Almaty region, 90 km east
Turgen Gorge
Seven waterfalls, hot springs and horses on the river meadows.
Where Almaty goes when the city gets too hot. The road climbs from the village past trout farms and a run of waterfalls, then keeps going up to open pasture where horses graze along the water. A full day outdoors with as much or as little walking as you want.
The waterfalls
There are seven in the gorge; the Bear Waterfall is the one everyone walks to, about forty minutes up a forest path from the road. The rock face it falls down is layered like a wall of bricks, which is why it photographs so well.
Higher up
Past the falls the valley opens into meadows at around two thousand metres, with horses along the river and nothing built for kilometres. This is the part guests remember, and it is the part most day trips never reach because they turn back at the waterfall.
Trout and hot springs
The farms at the mouth of the gorge sell trout they cook while you wait, and there are hot spring pools nearby for anyone who wants to end the day in warm water. Both are paid on the spot and neither takes long.
Tours that go here
Prices are per group, not per person, and include the guide, the driver and the car.
