Assy Plateau: Kazakhstan’s High Pasture and Dark Sky

If Charyn is the region’s most photographed landscape, Assy is its most underrated. It is a broad high plateau about 100 km east of Almaty, reached by climbing through the Turgen gorge, and in summer it becomes exactly what the Kazakh steppe is supposed to look like — open grassland, herds of horses, and yurts belonging to families who move up here for the season.

Getting there

The drive takes about four hours each way. The first part goes through the green Turgen gorge with its waterfalls; the upper section is a gravel road that climbs steeply onto the plateau. It is bumpy in places, which is why sturdier vehicles are used, but it is part of the experience rather than a hardship.

The observatory

At about 2,750 m sits the Assy-Turgen observatory, built in the Soviet era and still operating. Its domes on an otherwise empty ridge make one of the most distinctive photographs in the region. You are looking from outside rather than touring the facility, but the setting is the point.

Why the night sky matters here

This is the real reason to consider staying overnight. At 2,500 m with no towns nearby, there is almost no light pollution — on a clear moonless night the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye in a way most visitors have never seen. That is why the two-day camping version of this trip exists, and why people who take it rate it higher than the day trip.

Nights on the plateau are cold even in July — often near freezing. If you camp, a warm sleeping bag matters more than anything else you pack. On our two-day trips the basic camp setup is included, but tents and sleeping bags are rented separately at a shop on the way out of the city.

When to go

June to September, and that window is firm. Outside it the road over the plateau is closed by snow, the pastures are empty and there is nothing to see. Peak season is July and August, when the grass is green and the shepherd camps are up. September is quieter and clearer but noticeably colder at night.

Day trip or overnight?

• Day trip (about 15,990 ₸ per person) — roughly 12 hours door to door, with 2–3 hours on the plateau. Enough to see it and take photographs.
• Two days with camping (about 29,990 ₸ per person) — sunset, the night sky, sunrise, and a morning on the plateau without rushing.

If the stars are what drew you here, the day trip will not deliver them — you are driving back down before dark. Choose the overnight.

What to pack

• Warm clothing and a windproof layer. The plateau is exposed and the weather turns quickly.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses — UV is strong at altitude even on cool days.
• Insect repellent in mid-summer.
• Food and water. There are no shops on the plateau; buy on the way.
• A power bank, and a headlamp if you are staying the night.

Tell us your dates on WhatsApp and we will confirm which departures are running — the camping trips go on fixed dates rather than daily, and summer weekends fill first.