Mountains & WalksMountains & WalksPhoto: MariSimonova, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Turgen Gorge is located approximately 90 km east of Almaty. The journey here is itself part of the experience: 5–6 hours of driving or mountain biking in each direction. A well-maintained gravel road leads to Kairak Waterfall, the tallest in the gorge at around 55 meters—approximately 9 km one way through dense forest. The complete round trip route covers about 18.5 km and takes around 5.5 hours. However, the same trail allows for shorter walks if the waterfall is not your only goal. The elevation gain is modest, approximately 500 meters, and the trail is well-trodden. Entry requires a small national park fee.
The gorge has long been crossed by nomadic and trade routes—from the northern foothills of Zailiyskiy Alatau into the valleys of Chilik and Charyn, and further to Issyk-Kul. Along this same road, near the city of Esik, stands the famous Issyk Kurgan. In 1969–1970, an expedition led by archaeologist Kemal Akishev discovered the remains of a Scythian warrior in golden garments: over 4,000 gold ornaments, an iron sword and dagger, and a bronze mirror. The find was called the "Golden Man." It became one of the main symbols of independent Kazakhstan, and the original was moved to a museum in Astana. The statue copy seen on the way to Turgen is a monument to this very discovery. Inside the gorge itself, kurgans from the Scythian era, from the I millennium BCE, are also preserved. The areas around Turgen were inhabited long before modern times.
The gorge contains seven waterfalls in total, though most visitors hike to three of them. Medvezhiy, the most accessible, is about 40 meters. Kairak, also called Buzgul, is the most powerful. The Kazakh word "қайрақ" translates as "whetstone"—and that is literally what it does. According to geologists' calculations, the water stream carved a tunnel through the rock approximately 10,000 years ago and has continued grinding the stone ever since, like a whetstone sharpening a blade. This is perhaps the main spectacle of the route. The rocky waterfall is the most difficult to reach and should only be attempted with good physical fitness. Besides waterfalls, the gorge has lakes, springs, and medicinal herb thickets, and trout swim in the river—you can fish if you bring your own gear. Along the way, you can also visit the Kieli-Bulak spring, ride horses across the meadows, or stop by an ostrich farm near the gorge entrance. Kieli-Bulak, by the way, is connected to local legends about the rejuvenating properties of its water. This is a distant destination, so plan to spend the whole day here. Bring some snacks with you: there are almost no cafes along the way.