Big Almaty Lake: Stunning Alpine Escape

Explore Butakovskiye Waterfalls on a scenic hike through Ile Alatau. Discover two stunning waterfalls in a 4-5 hour adventure.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Big Almaty Lake - Duration: 6-7 hours
    Difficulty: Moderate
    Distance: Approximately 10 km round trip
    Elevation gain: About 600–800 meters
What's Included
  • National parks entrance fees
  • Hiking sticks
  • English speaking guide
  • Hotel Pick-up and drop
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
Additional Information

Big Almaty Lake is a breathtaking alpine lake nestled in the Zailiyskiy Alatau mountain range, situated at an elevation of approximately 2,800 meters. Renowned for its pristine turquoise waters and sweeping mountain vistas, this hidden treasure provides an ideal one-day retreat into the natural world. The trail leads adventurers through alpine meadows,…

Location
Big Almaty Lake
Ili-Alatau National Park
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(17 Ratings)
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Vanraj
Nov 5, 2025
Great trip - once in life time experince , we booked for 10 km hiking but due to weather condition we hike around 18 kms root was 12% straight climb so might be difficult fo beginners but if have good fitness it was too good ,seenic view , worth it . But please be prepared for cold weather so take your all tools .all over very good experience .Guide were very polite,attentive and caring. Must do trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Idamariev2014
Nov 1, 2025
Big thumbs up 👍🏼👍🏼 - I joined this tour with my sister, even though I have limited hiking experience. The hike was quite challenging (about 1 km elevation, but the view of the lake made it all worthwhile. The tour guides were amazing and friendly too! They took good pictures of us with the lake.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Athif123
Oct 30, 2025
Amazing - Wonderful hiking with Amazing guide Mr.Nurz . He is very cool and takecare of ourselves with full safety measures. He is a down to earth person. He explain the complete story behind the Almatu lake
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Suzanne125
Oct 30, 2025
A Must-Try Experience! - It was a wonderful hiking experience, not to mention the attentive and patient tour guide Nurzhan who made our trip extra memorable and comfortable, making sure all of us are well taken care of. We are here end of October and the water in Almaty Lake is so beautiful in blue!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pathfinder727670
Oct 28, 2025
Excellent hike to Big Almaty Lake - Excellent experience to Big Almaty Lake today with our guide Saida! Beautiful hike up to the lake on mainly a paved road ~5 miles each way. Saida made sure we were well taken care of walking up and back and very engaging to talk to about Big Almaty Lake as well as Almaty and Kazakhstan. A very enjoyable day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cyril
Oct 17, 2025
Wonderful day at Almaty Lake - Challenging hike to the beautiful Almaty Lake. The guides provided us with an amazing day. The weather was sunny and cool. It was a perfect day for a hike.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yi
Oct 15, 2025
Worth the day spent here :D - Nurzhan & Zhandos are both amazing guides , they are so passionate in their work and very patient with me while hiking big Almaty lake. They are very knowledgeable too! And I love that they come and pick us up at our residence / hotel. Highly recommended!
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Culture09004462804
Oct 14, 2025
Amazing lake - Amazing color of the lake. Despite I have seen many lakes in many countries already, this one was impressed. It’s a must see, especially at this time of the year. Thanks a lot to the great tour guide Zhandos
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Compass03135975829
Oct 14, 2025
Great tour thanks to the best guides! - We had a great time during this tour mainly thanks to the wonderful guides Zhandos and Nurzhan. They were very kind, helpful and made everything fun! The lake view and surroundings were amazing. Highly recommend booking this tour with this company. We also visited Altyn Emel on another day with the same company and everything went smoothly also.
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Geoid30
Oct 5, 2025
Terrific tour, amazing views of lake in October. - Had a great time! Went solo and joined others (total 4 people). It took about 1hr to get there and then we hiked the shortcut way (5km with 500m incline) to the lake, too about 2hrs. We had plenty of time at the lake to take in the views and take photos. We were provided with water and a snack. And really enjoyed everyone’s company. I’d highly recommend as it’s one of the few tours that hike to & from the lake. There’s also an option to hike the 10km route along the road instead of the 5km shortcut which has a more gentle incline.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $50
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).