A distinctive advantage of Almaty is its immediate proximity to the mountains. Many technically easy hiking routes start just 15–25 km from the city centre and can be reached in some one hour by taxi (roughly USD 10 at current app-based rates) or even a city bus.
The Medeu high-mountain sports complex is located around 14–17 km from central Almaty and can be reached in approximately 30–40 minutes by bus or taxi. It features an open-air skating rink at about 1,700 metres above sea level.
From Medeu, a modern gondola (cable-car) system takes visitors to the Shymbulak mountain resort and further up to the Talgar Pass (around 3,200 metres). A combined ticket covering all cable-car segments currently costs approximately USD 7–8, making high-altitude alpine landscapes affordable.
Big Almaty Lake
and other nearby destinations
Big Almaty Lake, Almaty Region, Kazakhstan — Roman Check, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
Big Almaty Lake (about 30 km from the city) is one of the best-known natural attractions in the Almaty region and is often included in half-day excursion programmes.
Longer day trips
Several more distant sites are commonly offered as half-day or full-day trips and could be proposed as optional pre- or post-conference excursions:
