Before you go
- Vehicle
- 4×4 required
- Permit
- Not required
- Entrance fee
- Ile-Alatau National Park entrance fee approximately 500 KZT per person per day. Asy Reserve vehicle entry fee approximately 2000 KZT.
- Peak altitude
- 2750 m
- Cell coverage
- None
- Fuel
- Last reliable fuel is in Turgen village (roughly 80 km from Almaty). No fuel on the plateau. If continuing to Bartogay loop, next station is Chylik on the return.
- Road status
- Paved from Almaty to the national park gate in Turgen Gorge. Beyond that, rough gravel and earth track with multiple river fords. Slippery during rain; impassable with snow. Strict 4x4 required.
- Closed months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec
About this trip
The Assy Plateau stretches roughly 40 km east to west across the Trans-Ili Alatau range, sitting inside the Ile-Alatau National Park about 100 km from Almaty's city centre. The plateau opens above the Turgen Gorge once you crest the Asy Pass at 2600 m, and the sense of scale is immediate — sweeping alpine meadow, herds of horses, and white yurts dotting the hillsides through summer. Rivers cross the floor of the plateau, fed by snowmelt from the surrounding ridges.
The Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory sits at 2750 m near the eastern end of the plateau. Built by Soviet astronomers starting in 1975 and now operated by the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, it hosts a 1.5-metre Cassegrain reflector and offers some of the best seeing conditions in Central Asia. Visitors sometimes arrange evening stargazing sessions with observatory staff during summer months.
The road through the Turgen Gorge is paved to the national park gate and then transitions to gravel and rough earth track. Multiple river crossings appear after heavy rain or snowmelt; a genuine 4x4 with good ground clearance is necessary — not optional. The plateau is completely inaccessible from late October through mid-May when snow blocks the pass. In summer the temperature at altitude swings from around 15°C by day to near freezing overnight, so layers and a proper sleeping bag are essential for camping.
Most visitors do the plateau as a one-day round trip from Almaty, returning via the same Turgen Gorge route. A two- or three-day loop is possible by continuing east across the plateau to the Bartogay Reservoir and looping back on the Chylik valley road — adding roughly 70 km of gravel.
Route
Skip map, jump to step listItinerary
Stop 1
Almaty
Leave Almaty early via the Kuldja highway (A351) heading east. At Issyk town (about 60 km) turn right toward the Turgen valley. The road is well-paved through the foothills. Refuel and buy supplies in Turgen village — there are small shops and the last petrol station before the plateau. Driving time from Almaty to Turgen Gorge gate is around 2 hours.
Stop 2
Turgen Gorge
- From previous:
- 80 km · 120 min drive
- Stay:
- ~2 h
The Turgen Gorge runs roughly 30 km from the national park gate up to the Asy Pass. The gorge walls tighten around dense pine forest and a series of waterfalls — Bear Falls (Medvezhiy), at 28–30 m, is the most visited. The road deteriorates quickly past the gate: packed earth, loose gravel, and the first of several shallow river crossings appear within a few kilometres. Keep momentum on the rocky sections but go slowly at fords to check depth. Altitude here ranges from 1300 m at the gate to 2600 m at the pass.
Stop 3
Assy Plateau — jailau and nomad camps
- From previous:
- 25 km · 60 min drive
- Stay:
- ~3 h
Cresting the Asy Pass at 2600 m, the plateau opens to the south and east — roughly 40 km long and 7 km wide, at elevations between 2100 and 2800 m. In summer (June–September) Kazakh herding families set up their jailau (seasonal pasture camps) here, and it is common to see dozens of yurts along the river valleys. The Turgen River and its tributaries cross the plateau floor, and some crossings require picking a careful line in the water. Ancient burial mounds (kurgans) and petroglyphs dot the hillsides. Marmots are abundant; golden eagles and lammergeier circle the ridgelines. The plateau is cold and windy even in July, and afternoon thunderstorms are common.
Stop 4
Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory
- From previous:
- 10 km · 25 min drive
- Stay:
- ~2 h
The Assy-Turgen Observatory sits at 2750 m at the eastern edge of the plateau, its white dome visible from several kilometres away. It belongs to the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute and operates three telescopes, the largest being a 1.5-metre Cassegrain (AZT-20). Construction began in 1975 and the site is considered to have the best astroclimatic conditions in Kazakhstan — average seeing below 2 arcseconds. The road to the observatory from the main plateau track is rough but short (2–3 km). During summer months some visitors arrange evening access for stargazing, though this is informal; contact the Fesenkov Institute in Almaty in advance. Returning to Almaty from here retraces the Turgen Gorge route, adding roughly 1.5–2 hours of driving.
What to bring
- Water (3 L per person minimum)
- Warm layers and windproof jacket (temperature drops sharply at altitude)
- Sleeping bag rated to 0°C for camping
- Tent and camping stove (no services on plateau)
- High-SPF sunscreen and sunglasses
- Sturdy waterproof boots
- First-aid kit
- Recovery tow rope and shovel (for river crossings and mud)
- Paper map or offline GPS — no cell signal on plateau
- Headlamp (excellent stargazing at night)
- Cash (no card terminals anywhere past Almaty suburbs)
Sources
Researched from English and Russian sources. Inaccuracies are mine.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assy-Turgen_Observatory
- https://trekking-club.com/category2/around-almaty/assy-plateau.html
- https://trekkingshop.kz/asy-turgen
- https://explorekazakhstan.net/assy-plateau-turgen-gorge
- https://melontravel.kz/plato-assy-almaty-kazahstan
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Assy_plateau
- https://aphi.kz/observatories/assy-turgen
Similar trips
Day trip
Kaindy Lake
A 400-metre alpine lake where the trunks of drowned spruce trees still stand decades after a 1911 earthquake dammed the valley, their pale masts rising from water so cold it barely reaches 6°C in summer.
2 days
Altyn-Emel National Park
Kazakhstan's most diverse national park packs singing sand dunes, chalky rainbow cliffs, volcanic badlands, and Iron Age burial mounds into one vast desert reserve 295 km northeast of Almaty.
Day trip
Bartogay Reservoir & Kurmety Gorge
A 340 km loop east of Almaty along the A-351, tracing the Chilik River to a turquoise seasonal reservoir and continuing to the spruce-lined Kurmety gorge — an unhurried alternative to the Charyn crowds.