Almaty Tour: Mountains, Ethno Village and the City [Medeu + Shymbulak] · 2 days

Visit the Medeu ice rink at an elevation of 1691 meters, the highest-altitude stadium in the world. In winter, it has perfectly smooth ice, while in summer it becomes a cool mountain amphitheater with a walk along the dam and views of the gorge. In the first half of the day, take the Shymbulak mountain resort lift (2260 m) on a three-stage cable car that reaches 3200 meters in 25 minutes and opens up a full panorama of the Trans-Ili Alatau. In winter, there is skiing and snowboarding, and in summer, hiking and cafés with a view. Return to Almaty by evening.

Immerse yourself in nomadic culture at the Hunny ethno village, a reconstruction of Kazakh life 70 km from the city. Yurts, beshbarmak cooked over an open fire, horse performances, and an introduction to nomadic musical instruments. In the first half of the day, take the cable car up to Kok-Tobe (1070 m), the city’s signature viewing point. Almaty lies spread out below, with the Alatau mountains at your back; the sunset is especially striking, when the peaks turn pink and the lights of the megacity begin to glow in the valley.