Overview
The A-3 crosses the Kapchagai Reservoir via the dam road approximately 70 km northeast of Almaty. The Kapshagay Hydroelectric Power Plant has impounded the Ili River here since 1970, forming a reservoir roughly 100 km long. The crossing takes 10 minutes; the wide flat water and semi-desert shore on both banks mark the transition from the Almaty basin steppe into the open Zhetisu region. Continue northeast on the A-3 after the crossing — do not turn off toward the Kapchagai resort town. The road ahead runs through open steppe with the low ridges of the Malaisary range to the south and flat semi-desert plains to the north.
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Visit notes
Viewing visit notes for Eshkiolmes Petroglyphs
Kapchagai Reservoir crossing
Step 2 · 70 km from previous · 60 min drive
The A-3 crosses the Kapchagai Reservoir via the dam road approximately 70 km northeast of Almaty. The Kapshagay Hydroelectric Power Plant has impounded the Ili River here since 1970, forming a reservoir roughly 100 km long. The crossing takes 10 minutes; the wide flat water and semi-desert shore on both banks mark the transition from the Almaty basin steppe into the open Zhetisu region. Continue northeast on the A-3 after the crossing — do not turn off toward the Kapchagai resort town. The road ahead runs through open steppe with the low ridges of the Malaisary range to the south and flat semi-desert plains to the north.