Big Almaty Lake
The turquoise lake in the photograph every visitor has already seen, up in the mountains south of the city. There are two ways to get there: a taxi, which is the easy one, or a bus and your own legs, which costs almost nothing and takes most of the morning.
I have been up there, but years ago and by taxi, so I am not going to pretend the bus route below is mine. It comes from a short video by Sundet, posted on 23 September 2026, who took it that week and filmed every turn. The fares and the number of the bus are his, as he gave them. Bus routes and taxi prices change without telling anyone, so check the bus in your map app before you rely on it.
By bus, then on foot
- Start at Presidential Park and take bus 28 to the last stop. The fare is 120 ₸.
- At the last stop, local taxi drivers wait to take people up to the Edelweiss checkpoint, for around 1,500 ₸ a person.
- From the checkpoint you walk. It is about an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how fit you are.
- At the signpost, turn right and follow the pipes. That is the shortest way up, and you keep following them for most of the climb. There is a spring along the way where you can refill a bottle.
- Where the path splits, you can take the shorter trail, or carry on along the asphalt road to the right, which takes longer and gives you a different view.
- At the top, turn left and follow the trail past the camping area to the lake.
Sundet also offers, at the end of the video, to walk up with people and take their photographs. I do not know him, so that is between you and him — I am sending you to the video because it shows the route better than a paragraph of mine can.
By taxi
The drive up is the easy part, and it is the one taxi out of the city that I think buys a much bigger day. Order it on Yandex Go the way you would anywhere else in Almaty — the before-you-go page has the set-up. The road can be gated below the lake depending on the season, so check how far a car can get before you set off rather than counting on being dropped at the shore.
Keep walking above the lake
Most people stop at the shore, take the photograph and go back down. The better part of the day starts above it: the trail carries on towards the pass and the observatory, and the crowds fall away within twenty minutes. It is a longer and higher day than the walks closer to the city, so bring more water and more layers than the city makes you think you need.
Common questions
Can you get to Big Almaty Lake by public transport?
Most of the way. Bus 28 from Presidential Park to its last stop, a shared local taxi from there to the Edelweiss checkpoint, and then about an hour and a half to two hours on foot. In September 2026 that was 120 ₸ for the bus and around 1,500 ₸ a person for the taxi.
How long is the walk up to Big Almaty Lake?
From the Edelweiss checkpoint, about an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how fit you are. The shortest way follows the water pipes up the slope.
Is it easier to take a taxi to Big Almaty Lake?
Yes, and it is the one taxi out of the city that buys a much bigger day. How close to the lake a car can get depends on the season — the road can be gated below it — so check before you set off rather than counting on being dropped at the shore.
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