Terrenkur in Almaty: The City’s Riverside Health Trails

A terrenkur is a marked, graded walking path – an idea 19th-century European spa doctors invented and Soviet health resorts perfected. Almaty has two of them, and they solve the problem every visitor notices on day one: the mountains are right there, but how do you walk toward them without a car? Both trails follow mountain rivers uphill, straight out of the city – the classic terrenkur along the Malaya Almatinka and the newer, steeper one along the Esentai.

When locals say simply “terrenkur”, they mean the classic one – shorter, gentler, closer to the centre. The Esentai trail is longer and noticeably steeper: a genuine climb into the foothills rather than a stroll along the water.

Two trails: which one to pick

The ascent figure is the one to look at. 190 metres over 4.5 km is a steady, almost imperceptible incline. 660 metres over 7.5 km is three and a half times the climbing – your legs will notice.

The classic terrenkur: Malaya Almatinka

It starts behind the Arman cinema on Dostyk Avenue – you can also join from Hotel Kazakhstan or from the Satpayev street side – and climbs parallel to Dostyk, ending at the upper pond with its restored rotunda, around Ospanov street. 4.5 kilometres, about 190 metres of gain.

After several rounds of reconstruction the surface is asphalt and paving stone, with wooden footbridges over the river. The lighting is modern, so an evening walk here feels as relaxed as a daytime one. Benches, playgrounds and exits into the city come at regular intervals – if you get tired or change your plans, you can step off the trail almost anywhere. There is more tree cover than on the Esentai side, and in summer you feel the difference.

The new terrenkur: Esentai

This one starts where Al-Farabi Avenue crosses the Esentai river, by Esentai Mall, and follows the river upstream into the foothills, toward the Medeo road. About 7.5 kilometres with roughly 660 metres of climbing.

Rebuilt in 2022, it alternates asphalt with wooden boardwalk, the gradients evened out, the lamps placed so that evenings are comfortable without turning the trail into a lit boulevard.

A useful trick: nobody says you must walk the Esentai uphill. Take a taxi to the top – the Muztau stop, the Bellagio area or Agrolesk­hoz – and walk it downhill instead. The 660 metres then work for you, not against you.

Which one should you choose?

First time, or walking with children – the classic. Half the length, a third of the climbing, closer to the centre, and easy to bail out of. Benches, playgrounds and the rotunda pond give you places to rest and things for kids to do.

Already walking regularly – the Esentai. A continuous climb into the foothills, and as training it is the honest option: 660 metres of ascent is comparable to an easy mountain route, except you never leave the city and never step off pavement.

📹 Video from the terrenkur

When to go

Year-round – that is the whole point. In summer the riverside is cooler and shadier than the city centre. In autumn the trail runs through golden trees. In winter the classic route is cleared and the Esentai stays open; you only need warm layers and shoes that grip. Mornings are quietest. Evenings and weekends bring out the runners, families and cyclists, and since both trails are lit, an after-dinner walk is a perfectly workable plan.

Who it suits and what to bring

• Beginners. Difficulty 1 of 5. Nowhere to get lost, even surfaces, and you can turn around at any moment.
• Families with strollers. Both trails work; the classic is the more comfortable of the two.
• Runners. Esentai when you want load, the classic when you want volume.
• Anyone building up to the mountains. The most accessible training for a first hike – and the only kind you can do after work.

Gear: comfortable shoes and water, nothing else. This is a city walk – shops and cafes are nearby and phone signal never drops. In winter, add footwear with real tread, or spikes if it has iced over.

Where to go next

If the terrenkur feels easy and you want real mountains, the next step is the Helipad walk: 5.7 km, 316 m of ascent, difficulty 1 of 5 – our gentlest mountain route, and after regular terrenkur walking you will manage it without any preparation.

From there the ladder climbs through difficulty 2 of 5: Karakungei (2 km, 219 m), Kim-Asar gorge (8 km, 500 m), Serkebay mountain (9.5 km, 632 m). After those, the logical goal is Kok-Zhailau – Almaty’s classic, 13.5 km and 984 metres of climbing.

🎒 Other routes

Peak Maria (3,685 m) from Mynzhylki: Route, Couloir & Winter Notes

Pila Peak (3,780 m): the Saw-Tooth Summit of Prokhodnoye Gorge

The Almaty Mega-Traverse: 30 km, Two Passes, Two Peaks, One Day

Medeo to Shymbulak on Foot: the Small Almaty Gorge Walk

Karabastau (3,972 m): the Wildest Trek in the Issyk Mountains

Aksay Gorge: the Closed Valley and its 3,735 m Peak

Kumbelsu Gorge & Lake 13: the Wild Route to Molodezhny Peak

Tamgaly-Tas: Buddha Carvings & Climbing on the Ili River