Private Big Almaty Lake Hiking Tour with alternatgive Pipeline
Overview
Available languages
8 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
First, we will visit Big Almaty Lake, which is about a 1.5-hour drive from Almaty City. On the way to the lake, you will observe the beautiful mountains, crowded pine trees, and landscape. Upon arriving at The Big Almaty Lake, you will wonder how it was formed as a Big Lake on the top of the mountain hundreds of years ago. Big Almaty Lake is a natural alpine reservoir. It is located in the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, 15 km south of the center of Almaty in Kazakhstan. The lake is 2511 meters above sea level. During the exploration of the lake, everyone would easily notice the color of the lake change according to the intensity of sunlight from light blue to heavy dark.
Next, our journey takes us to the Alma-Arasan Gorage. You will see a river that comes from the spring on the top of the mountain and be astonished by its pureness. We will hike along the river for around 1km.
Then, we will discover the Ayusay Gurge.
Finally, we are going to First President Park.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
What To Expect
Big Almaty Lake
It is our first stop and the main part of the journey, We will explore the distinctive Big Almaty Lake, located on the top of Alatau mountains at an altitude of 2500m above sea level. you will wonder about the unparalleled power of the unique nature. Big Almaty Lake is a natural alpine reservoir.
Alma-Arasan Gorge
We will visit Alma-Arasan Gorge, there is a river that comes from the spring on the top of the mountain, you will get to know what pure spring water looked and tasted like several centuries ago. We will hike around 1 km along the river and explore the view inside the valley.
Options
Hike 6km up to the Lake & down
Hiking to 6km to the Lake: We will hike 6km up to the lake for 2-3 hours and go down for around 2-3 hours. Great opportunity for hike enthusiasts. Duration: 6 hours Pickup included
Direct drive to the lake
Direct drive to the lake: In this option, we will directly drive to the lake viewpoint from the second gate by transferring to a special taxi. Pickup included
What‘s Included
Bottled Water
All Entrance Fees for all tourist attractions
English-speaking tour guide
Airport or Hotel pick-up/drop-off.
Comfortable SUV vehicle
Parking Fees
Lunch
Customer's own expense
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
4 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Big Almaty lake hike
Jet39454154478,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great little hike with spectacular views. My guide Erasyl was great, we chatted the whole way and had a good laugh. I recommend taking the pipeline track as it is more challenging and fun than the road, but make sure you have good hiking boots or shoes with good tread and grip, as it was quite icy in some spots
Amazing view
Joseph R,Oct 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide was awesome! A very honest and funny tour guide who holds great conversation and is very easy to communicate with. He led us through the mountains for a once in a lifetime view! Highly recommend booking this trip. Bring good hiking shoes!
Rewarding hike - hard work buy worth it!
rossmL8169WY,Apr 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A challenging but rewarding hike. The views of the frozen lake and the mountains were amazing. Tang was a great guide and enthuisiastic to support my experience. A fantastic day out.
Brilliant tour! HIGHLY recommend.
Zobaida E,Apr 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Really fantastic tour! Our tour guide, Erasyl, was incredibly kind and really made sure we enjoyed our experience. He catered to the whole tour based on our needs and made us feel very comfortable. We are 3 young girls travelling so the whole experience was very safe and enjoyable for us. We would recommend this tour to our friends and anyone visiting Almaty! Brilliant tour!! From the start the communication was very good and he was waiting for us as the pick up point on time! We felt very comfortable and he helped us with our whole Almaty experience.
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