Overview
The Kapchagai reservoir, 89 km from Almaty, was created in 1970 by damming the Ili River for the Kapchagay hydroelectric plant. The A3 crosses the dam's downstream side; the bridge affords a wide view of the reservoir surface and the reed-fringed delta arms to the east. In spring and early summer the surrounding floodplain carries green irrigation channels — some of these run through rice plots cultivated by Koryo-saram families who settled this section of the Ili valley after 1937. The rice paddies are not roadside-obvious in summer but the flat, waterlogged fields visible from the road between here and the reservoir's eastern arm are a quiet marker of what the deportees built. The Kapchagai detour to the waterfront adds 20 minutes if you want a closer look; the road drops down to the shore near the town of Qonaev.
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Visit notes
Viewing visit notes for Ushtobe — Koryo-saram Memorial
Kapchagai Reservoir — Ili Crossing
Step 2 · 89 km from previous · 65 min drive
The Kapchagai reservoir, 89 km from Almaty, was created in 1970 by damming the Ili River for the Kapchagay hydroelectric plant. The A3 crosses the dam's downstream side; the bridge affords a wide view of the reservoir surface and the reed-fringed delta arms to the east. In spring and early summer the surrounding floodplain carries green irrigation channels — some of these run through rice plots cultivated by Koryo-saram families who settled this section of the Ili valley after 1937. The rice paddies are not roadside-obvious in summer but the flat, waterlogged fields visible from the road between here and the reservoir's eastern arm are a quiet marker of what the deportees built. The Kapchagai detour to the waterfront adds 20 minutes if you want a closer look; the road drops down to the shore near the town of Qonaev.