The Bukhtarma reservoir is a very big artificial lake in the Altai region of North Kazakhstan. It’s even one of the biggest of its kind in the world. It is a popular holiday spot for locals, who like to grill on the shores, sunbathe or fish.

Foreign travelers should avoid the holiday resorts. Instead, there are 2 ferry routes of interest for those on their own transport. In case you are a fisherman: there is plenty of space and plenty of fish.

Resorts

The 2 most famous resorts are called Ayuda and Blue Bay (goluboi zaliv). They rent out family-sized cottages at high prices. This is not how you want to spend your holiday in Kazakhstan. Pretty much everyone agrees Turkey is better on all counts.

If it is your destination of choice, contact us, we will guide you through the process of obtaining a ticket.

Ferry

There are 2 ferry routes over Bukhtarma that operate in summer, roughly from mid-April to mid-October, depending on the weather.

One is the ferry between Kurshim and Kaznakovka, that leads to the southern road into Altai to Zaysan and Lake Markakol.

Another ferry is called the Vasilevskaya Pereprava and goes between the shore northeast of Samarskoe and Ulken Naryn (map). This one is useful in case you do not want to go overland into Katon Karagai via Zyryanovsk but prefer a water-borne experience.