Almaty
(Alma Ata) in a nutshell The
orchards which have given Almaty have mostly been destroyed in recent, ill-thought
out building developments, but a few remain.
Almaty’s artist row on a tree-lined
pedestrian street. "Arbat" - is a nickname of the street. The real is Zhybek-Zholy
(Silk road). On the same street you can visit the big mall - TsUM. Nearby Medeu:
Is the highest olympic sized ice stadium. More than 180 world records were made
on this ice. There is also a large mountain-water swimming pool just below the
ice rink, open in summer. The water is extremely invigorating, about 15 degrees
celsius Chimbulak: The Ski-resort is open
from November till April-May. A good base for some great hikes. You can hike up
to the top to get a great view of the city. Or you can bypass Chimbulak and carry
along the road, past the hotel and walk up to the dam and then the glacier. A
tough but beautiful walk. Hiking is definitely a highlight here. Charyn
Canyon: The second largest canyon in the world. Located 200km to the east of Almaty.
We
recommend Wikitravel Almaty as Tourist Info on-line | 
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