Big Almaty lake: recreation, address, photo

If you are a fan of extremerest, hiking, you get pleasure from the unknown, then go to the Big Almaty Lake. Once you get to it, you will already experience such emotions that you will remember them after a long time. The fact is that part of the road will have to be traversed on foot, since not all cars are able to overcome steep climbs. Therefore, you must be physically hardy to decide on such a route. But the species opening from above are worth it.

What is this lake?

It was formed as a result of many yearsthe action of the glacier, gradually leaving here. He, retreating, left a heap of various detrital material - the so-called moraine: the earth, stones, gravel. Over time, melt water gradually filled the hollow, which formed after the glacier. In the last century, in the sixties, a whole cascade of hydroelectric power stations was built in this gorge, and, accordingly, water fence structures were installed here.

In 1977, these places were attacked by arable land, and inbeginning of the eighties, the natural dam was strengthened, and its height was increased by eight to ten meters. The possibility of destruction, thus, was eliminated. Since that time, the Big Almaty Lake has always been pleased with our views. And from its shores a real enchanting panorama of mountains with peaks shining from the snow opens.

Description of the lake

2 511 meters above sea level - at this heightthis lake is located. Its length is about 1,600 meters, the width reaches one kilometer, and the depth in some places reaches 35 meters. In summer, the temperature of the water sometimes rises to 10-12 degrees, which, given the height, is not surprising. The Big Almaty Lake is located closer to the city of Almaty than other mountain reservoirs. It is located at a distance of only 28.5 kilometers south of the capital.

The lake is part of the Ile-Alatau National Park. The coastline is three kilometers away, there is a very large volume of water mass: 14,000,000 m³. In February and August each year up to 20 metersthe recorded value of the water level fluctuates. The lake is considered to be very popular, ideal for recreation. There are plenty of places to stay over here, and there is no point in mentioning the beauty of nature once again. There is only one difficulty - the road, but it is passable.

We visit the Big Almaty lake: how to get to this paradise?

Leads to this beautiful place is not bad, inmostly dirt road. At desire it is possible for half an hour from microdistrict "Orbit", the former capital of Kazakhstan, by the car to reach the goal. But the best memory will remain if you dare and decide to walk on foot. In this case, you need to get to a little above the ring road on Navoi Street and Al-Farabi Avenue, to the bus stop No. 93 and No. 28.

If you are going on a hike during the weekend,it is advisable to get out of the house early, or you'll have to "storm" the vehicle, since many more people want to rest in the countryside than one unit of public transport can take away. Especially because the flights for some reason are not enough. In case you were lucky and managed to get on the bus, you should get to the final flight number 28 or to the stopping point "Second Hydroelectric Station" - numbers 93. Further on foot along the road you will have to go somewhere about 15 kilometers. Far from it, of course, but it's worth it.

What you can see if you go higher

The beauty of the pond we are discussing is still a bitwait, and we'll see that in these places can still please the look. So, in front of us is the Big Almaty Lake. How to get to it, we have already learned, at least, examined in detail one of the options. If you walk north from the dam, you will see a magnificent view: at an altitude of 4 317 meters - the peak of the Soviets, located in the southeast. In the event that you go along the river valley up to the south, at an altitude of 4 110 meters there will be the Ozerny peak. If you move from the reservoir to the south-west, climbing to 3 954 meters, you will find wooded slopes of the famous Tourist peak.

Even from the city you can see the West of the Touristpyramid. It is 3,681 meters high, it is the crest of the summit of Greater Almaty. There is the strength to go higher - rise to 2,700 meters. Once over the bowl of the blue lake, you will enter a glacial valley, very ancient, where the settlement of the observatory with domes is located, very spectacular in appearance. And above, next to the Zhasylkezen Pass, climbing to 3,300 meters, you will see a space station that studies various light rays.

Most of the way - by car, then - by foot

Although it is believed that you can get to the lake bycar, but still most travelers do not want to lose all opportunities to get maximum impressions of walking through these marvelous places. Basically, tourists pass a part of the way by car or book a bus tour. Most often, however, they negotiate with taxi drivers. A trip to the lake takes the whole day. Do not try to speed up the road, it will be eight or ten hours. In general, by car we reach the famous Navoi ring, and from this place we move to the mountains.

We will tell in more detail how to get to BigAlmaty lake. Before you, shortly after the start of recovery, there will be an ecological post, located in front of the fork in Almaarasan and the lake itself. The fare is paid, the cost is 350 tenge per person, which is approximately 106 Russian rubles. Before reaching the water supply pipe of the city somewhere one kilometer, it is best to get out of the car and continue the journey on foot.

Continuation of travel

Now you can uncover the camera and shoot everythingthe beauty around you. And there are many of them here. When there are two hundred meters left before the beginning of the pipe, you will meet another barrier. If you continue your journey by car, you will have to shell out for 3 000 tenge (this corresponds to approximately one thousand rubles). This is the beginning of your hiking road to the Big Almaty Lake, very difficult, to be honest. It is possible (and this method is the easiest) to go through the pipe. In this way you will have to overcome only three kilometers to the lake. But the pipe is often freshly painted or slippery. In this case, you need to go along the road - about eight kilometers up.

So let's go. A steep climb is overcome in 30 minutes, then the terrain is more shallow. You can go and enjoy the climbing, the beauty around, the pine fresh air. For a while, you stop looking, and sooner or later a miracle happens - you approach the long-awaited lake, the water of which has the color of sapphire. Along the way, here for rest, you can make a small picnic, refresh yourself, gather with forces, relax under the firs, explore the nearby hills and make a photo session.

What attracts tourists to the lake?

Rising to the pond, immediately notice the wild,unapproachable beauty of these places. There is no, fortunately, no rafts, no cafes, no beaches. You can see besides, of course, the lake, only the trees and rocks and let the wind feel. Therefore, it is advisable to bring a thermos with tea, a rug, a scarf and a sweater. What it is necessary to organize, having risen on the Big Almaty lake? Rest, which you will certainly need after a very long recovery. To do this, you need all the catechumens a little higher a list of items.

And travelers always take food with them. If you climb here two times - in winter and summer, you can see how the lake has changed: from turquoise-blue it became light green. Moreover, in winter it sometimes freezes. The view from here at this time of the year is not less fascinating than in the summer. No wonder some tourists prefer to visit the pond in January, and not in July.

Recreation places

Going to the Big Almaty Lake, littlewho thinks about the lodging, about the further journey. Usually everything ends with the contemplation of the surrounding beauty, the water body itself. Some people, despite the cold and windy climate, stay here for the night. There are people who spend many days in these places. Some of them equip the night on the shore, are in tents, some move further - about two kilometers away is the astronomical Tien-Shan Observatory.

In it you can see the sky, the stars. Very close to the hotel there is a hotel where you can stop to observe the sky through the telescope at nightfall. You can negotiate with the administration and that you have an excursion around the observatory. Yes, there is also a dining room.

Summary

Those who come here only once in their lives,try to visit more interesting places. Arriving at the right address (Karasai District, Kazakhstan), they inspect all the natural beauties. To begin with, explorers explore the Big Almaty Lake as much as possible. The photos taken here after the trip still remind us of the pristine beauty of nature and surprise the people who were not on the lake yet.

And what kind of view opens from here! The most beautiful mountain landscape is the Prohodnoe gorge, the Big Almaty peak and the Tourist peak. Both are climbing. Having visited these high places, it is possible to find yourself in the largest city of Kazakhstan in just one and a half hours with all its goods and entertainment.