Excursion to the cable cars of Almaty Shymbulak and Kok Tyube
Almaty has two cable cars offering excursions into the Almaty mountains. The first is Mount Kok-Tobe, which is reached by cable car, and the second is the high-altitude resort of Shymbulak, which is reached by a high-altitude cable car (funicular).
We invite you to visit both of these cable cars in one day and ascend the mountains. Kok-Tobe offers panoramic views of the city, and it's a great place to visit both during the day and evening. Shymbulak is also very beautiful, but it's located high in the mountains at an altitude of 2,500 meters above sea level, much higher than Mount Kok-Tobe.
- Distance of the route:
54 km
- Season time:
May - September and winter time
- Best time:
June - August
- Group size:
not more 12 persons
- Days & nights:
1 day
Tour itinerary:
We'll depart for the Kok-Tobe cable car station, located on Dostyk Avenue near the Republic Palace. We'll take the funicular to the summit of Mount Kok-Tobe (1,130 m), a 5-minute climb (1.7 km).
On the mountain, we'll visit a mini zoo where you can see birds of prey, pheasants, and peacocks, as well as deer and llamas. We'll then stroll to a monument dedicated to The Beatles, then stop at a souvenir shop and an art gallery. After our walk along Mount Kok-Tobe, we'll descend to the bus station and depart for the Medeu gorge. The journey takes 30 minutes and covers 20 km.
We'll travel along Dostyk Avenue, passing the border guard school, a cottage community, a sports complex, and the Royal Tulip Hotel. After passing the eco-post, we only have a short drive to the gondola station, located just below the Medeu sports complex. The cable car from Medeu to the Chimbulak ski resort takes 15 minutes. The 4.6-kilometer climb makes it the third-longest cable car in the world.
If you look down during the cable car ride, you'll see Medeu, the world's largest high-altitude winter sports complex, located at an altitude of 1,691 meters above sea level. Afterward, we'll pass over the mudflow dam, built in 1966 to protect Almaty from mudflows. Beyond the dam, the highest and longest section between the cable car supports begins.
We'll then pass over the Sarysay ravine, with a stream running along the eastern slope to the left. From here, we can see numerous trees felled by a powerful hurricane in 2011, lying on the mountain slopes. We gradually approach the Chimbulak ski resort, and soon wooden cottages and a hotel become visible.
The cable car ride offers a stunning view of the Northern Tien Shan mountains, as well as peaks such as Shkolnik Peak (3,800 m), Amangeldy Peak (4,000 m), Abay Peak (4,010 m), and Nursultan Peak (formerly Komsomol Peak) (4,376 m). Nursultan Peak is climbed annually as part of an alpine festival. Upon reaching the resort, we exit the cable car.
Upon arrival at the Chimbulak resort, we'll stroll to a viewing platform with a beautiful view of the mountains, then transfer to the third cable car (it consists of two sections, a total length of 3.2 km, and the climb takes 30 minutes) and ascend to the Talgar Pass (3,200 m). Between transfers to the cable cars, we'll stroll through the surrounding area and take photos.
Upon reaching the pass, we'll stroll along its slopes and enjoy the panorama of Almaty, the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains, and the Maloalmatinskoye Gorge. A picnic with champagne awaits us. After an active day, we'll return to the city.
