First President's Park

Overview

First President Park Almaty (Parka Pervogo Prezidenta) is a 73-hectare modern park in the upper southern district, opened in 2010 on a sloping site between the Navoi and Esentay rivers. The park is designed in a contemporary geometric style - broad granite-paved central plaza with three large fountains (the central one cascading down a stepped basin), allegorical bronze sculptures around the plaza, formal oak and birch alleys radiating outward, and informal grass meadows on the slopes. The southern boundary opens to a sweeping panorama of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge - one of Almaty's cleanest ground-level mountain views. A walk through the fountains is one of the easiest sunset things to do in Almaty in the upper southern districts — among the headline Almaty parks for evening visits — a fixture of any Almaty city tour and a top place to visit in Almaty.

The park sits at the southern edge of the city's built-up area, with the foothills rising immediately south; on clear days, Talgar Peak (4,973 m, the highest in the Trans-Ili Alatau) is visible 35 km southeast. The elevation (around 900 m above sea level, 100 m above the city center) gives slightly cooler summer afternoons and crisper winter air.

For Almaty residents, the park is a weekend-walking favorite - wide flat paths, mountain views, a few sit-down cafes nearby, and enough space that even busy days don't feel crowded. Wedding parties photograph at the central fountain (especially May–September); families bring kids for the open lawns and the small water-play area in summer; joggers loop the perimeter (3.2 km, paved).

The park's architecture and sculptures carry a clearly civic-symbolic intent: the central fountain group includes allegorical figures representing the country's regions, peoples, and economic sectors; the granite paving is laid in a radiating-circles pattern from the central fountain. The park is named in commemoration of the country's first president; the monument and naming should be read in their civic-context (not as a current-politics statement).

The park changes through the year. April–May: the oaks and birches leaf out; the magnolia along the eastern alley flowers for two weeks in mid-April. June–August: the fountains run continuously 10:00–22:00; evening lights make the central plaza one of Almaty's most photographed locations after dark. September–October: autumn colors peak in the second/third week of October; the southern panorama of the snow-dusted ridge against gold foliage is the year's signature photo. November–February: the fountains shut for winter; snow on the central plaza and the oak alleys; clear winter mornings give the year's most striking mountain visibility.

The detail most visitors miss: a small stone amphitheater is set into the eastern slope, hidden by oak trees from the main plaza. The amphitheater hosts occasional summer concerts and poetry readings (check city event listings); on quiet days, it's an excellent picnic spot with a partial view of the mountains framed by trees.

The park is on the family subset of places to go in Almaty with kids who need open lawns and the long staircase view back over the city.

Practical Info

Open daily 6:00–24:00. Free entry. Address: southern district, between Navoi Street and Esentay River, with the main entrance on the corner of Navoi and Al-Farabi.

Getting here: any taxi app reaches the main entrance in 15–20 minutes from the downtown core (around 2,500–3,500 KZT). No metro within walking distance; the closest is Sayran (30 minutes' walk or 10-minute taxi). Public buses 18, 79, 87 stop at Navoi/Al-Farabi. Parking lots at the main and southern entrances are free.

Fountains run May–October, daily 10:00–22:00 (sometimes 23:00 on summer Saturday evenings). Synchronized music-and-light shows on Saturday evenings in June, July, and August at 21:00 (15 minutes). Best viewing from the southern stairs of the central plaza.

Facilities:

• Toilets: free public toilets at the central plaza and at the main entrance.
• Cafes: two small cafes on the perimeter (Al-Farabi side) - coffee 800–1,500 KZT, snacks 1,500–3,500 KZT. For a fuller meal, Dostyk Avenue is a 10-minute taxi away.
• Wi-Fi: city free Wi-Fi ("Almaty Free Wifi") works around the central plaza; spotty elsewhere. Mobile signal solid 4G.
• Playgrounds: two children's playgrounds - one near the main entrance, one on the western slope.
• Cycling: the perimeter loop (3.2 km, paved) is bike-friendly; bring your own bike.
• Dogs: on-leash everywhere; off-leash zone on the eastern slope.

Best times: weekday mornings 7:00–10:00 (quiet, mountain views at their crispest); weekend afternoons 14:00–18:00 in summer for families; weekend evenings 19:00–22:00 for the lit fountains.

Activities allowed: walking, cycling, picnics on the open lawns, photography. Not allowed: drones (restricted), open fires, BBQ, camping, swimming in the fountains.

Safety: very safe - well-lit until midnight, with steady local presence and occasional security patrols. The main plaza and perimeter loop are the safest at night; the wooded slopes are unlit and best in daylight.

Combine With

First President's Park sits in the upper southern district, with the Botanical Garden (LOC-023), Pervomaysky Pond (LOC-021), and the Mega Park shopping center within 15-minute taxi range. Natural combinations:

Upper south half-day: First President's Park morning walk (90 minutes) → 10-minute taxi to the Botanical Garden (1.5 hours) → lunch on Dostyk Avenue → optional Pervomaysky Pond evening walk.

Mountain views + city day: First President's Park morning (the cleanest ground-level mountain panorama in the city) → 15-minute taxi north to Hotel Kazakhstan tower viewpoint (the elevated view) → lunch on Furmanov Street → Republic Square.

Family day: First President's Park morning (playgrounds, fountains, picnic on the open lawns) → 15-minute taxi south to Mega Park shopping and the indoor children's area → dinner at a Dostyk Avenue restaurant.

Photography circuit: First President's Park late afternoon (mountain panorama in gold hour) → fountain music-light show on a Saturday summer evening → late dinner on Dostyk Avenue. A 4-hour evening photography circuit.

Foothills warm-up: First President's Park as a flat warm-up walk before a Kok-Tobe cable car visit (15-minute taxi to the lower station) - useful for warming up cold-weather travelers before going up to higher altitude.

Treeple includes First President's Park as a 45-minute stop in the upper southern district half-day or as a sunset add-on with a Saturday-evening fountain show.

First President Park completes the central Almaty parks loop for visitors with a half-day downtown.

Tips

Best mountain panorama is from the southern stairs of the central plaza, 60 minutes before sunset on a clear day. The Trans-Ili Alatau ridge glows in side light; the city lights start to switch on in the foreground. In summer: 19:30–20:30. In winter: 16:00–17:00.

Fountain music shows: Saturdays in June, July, August at 21:00 (15 minutes). Arrive 20 minutes early for a spot on the southern stairs. Bring a light jacket - the park is 100 m higher than the city center and 3–5 °C cooler at night.

Best photo of the central fountain: late afternoon for the granite paving texture, evening for the lit fountain - both work. The wide-angle shot from the eastern oak alley frames the fountain against the mountain backdrop.

Most-missed corner: the small stone amphitheater on the eastern slope, hidden by oaks from the main plaza. Walk east from the central fountain along the upper path; the amphitheater is 100 m down a gentle slope. Quiet picnic spot with a partial mountain frame.

Quietest visit time: weekday morning 7:00–10:00. The morning walkers (mostly retirees) finish by 10:00; mid-morning is empty until the noon arrival of weekend families.

Picnic spot: the western slope's grass meadow, 200 m from the main entrance - flat grass, partial shade, paved-path access, benches every 50 m. Bring sandwiches and water; the nearest cafe is on Al-Farabi.

Winter visit: the bare-tree landscape and the snow-on-mountain panorama between November and February are striking. The fountains shut, but the visual reward is the cleanest mountain visibility of the year. Bundle up.

Cycling: the 3.2 km perimeter loop is paved, gently rolling, and bike-friendly. Bring your own bike; no rental on site. Most riders combine it with a longer ride continuing down Al-Farabi.

Treeple's guides time the First President's Park visit for late afternoon (mountain panorama at gold hour) and pair it with a fountain music show on summer Saturday evenings when possible.