Trekking to the upper reaches of Turgen river

 
  Almaty – Turgen ravine – Batan – Big Kairak waterfall – Bartugul hole – Turgen river – Batan  - Almaty  

 

Season	mid June - October
Duration of the tour	3 days, 2 nights
Average walking time per day	4-5 hours
Difference of heights	1800m-3100m
Category of difficulty	**
Weather conditions:	+20°С…+24°Сduring a day, +8°С...+12°Сin the night
What to take with you	list of necessary gear/clothes for trekking

This is not long, but very informative tour full of majestic views and discovery: unique historical monuments and great natural phenomenon like waterfalls and high-altitude lakes, rock canyons and snow peaks are waiting to be revealed by adventurer. The trekking route is radial, so it starts and ends in Batan place. The main path crosses holes of Bartugul, Kairak and Temirtas along the upper timberline and comes up to Mountain Institute glacier where Turgen river springs from.
The way back follows down Turgen gorge along main river flow. There are great views of main ridge Zailisky Alatau with its glaciers and snow peak appears from the path. The most interesting points to be seen during a trek are Big Kairak waterfall with the height of 45 meters, and Saki barrows that are situated at a plateau in a mysterious symmetry. Saki barrows are dated to the 500 B.C.E. but still are in a very good state of preservation.    

Day 1	Drive Almaty – Turgen ravine– Batan village, 2 hours. Start trekking up following Turgen river, up to the confluence of rivers Kairak and Turgen, 2.5 hours. Ascent by the good path along Kairak river, via waterfall up to good camping glade, 2 hours. Overnight in tents at the height of 2250m above sea level (camp 1).
Day 2	Breakfast and camp packing procedures. Follow the path that crosses holes of Bartugul, Kairak and Temirtas along the upper timberline and comes up to the upper reaches of Turgen river, 6 hours. Overnight in tents at the height of 2700m (camp 2).
Day 3	Breakfast and camp packing procedures. Cross down to Batan following main Turgen river flow, 5 hours. Drive back from Batan to Almaty city, 2.5 hours.

	Want to see Turgen 3-days trekking in bigger scale

Tour price:

1 person (individual service) - 690 USD
2 - 3 persons in the group - 365 USD
4 - 8 persons in the group - 340 USD

The price includes:
 - transport from Almaty city to the start place and back
 - mountain guide(s) services
 - National park fees and permissions
 - rent of bivouac equipment: living tents, portable gas kitchen gear, tableware etc.
 - foodstuff for all the period of trek 
 - safety in trek: emergency satellite connection, GPS monitoring with GPS spot

The price does not include:
 - porter services. It means that all the weight of common gear (like tents, food, gas etc.) will be divided between all the members including guides, and will have to be carried all together
 - rent of personal clothes, boots etc.