Medeu and Shymbulak Tour [Medeu + Shymbulak] · 1 day from Almaty

A visit to the Medeu ice rink at an altitude of 1691 meters, the highest stadium in the world. In winter, the ice is perfectly smooth here, 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, ride up to the Shymbulak mountain resort (2260 m) on a three-stage cable car, which takes 25 minutes to reach 3200 meters and opens a full panorama of the Trans-Ili Alatau. In winter, it is skiing and snowboarding, in summer, hiking and cafes with views. Closer to lunch, visit the Green Bazaar, operating since 1875, a true Eastern market with mountains of dried apricots, apricots and raisins, rows of kazy and shuzhuk (horse sausage), barrels of mountain honey from the jailau, and friendly vendors who let you taste everything before you buy. In the second half of the day, ride up to Kok-Tobe by cable car (1070 m), the city’s signature viewpoint. All of Almaty lies below like an open map, with the Alatau mountains behind; sunset is especially striking, when the peaks turn pink and the lights of the metropolis begin to glow in the valley.