Horseback riding to the upper reaches of the Kurmenty gorge -
Jeep tour of the Kolsai Lakes National Park -
Kurmeti village is a picturesque mountain village located at an altitude of 1700 meters above sea level in the valley of the Kurmenty River (the right tributary of the Shilik River), part of the Kolsay Lakes National Nature Park. The village serves as a starting point for a mountain route to the upper reaches of the Kurmenty mountain gorge. Up the gorge there is a country mountain road, which is accessible only for 4x4 high-traffic jeeps. This route is also suitable for a mountain hike on foot or on horseback. Horses can be rented in the village, and there are also guest houses where you can stay overnight. The village is located next to the famous and popular route to the Kolsay Lakes and Lake Kaindy. From the upper reaches of the gorge, where the village is located, you can make a mountain hike to the Kolsay gorge and descend to the lower Kolsay Lake (No. 1, first). Another equally interesting and picturesque village that is located in this area is the village of Saty, in this village there are also horse rental services and guest houses.
How to get there and visit -
The village of Kurmeti is located 300 kilometers from the city of Almaty, in the Kolsay Lakes National Nature Park, Kegen district, Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°01'20"N 78°17'30"E
Information -
Somewhere among the ridges of the northern Tien Shan, away from noisy highways and popular tourist trails, the village of Kurmeti is nestled - a place where time flows by its own laws, and life is still subject to the rhythms of nature. This is not just a point on the map, but a real portal to another world: here the mountains rise like a wall, the rivers sing ancient songs, and the air smells of smoke from stove pipes and the aroma of wild herbs. Here you will see wooden houses with sloping roofs, herds of horses grazing on the slopes, old people remembering the times when caravans with goods from China walked along these paths. In the summer, the village is buried in greenery, in the fall it blazes with red and gold colors, and in the winter it turns into a snowy kingdom, where the only traces on the fluffy cover are either hare paws or shepherd's boots. Nature is the main master here, around the village there are wild apple groves, thickets of sea buckthorn and rose hips, and higher up the slope there are coniferous forests where roe deer and lynx live. Life in the village is a slow immersion into the traditional way of life. The morning begins with the crowing of roosters and the clink of dishes in the house, where the hostess bakes flatbreads in the tandoor. During the day, men go to tend sheep or repair canals, an ancient irrigation system without which you can’t grow potatoes or barley in the mountains. In the evening, the entire village gathers at the only shop, where they drink tea with dried apricots and discuss the news – most often about the weather or the price of sheep. People come here not for comfort, but for authenticity. There are no hotels in Kurmeti – only guest houses with Kazakh hospitality: you will certainly be offered shubat, baursaks and a place at the dastarkhan. But there is something that has long been lost in the cities: silence broken only by the wind, stars that are so clearly visible as if you could touch them with your hand, and the feeling that you are at the end of the world.
The village of Kurmeti is not for everyone. But for those who are tired of falsehood and are looking for the real thing, this place will be a revelation. There is no Wi-Fi here, but there are heart-to-heart conversations to the sounds of the dombra. There is no asphalt, but there are paths leading to oneself.
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