Big Almaty Lake feat. Sultan

Big Almaty Lake was the first site I’d decided I wanted to see when I started researching Almaty, frequently heralded as the “most beautiful lake in Kazakhstan”. Hidden amidst the mountains at an altitude of 2,511 metres, this imaginatively named wonder is a turquoise natural reservoir which provides drinking water for the city. Due to the important part it plays in ensuring the hydration of the population, it is forbidden to swim in it, or even go close to the water. It’s located just under 30km from central Almaty.

As always with Kazakhstan, the question was: How to get there?

Ok, the easy way: Get your hostel/hotel to book you a taxi to take you there and back. Easy peasy.

Obviously the easy way wasn’t the most attractive way. In retrospect I realise I hadn’t even properly considered the idea. What’s the adventure in that? (With further reflection I came to the conclusion that a huge aspect to travelling solo is the adventure aspect. You don’t have the perks of company, so you need to make the most of the perk of adventure. Which isn’t always the most time or money efficient way.)

One of my sources mentioned I can get a car/taxi from next to the President’s Park.

First task was obviously getting to the President’s Park and I did it the local way, hailing a car. I asked a fellow local car-hailer how much she’d estimate it would cost to the President’s Park (so I’d know not to be ripped off). She estimated 500 Tenge. So first car I hailed down, I told him my destination, he said ok, and to my surprise asked me a price. “400?” I suggested. Noooo, too little, it’s far, it’d need to be at least 750, he said. I suggested 600 and he said ok.

I felt quite happy with myself sitting in the front seat of this taxi, whizzing past sites I hadn’t seen before, achieving mediocre conversation with the driver.

I got to the President’s Park. After a detour via a cafe (the roundabout wasn’t where I’d understood it to be), I was pointed to the place where the bus leaves from. “And if no bus, then probably you can get taxis from there,” the friendly ladies at the cafe told me.

I reached the bus stop area. I was aware there was a bus that went towards the lake, but it would only take you so far, after which you “hike for 2-5 hours (depending who you ask) or get a taxi” – which meant it more worthwhile just getting a car the whole way. I stood idle as the bus got loaded and left, and then wandered about aimlessly gathering courage to start hailing cars down. It seemed ludicrous that any driver-by chancing to drive this way would just happen to want to do an hour’s detour to take me to the lake.

Some locals got in cars, some who arrived before me, some who arrived after me, and I felt constantly relieved I didn’t have to deal with the humiliation of them laughing at my suggestion to take me to the Big Lake. And nothing was happening, I started wondering if I should just give up on the Big Lake and go and do my next plan of action instead.

Finally a larger vehicle indicated and slowed down for me, but it drove straight past me to the ladies behind me. The ladies behind me jumped at their chance. A lot of people were gathering there. After a moment’s hesitation I went to join them.

The car had two sets of back seats (so could seat a total of 3+3+1, in addition to driver), and the driver was an older man with a cap and a mouth full of golden teeth, who as I arrived was shooing his tiny grandson (aged about six) into the furthest corner of the car to start piling people in. He was evidently keen to get passengers, and he was asking everyone where they were going, and organising them into the car accordingly. I asked for the Big Lake with my less-than-perfect language skills. “Yes, yes, lake as well,” he nodded vigorously, clearly in a rush. He shooed out the women he’d seated in the front set of back seats and told me to get in. I had not forgotten the Golden Rule of hailing down cars, and asked for the price before I got in. “Oh, we’ll talk about that later,” he said hurriedly and gestured I get in. * insert ominous music here *

Even though I know this was a recipe for disaster, I was so flabberghasted that he was actually gonna take me to the Big Lake, that I decided to get in, right next to the tiny grandson who was sitting on the ultimate edge of the seat, looking out the window, probably not hugely thrilled about his grandpa’s group of surprise company.

In the end it was me, two women and the tiny grandson on one set of back seats, three women in the back, and one in the front seat. And off we went. First we went to get petrol, where we nearly left without one of the passengers – the woman in the front seat had gone off to buy water from the shop, and by the time the driver’d come back he’d forgotten he’d had someone in the front seat. Luckily one of the other ladies pointed this out to him, and he stopped the car once on the road.

On our way again. One by one people were dropped off at various points, and I was furiously trying to see how much they were paying him, so I’d know a rough price for myself.

Eventually it was just me, him and the tiny grandson.

“So how much is it to the lake?” I asked again.

“10,000,” he said, “for 10,000 I’ll take you to the lake, you can have an hour’s free time while I wait, and then I’ll take you back to Almaty.” Thinking this through, this seemed rather reasonable. According to one of my sources, one taxi company did this round trip for 12,000.

Usually I’d try and bargain regardless of the price they give me, but this seemed reasonable, he was nice, and in all fairness, I no longer was in an ideal position to bargain as I’d been sitting in his car for the past twenty minutes.

We stopped off at a foodplace to get the tiny grandson some food. From my understanding from conversations he had with the other women, the grandson was about to start first class at school. I didn’t quite understand why he wasn’t at school now. In any case, the tiny grandson was most definitely not spending this day at school.

Then, onwards to the Big Lake. Hooray!

As always, I was absolutely blown away by the views. Driving up into the mountains is an experience second to none. I wish words existed for the thrill and happiness I felt, and also the relief how everything had worked out.

We got to the first viewpoint of the lake.

The driver stopped the car and recapped our financial decision to me: “So we’ll stop here, you pay the first 10,000, then I’ll take you up to the lake, wait for an hour, and then take you back, and then you pay the other 10,000.”

A—ha. I wasn’t surprised, but I was annoyed. And my ‘misunderstanding’ was nothing to do with my lack of language ability; he did intentionally make me understand it was 10,000 for the round trip. So, let the fruitless-feeling bargaining begin. I explained to him that I’d understood 10,000 for the round trip, he explained that oh no no no all taxi companies would charge far more even, but he even gave me discount coz I was travelling alone, usually it’d be 15,000 one way. I explained about the 12,000 deal I’d heard about. Oh no no no, he was friendly but adamant. I explained I’m not sure if I have 20,000, and started the process of awkwardly counting my money and trying to subtly hide the extra 10,000 I had in my second wallet. (Doing this, I realised this is a two-way game, and the drivers are aware of it too.) Finally when I told him in feigned desperation that I’m leaving tomorrow (true) and I’m not sure if I’d have enough money to last me if I paid him 20,000 (false), would 17,000 be ok? He said ok.

So, I was annoyed, yes, but decided to enjoy the trip. The first viewpoint was very nice, the beautiful turquoise lake in the sunlight, no one around. While the tiny grandson waited in the car, the driver went up with me and eagerly offered to take pictures of me with every different background, even encouraging me to climb over the safety barrier for the final pics. (Annoying obstacles them safety barriers eh!)

Then onwards to the main lake viewpoint.

Big Almaty Lake had mixed reviews online. It’s nowadays forbidden to go right down to the water, and especially Wikitravel had a long harsh-sounding bit about angry guards with guns. You had to bring your passport, and I heard my driver talk to another passenger about how it’s a money-making scheme – they take your passport and you get it back upon departure for money. Not fun, but not a surprise either.

We got to the viewpoint. I started wondering if after my initial 10,000 the driver would decide to just leave me there, so I asked for his number, failed at calling him (no signal). He introduced himself as Sultan, and I asked tiny grandson’s name too (Emin, I think). We decided on a time I should be back, and Sultan recommended I climb over another barrier to not have to go past the men in the vans (maybe they were the passport-collectors?), and then he and tiny grandson went off to get food from a nearby van, and I headed down towards the lake.

Big Almaty Lake was beautiful, and very picturesque. Out of all the places I visited I think pictures do it a decent amount of justice. The viewpoint area is vast and you have lots of opportunities for ultimate picture perfection, free of people, even when there is a fair amount of them.

There were people doing cool poses on rocks lower down, so I decided to find my own rock further away, and got a friendly albeit confused woman to take some pictures of me.

I wandered around, wondering how low down I can go before the guards with guns appear. I edged further and further, past the other people taking pictures. There were no guards with guns, anywhere. I even saw a group of Russian-speakers right on the rocks near the water. At some point, however, I stopped and went no further, wholly because Sultan had gently requested I didn’t go too far because then “they’ll ask for his money” coz I’m “his people”.

After the obligatory pictures and wandering, there wasn’t much else to actually do, so I sat and ate my peach and felt very content with life.

Oh, and after my wander I noticed my rock was now taken by other people…

After just under an hour, I went back up to Sultan and tiny grandson, and off we went towards Almaty.

We’d hardly got 100 metres when he stopped at two lost-looking young men on the side of the road, suggesting “taxi?” to them.

After this we spent a long time on our way back, the dozy South Korean boys on the back seat being frequently jolted awake to go out and sightsee B-list sites like an anti-climactic waterfall and abandoned bear statues.

We had excellent conversations with Sultan, and especially on the way back I felt completely comfortable asking him things in Russian – he knew my Russian level and was able to adapt his language and explain words to me.

He showed me one of the dachas of the daughter-in-law of the president, and explained that the water pipe was built by the Japanese.

When I asked where I could buy baursaki, he dropped me off at a market, where I said goodbye to him with the final 7,000 Tenge.

Despite the payment hiccup, I loved my trip with Sultan and the tiny grandson, and appreciated his helpfulness and friendliness and lots of Russian practice! When I was still in the car, some of his other grandkids phoned him because he was meant to pick them up from school. So I’d like to think my ripped-off money went to something decent for his grandchildren or similar.

If ever in need of a driver to Big Almaty Lake, I’ll give you Sultan’s number. Though do double and triple check the price beforehand. 🙂