4 Peak Round Hike: Furmanov Panorama Bashuta Shymbulak

Day 1: Almaty, Kazakhstan to Shymbulak Top, Kazakhstan

Timeline of the Four Peaks Traverse 07:30 – 07:40 Meeting point We will meet in the city center or near your hotel to get to the starting point together with a guide. Starting point is from Medeo ice rink 10:00 – 10:30 Mountain Swing At a good pace, we will walk along the river, ascend the eastern ridge of the Kimasar Gorge, with our resting point being the famous swings. After a short rest, we will continue along the ridge. 11:00 – 11:30 Furmanov Peak, 3053m The ridge leads to a glade with the last trees, popularly known as the "Glade of Enthusiasts" from where two trails lead, one to Bukreev Peak and the other steeply up the rocks to Furmanov Peak. Furmanov is the first peak of our hike; it energizes and motivates us to keep going. 12:10 – 12:30 Panorama Peak, 3260m, Bashuta Peak, 3355m From Furmanov peak, it's another climb of about 40 minutes to reach Panorama, but this peak offers fantastic views (if weather is fine) of everything around, including the city and even the distant Talgar Peak, the highest point of the Zailiysky Alatau. Here, we will take stunning panoramic photos, rest, and have a snack. The next peak is easier, a gentle ascent along the ridge will bring us to the hilly summit of Bashuta. 14:30 – 15:30 Shymbulak peak, 3460 A slight descent to the saddle and in front of us is the steep scree ascent to Shymbulak Peak. It's important to stay focused here, carefully stepping upwards through the scree, then along the long scree ridge to the rocky crown of Shymbulak Peak. The summit has a rocky crown on one side and scree ridge on the other. The photos from the summit are simply breathtaking, and the joy of finally reaching the final peak will stretch across all 3460 meters of Shymbulak peak! 16:00 – 16:30 Back to the city From the summit, we descend along the trail to the Big Talgar Pass, where the Shymbulak ski resort is located. From the pass, we will take a cable car to the first base station of Shymbulak. From Shymbulak to Medeo, we will take an eco-taxi. There is a light-version of this hike: Shymbulak> Bashuta > Panorama > Furmanov There is an easier version of the Small Almaty Round Hike in the opposite direction. The route starts from Medeo, where you take a cable car to the upper station Combi-2 at an altitude of 3200 meters, and from there, you climb to the summit of Shymbulak and continue along the ridge on the route. There are also ascents, but about 80% of the route is downhill. Not recommended for people with knee joint pain.