Bukpa Hill

Bukpa Hill rises on the western edge of Kokshetau, visible from across the city and from the Lake Kopa promenade. The "Kokshetau" sign on its slope is the city's most recognised landmark, visible by day and illuminated at night. A TV tower crowns the hill, and an observation deck near the summit offers the best panorama of the city and the surrounding steppe — flat in every direction except for the cluster of forested hills that marks the edge of the Burabay region to the south.

The climb to the observation deck requires 144 steps, taking about 15 minutes. The hill itself is not forested but covered in scrubby grass and granite outcrops. In summer the observation deck is open and free; in winter access may be limited. From the top on a clear day, you can see for 50 km in every direction across the steppe.

things to do sight
A story
The "Kokshetau" sign installed on the slope of Bukpa Hill echoes the famous Hollywood sign — a common form of civic pride in post-Soviet cities seeking to project identity. But Bukpa Hill's significance is older than that: the name of the city itself is thought to derive from the blue-tinged granite hills of which Bukpa is the most visible, rising directly from the flat steppe.

Other places in Things to Do in Kokshetau