The New Visitor Center for Tourists to Have Been Started Working in the Turgen Gorge

Almaty city

The Turgensai Visitor Center will be the starting point for hiking in the unique places of the Turgen Gorge. On July 9, QazaqGeography Republical State Association initiated the grand opening of the Center, which was attended by Yeraly Tugzhanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

Turgensai is the second visitor center on the map of the Ile-Alatau National Park. Created according to modern standards, the center will provide tourists and guests of the region with all the necessary information about the activities of the national park.

“The country’s leadership pays special attention to the development of ecotourism, which is given appropriate instructions”, Yeraly Tugzhanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, said at the opening of the visitor center. “It is obvious that the Almatinsky region with an abundance of national parks is a key area for the development of ecotourism. The total attendance in three national parks within the territory of the Almatinsky cluster by the end of 2021 exceeded the level not only of 2020, but also of the 2019 pre-pandemic year. The results of M6 2022 also show a good trend in increasing the attendance of national parks. All this indicates a high rate of the development of ecotourism and the spread of the culture of ecotourism among the population.

“The culture of visitor centers should be firmly integrated into our lives so that Kazakhstanis and foreign guests have the opportunity to form an organized vacation for themselves,” Orman Nurbayev, CEO of QazaqGeography RSA added. “This is a requirement of time, which is also beneficial for ordinary citizens who, as a result, receive a safe route, instruction, a place where they can relax and gain strength. It is also useful for national parks that can control over the turnaround, due to this, keep the territories in order, develop and improve infrastructure.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Yerzhan Yerkinbayev, Vice-Minister of Culture and Sports, Aliya Shalabekova, Vice-Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources, Marat Sultangaziyev, Akim of Almatinskaya oblast, Orman Nurbayev, CEO of QazaqGeography RSA and representatives of local executive bodies.

What is Turgen famous for?

Turgensai is a place for visitors to get acquainted with the National Park and a starting point for traveling to places of pristine nature of the Turgen Gorge of the Ile-Alatau National Park. The center is located in the picturesque Turgen gorge, 80 km from Almaty, rich in natural monuments.

Directly from the visitor center, you can walk to the Bear Waterfall, whose height is 30 m. This 1.3 km long hiking path is a social and accessible tourist route for all categories of people. In addition, along the highway of the Turgen Gorge there are five springs with cold spring water rich in minerals, as well as hot radon springs gushing from the depths just below the Тurgensai visitor center.

Also in the area of the visitor center, tourists can access the Kairakty waterfall, Chinturgen moss spruce forests, the Asian Apple Tree Natural Reserve and other natural objects. Turgen Gorge is also famous for the Saka mounds, in one of which the Golden Man was found.

About the Turgensai Visitor Center

The Turgensai complex itself includes an information desk, lecture hall, souvenir shop, catering point, public toilet, playground and terraces. For people with disabilities and parents of young children, the Turgensai visitor center is equipped with ramps so that all visitors, regardless of their needs, can feel comfortable.

The Turgensai Visitor Center will become a place of attraction not only for tourists, but also for schoolchildren and young people. Following the example of the Ayusai visitor center, the national park and volunteers will conduct classes with children and youth here, and the staff of the visit center will conduct excursions to the picturesque places of the Turgen Gorge.

About the QazaqGeography RSA activities

The mission of QazaqGeography Republican State Association is to create conditions for people to stay in nature, safe for both nature and people. The company is engaged in the development of ecological tourism, the study of nature and culture of Kazakhstan, and works to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the country. In particular, QazaqGeography focuses on the development of tourist infrastructure and eco-tourism in the Charyn, Altyn-Emel and Ile-Alatau National Parks.

In the near future, QazaqGeography will open similar visitor centers in two more national parks - Altyn–Emel and Charyn. Camping and glamping zones will also be installed there. Currently, convenient infrastructure has already been created on the territory of national parks: navigation, observation decks, drinking fountains, toilets, shade canopies. The company is also working on the development of Ulytau SNNP, where it also plans to apply positive experience in the development of tourism and infrastructure.