Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 , Big Almaty Lake

The Big Almaty Lake belongs to the Bostandyk district of Alma-Ata and is located 20 km south-east of the center of the former capital of Kazakhstan. The state border with Kyrgyzstan passes in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir, but the presence of a special pass for visiting the BAO is not required.

Contrary to its name, the alpine lake has a small area of water surface. It is located at an altitude of more than 2500 m above sea level, surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau.

The mountain cleft appeared as a result of active tectonic processes that occurred in the distant past. More than two thousand years ago, a powerful earthquake triggered a large-scale collapse that blocked the gorge. As a result, a natural dam was formed and a deep reservoir striking with its unearthly beauty, which became a real turquoise pearl of the Northern Tien Shan.