Almaty with Mountains

Proceed on an excursion to the beautiful mountain resort of Shymbulak Ski resort including Gondola tickets to level 3 and services of our English-speaking guide.

“Shymbulak Ski Resort” is located in the beautiful Zailiyskiy Alatau mountain at 2260 m above sea level. It is 25 Km from the city centre of Almaty city and has an average temperature of +25C in the summer & -7C in the winter months. The average snowfall is around 1.5M. It is usually very sunny as the average number of sunny days a year can reach 90%. Ski season is normally beginning in December and can run into April. The ski slopes are served by Gondola cars from “Medeu” to the base of Shymbulak, 2260 m above sea level. This Gondola is the world’s third-longest Gondola with a length of 4.5 KM. The Gondola has 114 comfortable cabins for all guests of the resort and has the capacity of 2,000 people per hour. The Ski resort has six lifts that service the mountains. Two combination lifts (Combi1 & Combi2) that have both quad-chairs and 8 passenger cabins, two quad-chair lifts. The lift system will take you to Talgar pass where you are 3180 m above sea level. A vertical rise of 920 m. The majestic mountain view with snowy slopes and evergreen Tien Shan are spectacular and must be seen. Located in the resort is a hotel, restaurants, café and coffee shop with a variety of cuisine to suit all taste. Time at leisure.

Panfilov street is another gorgeous pedestrian street that will help you dive into a true Almaty spirit. While passing through, you will be introduced to a Soviet Era architecture masterpiece. On top of it all, it is a favorite place for street artist to perform, so live music & street performance will be accommodating your journey. The tour starts from Abay Opera theatre and end on Arbat street.

Kok Tobe is the highest point in the city of Almaty standing on a 1100 m hill at the south-east edge of the city. It is worth a visit to Kok-Tobe because of its panoramic view of the city from all directions. To reach the Kok-Tobe hill, one should take a cable car ride which starts near Hotel Kazakhstan and goes over some of the oldest parts of Almaty and the magnificent fruit growing gardens. Once you reach the Kok-Tobe hill, you would see the famous 372 m high TV Tower which is visible from far and offers great views of the mountains and the city plus many attractions at the top including many restaurants serving cuisines from across the globe.

If you are among these, who don’t like to go to a mall and prefer the outdoor market among fresh air and belong to the old-school shopping type, then without wasting any time, head straight towards the Zelyony Bazaar located close to the Paniflov Park in Almaty. Also, known as the Green Market, this market is your typical local market where you can purchase everything starting from meat to spices to fruits to even clothes and furniture. The key to shopping here is that you should have a flair for bargaining and you can get everything at a very reasonable rate. You will be delighted to see the colourful atmosphere and the variety of goods available.

Right next door is the famous Rakhat Chocolate shop. Rakhat which means pleasure in Kazakh is the oldest manufactures of chocolates dating back to almost 70 years. Around 3500 workers work in basically 2 factories, one located in Almaty and one in Shymkent city. They also make chocolates for people suffering from diabetes and their low-calorie products like candies, cookies and waffles are a range among the people and tourists.