The Tian Shan fills your window before you’ve unpacked. That’s Almaty. Fly in on Air Astana or IndiGo from Delhi — just three hours and twenty-five minutes. Check into The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty. Alp Travel Co. books you on the Titanium Preferred Partner program: daily breakfast for two, a $100 dining credit, and a room upgrade when one is available. The hotel sits in the business district with the peaks directly to the south. Use the city as your base. Big Almaty Lake is a straightforward day trip by private car. The drive takes you up into the Tian Shan, past the Medeu skating rink, and into open alpine terrain. The lake is glacial, startlingly blue, and sits at 2,500 metres. You walk the ridge above it. Come between June and September for clear roads and open skies. Back in the city, Panfilov Park is worth a morning. Zenkov Cathedral stands at its centre — wooden, painted, and built without a single nail. Ride the Kok-Tobe cable car at dusk. The city grid spreads below you. The mountains do not move.
