Price for 1 person: $100 / 1 person; $75 / 2 persons; $60 / 3 persons
Total time of the tour: 5 hours
Season: May-February
Hiking time: 4 hours
Driving time: 1 hours
Distance 6 km
Ascent +450 m
High altitude 2,200 m
The route begins in the Kim-Asar gorge. The Kim-Asar river is the right affluent of the Small Almaty river. The Small Almaty gorge is the most developed since the foundation of Ili Alatau mountains. Like a guard in front of the wide Medeo tract (1.690 m) stands Mohnatka hill (2.280 m), well seen of the city. In the most picturesque part of the gorge the unique manmade mudrock flow dam was erected. Its volume is equal to the Cheops pyramid. On the top is 830 steps. Dam in Small Almaty gorge rises just behind ice-trek complex Medeo. Two unique directed explosions were made to partition the gorge in 1966 for the protection of Almaty from mudslides. Hidraulic structures complex climbed to a height 0f 150 meters. On the south side of the dam is constructed great dam, and the river flows through a tunnel. In 1973, the dam kept catastrophic mudflows, which threatened the city.
If you walk all route “Panorama of Tien-Shan mountains” you can see the panorama of surprising beauty. In the south monumental Abay (4.010 m) and Nursultan (4.376 m) peaks, the Gorelnik gorge and Tuyuksu glacier with snow-covered peak Pogrebetckiy (4.231 m). In the west popular Kumbel (3.220 m) and Three Brothers (2.860 m) mounts with Kok Zhaylau plateau. In east Butakovka gorge with velvet of the Tien-Shan fur-trees and rushing waterfalls and also the Bukreev mount (3.010 m). In the north, as if on a palm – apple city Almaty.
Nursultan peak (till 1935 – Maloalmatinsky peak, then till 1997 Komsomol peak) – one of the symbols distinguishing the city of Almaty. It was renamed in honour of the first President of Kazakhstan.
Abay peak – three-headed red granite mountain, in the Maloalmatinsky spur of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge. Allegedly, before the earthquake of 1911, the top was one-headed. The northwest crest of the mountain forms in the Small Almaty gorge east range of the Tuyuksu Gate. The small glacier goes down from the north into the Chertovo (Devil’s) gorge where in a rocky palisade there is the Abay pass, connecting the the Small Almaty gorge with a circus of the Bogdanovich glacier. The peak received its name after the first ascent in 1933 (headed by G.Beloglazov). In a mass ascent in Abay’s honour in 1995, participated the first President of Kazakhstan N.Nazarbaev.
The Small Almaty gorge was the cradle of the Kazakhstan mountain climbing and mountaineering, therefore in “The Tuyuksu Gate” (the huge rocks blocking the way to a glacier), a memorial to “The Mountain Victims” was erected. At the height of 3.000 m there is the high-level Mynzhylki meteorological station. The gorge is limited by a group of the Tuyuksu glacier framed by a good dozen of magnificent peaks.
Price Includes:
- transportation (Almaty-mountains-Almaty),
- guide service,
- guide-translator,
- permit for visiting “Ile Alatau” National Park.
Not include:
- lunch.
You need to take:
- a small backpack (30 liters),
- trekking poles,
- raincoat (no matter what forecast is, it is better to take it),
- cap,
- sunglasses,
- camping mats for the rest,
- trekking shoes,
- lightweight sportswear.
- For hike in the high mountains of over 3,000 meters you should always take warm clothes, for other tours it depends on the weather forecast and season.
- Passport is needed during the hiking.
WhatsApp: +7-705-391-7744 (Yuriy)
E-mail: yushin_yurii@list.ru