Just 20 kilometres from Almaty — and the noise of the city is left far below. At an altitude of 2,510 metres lies Big Almaty Lake, formed around two thousand years ago when an earthquake sealed off a gorge and created a natural basin of rare beauty.
The colour of the water shifts with the seasons — from pale green to turquoise blue. Even in the height of summer, the water temperature never rises above +12°C, and the lake begins to freeze over as early as the end of October. In winter it's clear blue ice; in summer, turquoise water framed by snow-capped peaks.
Three main peaks rise above the lake: Sovetov (4,317 m), Ozerny (4,110 m) and Turist (3,954 m). On a clear day, all three are mirrored perfectly in the water — a sight that draws visitors back again and again. Slightly higher up the slope sits a high-altitude observatory, one of the very few in all of Central Asia.
