First time on an electric dirt bike? Start here. Paved serpentine through spruce forest to a turquoise glacial lake at 2,511m. The road is closed to cars — you ride in silence.
12 km of mountain trail built by Japanese POWs in the 1940s. Smooth dirt, tree canopy overhead, views of the city below. Ends with tea on the roof of an abandoned ski lift.
130-hectare forest inside the city. Dirt paths, small hills, training ramps. The safest place to try a dirt bike for the first time — no mountains required.
15 minutes from the city and you're climbing through forest on rocky dirt. At the top — a wide plateau with a view of all of Almaty. We drink tea up there.
Ridge trail near Dostyk Avenue with seriously steep inclines. Pure dirt, no rocks — just you, gravity, and 880 Nm of torque. Great hill climb practice.
Full-day ride deep into Turgen Gorge. 14 km along a mountain river, through old-growth forest and river crossings, to a 55-meter waterfall. Lunch included.
Leave the mountains — ride the steppe. Sand, dust, speed. Buddhist petroglyphs carved into black cliffs a thousand years ago. Lunch by the river. Flat-out ride home.
A real motocross track with berms, jumps, and an enduro course with obstacles. Electric bikes shine here — instant torque out of every corner, no shifting.
Same start as Kok-Zhailau, but instead of turning back, you keep climbing. Rocky trail to 2,500m with views down onto Shymbulak and Medeu that most people never see.
12-million-year-old canyon. You ride down into it on red sand, through rock towers carved by wind, to the Charyn River at the bottom. At sunset the cliffs glow.
Full-day crossing: rocky climb to the Assy Plateau (2,750m), past the observatory and nomad yurts, then a plunge through forest down to the 55m Kairak waterfall. Campfire lunch.
A lake created by an earthquake in 1911. Dead spruce trunks stick out of turquoise water that never gets above +6°C. The ride in involves multiple icy river crossings.
2-day camping trip to a volcano that never erupted. Pink granite mountains in the middle of flat steppe. You rock-crawl the bikes up impossible angles. Stars at night are unreal.
Steppe ride to a full-size medieval fortress built for a movie in 2004. Walls, towers, houses — all still standing in the middle of nowhere by the Ili River.
Longer, harder version of the Ili River ride. Rocky right bank, singletrack above the water, past an emergency rescue training base. Needs big batteries.
Start at the Medeu ice arena (1,691m), cross a mountain pass at 2,000m on rocky trails, drop into Butakovka gorge. Short hike to a 30-meter waterfall at the end.
Long, grinding climb through Kargalinka Gorge to nearly 3,000m. At the top: a rock shelf hanging over a green valley. Almost no one hikes this far — you'll have it to yourself.
Full-day expedition through mountains and steppe to a reservoir where turquoise water meets sun-scorched red hills. Long ride, mixed terrain, for experienced riders only.
Boulder-strewn track from Shymbulak base to 3,010m. The rocks shake your arms numb. At the top: a concrete dam wall and a glacial amphitheater where it's always cold.
3,550m. The air is thin enough to feel it. Loose scree slopes, altitude headaches, and a frozen emerald lake at the end. Electric motors outperform gas engines up here.
Three rock pillars at 2,860m. To get there: 45-degree inclines, mud, roots, and short violent bursts of throttle between boulders. Impassable after rain.
The hard version of Ili River. No roads. Goat trails on crumbling cliffs above fast water. One wrong throttle input and the bike goes in the river. Spring/autumn only.
Level 8. A big loop connecting the Balcony, Wolf Mountain, and Monakhov's Gap. Fast cross-country riding with serious downhills. The name is a joke — it's not a road.
Level 8. Wide alpine valley that feels like Tibet — no tight gorges, just open space, scattered lakes, and a river winding through. Deep fords and long fast straights.
Level 9. Two hard routes chained into one 12-hour day. You will carry the bike on your shoulders. You will drop it dozens of times. For the genuinely obsessed.
Level 9. Climb to Tereshkova (3,200m), then ride straight down through Gorelnik — 1,500m of vertical descent. Brakes overheat. Front wheel washes out on wet roots. Terrifying.
Level 9. The tourist trail ends at the first lake. Getting to the second lake on a bike means horse trails, fallen trees, and icy river crossings. Camping option.
Level 10. The upper lake at 2,850m — 6 km from the Kyrgyz border. No roads exist. A handful of people have gotten a bike up there. You need a border pass.
Level 10. Easy start on Assy Plateau, then a brutal climb to 3,700m. Snow in summer. Descent to the Chilik River. The way back climbs 1,000m — no shortcuts.
Level 10. Above the Ak-Bulak ski resort, into mountains closed to tourists. Wet grass on 45-degree slopes turns to ice. Total silence. Total isolation.
First time on an electric dirt bike? Start here. Paved serpentine through spruce forest to a turquoise glacial lake at 2,511m. The road is closed to cars — you ride in silence.
12 km of mountain trail built by Japanese POWs in the 1940s. Smooth dirt, tree canopy overhead, views of the city below. Ends with tea on the roof of an abandoned ski lift.
130-hectare forest inside the city. Dirt paths, small hills, training ramps. The safest place to try a dirt bike for the first time — no mountains required.
15 minutes from the city and you're climbing through forest on rocky dirt. At the top — a wide plateau with a view of all of Almaty. We drink tea up there.
Ridge trail near Dostyk Avenue with seriously steep inclines. Pure dirt, no rocks — just you, gravity, and 880 Nm of torque. Great hill climb practice.
Full-day ride deep into Turgen Gorge. 14 km along a mountain river, through old-growth forest and river crossings, to a 55-meter waterfall. Lunch included.
Leave the mountains — ride the steppe. Sand, dust, speed. Buddhist petroglyphs carved into black cliffs a thousand years ago. Lunch by the river. Flat-out ride home.
A real motocross track with berms, jumps, and an enduro course with obstacles. Electric bikes shine here — instant torque out of every corner, no shifting.
Same start as Kok-Zhailau, but instead of turning back, you keep climbing. Rocky trail to 2,500m with views down onto Shymbulak and Medeu that most people never see.
12-million-year-old canyon. You ride down into it on red sand, through rock towers carved by wind, to the Charyn River at the bottom. At sunset the cliffs glow.
Full-day crossing: rocky climb to the Assy Plateau (2,750m), past the observatory and nomad yurts, then a plunge through forest down to the 55m Kairak waterfall. Campfire lunch.
A lake created by an earthquake in 1911. Dead spruce trunks stick out of turquoise water that never gets above +6°C. The ride in involves multiple icy river crossings.
2-day camping trip to a volcano that never erupted. Pink granite mountains in the middle of flat steppe. You rock-crawl the bikes up impossible angles. Stars at night are unreal.
Steppe ride to a full-size medieval fortress built for a movie in 2004. Walls, towers, houses — all still standing in the middle of nowhere by the Ili River.
Longer, harder version of the Ili River ride. Rocky right bank, singletrack above the water, past an emergency rescue training base. Needs big batteries.
Start at the Medeu ice arena (1,691m), cross a mountain pass at 2,000m on rocky trails, drop into Butakovka gorge. Short hike to a 30-meter waterfall at the end.
Long, grinding climb through Kargalinka Gorge to nearly 3,000m. At the top: a rock shelf hanging over a green valley. Almost no one hikes this far — you'll have it to yourself.
Full-day expedition through mountains and steppe to a reservoir where turquoise water meets sun-scorched red hills. Long ride, mixed terrain, for experienced riders only.
Boulder-strewn track from Shymbulak base to 3,010m. The rocks shake your arms numb. At the top: a concrete dam wall and a glacial amphitheater where it's always cold.
3,550m. The air is thin enough to feel it. Loose scree slopes, altitude headaches, and a frozen emerald lake at the end. Electric motors outperform gas engines up here.
Three rock pillars at 2,860m. To get there: 45-degree inclines, mud, roots, and short violent bursts of throttle between boulders. Impassable after rain.
The hard version of Ili River. No roads. Goat trails on crumbling cliffs above fast water. One wrong throttle input and the bike goes in the river. Spring/autumn only.
Level 8. A big loop connecting the Balcony, Wolf Mountain, and Monakhov's Gap. Fast cross-country riding with serious downhills. The name is a joke — it's not a road.
Level 8. Wide alpine valley that feels like Tibet — no tight gorges, just open space, scattered lakes, and a river winding through. Deep fords and long fast straights.
Level 9. Two hard routes chained into one 12-hour day. You will carry the bike on your shoulders. You will drop it dozens of times. For the genuinely obsessed.
Level 9. Climb to Tereshkova (3,200m), then ride straight down through Gorelnik — 1,500m of vertical descent. Brakes overheat. Front wheel washes out on wet roots. Terrifying.
Level 9. The tourist trail ends at the first lake. Getting to the second lake on a bike means horse trails, fallen trees, and icy river crossings. Camping option.
Level 10. The upper lake at 2,850m — 6 km from the Kyrgyz border. No roads exist. A handful of people have gotten a bike up there. You need a border pass.
Level 10. Easy start on Assy Plateau, then a brutal climb to 3,700m. Snow in summer. Descent to the Chilik River. The way back climbs 1,000m — no shortcuts.
Level 10. Above the Ak-Bulak ski resort, into mountains closed to tourists. Wet grass on 45-degree slopes turns to ice. Total silence. Total isolation.