Almaty Highlights: Butakov Waterfall, Auyl, Shymbulak & Kok Tobe
Description
Discover Almaty’s top mountain highlights on a full-day tour combining nature, culture, and stunning views. Meet your guide at 9:00 AM in front of the Abay Opera House and travel to Ile-Alatau National Park. Visit the Butakovka Visit Center before hiking through scenic pine forests to Butakovka Waterfall (about 1 hour each way). Guests who prefer not to hike can relax at the Visit Center and enjoy the mountain scenery. After the hike, enjoy free time for lunch at Auyl Restaurant (lunch is not included), a unique mountain restaurant with panoramic views of the Small Almaty Gorge. Continue to Medeu, one of the world's highest mountain skating rinks, then ride the cable car to Shymbulak Mountain Resort for free time to explore and take photos. Finish the day at Kok Tobe, Almaty’s most famous viewpoint, offering spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains before returning to the city center.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Butakovka Waterfall, one of the largest waterfalls near Almaty. Located at an altitude of around 2,100 meters above sea level, the waterfall drops from rocky cliffs with a height estimated between 15 and 30 meters. During the warmer months, visitors can enjoy the refreshing mountain air and cool mist from the cascading water, while in winter the waterfall transforms into a spectacular wall of blue ice.
Lunch at Auyl Restaurant, a unique mountain restaurant inspired by a traditional Kazakh village. Enjoy panoramic views of the Small Almaty Gorge, take photos, explore the grounds, and relax over lunch (at your own expense).
Medeu is a mountainous sports complex located in the elevated valley of Medeu, at an altitude of 1,691 meters above sea level. Here's how to spend time in this place. The first option is to climb to the top of the dam using the Stairs of Health. The second option is to rent ice skates and glide on the ice rink; this opportunity is available until April, while the rink is operational.
Shymbulak is renowned for its stunning mountain vistas. Travelers will be immersed in the awe-inspiring landscapes of the Tien Shan Mountains. Whether it's the snow-covered peaks in winter or lush meadows in summer, the scenery is breathtaking year-round. We will ascend to the highest point of Shymbulak via the cable car. Shymbulak ski resort consists of three levels: the Base Station, the Middle Station, and the Upper Station, where you can take numerous photos against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Additionally, you can enjoy lunch at one of the cafes or restaurants of your choice at the base stations. Lunch is not included in the tour price.
Koktobe Mountain offers some of the most spectacular panoramic views of Almaty and the surrounding landscapes. Travelers can witness the city's skyline, the vast steppe, and the majestic Zailiyskiy Alatau mountains. The ascent is facilitated by special buses that operate from the parking area at the base of the mountain.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(9)
Many thanks to our Tour Guide Aseem for taking such good care of Us. The itinerary was so nicely planned that we got more than ample time at each location even though we covered a lot of locations in a single day.
Our tour guide was very accommodating. Explained everything exactly. We were able to gain a lot of impressions. I would recommend this trip to anyone
We had a fantastic time travelling with Adam on this trip. His kindness, knowledge about all the places and flexibility, really impressed us. Keep up the good work.
Adam was a great guide with a lot of knowledge. He patiently showed us around with all the historical events..it was an awesome day in Almaty.
In fact, not many tourist points inside Almaty (maybe a theme park helps). Anyway, the tour covers nearly all the main attractions.
Yerkin was very nice and knowledgeable. We went to beautiful places and learned a bit of history. Before the trip, he told us how to prepare, which was very helpful. I highly recommend booking him if you visit Almaty.
From start to finish a great experience. Yerkhin was promptly responsive with any messages beforehand. The tour itself was well planned and not rushed, with a good insight into Kazakhstan culture and it's history. Yerkhin provided with some rain coats for those who needed when it was snowing. All 3 of us have amazing memories from this day. Thank you Yerkhin.
Yerkin was a really nice tour guide. He explained to the history of Almaty and brought us to places where locals goes. If ever you go to Almaty make sure to book him.
Amazing Experience! This tour was so great to go on, I would definitely recommend it to anyone that visits Kazakhstan. We had no idea what to expect but definitely we are excited to experience snow for the first time. When we arrived,we were warmly inform of our iterinary by our Tour Guide Yerkin.Upon meeting him we felt welcomed and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start! The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible (appreciate this!) and for that he deserves a special thanks. We had one whole day there, which obviously also added up to the experience. Yerkin is such a warm personality and highly motivated guide (recommendable!). We truly enjoyed walking through the area. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relieve to walk in such astonishing view. The atmosphere is so special that it really felt like home to all of us. All respect for Yerkin who does a great job there; a true sample of excellent tour guide! Many thanks again and I recommend Tour Guide Yerkin to everyone!
Thank you, Michael and Jerilean. It was nice to meet you 🙏
