Medeu and Shymbulak: how to get there, what to do and how long it takes
The easiest mountain day out of Almaty: a bus to Medeu, the dam, the gondola to Shymbulak and the Talgar Pass. What to bring, when to go and how to skip the queues.
By Super Admin2 min read
Medeu and Shymbulak are mountains you can reach from central Almaty on a city bus. Twenty minutes from Dostyk Avenue and you are at 1,700 m; another half hour by cable car and you are at 3,200 m. No other city of a million people has anything like it.
Getting there
Bus no. 12 runs from Dostyk Avenue to the terminus at the Medeu rink. A taxi from the centre takes 20–30 minutes without traffic. You can drive, but the Medeu car park is full by noon at weekends and access further up to Shymbulak is restricted; the rules change, so check before you go. It is safer to leave the car below and take the gondola.
Medeu
The rink at 1,691 m is the highest large skating rink in the world. The season usually runs from November to March or April, with skate hire on site; at weekends a queue forms before opening, so come early. In summer the ice is gone and the arena becomes the start point for walks.
Right above the rink is the mudflow dam. 842 steps lead to the crest, a 20–30 minute climb, with a view of the rink and the gorge from the top. It is a warm-up before the cable car, and it is free.
Shymbulak
The gondola from Medeu climbs to Shymbulak at 2,260 m, the country's main ski resort. In winter there are pistes and equipment hire; in summer, chairlifts to the Talgar Pass (3,200 m), cafes with a view and hiking trails. Ski passes and cable car tickets are cheaper bought online in advance.
It is ten degrees colder up top and the sun is stronger: a jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen are needed in every season. If you want to stay, the resort hotel gives you a morning on an empty slope.
On foot
The sporty option is to walk up from Medeu along route NTA-110: about eight hours to the pass and back, with the cable car down. An easy walk from Shymbulak is to the Mynzhylky dam, four hours with little climbing. You can descend to Medeu through the Gorelnik gorge.
How long to allow
- Medeu and the dam only: two hours including the journey.
- Medeu and Shymbulak with the lift to the pass: half a day.
- A ski day: the whole day; book resort accommodation early, winter sells out.
Ready-made plans: “Mountains in a day” and the winter “Shymbulak and the Medeu rink”.