On our trip to Almaty Jan. 2019 we (Vader&zoon from The Netherlands) decided to leave three caches in the area. One we placed here in a beautiful natural environment.
The Big Almaty Lake is a natural alpine reservoir. It is located in the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains, on the upper side of the Almaty canyon,15 km south from the center of Almaty. The lake is 2511 meters above sea level. It is 1.6 km in length and from 0,75 to 1 km in width. The coastline is 3 km, the depth is 30-40 m, the volume of water mass is about 14 million m³. The maximum water level is in August, the minimum is in February. From the south, the lake flows into the river Big Almaty. It is part of the Ile-Alatau National Park. There are three peaks Sovetov (4,317 m), Ozyorny (4,110 m), and Turist (3,954 m) surrounding the lake, which can be seen from the northern end of the dam. Depending on the time of year, the lake changes its color from light-green to turquoise-blue.
The lake's high altitude location keeps the area at cool temperatures throughout the year. Many locals escape the city to find refreshment here. The lake is a major source of drinking water for the region (one can see the large pipe coming down from the lake). The lake can be accessed by car (approximately 1 hour drive), bike, or hiking (approximately a half-day trip). Access to the lake is free of charge. The lake's average water temperature is 8-10 °C, swimming is prohibited.
In winter it can be hard to drive up the mountain. Winter tyres or chain snows are indispensable. Additional 4x4 comes in handy too. Be careful in winter though, since the road will be slippery and small accidents are not uncommon.
In order to get the right co-ordinates one needs to solve this puzzle:
https://www.jigidi.com/solve.php?id=WE2KTDWY
The cache is maintained by a local cacher (for which we are grateful!), so if anything is wrong just let us know.
!! Please do not post any pictures in your log from which the hiding place can be deducted !!
