Overview
Bear Waterfall is the easiest and most-visited waterfall in the gorge. The parking area sits next to the Ak-Bulak café, roughly 12 km past the ecopost and 19 km into the gorge from the main junction. The trail is 1 km long, rises gently, and takes 20–30 minutes at an easy pace. The waterfall drops 28–30 m from a glacial stream flowing out from beneath Zhambas Pass; the water temperature stays below 12°C year-round and the falling water raises a permanent mist. Rocks around the base hold fossilised plant imprints from the pre-glacial period. Brown bears historically gave this waterfall its name, though they no longer appear near the trail.
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Nearby planning from Medvezhiy Bear Waterfall
Bear Waterfall is the low-commitment Turgen waterfall stop, with nearby decisions mostly about how far up the gorge to continue afterward.
Nearby from Medvezhiy Bear Waterfall
Park Ecopost And Trout Farm — The Ile-Alatau National Park ecopost is located roughly 10 km into the gorge from the main road junction.
- Mode
- Drive
- Approx. time
- 15 min
- Approx. distance
- 9 km
- Kind
- trailhead
Lower-gorge fallback for food, fees, and deciding whether upper road conditions are worth continuing.
Batan Trailhead Kairak Waterfall — Batan is a small settlement at the confluence of the Turgen and Batan rivers, approximately 83 km from Almaty.
- Mode
- Drive
- Approx. time
- 15 min
- Approx. distance
- 8 km
- Kind
- trailhead
The next practical upper-gorge decision point if you have enough daylight for the long Kairak hike.
Turgen Gorge — The Turgen Gorge runs roughly 30 km from the national park gate up to the Asy Pass.
- Mode
- Drive
- Approx. time
- 30 min
- Approx. distance
- 12 km
- Kind
- natural feature
Use the broader gorge page for road, season, and waterfall context.
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Visit notes
Viewing visit notes for Turgen Gorge
Medvezhiy (Bear) Waterfall
Step 3 · 9 km from previous · 15 min drive
Bear Waterfall is the easiest and most-visited waterfall in the gorge. The parking area sits next to the Ak-Bulak café, roughly 12 km past the ecopost and 19 km into the gorge from the main junction. The trail is 1 km long, rises gently, and takes 20–30 minutes at an easy pace. The waterfall drops 28–30 m from a glacial stream flowing out from beneath Zhambas Pass; the water temperature stays below 12°C year-round and the falling water raises a permanent mist. Rocks around the base hold fossilised plant imprints from the pre-glacial period. Brown bears historically gave this waterfall its name, though they no longer appear near the trail.