Kapchagay, Kazakhstan

What is the most perfect formula of a vacation? We think that it includes soaking up the sun on the beach, immersing in national color, and exploring interesting historical monuments. All these things shouldn’t be far away from each other, so you don’t spend major part of your vacation on the road. Well, there’s one Kazakh town that fits all criteria and it’s Kapchagay!  Moreover, it’s far off the beaten path, thus, you won’t have to worry about too many people and it’s only 80 km away from Almaty!

Kapchagay reservoir was established in 1970 for fishing and irrigation. The construction process was extensive and brought many specialists from different corners of USSR. Alongside with reservoir, factories, roads, and towns were built. Kapchagay was a flourishing and populated town, but everything changed with the collapse of USSR. The town experienced rapid decline in all spheres. Since the beginning of 21^st century the town has been slowly coming back to life. Modern population is 50,000 people and the town is almost 50 years old. 

Tamgaly-Tas is located just a few km away from the town; it’s a complex of rocks with engravings. It’s said that Buddhist monks engraved pictures of mystical gods and Buddha many centuries ago. There’s atmospheric ancient town on the shore of River Ili. It’s not a real ancient settlement, it’s decorations made out of clay for filming. We bet you won’t be able to detect that this place isn’t a few centuries old! The town is constructed with thought, there’s a market, main street, houses, and catapults. 

Options for leisure are endless in Kapchagay. Travelers can sunbath on the shore of the reservoir, go fishing, enjoy landscapes, or take a look on places of interest. Kapchagay reservoir is known for its emerald-colored waters. It’s very mesmerizing to look at, as if reservoir never ends, it’s that big!