We continue sharing ideas on spending time outdoors. This time, we suggest that you consider few ready-made options for the summer period (spring concepts you can find here)
As you probably understand, Trekking Club is an active company, preferring outdoors living. And summer season seems to be the best period to start live active, so let us start then!
All the Club’s team summer passes at a Trekking Club campsite in the Turgen gorge, and we sincerely believe it is the best place on earth: you can reach it with any transport just in 2 hours from Almaty, but when you get to our "island" you really feel lost in the wild nature. Having said "island" we were not mistaken - the territory of our campsite is more than 45 hectares, it is fenced off from any infrastructure by the huge Turgen river, and entrance is possible only by our suspension bridge. This is really the best place to relax - with friends, family or colleagues. Here at a campsite we hold any types of outdoor events for the groups of 10 to 200 people, but you are free to spend your holiday according to your own scenario since there is enough space and sites.
So, here are the options available at our Turgen campsite in summeк (LOOK AT OUR PHOTO-GALLERY)
Concept A: a small group (10-30 people)
Since all the infrastructure for extra comfortable camping (we would even say “glamping”) is already available at a camp, then we recommend that you plan at least a couple of days for your active week-end. Having started driving out of Almaty in the morning, you will find yourself ready for a breakfast/lunch at our campsite just in 2 hours. Do not waist the time and go for a waterfall hike! There are 8km from the campsite to Kairak waterfall (biggest in the famous Turgen cascade). The wide path runs through the forest along the river, without any steep ascents/descents, and ends at the foot of a 70-meter fall. The Turgen gorge is one of the most beautiful in the Zailisky Alatau ridge – it is well know for its spruce forests and relict Shep-Turgen mossy firs. You will surely not regret the time spent on hiking! Upon returning to the campsite after 5-6 hours of hiking (both way), you will explore the riverside buffet – which is, meanwhile, our cause for pride - and the rest of the evening you may spend by the fire, in a “warm” company. Or even in an authentic Scythian bath!
The next day can be all spent in activities - fortunately, you should not go far: on our island there are trails for biking, river trolley, archery point, and a nice small rope park with slack lines etc.. When holding our events, we also add geocaching games, which perfectly unite (and, surely, amuse) the playing team. Alternatively, instead of activities on the shore, you can take a trip to the plateau of Asy, for 5-6 hours (requires SUV jeeps). The off-road trip at an altitude of 2600m is already an adventure, but visiting the plateau is an unforgettable experience, be sure: huge open spaces, white yurts, herds of horses, Saki (Scythe) settlements and burials, ancient rock paintings, and of course, wildlife.
Another option for the second (or even third, if time permits) day is white-water rafting by the Turgen River. Having rafted down, you may finish the trip and head back to the city.
Concept B: a group of 30 to 200 people.
It is a usual practice when big groups come for a day activity since accommodation looks a serious task in this case (although we have an experience of accommodation of more than 70 people at our campsite). In any case, it normally looks like this: you leave the city in the morning, and arrive in Turgen no later than 11am. After a coffee break at a Trekking Club campsite, the team divides in small groups and get involved in “reality show” called "Uninhabited Island". The first group task is to evacuate from a sinking ship and get ashore (using the rope trolley over the river). After a short exploration, the team realizes: to survive, they urgently need (until the darkness comes) to provide for their livelihood (using the bow and arrows), find a suitable place for living in the jungles (moving through the obstacles on a way – for example, slack line over a canyon), and set a shelter for the entire team (everything they need they search with GPS, metal detectors and "secret map"). The task is not as simple, and the efforts of every member are important… Such scenarios considered as an invaluable experience of teamwork – and they are really fun! Creativity in a wild nature frame increases at times (you may trust).
At the end of the game (lasting up to 4 hours) we serve a dinner, and give the opportunity for participants to discuss the results, share their impressions and relax in the hammocks inside a spruce forest.