Kok-Tobe, Almaty

Kok-Tobe cable car price and tickets

An adult cable-car ticket is 6,000 KZT one way or 10,000 KZT return. Children aged 6–12 pay 3,000 / 5,000 KZT, and kids aged 5 and under ride free. There is no entrance fee to the park itself — you pay for the ride up and for each attraction separately.

The cheaper alternative is the park’s own bus up the hill road: 2,000 KZT one way (3,000 return) from Omarova Street, or 3,000 KZT (4,000 return) from the lower station on Dostyk Avenue. Buy tickets at the station counters.

Money: everything is priced in tenge. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards work in most of Almaty’s cafés and ticket offices, but keep some cash for small kiosks and taxis. Local apps like Kaspi QR generally need a Kazakh bank account, so don’t count on them.

Best value for a first visit: ride the cable car up for the view, then take the park bus down to Omarova Street — 8,000 KZT in total rather than 10,000.

Kok-Tobe opening hours

The cable car runs 10:00–22:00, and until 23:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays. On Tuesdays it opens at 13:00. The rides keep the same hours without the Tuesday break.

The park bus runs later — until midnight daily and until 01:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays — and the restaurants are open 11:00 to midnight. Stay after dark and you can still get down by bus.

Summer hours can be longer: in July 2026 the cable car ran until 23:00 and until midnight at weekends. We list the schedule on the park’s website at the end of October; check it again for a summer trip.

Is Kok-Tobe worth it?

Yes, for a first visit to Almaty. It is the easiest way to see the whole city laid out below with the snow-capped Trans-Ili Alatau behind, and the gondola ride over the old neighbourhood of private houses is part of the fun.

Go in the late afternoon and stay through sunset: in daylight the summit can feel a bit like a fairground, but as the lights come on below and the TV tower lights up, it is at its best. A hazy or cloudy day takes away most of the reason to go, so check the sky before buying a ticket.

Skip it if you are heading higher into the mountains anyway and are short on time — Medeu and Shymbulak give you real alpine scenery (the Medeu skating rink is closed for reconstruction until late 2028, but the dam stairs and the cable car up to Shymbulak are open). And if heights bother you, the park bus is a calmer way up than the gondola.

What to see at the top

• Viewing terraces facing the city on one side and the Trans-Ili Alatau peaks on the other.
• The Beatles monument (2007) — life-size bronze figures, John Lennon on a bench with a guitar and the others behind him.
• The TV tower, 372 m tall, close up from outside — it is a restricted site, so you can’t go in. It is lit up at night.
• Ferris wheel with enclosed cabins, about 10 minutes per turn — 4,000 KZT, children 6–12 2,500 KZT.
• The apple-shaped wishing fountain — a nod to Almaty’s claim as the home of the wild apple.
• Fast Coaster — a toboggan-style ride down the slope, 7,000 KZT for adults, 4,000 KZT for children 6–12 (from 110 cm, with an adult). It closes from time to time.
• Restaurants — Kazakh food at Abay, plus the Inzhu restaurant and a café, open until midnight.

Can you walk up Kok-Tobe?

Yes — the Health Trail is the only free way up. It starts at the end of Omarova Street, where city buses terminate and there is a car park, and climbs as a staircase with benches, lighting and lookout points. The park opened it in 2025.

It is a stair climb, so it is no good for buggies or wheelchairs. The park closed it temporarily in May 2026, which is why we mark it as unconfirmed; if it is shut, take the park bus from the same spot.

Don’t try walking up the hill road itself: there is barely a pavement and traffic is steady.

Cable car, park bus or on foot

Take the cable car up the first time for the view; come down on the park bus to save money.

Almaty’s best viewpoints compared

Every viewpoint in Almaty rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Arrive about an hour before sunset to see the city by daylight and then lit up.
• Weekday afternoons are quieter at the cable car than weekend evenings.
• Up by gondola for the view, down by park bus to Omarova Street to save money.
• On a Tuesday, start the day at the Green Bazaar and go up the hill after lunch.
• Want proper mountains? Spend the next day at Medeu and Shymbulak. The Medeu rink is closed for reconstruction until late 2028, but you can still climb the dam stairs and ride the cable car to Shymbulak.

Questions