Butakovka Waterfall Trip from Almaty by Private Minibus
A spruce-forested gorge with waterfalls within the city limits — only forty minutes or so from central Almaty. Your own 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a driver drops the group right at the trailhead and picks you up after the walk — no hunting for parking, no changing vehicles.
from 30,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
Not a scheduled bus or a taxi: the whole minibus for up to 13 people — just your group · a driver with 20+ years of experience
The same terms for every destination — price per vehicle, not per seat
Pickup at your door in Almaty
You choose the address and time: home, office, hotel or airport. No bus station and no meeting the group “at the bus stop”.
The whole minibus — just your group
The 13-seat Toyota Hiace takes no other passengers. One person or 13 — the price is the same; we don’t sell individual seats or tickets. More than 13 people — we’ll find a partner minibus for your date; on short routes two runs in a row also work.
Driver, fuel and road included
Our regular driver with 20+ years of experience, fuel, toll sections and pickup in Almaty are all in the quoted price; you don’t pay extra per passenger. National park entrance fees, ski passes and a local off-road vehicle, if your route needs them, are not included.
Round trip
The round trip is one price. The driver waits for your group on site for as long as you said when booking; if you stay longer, you pay only for the extra hours.
Luggage: 13 traveling light, up to 9 with suitcases
Bags and gear go in a separate compartment. If everyone has a large suitcase or a stroller, we take up to 9 people; with skis and snowboards, 9–10. Tell us what you’re bringing when you book.
Payment: cash, Kaspi or invoice
Trips in the city and nearby are paid after the trip. Long intercity trips and trips of several days need a partial prepayment to hold the date, the rest before departure. Companies get an invoice, a contract and closing documents.
A drop-off at Butakovka from Almaty costs from 30,000 ₸ for the whole 13-seat Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver, round trip. One price for the whole group, not for each person walking to the waterfalls: we pick you up at one convenient point, drop you at the trailhead and wait in the parking lot.
Butakovka Gorge is one of the most accessible corners of the Trans-Ili Alatau: it stretches for 14 km and is technically within the Almaty city limits, so the drive from the center takes only about 40 minutes, and the distance is around 25 km. The main goal of the walk is the two waterfalls in the upper gorge: the Lower (Big) one, about 30 meters high, and the Upper one, about 20 meters. The trail runs through spruce forest along the river with moderate elevation gain, so the route suits beginners and groups with older children alike.
The beauty of Butakovka is that it is a half-day outing: leave in the morning, walk to the waterfalls and be back in the city by lunch — hourly rental with a driver also works for this format. AlaGo drives the group in a Toyota Hiace with a driver to the point where the climb on foot begins, waits for you in the parking lot and takes you back. For a large group this is noticeably cheaper than taxis both ways.
How to get to Butakovka Gorge from Almaty
The way heads uphill from Dostyk Avenue toward the mountains: first through the city, then along the road into the gorge. It is about 25 km from the center, roughly 40 minutes on the road, depending on traffic leaving the city. The asphalt runs almost 9 km into the gorge from the highway, so the minibus gets the group fairly close to the start of the walking part.
Butakovka is part of Ile-Alatau National Park, and a small fee is charged where you enter the park — it is paid on site, separately from the trip price. The driver drops the group at the start of the route and waits in the parking lot while you walk to the waterfalls, so you won’t have to hunt for parking or leave a car far from the trail.
Butakovka’s waterfalls and trails
There are two waterfalls in the gorge. A simple trail leads to the Lower (Big) waterfall — an easy route of a couple of hours there and back that almost anyone can manage. The Upper waterfall is about three kilometers higher up; the climb to it is moderate and takes a bit more fitness and time. Both routes fit into a one-day walk and need no special preparation — comfortable shoes and enough water will do. If that is not enough for you, the climb to Kok-Zhailau starts next door — that is a full day on your feet.
The best time for Butakovka is May to September, when the trails are dry and the river runs full; in winter people more often go to neighboring Kim-Asar, where the trail to the swing is packed down all year — a minibus drop-off at Kim-Asar works exactly the same way. Tell us in advance which waterfall you plan to reach and roughly how long the walk will take — we will plan the driver’s waiting time in the parking lot around your plan, so the minibus is there when you get back.
Minibus drop-off, taxi or your own car
Butakovka is close, but getting there on your own is not always convenient: there is no public transport to the trailheads, catching a taxi on a mountain road takes a long time, and parking at the popular spots is limited and fills up fast on weekends. One minibus solves all of this at once: it picks the whole group up from one address in Almaty and takes you to the start of the route, and nobody is stuck behind the wheel instead of walking.
After the hike you don’t need to call a car back from the gorge — the driver is already waiting in the parking lot at the agreed time. For a group of 8–13 people, hiring the whole Hiace costs less than several taxis there and back, and it is less hassle: after the climb, everyone rides back together in one warm vehicle.
Butakovka: how the trip works
A half-day trip
Only ~25 km and about 40 minutes from the center — time to walk to the waterfalls and be back in Almaty by lunch.
Drop-off at the trailhead
We drop the group where the hiking route starts, so you don’t walk extra kilometers on asphalt from the highway.
Room for hiking gear
Backpacks, trekking poles, thermoses and jackets for changing weather — the Hiace’s luggage space takes the whole group’s gear.
Price for the whole minibus
One rate for the minibus there and back — no per-head counting and no organized-tour markup.
Butakovka: trip price
from 30,000 ₸ — for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip
The driver, fuel, toll roads and pickup in Almaty are included. Not included: national park entrance fees, ski passes, a local off-road vehicle, paid parking and pickup outside the city. We quote the total before departure; it only goes up if you decide to extend the waiting time.
This is the price for the minibus, not per seat as on shared group tours: the minibus is only for your group, with no other passengers and no one else’s schedule.
All day trips from Almaty →Customer reviews on 2GIS
“Efficient and fast — a clean bus with a driver arrived on time.”
“Excellent — they provided a minibus with a driver very quickly.”
Real photos — not a manufacturer’s catalog
All photos
- Driver with 20+ years of experience
- Air conditioning and heating
- DVD · TV · MP3
- Soft reclining seats
- Electric door
- Luggage compartment
These photos show our own 13-seat Toyota Hiace with a high roof and a wide aisle between the seats. We took them ourselves: the cabin, seats and luggage compartment of this very vehicle. We have one minibus: this is the one that will come for you, with its own driver at the wheel.
13-seat cabin
Luggage compartment
Where else we drive from Almaty
Butakovka: frequently asked questions
How much is a trip from Almaty to Butakovka?
From about 30,000 ₸ for the whole Toyota Hiace minibus, round trip. The exact amount depends on how long the driver waits in the parking lot while you are at the waterfalls — we will give you the exact figure when you book by phone or WhatsApp. The national park entrance fee is paid separately on site.
How long is the drive from Almaty to Butakovka Gorge?
About 40 minutes from the city center; the distance is roughly 25 km. Butakovka is practically within Almaty’s city limits, which makes it one of the closest options for a mountain walk with waterfalls.
Can the minibus drive all the way to the waterfalls?
A walking trail leads to the waterfalls — the minibus takes the group to the start of the route as far as the paved road allows (about 9 km into the gorge), and from there you walk. The way to the Lower waterfall is easy; the Upper one is harder.
How many people fit in the minibus?
Up to 13 passengers, with room for backpacks and gear. The whole group rides to the trail together in one vehicle — no splitting into several cars and nobody getting lost on the way.
When is the best time to go to Butakovka?
The best season is May to September: the trails are dry, it is warm and the waterfalls are full. It is best to leave in the morning so you are back in the city by midday; you choose the pickup time — we work 24/7.
Tell us where and when
We’ll bring a Toyota Hiace minibus with a driver to any address in Almaty at the time you need. Available 24/7.