Talgar Gorge

The Talgar Gorge is located 20 km from Almaty in southern Kazakhstan, it the shortest in Zailiysky Alatau. In practice, the Talgar gorge consists of several large gorges: Right, Middle and Left Talgar, Soldatskoye, Kamenny and Osinovoye gorge, Maralsai and it is located opposite the city of Talgar in the mountains. Therefore, we need to talk not about the Talgar Gorge, but about the whole system of Talgar gorges, about the Talgar basin. Most of the basin is occupied by the Almaty Nature Reserve, the rest by the Ili-Alatau National Park. From the city of Talgar in the direction of the reserve there is a beautiful asphalt road to the former pioneer camp “Sputnik”. This is the perfect place for those who want to relax inexpensively and nearby, very simple furnishings, pleasant staff, and a sauna. The road to the waterfall is easy, interesting, and there is peace and quiet all around. The waterfall itself and swimming under it are super! Above, the asphalt ends after 12 km. There is a climbers’ camp in the gorge, which is located at an altitude of 2650 meters above sea level, 9,5 kilometers from the transshipment base and 22 kilometers from the Almaty-Talgar-Turgen road. I must say that the place for training climbers was chosen very well. The highest point is the peak - Talgar Peak. Talgar Peak has the shape of a dome. Clouds float around the peak, white snow all around. The height of the peak is 5017 m above sea level. The Talgar River flows in the gorge; it originates in the center of the Trans-Ili Alatau glaciation. Unlike other rivers, the river is famous for its rapid flow and the noise emanating from it can be heard very far away. The waters in the river are so strong that they move stones, so it is unlikely that you will be able to ford it. In the Talgar gorges you can see relatively heat-loving fruit crops and spruce, accustomed to cold climates; wild apricot grows mixed with birch, willow, aspen, and apple trees. Entire slopes occupied by apricot are found only in the Talgar gorges.
In the reserve there are Tien Shan bears, snow leopards and argali, and a teledut squirrel. It makes an indelible impression on people who first visited the Talgar gorge, and the grandeur of the wild nature will be remembered for a long time. Tourism in Kazakhstan