Big Almaty Circumnavigation (BAK) – 3–4 Day Trek Through the Left Talgar Valley

The Big Almaty Circumnavigation — BAK (Большая Алматинская Кругосветка) — is the signature multi-day trek of the Almaty mountains: a 3–4 day, 46 km traverse that connects three gorges, crosses a near-4,000 m glacier pass, and threads through a valley so remote it’s only reachable on foot. You start from the Shymbulak cable car at 3,200 m and finish at Big Almaty Lake at 2,511 m — entering from one side of the mountains and emerging from the other.

BAK is the route that every serious Almaty hiker aspires to. It passes through every natural zone the Zailiyskiy Alatau offers: alpine meadows, Tian Shan spruce forest, glacier moraine, permanent snowfields, and the turquoise stillness of Big Almaty Lake. It’s also a genuine wilderness experience — no huts, no refuges, no resupply — carried on your back through terrain where mudflows have reshaped the landscape within the last few years.

What to expect

The Left Talgar valley is the heart of this trek. Unlike every other major valley near Almaty, Left Talgar has no road. You can’t drive to it. The only way in is over a pass — the Talgar Pass from the Shymbulak side or the Butakovsky Pass from the Medeo side. This inaccessibility is what makes it special: the forest is dense, the meadows are empty, the rivers run clear, and the people you meet are all there on foot.

The highest point on the route is the Tourist Pass (Перевал Туристов) at approximately 3,980–4,000 m (category 1A). This is a snow-and-ice crossing that requires careful timing — too early in the season and the snow is deep and unstable; too late and the glacier surface may be bare ice. Your guide assesses conditions and carries appropriate equipment.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Medeo → Talgar Pass → Left Talgar Valley → Camp (~2,250–2,450 m)

Distance: ~10 km | Walking: 4–5 hours | Elevation: -950 m / +200 m

Take the Medeo–Shymbulak cable car to Talgar Pass (3,200 m). From the pass, descend via the Small Talgar Pass (2,760 m) into the Left Talgar valley. The descent is steep on scree and loose trail — trekking poles recommended. You drop nearly 1,000 m into dense spruce forest along the Left Talgar River.

Camp at Krasnaya Polyana (Red Meadow) or Alpine Rose meadow — flat, forested clearings beside the river. The first evening in Left Talgar sets the tone: campfire, river sounds, peaks visible through the canopy above, and the knowledge that the nearest road is a full day’s walk over a pass.

Day 2: Camp → Solnechnaya Polyana → Tourist River confluence → High camp (~3,500 m)

Distance: ~15 km | Walking: 7–8 hours | Elevation: +1,050 m

The longest day. Trek up the Left Talgar valley on a good trail through the forest. Pass the Komsomolsky Waterfall (worth a 15-minute detour) and emerge onto Solnechnaya Polyana (Sunny Meadow) — a wide alpine meadow where the valley opens up and the peaks surrounding it become visible in every direction.

Above Solnechnaya, the terrain changes: mudflow debris from the 2021 and 2023 events has widened the riverbed and destroyed sections of the old trail. Your guide navigates through the boulder fields to the confluence of the Left Talgar and Tourist rivers.

Turn west up the Tourist valley. The trail follows the river through increasingly barren moraine landscape, climbing steadily. Establish high camp at approximately 3,500 m below the Tourist Glacier, with views of Peak SGU (4,464 m) and Peak Sovetskikh Alpinistov to the south. This is the most spectacular campsite on the route — high, exposed, surrounded by ice and rock.

Day 3: High camp → Tourist Pass (~4,000 m) → Kyzylsay → Ozernoe → Big Almaty Lake

Distance: ~13 km | Walking: 6–7 hours | Elevation: +480 m / -950 m

Early start. Ascend through moraine and then onto the Tourist Glacier. The pass itself (approximately 3,980–4,000 m, category 1A) is a snow saddle between rock peaks. Depending on conditions, crampons or microspikes may be needed for the glacier section. Your guide assesses the snow and leads the crossing.

From the pass, descend into the Kyzylsay gorge — a rocky, less-visited valley that leads north into the Ozernoe gorge. The terrain is loose moraine and scree, with no established trail in the upper section. As you descend, the landscape gradually greens: rock gives way to grass, then scrub, then the first spruce trees appear.

The Ozernoe gorge leads directly to Big Almaty Lake — and the first sight of the turquoise water after three days of wilderness is one of the great moments in Almaty hiking. Descend past the lake to the road, where your vehicle is waiting. Transfer back to Almaty.

Optional Day 4 (recommended for less experienced groups)

Split Day 2 into two shorter days: camp at Solnechnaya Polyana on Day 2, move to high camp on Day 3, cross the pass on Day 4. This allows better acclimatisation before the 4,000 m crossing and more time to enjoy the Left Talgar valley.