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Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (9) This is an absolute must do! Perched above Bolshoe Almatinskoe Lake, is the Tien Shan Observatory. Anyone can stay hear there is accommodation. We stayed overnight. We paid 30USD for a lift up and back from Almaty. The accommodation was 50USD for the double, which included plenty of food. We paid another 10USD for an English speaking guide there. Anatoly (our guide) is a Russian Astronomer who had spent many years working in the US at an Observatory in Colorado, so he spoke fluent English. He showed us how everything worked. We got to look through the telescope at Mars. The best time to view the planets is before sunrise, and when we got up at 5am unfortunately it was pouring down with rain, so we missed out. The Observatory is funded by the guests that stay there as the Kazakh government refuses to give it any money.
Some people may be disappointed at the Telscope view, but the trip was enjoyable. The last bit of the drive up is rocky. Our Lada 4WD nearly didnt make it, and it had to rest for an hour. It is an extremely scenic drive to and from Almaty.
For more information contact the Director of the Observatory- Dr Kenes S.Kuratov, (his email address is below). He speaks basic English. The website below is also quite useful. Leave a Comment
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Charyn Canyon is a full day trip from Almaty. We caught a taxi at the Sayakhat Bus Station for the day for 80USD which was cheap when we went to a travel agent the day before they quoted 160USD. It took about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours each way to get there. Our taxi was air conditioned. Our taxi driver had one cassette which we listened to over and over. 1 side had Louis Armstrong, the other Tupac Shakur!! Very unusual combination!
It is very hot here in summer.
Once you turn off the main road, there was a Park fee of 500 Tenge. Then you follow a dirt road for about 10kms to find the Canyon. You walk down the side (there is a path). Then just keep walking down to the river. It is a picturesque spot. A few people camping there. We did run into a couple of groups of Americans. One guy was pushing a pram with a baby in it!! Needless to say he didn't look happy. Must have been tough getting it down into the Canyon. Leave a Comment
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This is an amazingly picturesque place. The lake is frozen from November to June and only takes on its famous turquoise tinge once the silt of the summer's meltwaters have drained away. It is also an excellent bird watching spot.
If you want to trek to Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, this is your starting point! You can even hike up the gorge to the lake from Almaty if you like, but it will take you a day!
The lake is located about 30kms south of Almaty. Drive towards Medeu and keep following the road into the mountains. You will need a 4WD, as it isnt surfaced all the way. Leave a Comment
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FORTUNE TELLING IN ALMATY... Ladies like this one shake and then toss a handful of beans, answering your questions based upon how they fall... Leave a Comment
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This museum was a very pleasant surprise. It's located in a rustic building in Panikov park near the city center. Inside is an incredible collection of musical instruments from Kazakhstan and virtually every other country in central Asia. Unfortunately there is no information in English, but the exhibits are fascinating nonetheless. The most interesting feature of my visit, however, was a concert played for me by one of the guides. An accomplished musician, she played and sang for almost a half hour on a variety of instruments for a modest fee of about $10. Unfortunately she had only a few words of English or German and narrated her concert in Russian, but it was a wonderful and uplifting experience all the same.
The only drawback was that I purchased a CD that I thought would be the instruments she played but turned out to be a rather old recording of a folk orchestra., but this is more the fault of my lack of Russian than deliberate deception. In any case, I'd recommend skipping the CD, but the mini-concert was really a highlight of my visit .
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Did you ever wonder where was the original location of Snow White's seven dwarfs? Well, I am sure this won't settle the issue but I found another candidate among Kaz mountains :-) Leave a Comment
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I arrived into Almaty on April 2, 2008 which was also the same day that the Olympic torch, for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, started its way around the globe. This was a great day for Almaty and Kazakhstan because for the first time in history Almaty had the honor to be the initial city on the schedule for the Olympic Torch Relay.
Although I did not get to see it, everyone in town was talking about it. In fact our taxi ride from the airport to the hotel encountered less than normal traffic because thousands of people went to see the Olympic Torch carried down the streets of Almaty.
The start of this relay began in the Medeu Valley at the famous Medeu Skating Rink.
The next day as I was driven up to see the skating rink and the dam we could see all of the signs and the safeguards that had greeted the spectators and the torch bearers alike.
It was a very joyous time in Almaty.
Almaty made a bid for the 2014 Olympic Games but came up short. However, they will be hosting the 2011 Asian Winter Games. So Almaty is gaining experience and probably one day will be host for an Olympic Games.
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This is the place to come to enjoy some of the shows available almost all year round inside the "tent" or if you want to just hang around, practice some shooting, walk along the trees or enjoy an exciting ride on a camel or circus horses whose traineers can teach you a few tricks, just ask for Ramiz, Chinguiz or "Jackie Chan" :) Leave a Comment Other Contact: Abai St.
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About four hours drving east of Almaty, alongside the Altau Range on your right, you can get to Kegen and the Karkara valley that marks the border with Kyrgyzstan.
North of Kegen it is possible to visit the Charin Canyon, (€10), which is a quite spectacular geological surprise, a canyon, similar to those of Nevada, in the middle of Central Asia!
We headed south towards the Kyrgyz border on our way to Karakol, but I know that many Amaty based companies organize tours to Charin.
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