Tamgaly Gorge
Tamgaly Gorge
4.5
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In addition to ancient settlements and burial sites from the Bronze Age, this mountain gorge contains thousands remarkable rock carvings.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Арина Ш
6 contributions
Sep 2024 • Family
In September, we were lucky enough to visit two unique places in Kazakhstan — Tamgaly-Tas and the City of Nomads. It's been an amazing trip, leaving a lot of impressions. On the recommendation of friends purchased a tour from Melon travel. You guys are super company!
Both places are unique in their own way. Tamgaly-Tas impresses with its natural power and historical significance, and the City of Nomads delights in immersing itself in the culture and atmosphere of the past. I recommend visiting them for anyone interested in history, culture and just loves the beautiful nature. It's a journey I'll long remember.
Both places are unique in their own way. Tamgaly-Tas impresses with its natural power and historical significance, and the City of Nomads delights in immersing itself in the culture and atmosphere of the past. I recommend visiting them for anyone interested in history, culture and just loves the beautiful nature. It's a journey I'll long remember.
Automatically translated
Written January 4, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PhilipLeic
Leicester, UK1,649 contributions
Sep 2022
A large amount of petroglyphs spread over a number of sites. We visited on our tour from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan. We had our tour guide who translated for the local knowledgable site guide, which made the visit more interesting and pointed out to us the best images. I think we would have struggled without these guides. Viewing the drawings clearly does seem to depend on where the sun is shining, the time of day and the angle you view at, this is especially important with photography. The site now has a new toilet block with a charge or the old single toilet in the corner of the car park which is free. There are designated areas for a picnic.
Written November 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gene R J
Silver Spring, MD11,010 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
We had contacted indy-guide.com to reserve "Tamgaly petroglyphs Tour - Day Trip Almaty" by Tatyana Gussar.
She and her husband, Ramon, picked us up at 8 AM in their nice air conditioned Toyota at our Hotel Kazzhol for the 106 mile drive to the northwest. After crossing Almaty's industrial west, we passed extended irrigated horticulture, corn, and hay, before entering the dry steppe of wheat, sheep, cows and horses, arriving at Tamgaly at 10:40 AM.
Tatyana purchased our tickets at the entry house while we used the portapotty and read the signboards in the small enclosed parking lot. With hiking shoes, hats and water, we took the 1 KM trail back to Group II at the first gorge. Here Tatyana distinguished among the 400 petroglyphs to identify the most important by their age grouping; 13th C BC, 5th C BC, or more modern. We moved on to Group III at a second gorge where she did the same with its 400 petroglyphs. Then we crossed an easy wetland to Group IV at a large rock outcropping with 13th C "Sun-head Deities" and, after a climb through thorn bushes, a view of a Buddhist mantra from the 17th C. We stopped at several Bronze age burial sites discovered in 1985 before returning to the parking lot, now filled with a tour bus, 2 vans and several cars.
We enjoyed our packed lunch at one of the shaded shelters, watching a herd of horses gallop across the seemingly endless grassland with only 2 ranch sites in distant view. The popularity of this wonderful cultural site can only increase dramatically with its new road.
We returned to our hotel at 3 PM, very happy to have chosen this nice young couple who made the travel time disappear with pleasant conversation. Tatyana's excellent English to relate this country's culture and Ramon's good driving with a comfortable car made this day trip a good value at $160.
She and her husband, Ramon, picked us up at 8 AM in their nice air conditioned Toyota at our Hotel Kazzhol for the 106 mile drive to the northwest. After crossing Almaty's industrial west, we passed extended irrigated horticulture, corn, and hay, before entering the dry steppe of wheat, sheep, cows and horses, arriving at Tamgaly at 10:40 AM.
Tatyana purchased our tickets at the entry house while we used the portapotty and read the signboards in the small enclosed parking lot. With hiking shoes, hats and water, we took the 1 KM trail back to Group II at the first gorge. Here Tatyana distinguished among the 400 petroglyphs to identify the most important by their age grouping; 13th C BC, 5th C BC, or more modern. We moved on to Group III at a second gorge where she did the same with its 400 petroglyphs. Then we crossed an easy wetland to Group IV at a large rock outcropping with 13th C "Sun-head Deities" and, after a climb through thorn bushes, a view of a Buddhist mantra from the 17th C. We stopped at several Bronze age burial sites discovered in 1985 before returning to the parking lot, now filled with a tour bus, 2 vans and several cars.
We enjoyed our packed lunch at one of the shaded shelters, watching a herd of horses gallop across the seemingly endless grassland with only 2 ranch sites in distant view. The popularity of this wonderful cultural site can only increase dramatically with its new road.
We returned to our hotel at 3 PM, very happy to have chosen this nice young couple who made the travel time disappear with pleasant conversation. Tatyana's excellent English to relate this country's culture and Ramon's good driving with a comfortable car made this day trip a good value at $160.
Written September 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
richard n
London, UK4 contributions
Oct 2011 • Solo
Very difficult to reach without tour guide bus (cost USD$200 or more). I went solo, to reduce cost, took bus to Uzynagach and then haggled with the bus driver who then asked his nephew to drive me to Tamgaly Atass (mountain) by car for USD$70. Road condition is very bad and the local have no idea of this place as the UNESCO site is not well-known internally – however actual site is well maintained. The site is on route to Kopa train station (in the middle of nowhere with NO road signs at all – ridiculous).
Written November 13, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WonderfulWorld59
Lee's Summit, MO433 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Tamgaly is 60k on a rough rural sideroad (4x4 advised) off the A2 highway which connects Bishkek (134k) and Almaty (89k). This is an amazing place to see ~5000 of rock carvings up close and personal. From the carpark, you walk about 15 minutes slightly uphill to reach the rock groupings. From the main path through the site, there are 5 short gravel paths to various rock groupings. Each path begins with a plaque illustrating significant rock carvings. Use the yellow arrows to help you locate them. There are also benches to rest, if needed. Our visit lasted roughly 1½ hours.
Written August 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Agata T
Almaty12 contributions
Oct 2012 • Friends
amazing place! yes, quite difficult to find it on the gps maps but enough to buy an old fashioned map and there you go! now the name is a Kazakh one, Tanbaly. very friendly and enthusiastic guide, amazing views, even more amazing deep dive into bronze and iron ages.
Written October 13, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon3N
Nanjing, China32 contributions
Apr 2019
My wife and 1 visited this amazing site during our trip to Almaty. We secured the services of Tatyana and Ramon through Indy-Guide.com - highly recommended. Leave the city through a construction site as the govt develop the road system. Once complete, it will reduce the trip to 2hrs, taking you across the steppe along the Silk Way. You go past a vineyard, which is being refurbished with private money after a USSR effort under Gorbachev - when developed a refreshing stop will add to the trip! We saw around 25 golden eagles in this area - a bonus.
Tatyana took us around the site which is divided into 6 sectors . There is a small explanation plaque for each area but Tatyana gave us great detail. The carvings are bronze and iron age so around 4-3000 yrs old. As we were only 2, we were allowed very close to the carvings and touch them. The detail is incredible and the number is huge so you can see them on most stones around what must have been a sacred site.
It was the most amazing feeling looking at something which had so much significance, so long ago but seems so fresh. Some scenes depict sacrifice - human and animal, along with carnal pleasure - be prepared!
The animals portrayed seem to be exaggerated with enormous horns, strength - the sharman (priest or headman) obviously had high authority.
Tatyana took us around the site which is divided into 6 sectors . There is a small explanation plaque for each area but Tatyana gave us great detail. The carvings are bronze and iron age so around 4-3000 yrs old. As we were only 2, we were allowed very close to the carvings and touch them. The detail is incredible and the number is huge so you can see them on most stones around what must have been a sacred site.
It was the most amazing feeling looking at something which had so much significance, so long ago but seems so fresh. Some scenes depict sacrifice - human and animal, along with carnal pleasure - be prepared!
The animals portrayed seem to be exaggerated with enormous horns, strength - the sharman (priest or headman) obviously had high authority.
Written April 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FunRaider71
Perth, Australia10 contributions
Sep 2015 • Family
2 hrs out of Almaty on the Bishkek road. Turn right and travel about another hour on a road that has seen better days but is not quite diabolical yet. And prepare to be amazed the petroglyphs at Tamgaly are just awesome. And to be able to walk amongst them and touch the very rocks those bronze age people did is quite humbling. We spent about 2 hrs there but you could easily do double that.
It was very windy when we were there fyi and please dont use my directions to get there use a map.
Highly recommend this site, one of my highlights of Kazakhstan and of ancient places.
It was very windy when we were there fyi and please dont use my directions to get there use a map.
Highly recommend this site, one of my highlights of Kazakhstan and of ancient places.
Written September 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WaltGlobal
Olivehurst, CA54 contributions
Apr 2015 • Friends
Tamgaly has the most extensive petroglyphs of any site I have ever visited. There is good variety, and my sense is that artistically, they are a cut above almost any, if not all, of the petroglyphs I have seen in Australia or the American West. But many must have the light on them just right to discern them.
A person wrote on one website that the road to Tamgaly is poor. However, my opinion is that person does not know what a poor road is, or they expected a freeway, or the road has been paved since they traveled it. The paved road does have potholes, but visit an American city like Pittsburgh, Detroit, or…and it has virtually no vehicles on it. Expansive views on the way were beautiful.
Our guide was extremely helpful, even if a bit difficult to understand sometimes. Clearly, guides are needed if only to watch out for those mindless few that want to add their mark or step beyond the boundaries. There is also more to see like ancient graves. The guide warned that snakes are a possibility, but we were there in April and saw none. The grass was green, wildflowers were scattered about, and it was a wonderful experience which I am eager to repeat. It deserves more than the two hours we ended up with onsite. It is the best of its kind I have visited.
A person wrote on one website that the road to Tamgaly is poor. However, my opinion is that person does not know what a poor road is, or they expected a freeway, or the road has been paved since they traveled it. The paved road does have potholes, but visit an American city like Pittsburgh, Detroit, or…and it has virtually no vehicles on it. Expansive views on the way were beautiful.
Our guide was extremely helpful, even if a bit difficult to understand sometimes. Clearly, guides are needed if only to watch out for those mindless few that want to add their mark or step beyond the boundaries. There is also more to see like ancient graves. The guide warned that snakes are a possibility, but we were there in April and saw none. The grass was green, wildflowers were scattered about, and it was a wonderful experience which I am eager to repeat. It deserves more than the two hours we ended up with onsite. It is the best of its kind I have visited.
Written June 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickM_Travels
Almaty, Kazakhstan1,786 contributions
May 2021
We self-drove from Almaty, reaching Tamgaly with ease. The location is correct on Tripadvisor and Google Maps. There was a small ticket booth. You must park your car there, and then walk in. It's a short walk. I was not very happy with the ticket salesman who unfortunately insisted to walk WITH us (for additional fee) and also insisted we pay even more to leave our car in the lot. Both of these extra fees are bogus, as the entrance fee covers your entrance and parking. Bad first impression when you feel like you're getting cheated by a corrupt ticket booth attendant.
However, we left the guy behind at the ticket booth and made our way to the petroglyphs which are amazing and well worth the drive. There are a few groupings of petroglyphs which are easy to find and view without a guide. There's a walking loop that is well-marked. There are some covered benches where we sat to eat lunch while looking at the petroglyphs. Our Central Asia guide book, Wikipedia article, and UNESCO website combined gave us plenty of reading materials that describe the site in great detail. You do not need to hire a guide, and you do not need the ticket guy to accompany you. If he insists, then sternly say no, pay your entrance fee and proceed to the site.
The rockface is interesting in that it shimmers in certain angles. So you can get a totally different view of each carving, depending on the angle at which you look. There are over 5000 carvings according to UNESCO.
Overall a very interesting place and worth visiting. But they need to hire an honorable ticket salesman who does not try to extort the visitors who arrive without a guide. They have recently constructed a new visitor center, which you will see on the left of the road shortly before reaching the old (current) parking lot. However, the visitor center appears abandoned, never opened, and not approachable through locked gates. Maybe they will open it in the coming years.
However, we left the guy behind at the ticket booth and made our way to the petroglyphs which are amazing and well worth the drive. There are a few groupings of petroglyphs which are easy to find and view without a guide. There's a walking loop that is well-marked. There are some covered benches where we sat to eat lunch while looking at the petroglyphs. Our Central Asia guide book, Wikipedia article, and UNESCO website combined gave us plenty of reading materials that describe the site in great detail. You do not need to hire a guide, and you do not need the ticket guy to accompany you. If he insists, then sternly say no, pay your entrance fee and proceed to the site.
The rockface is interesting in that it shimmers in certain angles. So you can get a totally different view of each carving, depending on the angle at which you look. There are over 5000 carvings according to UNESCO.
Overall a very interesting place and worth visiting. But they need to hire an honorable ticket salesman who does not try to extort the visitors who arrive without a guide. They have recently constructed a new visitor center, which you will see on the left of the road shortly before reaching the old (current) parking lot. However, the visitor center appears abandoned, never opened, and not approachable through locked gates. Maybe they will open it in the coming years.
Written May 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are considering a day trip to Tamgaly. First of all, was it worthwhile ( We typically enjoy UNESCO sites). Can anyone recommend a driver/guide for a day trip out of Almaty? Any idea about the cost for a day trip?
Written December 15, 2016
Hi! Of course, you can go to Tamgaly Petroglyphs for one day.
There are weekend tours, as well as individual.
If you travel with a group, the cost per person (for a group of 50 people) is about 17$.
Tour Operators where you can buy tour are - Kazakhstan travel hub, Grand Voyage, Asia Discovery
Written April 9, 2019
Good day
There is no public transport to this area. You can buy one day trip excursion (group from 17 till 50 pax). Tour Operators where you can buy tour are - Kazakhstan travel hub, Grand Voyage, Asia Discovery
Written April 9, 2019
Hi how did you get from Almaty to the Gorge? How much did it costs? thanks
Written August 26, 2016
Good day, there are a lot of gorges .
If you want to go to the Tamgaly 6 500 tenge (KZT). You can by tour from next tour operators - Kazakhstan Travel Hub or Grand Voyage
Written April 9, 2019
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