[2025 Almaty Attraction] Travel Guide for Ile-Alatau National Park (Updated Mar)

For 10 unforgettable days, I wandered through the golden landscapes of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with my 5-year-old daughter by my side. Autumn had painted everything in shades of amber and gold, turning every path, mountain, and lake into a scene straight out of a storybook. We ran through open meadows, her tiny hand gripping mine as leaves crunched beneath our feet. She laughed as the wind caught her hair, and I smiled, realizing how rare and precious these moments were. We marveled at crystal-clear lakes reflecting the fiery colors of fall and sat quietly under towering trees, watching the world slow down just for us. This wasn’t just a trip—it was magic. A time when the beauty of nature and the simple joy of being together made the world feel warmer, brighter, and full of wonder.

#mountainhike Ready for a strenuous hike and adventure? Want to make it a day and head back to a big city after you’re done a hike? Look no further than Ile-Alatau NP! Ile-Alatau National Park is a fantastic spot for nature lovers just outside Almaty, Kazakhstan! This stunning park is home to amazing mountains, Big and green forests, and beautiful rivers. It’s the ULTIMATE place for hiking and exploring! You can see INCREDIBLE wildlife, like eagles (if you are lucky) and sheep, while enjoying the fresh mountain air. One of the park's highlights is Big Almaty Lake, with its bright blue water surrounded by majestic peaks. The trail to the lake is NO JOKE. Very steep, and one part you need to hold onto a water pipe to get yourself up! However, the views are breathtaking! Personally, visiting Ile-Alatau National Park is a great way to escape the city.

Almaty is a city surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Half an hour away from the city, take a cable car to the snow-capped mountains that never melt all year round - Ili Alatau National Park, which is also the other side of the Tianshan Mountains. 🚶🪂🚴 The sky is clear and blue, the top of the mountain is very cold, and there are many interesting and adventurous people along the way - hiking, paragliding, downhill cycling... Even if you take a cable car up and down all the way, you can still see the vast scenery; looking back at the mountain in the evening, there are also red sunsets and golden snow-capped mountains. 📍Aktau National Park/Shymbulak Ski Resort, Almaty🇰🇿

Almaty is really a great place for hiking! For example, the Ili Alatau Mountains⛰️ (Kunggoy Ala-Too, not the same as the one in Xinjiang) which is the closest to the city! In winter, this place is the famous "Qiongbulak Alpine Ski Resort⛷️", and in summer you can hike 🚶🏻‍♀️🚶‍♂️ through pine forests, streams, meadows and flowers. The view is great. The hiking routes are divided into "green line", "blue line" and "red line" to imitate ski trails. You can choose according to your ability. The longest route is more than ten kilometers, which is still very challenging. The entire route is served by a cable car, which is considered the blue line. The cable car can take you directly to a location of 3,200 meters. When you reach the top of the mountain, the glacier is just around the corner, and behind you you can see the entire Almaty Plain, which gives you an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. This is the favorite weekend destination for local young people, no doubt about it! There are a lot of couples traveling together, or groups of close friends. It is very interesting to bring food and sit on the grass by the stream, or to play in the water or have a tryst. 🌟【Transportation】 🚗Taxi from the city is a bit expensive, usually take bus No. 12🚌 (price 200 tenge/person), and take it to the end, which is the cable car station. This was also the venue for the Asian Winter Games held in Almaty a few years ago. 🌟【Cable Car】 🚡The cable car is divided into two sections. The first section goes from the foot of the mountain to the ski village in winter. It takes about 20 minutes to sit there. The round trip price for this section is 7,000 tenge per person, which is indeed a bit expensive, but I personally tested that it takes four hours to hike, and the road is quite steep. I saw online guides saying it only takes two hours to get there, but that probably requires a very strong person. The cable car on the mountain is actually a ski chairlift for winter. It is also divided into several sections, and the package price is 4,000 tenge per person. The ski slopes are now full of flowers, and the chairlift takes you through the flowers from the top of the pine forest. The top, at an altitude of 3,200 meters, is only a few hundred meters away from the snow line. 🌟【Route Suggestions】 ✅If you are in good physical condition and want to hike purely, it is recommended not to take the cable car at all, because the fork of the hiking route is just halfway through the first cable car, and several red lines will take you along the ridge to the nearby mountain top. ✅The most labor-saving option is of course the pure cable car. Just spend money to save effort, but you will miss the stream and pine forest along the way, but you can still see the sea of ​​flowers. ✅If you want to experience everything, you can do it on foot like me! Take the second section of the cable car, which is relatively economical and labor-saving. Watch the sunset at the top of the mountain and then take the cable car down. 🌟【Equipment】 Comfortable shoes🥾First; it is hot at the foot of the mountain and cold at the top, so it is best to wear quick-drying clothes and a jacket. If you are physically fit, it is recommended to bring your own water and food 🍞, because the cafes along the way and at the top of the mountain ☕️ have few options and are expensive.

#freehotelstay #mountains #autumn Ayusai is one of the must-visit place in the Ile Alatau National Park near Almaty, Kazakhstan. Especially it has gorgeous and breathtaking view of golden leaves of the fall, red and green pines and maples of mountains, and of course fresh air, sunshine and rain at the same time. The visit centre is located 15-minutes drive from Almaty city.