Bartogai Lake – Chilik River

Bartogai water reservoir

It is located 160 kilometers away from Almaty. Even an inexperienced tourist will find it. First, you need to pass Chilik River and turn right before reaching the Kokpek Pass. In about 14-15 kilometers, the asphalt road will end on the coast of a large man-made lake. This is the Bartogai reservoir. It is located at 1,060 meters above sea level and surrounded by the majestic Sogety mountains in the west and Toraigyr in the east.

The artificial reservoir was formed after a giant stone-bulk dam blocked the Chilik River in a narrow crevice. The dam (upstream) is about 330 meters long and about 60 high, with the spillway capacity amounting to 100 m³/s. The construction was built in the 1980s together with the Great Almaty Canal. At that time, the authorities were preoccupied with the need to expand the area of ​​the Rhine Valley. This was due to the rapid growth of the large city of Almaty and neighbouring settlements.

Dinmukhamed Kunaev, the head of the republic at that time, ordered to irrigate an additional 100 thousand hectares of fields. For these purposes, a special canal was constructed, being 168 kilometers long. And in order to ensure a steady water flow even in hot summers, they built a large reservoir on the Chilik River. It has an oval shape (three by four kilometers). It is surrounded by stone banks, with almost no vegetation. In addition, there is a rather poor climate. Despite the fact that it is rather hot in summer, a strong wind blows from the mountains. Snow rarely falls in winter, but the area is still very cold. By the way, in ancient times, a summer cottage was located on the dam site in the forest, where the state heads rested. Today, in the river floodplain you can see a very beautiful and picturesque grove. If you literally translate the word “Bartogay” from the local language, you will get “there is a forest” phrase

Water from the Chilik River, which enters an artificial reservoir, has a low temperature (no more than twelve degrees). However, during the hottest period, the sun thoroughly warms it up, and tourists can enjoy warm and clean water. Swimming in summer in a mountain lake is a pleasure that has nothing to be compared with.

The surroundings of the reservoir have been popular with tourists for many years. It is a key location for organizing corporate vacations. For example, at large-scale off-road or mountain bike competitions. Water sports fans can try their hand at rafting or kayaking.

But not only athletes come here. Many tourists stay to watch an incredible sight as the water from the reservoir enters the Chilik River. Two tunnels are used for this, each of them having a diameter of three meters. Under the gigantic pressure, a large amount of liquid is ejected. People come from all over Kazakhstan to see it. But to get to the spillway, you need to have a special permit. It can be obtained at from the Big Almaty channel administration. Don’t forget that this object is of great importance for the area and the country as a whole, therefore it is carefully guarded.

We will look into the route in more detail. You pass the post, go through a three-hundred-meter tunnel located directly in the rock. Then, after a few turns, you descend into the floodplain of the river, where an incredibly beautiful view opens before your eyes! Two powerful water streams break free with some incomprehensible speed. If you are standing on the edge of a dam, it seems that not a single obstacle in the world is able to withstand such a powerful stream. Dozens of rainbows can be seen below, and cool water dust can soak your clothes and shoes.