Tour to Lake Kedrovoe from Ridder, Kazakhstan's Altai
Lake Kedrovoe, an easily accessible spot in the Kazakh Altai, is easily accessible from the city of Ridder. The lake is a unique natural landmark of incredible beauty.
The water is warm, and in summer it's possible to swim in it, but not for long periods. A moraine lake, it's surrounded by a beautiful forest, where we'll spend the night.
Sunrise and sunset on the lake are unforgettable; you have to see them with your own eyes to truly appreciate the beauty of this region. The lake is part of a group of five lakes and is the largest; there's a route to the lakes located higher up. Lake Kedrovoe is 400 meters long, 150 meters wide, and 40 meters deep.
- Distance of the route:
500 km
- Season time:
July – September 3 months
- Best time:
June - August
- Group size:
not more 12 person
- Days & nights:
10 days - 9 nights
Tour itinerary:
Arriving in Almaty, we'll be met at the airport and transferred to the Kazzhol Hotel. We'll relax, have breakfast, and then go on a city tour, which will include a visit to the Park of 28 Panfilov Heroes, the Cathedral, the Museum of Musical Instruments, the National Museum of Kazakhstan, Republic Square (popularly known as New Square), and, of course, the Medeo National Park. We'll then return to the hotel, have dinner, and relax.
Almaty – Ust-Kamenogorsk – Ridder (170 km).
After breakfast, we'll fly to Ust-Kamenogorsk, which takes two hours. Upon arrival, we'll be transferred from the airport directly to Ridder. Along the way, we pass the villages of Sekisovka and Cheremshanka. Upon reaching Ridder, we have lunch at a local café.
After lunch, we head to the Gemma guesthouse, located forty kilometers from the city. Upon arrival at the guesthouse, we check in and rest. We have the remaining free time to explore the surrounding area. In the evening, we'll enjoy a Russian banya and delicious tea with genuine Altai honey. We'll have dinner and rest.
After breakfast, we'll hike to Lake Kedrovoe, located eight kilometers away. We'll initially follow a taiga road, which will gradually turn into a trail. We'll follow the West Altai Nature Reserve along the banks of the Palevaya Razlivanka River.
As we ascend higher, the vegetation will change, and the surrounding area will become more reminiscent of alpine tundra. Upon reaching the ridge, a picturesque view of the Black and White Uba Rivers opens up before us. We have lunch en route. Upon reaching our destination, Lake Kedrovoe, we set up camp, have dinner, and rest at an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level.
After breakfast, we set off for a walk around Lake Kedrovoe and to the rocks known as Stone Town. These are granite cliffs of various bizarre shapes. This is where the Belaya and Black Uba Rivers originate, eventually converging to form the larger Uba River. We have lunch and head back to our camp on the lakeshore. Upon returning, we have dinner and rest.
[Cherny Uzel]
After breakfast, we pack up camp and head to the "Cherny Uzel" tract, located eight kilometers from the lake. We'll ascend to the source of the Turgusun River. Throughout our climb, we'll enjoy a beautiful panorama of the Turgusun River and Vysheivanovsky Peak, which is located at an altitude of 2,778 meters above sea level.
We'll have lunch on the way. Our trail then follows several lakes to the Mezhozerny Pass. Upon reaching the "Cherny Uzel" tract, we set up camp at an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, have dinner, and rest.
After breakfast, we head to the next point of our hike – the Ozerny Pass, which is located nine kilometers from the "Cherny Uzel" tract. Our route will take us past picturesque Lake Palevoe and into the Pravaya Gromotukha River gorge to a mountain hut. We'll have lunch en route.
The rest of the route will take us past several lakes and forests, eventually leading us to the Ozerny Pass. Near the pass is a high-mountain lake, on whose shore we'll set up camp. We'll then go fishing, have dinner, and rest.
After breakfast, we begin the descent from the Ozerny Pass. After an hour's journey, we reach a picturesque waterfall. We'll have lunch en route. Then we'll descend to Lake Podbelkovoe. From the eastern side, we can see Vysheivanovsky Belok, which is located at an altitude of 2,778 meters above sea level. We'll set up camp on the lake shore, have dinner, and rest.
After breakfast, we pack up our campsite and head to the Palevaya Razlivanka River valley. Fourteen kilometers later, we reach the place where our car will be waiting for us, where we have lunch. Then, we return to the guesthouse. Afterwards, we are transferred to Ust-Kamenogorsk. After a 170-kilometer journey, we reach the city and check into a hotel. We have dinner and rest.
After breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for our flight from Ust-Kamenogorsk to Almaty. The flight takes two hours. Upon arrival in Almaty, we are transferred to the hotel and checked into our accommodations. Time to explore the city. We have dinner and rest at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport. Departure from Almaty.
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