Almaty Highlights: Butakov Waterfall, Auyl, Shymbulak & Kok Tobe
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Discover Almaty’s top mountain highlights on a full-day tour combining nature, culture, and stunning views.
Meet your guide at 9:00 AM in front of the Abay Opera House and travel to Ile-Alatau National Park. Visit the Butakovka Visit Center before hiking through scenic pine forests to Butakovka Waterfall (about 1 hour each way). Guests who prefer not to hike can relax at the Visit Center and enjoy the mountain scenery.
After the hike, enjoy free time for lunch at Auyl Restaurant (lunch is not included), a unique mountain restaurant with panoramic views of the Small Almaty Gorge.
Continue to Medeu, one of the world's highest mountain skating rinks, then ride the cable car to Shymbulak Mountain Resort for free time to explore and take photos.
Finish the day at Kok Tobe, Almaty’s most famous viewpoint, offering spectacular views of the city and surrounding mountains before returning to the city center.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
Butakovskiy Waterfall
Butakovka Waterfall, one of the largest waterfalls near Almaty. Located at an altitude of around 2,100 meters above sea level, the waterfall drops from rocky cliffs with a height estimated between 15 and 30 meters. During the warmer months, visitors can enjoy the refreshing mountain air and cool mist from the cascading water, while in winter the waterfall transforms into a spectacular wall of blue ice.
Lunch at Auyl Restaurant, a unique mountain restaurant inspired by a traditional Kazakh village. Enjoy panoramic views of the Small Almaty Gorge, take photos, explore the grounds, and relax over lunch (at your own expense).
Options
Natural wonders of Almaty: exploring the surrounding beauty
What‘s Included
National Park Entry Fee
English speaking guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Hiking poles
around 10 000 tenge
Cable car to Symbulak (12 000 tenge)
Koktobe Hill (3 000 tenge for the shuttle bus)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
9 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Many thanks to our Tour...
Partha P,Oct 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Many thanks to our Tour Guide Aseem for taking such good care of Us. The itinerary was so nicely planned that we got more than ample time at each location even though we covered a lot of locations in a single day.
Impressive excursion
Irene W,Jul 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our tour guide was very accommodating. Explained everything exactly. We were able to gain a lot of impressions. I would recommend this trip to anyone
Best tour guide Adam .Must recommended for Almaty .
Rishi S,Jul 6, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a fantastic time travelling with Adam on this trip. His kindness, knowledge about all the places and flexibility, really impressed us. Keep up the good work.
Awesome Almaty with Adam
Suchismita2023,Jun 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Adam was a great guide with a lot of knowledge. He patiently showed us around with all the historical events..it was an awesome day in Almaty.
Unexpected snow in Shumbalak Resort was a bonus to my tour.
Ivan L,Jun 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00In fact, not many tourist points inside Almaty (maybe a theme park helps). Anyway, the tour covers nearly all the main attractions.
Great experience
Andrea Z,Apr 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Yerkin was very nice and knowledgeable. We went to beautiful places and learned a bit of history. Before the trip, he told us how to prepare, which was very helpful. I highly recommend booking him if you visit Almaty.
A perfect tour of Almaty in one day.
Jason T,Mar 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00From start to finish a great experience. Yerkhin was promptly responsive with any messages beforehand. The tour itself was well planned and not rushed, with a good insight into Kazakhstan culture and it's history. Yerkhin provided with some rain coats for those who needed when it was snowing. All 3 of us have amazing memories from this day. Thank you Yerkhin.
Knowledgeable Tour Guide
Guide20306040811,Oct 1, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Yerkin was a really nice tour guide. He explained to the history of Almaty and brought us to places where locals goes. If ever you go to Almaty make sure to book him.
Amazing tour!
Curiosity16215438080,Jan 13, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing Experience! This tour was so great to go on, I would definitely recommend it to anyone that visits Kazakhstan. We had no idea what to expect but definitely we are excited to experience snow for the first time. When we arrived,we were warmly inform of our iterinary by our Tour Guide Yerkin.Upon meeting him we felt welcomed and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start! The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible (appreciate this!) and for that he deserves a special thanks. We had one whole day there, which obviously also added up to the experience. Yerkin is such a warm personality and highly motivated guide (recommendable!). We truly enjoyed walking through the area. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relieve to walk in such astonishing view. The atmosphere is so special that it really felt like home to all of us. All respect for Yerkin who does a great job there; a true sample of excellent tour guide! Many thanks again and I recommend Tour Guide Yerkin to everyone!
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