shortcut)

​

We chose the path that follows the pipe.

The pipe path is steep, but it's a recommended route because the hiking time is much shorter, taking only about 2-3 hours one way!

I heard the longer, winding route takes over 4 hours...

​

As you ascend, you'll see such amazing views, so take breaks often and look back! 🥹

The difficulty? I'd say it's similar to climbing a staircase trail in Korea.

Midway, you can actually climb onto the pipe itself.

It's higher than you'd expect, but the advantage is you can ascend much faster...!

However, once you're on it, it's quite high, and coming down can be tricky, so be cautious if you have a fear of heights...

Everyone else was climbing onto the pipe, so even with my fear of heights, I followed suit.

But wow, it was so scary, I was trembling the whole way up!

What's more, as time passed, people started descending, and on that narrow pipe path, those coming down and those going up met, and I seriously almost fell!

It was genuinely terrifying, so when I spotted a place to get down midway, I quickly scrambled off and just continued climbing alongside the pipe instead ^^

Once I got off, the scenery actually looked a bit better, you know? ㅠ

Indeed, inner peace is what truly matters...

Rushing to the top isn't everything...

After the pipe path ends, hike for about another 30 minutes and then...

Finally, Big Almaty Lake starts to come into view !

​

After **about a 3-hour hike**, we finally arrived at **Big Almaty Lake** !

There were some steep sections,

but if you're someone who's done a fair bit of hiking back home,

I don't think the difficulty level will be too high.

It's much grander than it looks in photos,

and the color of the water is so beautiful, it was totally worth the climb !!

We departed at 9 AM and arrived around 12 PM,

just in time for lunch, so we enjoyed the sandwiches we'd prepared beforehand.

They tasted absolutely divine 🥪

Make sure to pack a simple lunch; it'll give you the energy you need for the descent!

Many people only visit the area directly in front of the lake,

but **if you climb the hill right behind it, you'll discover another incredible view,**

**so definitely make your way up there!**

There's even a swing built for two!

Being able to look down on the lake from above

offers a completely different perspective than seeing it from directly in front.

Many people even go backpacking on this hill.

For the descent, if you follow the **path next to the pipe**,

you can get down in **about 2 hours**.

Taking the roundabout way will take ages,

**so definitely stick to the pipe path for your descent!**

When you get back to the trailhead entrance where the taxi dropped us off,

you'll get internet signal, so Yandex Go (a ride-hailing app) does work.

However, taxis rarely come here on their own,

so people usually negotiate with waiting taxis to take them to the bus stop.

There are lots of taxis waiting to negotiate with you!

For the two of us, to get to the **bus stop**,

we managed to get a ride for **3,000 Tenge**.

Beware, there are scammers who will quote 25,000 Tenge to go all the way to the city center.

I thought it was 2,500 Tenge at first, lol;;;

If you take a taxi down to the bus stop,

you can catch a Yandex taxi here!

We couldn't catch a taxi even from there, so we paid 200 Tenge

to take a bus a bit further down, and then caught another taxi.

I'm quite fond of hiking,

but for those who are new to hiking or don't particularly enjoy it,

I definitely recommend going with a tour!

​

Having seen it in person, it was even more beautiful.

Introducing Big Almaty Lake,

I'll wrap up today's post here 💚

​

​