One of the top attractions in Kazakhstan’s capital Almaty is Shymbulak, a ski resort. It is located around 25 kilometres from Almaty’s city centre, tucked away in the Zailiysky Alatau mountain range. Once you reach Shymbulak, you have to take three cable cars to get to the top-most point, the Talgar Pass.

Shymbulak in the Guinness Book of Records

In 2023, Shymbulak Ski Resort earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s highest night skiing slope. The resort remains snow-covered from November until April or May. To reach the mountain resort’s top-most point, visitors must take a cable car from the Medeu sports complex, which involves three phases. The final phase ascends to the highest point, Talgar Pass, at 3,200 meters above sea level.

Talgar Pass is among the northernmost peaks in the Tien Shan Mountains. This vast mountain range spans approximately 2,500 kms across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Mongolia.

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Talgar Pass at 3,200m above sea level © Journo Travellers

We visited it in March and it was like a gorgeous white blanket surrounded us. The temperatures get severe, especially in the final phase but it is an ideal spot for ski lovers. The sight of watching hundreds of people skiing down, tumbling over, and having fun in the snow, is pretty fresh in our minds – all these views, of course, from our cosy cable car seats.

Shymbulak was a white blanket when we visited in March 2024 © Journo Travellers
Shymbulak Ski Resort, Almaty © Journo Travellers

How to reach Shymbulak from Almaty city

The most convenient way to reach Shymbulak Mountain Resort is obviously by car, although it can be quite expensive. After talking to several drivers, the lowest fare we found was around 25,000 Tenge for a round trip. This fare did not include the cable car ticket, which costs 5,000 Tenge per person to reach the highest point. In total, the cab fare and cable car tickets would amount to approximately 12,000 Indian Rupees. Food and beverages are not included in this cost. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes available in the first and second phases of the resort.

You can either hire a car before hand for this day trip or use the taxi app Yandex to book a cab for travelling to and from the hotel to the resort. It’ll cost you approximately 8,000-9,000 Tenge, one way on Yandex.

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Restaurants at Phase One © Journo Travellers

Almaty to Shymbulak by bus

We found an alternative way to reach Shymbulak after doing some research and talking to locals. Initially, we ended up on the wrong bus, but fortunately, we encountered a tourist kiosk at our destination where an English-speaking lady helped us out and saved the day.

Keep an eye for these tourist centres in Almaty © Journo Travellers

Here’s what you have to do:

Locate the nearest bus stop, but keep in mind that in Almaty, bus stop names aren’t written in English. Using Google Lens, scan the name to translate into English. Google Lens proved to be incredibly helpful during our Kazakhstan trip. To reach Shymbulak Resort from Almaty city, take Route No. 12. However, be aware that there are two No. 12 routes, so make sure you choose the one that passes through Dostyk Avenue and Hotel Kazakhstan.

Use this city bus link – (https://citybus.tha.kz/) – and select the first Route No. 12 option. Check to ensure it includes the Medeu Sports Complex stop. If a bus stop near your hotel is on this route, it’s straightforward: board the bus and get off at the penultimate stop, Medeu Sports Complex.

From there, you can see the cable car ticket counter from the road. If your hotel’s bus stop isn’t on this route, use the same link to find a bus that connects to one of the Route 12 stops. For example, our hotel wasn’t on the No. 12 route, so we took Bus 48 to the Hotel Kazakhstan stop. From there, we changed our bus and got into No. 12 bus to reach Shymbulak.

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There are regular buses from Shymbulak to Almaty city © Journo Travellers
You can see Shymbulak’s ticket counter from the bus stop © Journo Travellers

In Almaty, city buses have a flat rate of 200 Tenge per person, regardless of the destination. This way, it only cost us 1,600 Tenge for the round trip between our hotel and the ski resort, instead of 25,000 Tenge. Always carry the exact change, as some bus drivers might charge extra if you pay with a larger denomination.

Regardless of how you reach, Shymbulak will totally be worth it!