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Snow covered mountains in the Ile-Alatau National Park
Photo by Pavel Oparin

Ile-Alatau National Park

Kazakhstan's Ile-Alatau National Park protects rare forest ecosystems and unique natural features.
River flowing through the woods of the Ile-Alatau National Park – © Kira0Kirina / Shutterstock

Just beyond the southern outskirts of Almaty, Ile-Alatau National Park offers visitors unparalleled landscapes of grass steppes, alpine forests, and snow-capped mountains ranges. The park is mapped out in four sections: Aksay branch, Medeu branch, Talgar branch and Turgen branch. Each branch offers unique experiences of horseback riding, hiking, camping, alpine sports, cycling, rafting, and bird watching.

Across the 200,000 hectares of the park, there are 37 plant species and 30 animal species that are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan for some level of threat. Resident snow leopards, Tien Shan brown bears, and Central Asian lynx can be found patrolling the mountain range. Notable birds include golden eagles, Eurasian scops owls, Himalayan snowcock, and Eurasian three-toed woodpeckers. Locals believe that specific deer have medicinal properties.

Ile-Alatau National Park’s natural monuments of waterfalls, high altitude lakes, and glaciers make for a spectacular destination and there are lots of things for you to see and do here. Highlights include the peak of Kumbel, Big Almaty Lake, Seven Needles of Tuyuksu, and the Turgen gorge. The park also protects early Iron Age Saki burial mounds, medieval settlements, and the ancient Zailiysky Alatau route, which was once used as part of the Silk Road trading network.

Visit

Ile-Alatau National Park

Pricing

  1. Provision of tourist trails, viewing platforms, bivouac glades at the rate of one person per day
    200

  2. Provision of tent camps for one person per day
    575

  3. Provision of catering facilities, trade or places for their placement at the rate of one square meter per day
    73

  4. Provision of the object of cultural-household purpose (Yurt) per night
    2,145

  5. Provision of Parking for transport at the rate of one place per day: cars, buses, lorry
    350

  6. Providing services of a guide (inspector) when visiting and studying the objects of the state nature reserve Fund, natural and historical and cultural heritage per day for one group of up to twenty people
    3,000

  7. Provision of services when visiting the object of cultural and household purposes (Visit center) at the rate of one visit per person
    300

  8. Provision of places for accommodation of hotels, motels, tourist bases at the rate of one hectare per month
    6,000

  9. Provision of tourist equipment services (Bicycle) for rent per person for one hour
    800

  10. Provision of services of tourist equipment (cylinder-tubing) for rent per person for one hour
    500

  11. Provision of transport services (16 seat-bus) per person per hour
    1,500

  12. Provision of tourist trails (routes) at the rate of one place per tour: 1. Turgen Waterfall - 3,000; 2. Akshay skit - 3,000; 3. Lake Issyk - 3,000; 4. Big Almaty lake - 4,000.

Note: for services specified in paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, the following discounts are provided:

  1. children of preschool age (up to seven years) – free of charge;
  2. children of school age (from seven years and older) in the amount of 50 (fifty) percent;
  3. full-time students in the amount of 25 (twenty five) percent;
  4. no fee is charged for the disabled.
    The employees of the tourist companies that have an agreement with the environmental institution do not pay for the services of the environmental institution (no more than 20 tourists and one driver).
© UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2024