To the Semenov-Tien-Shansky peak

07:00 a.m. - Departure from Almaty.

10:00 a.m. - Arrival in Taldykorgan. Visit to the local history museum of the Almaty region. Lunch. Transfer to Sarkand (approx. 159 km). During 2-hours trip, 2-3 stops are provided near interesting and memorable places, as well as a visit to the central office of the Dzhungarian-Alatau National Park. Chokan Valikhanov mentioned Sarkand for the first time in his essays on the study of "Semirechye". These references date back to 1857 of the last century. Initially, Sarkand was a village founded by the Siberian Cossacks. The first substantial settlements appeared on the banks of the Sarkand River in 1858, with the resettlement of 22 families from the Kopalsky and Lepsinsky districts. The first school was opened in 1872. In 1928, the Sarkand region was formed. It included the Cherkasy volost and the Lepsinsky district. Since 1964, Sarkand has been an urban-type settlement, and in 1968 it was transformed into a city. Today it is a small but pretty town. The main activity of local residents is agriculture, the production of excellent wine, there is even a small brewery and a cheese factory.

Arrival in Sarkand approximately at 06:00 p.m.

Hotel accommodation.

Dinner, free time, preparation for the route.

Overnight at the hotel in Sarkand. Total car mileage on this day approximately 400 km.

Rise at 07:00 a.m. Breakfast, packing. Transfer to the Maly Baskan cordon. Lunch at the cordon, crossing to the right bank of the river and going up the Maly Baskan gorge. The first 2 km will pass along a rather difficult path with high and thorny bushes, nettles, windbreaks. Further, to the place of the first overnight stay, we move along a good dirt road. Maly Baskan gorge is located on the northern slope of the central ridge of the Dzungarian Alatau, in its highest part and is oriented from south to north. The length of the Maly Baskan River to its confluence with the Bolshoi Baskan River is about 40 km. The confluence takes place near the village of Yekiasha, the old name is Pokatilovka, our way to the beginning of the gorge will run through this village with a fancy name. The gorge begins with the circus of the Zhambyl glacier, one of the largest glaciers in this region. In the eastern part of the Zhambyl glacier, there are three highest peaks of the Dzungarian Alatau: Semenov-Tien-Shansky peak, Shumsky peak and Abay peak, in the western part of the Zhambyl glacier is Zhambyl peak. Arrival to the place of overnight stay. Setting up a camp, dinner, rest. Total car mileage on this day approximately 50 km, walking distance - approximately 7 km.

Early rise, breakfast and packing of the camp. Trek up the gorge to the upper border of the forest. Throughout the day, we move over rough terrain, the trail appears periodically, and sometimes disappears at all. In some places a good dirt road appears. On the way we will come across several small streams flowing into the Maly Baskan River, which will need to be forded. Passing the abandoned frontier post and wading across the Kumbasai River, we had a halt and lunch. After lunch and a short rest, we continue driving. After wading two more tributaries of Maly Baskan, we reach the upper border of the forest, choose a place for setting up a camp. Dinner with a view of the opened peaks and having rest. Hiking on this day approximately 14 km.

Early rise, breakfast and packing of the camp. Trekking to the largest tributary of the Maly Baskan - the Archeva River, which originates under the Shumsky glacier. We cross several branches of the overflowing river, depending on the season, there may be a different level of water, and you may have to wade the river. A short walk through the alpine meadows will be replaced by the next, very unpleasant obstacle, a huge stone blockage. Having passed the blockage, we again go out to the alpine meadows and go to the moraine lake. The water level in this lake changes several times throughout the year. Halt, lunch and a short rest on the shore of the lake, which was formed as a result of the ancient moraine blocking the gorge. Then the transition to the moraine formed by the Zhambyl glacier. Setting up the camp, dinner, rest. Hiking on this day approximately 12 km.

Early rise at 04:30 a.m. Breakfast and packing up the camp. Radial hike to the Zhambyl glacier, to the observation point of Semenov-Tien-Shansky. The total length of the Zhambyl glacier is about 6 km, the open part of the glacier is about 5 km. The glacier surface area is about 11.5km². According to the results of specialists' observations, it can be said that the glacier is shrinking by about 2.5 meters annually. This is quite intense thawing, for this region. The glacier was named in honor of the outstanding Kazakh poet Zhambyl Zhabayev. Descent to the glacier moraine, lunch, rest. After lunch, descent to the Archeva River along the ascent path. Passing the stone blockage, choose a place for the camp. Setting up a camp, dinner, rest. Hiking on this day approximately 16-20 km.

* For experienced tourists, if you wish, we can organize an ascent to the top of Semenov-Tien-Shansky (4665 meters above sea level). You need to add 1 more day to the program to do this.

Breakfast. Radial hike to the Shumsky glacier. Return to the camp site, dinner and rest. Many tourists who have visited here say that the Shumsky Glacier is the most beautiful of all that they have ever seen. The locals call this glacier "Saukele", this is the headdress of the Kazakh bride's national costume, it is really very similar in shape. The glacier is very similar in size to the Zhambyl glacier, its length is about 6 km, and an area of about 10.7 square km. The glacier was named in honor of Petr Aleksandrovich Shumsky the Soviet scientist, one of the founders of the Soviet school of glaciology, explorer of the Arctic and Antarctic. Return to the camp site, dinner, rest. Hiking on this day approximately 10 km.

Wake up, breakfast. Gathering the camp and going down the gorge to the upper border of the forest. Passing the abandoned border outpost, we choose a place for the camp. Setting up a camp, dinner, rest. Hiking on this day approximately 12-14 km

Ascent, breakfast and packing of the camp. Trekking to the Maly Baskan cordon, lunch. After lunch transfer to Sarkand. Accommodation at the hotel, dinner, rest. Total car mileage on this day approximately 50 km, Hiking on this day approximately 7 km.

Breakfast. Departure from Sarkand at 09:00 a.m. Lunch on the way to Taldykorgan. Arrival in Almaty at 08:00 p.m. Total car mileage on this day approximately 400 km.