Lakes (Spring in Kazakhstan – 2014)

Big Almaty Lake

Big Almaty Lake is about 15 kilometers far from Almaty. It is really scenic place. As it is located quite close to the city, you can use your car or a taxi to get there. The road is asphalted till the lake. The entry is paid, but quite cheap (less then 2 EUR per person).

The lake is located at the height of 2510 meters above sea level. Be careful, you’ll have to make the grade. On your way up, you should keep an eye on engine coolant temperature. On your way down, you should use engine braking to avoid brakes overheating.

Balkhash Lake

Balkhash Lake is the largest undrained reservoir after Caspian and Aral seas. The isthmus divides the lake into two parts. part is semi-saline, the other is fresh. It is hard not to notice the lake on the way from Karagandy to Almaty, because half of this way is located on the lakeshore 🙂

The lake and its outskirts are beautiful.

Bartogay Reservoir

Located on the way to Sharyn Canyon. It is attractively beautiful and clean. This reservoir is considered to be natural ecologically clean area, because there are no pollution sources nearby.

Kapchagay Reservoir

It is of the most favourite resorts for Almaty people. You can find a lot of different water attractions here. Wild beaches, bungalows, aqua park, riding water scooters and banana rides. Take your family and friends and spend some time on the beach instead of rushing through sights.

There are quite a lot of off-road fans in Almaty. Some of these fans are professionals and some of them are amateurs 🙂 That’s what we saw on the beach. Off-road-ready Land Cruiser decided to get to the small island by water (not very deep of cause). Snorkel helped him to get there. Then Land Cruiser Prado did the same, and even though it was usual town car (not prepared for off-road), it could cross the water slowly. more Prado decided to make some splashes during his run… and died in the middle of his way 🙁 First Cruiser winched him to the island. Hope he will be ok after drying… So if you’re off-road fan, please cross rivers slowly! 🙂

Flights to Almaty:

Hotel prices in Almaty: