Big Almaty Lake Tour (BAO)

Moving along Al-Farabi Avenue, we will turn right towards the mountains and drive along Navoi Street. The road to the Great Almaty Lake will pass by many restaurants for every taste. We will pass the dam, which was built in four years (1976-1980). Its height is forty meters and its length is 422 meters. In 1977, a large mudslide occurred, and thanks to this dam, the city of Almaty (then Alma Ata) remained intact. After driving about a kilometer, we reach the territory of the second hydroelectric power station, here the road goes in a straight line into the Alma-Arasan gorge, and we turn left towards BAO.

The construction of a Cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Bolshaya Almatinka River was envisaged by the GOELRO plan back in 1920. With the outbreak of World War II, the USSR State Defense Committee decided to build a cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Bolshaya Alma-Ata River to provide electricity to factories and enterprises evacuated from the European part of the USSR.
The design and preparatory work were started by the Leningrad branch of the Institute "Gidroproekt" in 1942, and from April 1943, the construction of the first power plants began directly. The construction was carried out using the folk construction method, which was attended by over 6 thousand residents of the city, military personnel, and prisoners.

Regarding the prisoners during the construction of the hydroelectric power station, Japanese prisoners of war did not participate in the construction of the hydroelectric power station. All the Japanese prisoners of war did in the Great Almaty Gorge was to harvest stone in the vicinity of the current dam. Soviet prisoners, free settlements, and "chemists" participated in the construction of the cascade of hydroelectric power plants and related structures, for whom a colony-settlement was built in the vicinity of the First hydroelectric power plant from capital brick and stone barracks houses, a canteen and kitchen, a medical unit, a club and a punishment cell.

By the way, the punishment cell exists to this day, on the territory of the former colony-settlement, consists of a common corridor and four chambers measuring 4 x 2, with massive metal doors, in the chambers there is a small window, a stove. In the mid-70s of the XX century, the colony-settlement was converted into a holiday home "Kommunalnik", which began to be destroyed in the early 2000s.

The work during the construction of the cascade of hydroelectric power plants was poorly mechanized and all labor-intensive operations were carried out almost manually. In October 1953, the First Ozernaya hydroelectric power station was put into operation with three Italian Ansaldo San Giorgio units, which are still operating. The first HPP is the highest-pressure hydroelectric power station in the entire territory of the former USSR (H = 532 m).

With the commissioning of the Second hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 14.3 MW in July 1959, the construction of hydroelectric power plants using the energy potential of the Great Almaty Gorge was completed. In 1947, a highway was built from the site of the Second hydroelectric power station to the First hydroelectric power station, along which the first semi-trucks passed, delivering construction materials and cargo for hydroelectric power plants and hydraulic structures.
A pipe runs down from the western slope of the ridge, supplying water to the turbine blades of the power plant, and the village of power engineers is located below. There are many different opinions about the participants in the construction of the cascade of hydroelectric power plants. A massive metal pipe, 2.5 meters in diameter, has been laid from Bolshoy Almaty Lake, which is connected first to the First hydroelectric power station, then stretches along the upper part of the western slope of the gorge to the second hydroelectric power station.

Meanwhile, as we climb up to the lake along the serpentine roads, we will have a beautiful view of the gorge and the first hydroelectric power station. After passing the hydropost, which is located at the mouth of the Kumbel-Su River, we will reach the Alpine Rose Hotel. It appeared after the privatization of the Alpiysky acclimatizer under the supervision of the State Department of Civil Protection by urban entrepreneurs in the late 90s of the last century.And before it became "Alpine" in the 70s, it was used as a pioneer camp, but after a mudslide in 1977, the use of the facility as a pioneer camp was impractical and it was decided to transfer the camp to Kazglavselezashchita.

Soon we are at the Bolshoy Almatinsky Lake. From the surroundings of the lake, there are panoramas of Sovetov Peak 4317 meters above sea level, Bolshaya Almatinskaya peak 3608 meters above sea level, Ozerny Peak 4216 meters above sea level. A walk in the vicinity of the lake. Picnic in the meadow above the lake. Return to Almaty.

After reaching our destination, the Great Almaty Lake, we stroll through the territory nearby the lake, enjoying the views of the snow–capped peaks of the mountains, such as the peak of the Soviets with a height of 4317 meters above sea level and the peak of the Lake with a height of 4216 meters above sea level. We have lunch in a clearing on the coast. After lunch, we return to the city of Almaty.