almaty and environs

Jottings of memorable places compiled over many years.

By foo.barstein

21 posts

• Astana Expo — The Death Star.
• 8 Mikrorayon — Home away from home
• Charyn Canyon
• The Wrong Side of Issyk Kul
• Adil's Dacha — A fine spot to rest and enjoy the quiet.
• Talgar River — Need to dunk a small sensitive child into freezing code water to "teach him" to toughen up? This is your place. Great spot to stop and shas…
• Butakovka Waterfall Hike with Diana — Great hike with ice cold waterfall at the end. Can get busy on weekends at prime time, so head out early.
• Batereyka Mountain with Adil
• Zhambyl Monument — A monument to Zhambyl Zhabayuly. One of my favorite landmarks with the dystopic apartment buildings behind.
• Soviet War Machines in Family Park — Military Equipment on permanent display. During warmer months, the park has rides and attractions. You may have a hard time convincing your…
• Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen — The gorgeous all-wood (supposedly no nails) Ascension Cathedral and a gigantic memorial to the dead soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Th…
• Marina’s Mountain House — Улица Алмалыкская. Probably the best views in Almaty. But getting here via 4x4 on narrow mountain passes maintained haphazardly by local re…
• Babushka Polina's Resting Place — Resting place of Polina Viktorovna Nikitina and her mother, Yekaterina (Katya\) Afanasevna Titova. This cemetary is hidden above the road,…
• Saty / Саты Guest Houses — Small village with guest houses servicing those traveling east. Accommodations can be arranged by simply driving up and chatting with the l…
• Issyk - Core of the Dacha Empire — Prospective dacha land grab. Two neighboring plots for sale by a mother of a friend. One structure is usable, the other needs to be demolis…
• Chemalgan - Tyotya Lyuda and Dyeda Sasha — Baba Klava (Klaudia) raised her family here, including Tyotya Lyuda and her daughters, Lena and sister. Lena now lives in Almaty. Tyotya Ly…
• Shymbulak — What was once a Soviet ski training ground has become a ski resort. Until about 2022, it was a calm quiet place to do some reasonable skiin…
• Lake Issyk — Grab your samovar, some cubed meat, jump in your 4x4 and head to the mountains. Pick up supplies and saxaul wood to put in your magal along…
• Талғар, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan — If you need to go sledding, this is your place.
• Lower Kolsai Lake