Off The Grid
Trekking
Intrepid
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Victoria is a big fan of Central Asia in general and Kazakhstan in particular - especially its friendly, welcoming people and spectacular landscapes.
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Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
For a nature-based adventure with a bit of culture mixed in for good measure, this 10-day action-packed trek through the Turgen Valley region of Kazakhstan fits the bills. Enjoy the start of your tour in the large city of Almaty before exploring the burial grounds, high altitude grasslands and glaciers of the Zailiskiy Alatau mountain range during a four-day trek. Mix in a visit to a Soviet Space Observatorium and the Medeo Skating Rink and you’ve got a recipe for an incredible adventure.
Today, you’ll hit the road, transferring by car or minibus to your basecamp in the Turgen Valley, about 43 miles from Almaty. On the way, enjoy a visit to the historic Issyk Saki museum, before settling in at the 5,249-foot-high camp, enjoying a short hike before dinner and getting to know your surroundings.
After breakfast, you will kick off a big day with a hike up a gorge to Assy Plateau, high altitude grasslands where Kazakh nomads often live in the summer. Afterward, enjoy treks to ancient rock carvings, burial mounds from the Sakh Period and a 'modern' Soviet Space Observatorium before heading back to camp for dinner.
Today is the first of your four-day trek, starting with a 3.5-hour trek that will take you to the 230-feet-high Kairak waterfalls. After your first big day on the trails, you will camp for the night at 6,890-foot altitude.
After enjoying breakfast at your campsite, you will continue to trek upwards toward the Temir-Tas river. Enjoy views of the Zailiskiy Alatau mountain range and high altitude grasslands and a visit to ancient burial mounds from the Sakh period. End your day with dinner and by setting up camp at the foot of the Glaciological Glacier at 10,500 feet high.
Today, continue your four-day trek, crossing “pass-without-name” before reaching the origin of the Turgen river. Enjoy views from over 13,123 feet high – including a vista of one of the mountain range’s biggest glaciers – and set up camp at 10,171 feet above sea level.
On your final day of trekking, you will descend to the Turgen Basecamp along the river, enjoying marvelous views and the downward slope of the trail before setting up a final night of camp where the Turgen river meets the river Kishi Turgen.
by Financial Times 
by Departures Online 
