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Almaty: The City of Mountains – From Bustling Streets to Glowing Peaks!

Medeo

Kok-Tobe

Kazakhstan Hotel

Medeo - Shymbulak cable car

Shymbulak

Medeo

Medeo - Shymbulak cable car

Medeo

Kok-Tobe

Medeo

Shymbulak

Kok-Tobe

Shymbulak

Almaty: The City of Mountains – From Bustling Streets to Glowing Peaks!

Nature & Outdoor

Joined 2025

Muslim S.

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Almaty

English, Russian (Native)

6 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Muslim S.)

Up to 3 people

Discover the best of Almaty’s mountains and their panoramic city views in this one-day tour! Visit the iconic Medeu Ice Rink, explore the captivating Chimbulak ski resort, and conclude at Kok-Tobe with its scenic vistas. The tour starts and ends near the Kazakhstan Hotel and uses combined transportation including taxi, cable cars, mini-buses, and short walks.

IMPORTANT: transportation costs are excluded and vary by group size — please bring enough cash with you!

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

10:00 AM

Meeting Point

In front of the Kazakhstan Hotel (Dostyk Avenue 52/2, Plus Code: 6XV5+X3)

- We meet near the main entrance of the Kazakhstan Hotel, located at 52/2 Dostyk avenue (corner of Kurmangazy street). Here is the Google Plus Code: 6XV5+X3. The iconic hotel is well-known and easy to find, making it a convenient starting point for our tour. Its 25-storey building was created in 1977 in the style of Soviet modernism. For its time, it was the tallest building in Almaty and notable for its advanced seismic engineering. Today, it remains one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks — its distinctive silhouette helps you immediately know that you’re in Almaty! From there, we take a taxi to Medeo, the famous mountain ice rink, enjoying scenic views along the way. The taxi ride usually takes about 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic.

10:50 AM

Medeo Ice Skating Rink

Medeo is located at 1,691 m (5,548 ft) above sea level and is famous for its high-altitude ice rink surrounded by mountains. We briefly admire the area and then head to the cable car station, where we purchase round-trip tickets and ride up, enjoying views of the dam — which protects the city from mountain floods — and the rink from the cabin.

The cable car ride to Shymbulak takes around 20 minutes.

12:00 PM

Shymbulak Ski Resort

Shymbulak is a popular ski resort located at 2,260 m (7,415 ft) above sea level, surrounded by the beautiful Trans-Ili Alatau mountains. Upon arrival, we briefly explore the area and enjoy the mountain scenery. Optional cable car rides to the upper stations (Kombi‑1 and Kombi‑2) are available, offering panoramic views for those who wish to go further. The highest station reaches 3,200 m (10,498 ft), with snow present year-round.

Next, if we do not go to the upper stations, we return the same way back to Medeo.

IMPORTANT: The cable car system (all or parts) may be closed for maintenance and prices may change. Please let me know if you would like to visit the upper stations — this will add at least 1–1.5 hours to the excursion. If the entire cable car system is not operating, local e-taxis can be used as an alternative.

01:20 PM

Back to Medeo

We return the same way to Medeo. If you are hungry by that time, you may have lunch either here or later at Kok-Tobe.

We take taxi to the Kok-Tobe bus station.

03:00 PM

Kok-Tobe Bus Station

We arrive at the Kok-Tobe bus station and purchase tickets for the mini-bus that takes us up the mountain. The ride is short — about 2.0–2.5 km — but it is uphill, so walking might be challenging. If you prefer to walk, that’s fine; it saves money but will take a bit more time and effort.

Please note that the tour schedule only accounts for the default route and transportation. Any additional activities or optional stops will add extra time to the tour.

03:30 AM

Kok-Tobe Mountain

Kok-Tobe is a popular mountain within the city overlooking Almaty, offering wide, panoramic views of both the city and the surrounding mountains. At the top, you can enjoy the observation deck, take photos, and explore local attractions such as the Ferris Wheel, the small entertainment park with a mini zoo, and the famous Beatles Statue.

After exploring Kok-Tobe, we purchase cable car tickets and ride down to the Republic Palace area near the Kazakhstan Hotel. Beautiful skyline views accompany you along this short and scenic descent.

04:30 PM

Back to Kazakhstan Hotel

Our tour concludes once we arrive back in the area of the Republic Palace. From the cable car station, we take a short walk toward our original meeting point, right in front of the Kazakhstan Hotel, where the excursion officially ends.

Ending Point

In front of the Kazakhstan Hotel (Dostyk Avenue 52/2, Plus Code: 6XV5+X3)

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

* Guide fee

What‘s not included

*All transportation: cable cars, taxis, mini-bus. The required cash for transportation MUST BE GIVEN TO THE GUIDE AT THE START OF THE TOUR! The amount is fixed depending on the group size:

1 person - 40,000 KZT (~$77 USD)

2 people - 50,000 KZT (~$96 USD)

3 people - 60,000 KZT (~$115 USD)

IMPORTANT! Please bring the exact cash for transportation and hand it to the guide at the start of the tour!

This is a key requirement for this tour. Transportation in tourist areas (cable cars, taxis, mini-bus) can be expensive, which is why the total cost is comparable to the tour price itself.

*Lunch: 2,500–5,500 KZT (~$5–$10) per person, paid separately by each participant.

*Any other possible extra activity during the tour

Tour Important Information

- PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME! Although Shymbulak cable car works till 6PM, it closes much earlier at all the upper stations. Kombi-2, for example, can close even at 4PM. There are also many people visiting the resort on the weekend, and there may be lines and traffic jams. PLEASE plan your time accordingly, let me know regarding the extra activities you would like to do in advance, and don't be late. Even if we start in the morning, there are no guarantees everything will go smoothly, even the shortest delays can lead to unplanned difficulties! It's always better be on time. If you happen to be late for some reason, don't hesitate to contact me as soon as possible.

- As mentioned in the itinerary, there are 2 upper stations (kombi-1 and kombi-2) at Shymbulak that is an optional cable car ride. The highest point is 3200m (10498ft) above sea level. They require more expensive round trip tickets, the price difference is about 2000-3000KZT per person. Please let me know if you decide to get there in advance. The tour length will increase to up to 7.5-8.0 hours. The money should be added to the total amount of transportation expenses and must be given to me at the beginning of the tour. The official prices for both Shymbulak and Kok-Tobe are available on their websites.

- The lunch time/place is up to you, but by default I set it to Medeo (after we are back from Shymbulak). The reason is that it'll most likely be the most appropriate time range. Another factor is that prices are slightly more affordable than in Shymbulak and in Kok-Tobe. There are some street food kiosks where food/drinks are cheaper.

- Waiting time for taxis (usually 10–15 minutes) is included in the tour schedule. Please be patient, especially on weekends or holidays.

- Extra activities available during the Winter season are ice-skating and mountain skiing. They require much more time and extra expenses. Please contact me if you would like to book a custom tour!

Important message from the supplier

For WALKING TOURS: standard maximum 5 people.

For CAR TOURS: standard maximum 3 people.

LARGER GROUPS or CUSTOM TOUR PROGRAMS are also possible – feel free to contact me!

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2025

Muslim S.

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Muslim S.

Hello! Pleasure to meet you! I am a friendly, knowledgeable, reliable tour guide. I have a guiding experience in Almaty and its region since 2017. I started as a volunteer tour guide and now conduct tours as a side hustle. I specialize in city sightseeing tours with a strong focus on local culture, history, and cuisine. Our city is located at the foothills of majestic mountains, so the city tour is actually combined with a mountain tour! Nature attractions are the most important factor in drawing tourists to Almaty; it's a powerful magnet for those who want to create unforgettable experiences and seek peace and beauty. I am very passionate about doing tours in Almaty and sharing the city’s rich culture and natural beauty! I truly love what I do, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see my guests happy, with new experiences and knowledge gained from my tours. I had guests - tourists from all over the world and some of them confirmed they got more information from the tour than they expected, especially in terms of the knowledge of our country's history, culture and cuisine. I would really love to be a part of your initiative, so that more people could connect with me and explore the treasures of Almaty!

What standard excursions I provide:

- Half Day Almaty Walking Tour is the minimal 4-hour walking excursion I provide.

- City + Mountains Sightseeing Tour with 8 hours duration includes Green Market, Panfilov Park, Medeo/Chimbulak, and Kok-Tobe. Transportation (taxi, cable cars, bus) is paid separately or the entire tour price should be discussed before the tour!

- The road trip to Charyn Canyon (10h) - transportation, ecopost, toll road, food excluded.

Lots of other locations and variations can be conducted (Turgen, Issyk Lake, Konaev city, other kinds of city tours, like food tour, parks, museums, authentic local places, cheap local markets, peripheral areas, less known city locations etc.). Please don't hesitate to reach out to me!