Where is Shymbulak Kazakstan?
Shymbulak Mountain Resort is located to the southeast of the city of
Almaty in the southeastern part of
Kazakhstan and not too far from Kyrgyzstan. The ski area sits in the Zailiyskiy Alatau mountain range, which is part of the Tian Shan mountains.
The Medeu Station is the bottom of the access gondola which is just 20km southeast of the Almaty city centre. The gondola heads up to the Shymbulak Station, or it’s 7.5km by road from Medeu up to Shymbulak which is only accessible for electric vehicles and authorised shuttle buses.
Flights
The gateway airport for Shymbulak is the Almaty International Airport (IATA code: ALA) which receives direct flights from various international destinations including Istanbul, Dubai, Frankfurt and Moscow. You can look at
flight routes and options here.
The Almaty International Airport is 28km north of the Medeu Station for Shymbulak.
Travel to Shymbulak
Most options for getting to Shymbulak involve travelling to the Medeu Station first and then getting the gondola up to the Shymbulak Station at 2,260 metres elevation, which is the base of the ski resort. Settle back and enjoy the gondola ride because it can take about 20 minutes. Considering the many tourists that head up to Shymbulak just hang out, there can be long queues at the end of the day to download the gondola. If you don’t want to stand in line, you might want to get an EV taxi down the mountain via Yandex.
Or there is an eco-bus that operates between Medeu and the Shymbulak base station.
Driving to Shymbulak
It’s a relatively easy drive from Almaty to Medeu Station on a well maintained road that’s not particularly steep or windy. On weekdays the drive back to Almaty can take a while if you hit peak hour.
Taxi to Shymbulak
Many international visitors with a strong currency will find it quite affordable to get a taxi from Almaty up to the Medeu Station, or you could potentially get an EV taxi all the way to Shymbulak station. The Yandex app offers the option to book an electric vehicle.
Tour
One way to travel to and from Shymbulak is with a
guided tour that includes all transport.
Bus
There are regular buses from central Almaty to the Medeu base station. route number 12 heads from the Dostyk – Kurmangazy stop and route number 21 is from the Dostyk – Zholdasbekov stop. The buses can be very busy on weekends.
Getting Around the Ski Resort
For those staying in accommodation mid-mountain or at the top at Talgar Pass, you’ll need to get there on gondola cabins on the chondola/s.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby