Big Almaty Lake is set high up in a gorge of the Bolshaya Almatinka river, 2,511 metres above sea level nd 28.5 km south of Almaty. It lies in a hollow like a gleaming mirror, surrounded on all sides by majestic peaks. Nearly all of the mountain lakes in the Tien-Shan are the results of earthquakes, and Big Almaty Lake is the largest of these. Three main peaks tower above the lake and c;in be seen from the northern ,iid of the dum-.Soiyetw (4,317 in) to the south-east, Ozyorny 4110 m) to the south, further iip the river valley, and the forced slopes of Twist (3,954 m) to the south-west. WestofTur-ist is the crest of BolsboiAlmaty Peak, a 3,681-m-high pyramid . liich is visible from the city centre. The lake changes colour from light green to tur-aoise depending on the sea-'o(in. Fed by glacier water, the Like is 1.6 km long, almost a ki-i' metre wide and 40 m deep.
    Higher up above the pale hi lie chalice of the lake is the domed Tieri-SbanAstronomical ' bservatory, in a very ancient glacier valley 2 km from the Like and at an altitude of 2,700 n. Walk another 8 km and you ill reach the Cosmic Rays Re-ìèãñÜ Station at 3,300 m, near ZhosylkezenPass. You can camp here for the night and ^äå up at the stars. The path forks after the dam at Big Almaty Lake, leading to many places that are per fect for hiking, skiing, bird-watching, picnicking or camping. The left-hand trail goes east to the Turist Pass and Left Talgar valley, while the right-hand path crosses the river and climbs to the Ozyorny Pass.
    The Ozyomy mdProkhod-noi Gorges stretch out like two ample sleeves of the Big Almaty Gorge, each beautiful and surprisingly different from the other. From the Almaty-Alagir Pass there is a stunning view of the snow-clad Zaili Alatau peaks. The pass is the starting-point for routes to Lake Issyk-Kul (in Kyrgyzstan) of varying length and complexity - the Ozyomy, Aksu, Prokbodnoi and Kok-Kairyk Passes. The season for trekking to Issyk-Kul is late July to August. Zhasyl-Kol, a moraine lake of heavenly beauty (3,000 m), nestles between the Zaili Alatau and Kungei Alatau mountain ranges. The Prokhodnoi Gorge has a spacious, picturesque valley that brings together all the diverse colours of the mountains. The Alma-Arasan Gorge, with its graceful little waterfalls and hot springs, is always popular for adventure holidays.