Good day!!! How can I get to BAO??
You can walk there, or you can make an arrangement at the checkpoint and they will drive you up. A year ago they were asking 60,000 tenge for a car. They take you up, you get 40 minutes there, and then they bring you back down.
But I would recommend walking there. The route itself is very scenic and not difficult.
And I also wanted to ask, are there any places somewhere in the city where you can see the mountains with snow-capped peaks?
Shymbulak, but only if you go all the way to the top, 3,200 m if I remember correctly.
How do I get there?
Take a bus to Medeu, then a taxi (1,000 tenge per person) to Shymbulak, and then take the cable car up to 3,200 m.
Everything below 4,000 has melted. At 4,000+ there is still snow on the northern slopes (which are the ones facing the city).
There are some good viewpoints in the city — from the Sayran dam, and from the northern shore of the pond in Gorky Park.
The best panoramic viewpoint is to follow the Health Trail from the lower station of the Medeu cable car, following the signs. There is a chalet and a viewpoint there.
The view from Serkebay is also great.
The last two places take about an hour to climb to from the bus stop or where a taxi drops you off.
To Serkebay — from Medeu via the Kimasar Pass. This is the easiest and most economical climb, with a relatively gentle gradient.
To the chalet, the climb starts from the lower cable-car station. Go right, past the visitor centre, following the signs for the “Nobel Trail”.
There is the lower station of the Shymbulak cable car at an altitude of 2,300 m. The cable car goes there from Medeu, and there is also a road for cars.
From there, there are two more cable-car sections up to 3,200 m (Combi 1 and Combi 2). Cars do not go above 2,300 m.
The cable-car ticket can only be bought for all sections together (they are not sold separately), so if your goal is to get to 3,200 m, you have to take the cable car (or walk).
Because of road repairs (until December), cars and taxis are not allowed to go all the way to Shymbulak. Getting from Medeu to the lower Shymbulak station without taking the cable car is only possible with a very limited number of cars belonging to “local residents” — you need to have their contact details.
This is relevant for those who are going into the mountain gorge towards the Mynzhylky dam.
Guys, please help me figure this out. Is it really possible to go to Medeu on our own? Or would it be better to take a tour? Or is it somewhere close to the city?
You can absolutely go on your own — by bus, taxi, or even by bicycle (if you’re into cycling).
It’s impossible to get lost there. Just follow the paved road past the ice-skating rink in the direction of the mountains. There will be a staircase with a huge number of steps (around 900, I think). If you want, you can climb it on foot; if you don’t, you can just stand around near the stairs or walk up a little, take some photos, shoot some reels — and then head back.
There are also cable-car ticket offices near the No. 12 bus stop, if you want to go up to Shymbulak.
There are always lots of people and tourists there, everyone is friendly, and they will calmly answer all your questions. You really don’t need a guide for Medeu — the nature itself will give you plenty to experience.
If you want to go to Gorelnik to the hot springs for a swim, that’s another 2 km or so further up the paved road, and you’ll need a swimsuit.
There are cafés too, if you suddenly feel like getting something to eat.
Medeu isn’t just close to the city — it’s practically in the city 😂.