Almaty Region Tour: Charyn Canyon, Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes

84 Ratings

Almaty

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Discover Charyn Canyon, Kolsai, and Kaindy Lakes on a 2-day tour. Enjoy rustic dinners, bonfires, and yurt stays in an intimate group setting.

Duration: 2 days

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Charyn Canyon & Kolsai Lake

Charyn National Park - 08:00 Pick-up and departure from Almaty
Trip to Charyn Canyon
11:30 - 14:00 Charyn Canyon “Valley of the Castles”, visiting several spots, walking along the bottom of the canyon 1.5 km till Charyn river
Lower Kolsai Lake - 16:00 - 18:30 Kolsai Lake, walking, horseback-riding or boating…

What's Included

Transportation on Mercedes Sprinter or Toyota Hiace minibuses with A/C
National parks entrance fees
Bonfire after dinner
Lunch
Vegetarian food (if required)
Dinner
Bottled water
Breakfast
Overnight in a yurt (nomadic housing) or room shared with other group members of the same gender

What's Not Included

Special food & soft drinks
Boating and horseback-riding (from 6000 KZT/person depending on route/duration)
Private accommodation (contact us if you need it)

Additional Information

In just two days, you will explore the renowned attractions of the Almaty region, including Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes, as well as Charyn, Black, and Moon Canyons. The tour schedule is crafted to ensure ample time to experience all the destinations. A small group size ensures a more intimate experience, allowing you to feel part of a cohesive team. Our…

Location

Shevchenko St 28

Shevchenko Street

The meeting point is located at the square in front of the yellow building of the Archeology Museum. The exact pick-up time will be communicated via the platform the day before the tour.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(84 Ratings)

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138auroral

Dec 30, 2024

Fun trip! - We were well taken care of. Tour guide was helpful and funny. Living in a yurt was a special experience. Slightly cold but still well worth it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Nikhilv261

Dec 16, 2024

Great experience - Had an amazing tour! Our guide, Kuanysh (Mr Joy), was super informative, funny, and managed the group really well. He coordinated pickup, drop and all requests seamlessly. He also helped us out with additional information about things to do in Almaty. We did the tour in early December, and the views were still incredible. The snow added a magical vibe to everything. - Kolsai Lake looked absolutely heavenly. There was some snowfall, but it didn’t take away from the views. Boating was available, though I didn’t try it myself. - Kaindy Lake was frozen, but the short trek through the snow was really enjoyable, especially with the clear weather. Horses were an option, but we decided to walk, and it wasn’t too challenging. The tour was well-planned and didn’t feel rushed, which was great. There was plenty of time to soak in the views, enjoy the cold, and snap lots of photos. The accommodation was good as well. We opted for a private room instead of a yurt. It was heated and hot water was available. It was slightly cold but manageable. The food was also a highlight—super tasty and filling. As vegetarians, we were impressed with how good the meals were. The only downside? We couldn’t walk through Charyn Canyon since it was getting dark (and the group was tired), so we had to take the bus. Overall, an awesome experience I’d totally recommend!

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Rinnef2024

Dec 7, 2024

Wonderful experience in Kazakhstan - Previously I've submitted a review for this 2-day trip but somehow it was not posted?? I highly recommend this tour, it was a wonderful experience to see beautiful natural landscapes in Kazakhstan. Our small-group was lively with our tour guide Shakh :) Thank you for sharing detailed information, inspiring stories and great sense of humor. Some tips: (+) Stay in the yurt for accommodation. It was unforgettable experience. (+) Bring extra layers for the trip. Surprise..surprise! It was snowing on the second day of my visit (end of October 2024). Suggestion for the tour: Time management could be better, we arrived in Kolsai Lakes late afternoon and the sun set earlier during my visit. Overall, it was a great way to experience Kazakhstan.

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Rushikeshjaiswal

Nov 24, 2024

We had the best guided tour by our guide Kuanysh - This was the most memorable part of our Kazakhstan trip all cause of our guide Kuanysh. The tour was above our expectations cause of well maintained van with a professional driver, all the information and history given to us on every site by the tour guide, Well planned schedule with on time activities, comfortable stays and delicious local food as per our requirements. As Kuanysh said the group will be a small family for two days and he will be the father, he literally meant it when all our needs were taken care of from providing us drinking water, checking on if everyone is comfortable to making sure we have the best of the local experiences all the time by him. I bet he will be the funniest man you will come across who kept the whole trip lively with his jokes and full of life personality.

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Joanneel955rm

Nov 11, 2024

An Amazing Outing from Almaty! - The trip was very well-organized and the size of the group made it manageable to see everything. The places we visited were absolutely beautiful and we had time to hike and explore the areas. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, sharing the history and culture of the country with us. I would highly recommend it!

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Vijayanand16in

Nov 8, 2024

Kazak, you are amazing! - We went on a three day private tour to the canyon , lakes and the singing dune national park with our guide Arasan who was simply the best and easy to chat who gave us lot of insights about the country and the places we visited. We had the flexibility to stop by and take pictures and sip coffee in the cold weather. The hotels we stayed in the villages were simple but very neat and with great views. It really served the purpose to spend time with nature. Another important person to thank right from organising the tour to support with every single details with utmost care is Aruzhan. Super responsive and helpful. Can’t thank enough for all the support and highly recommend this tour and the company. Thanks for the lasting memories

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Mirandabn

Nov 7, 2024

Best tour of my life. Thank you Shakh - Best tour I have EVER done. I did the 2 days Kolsay Lakes + Canyons tour, staying one night at a yurt. The sites were beautiful, all the stops had something interesting to see; although I really loved Lake 1 and Charyn Canyon. Also, the thing that really made the tour stand out was the guide, Shakh. He is reslly charismatic, very funny and made sure that we were having a good time at all times. Also is good that we were max 15 people on the tour, it allowed to create a very nice vibe within the group. I cant recommend this tour enough. Does not matter is you go by your own of with someone, you will have fun for sure. 5 stars and beyond!! Specially to the amazing guide Shakh.

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Poyraz_k

Oct 30, 2024

Incredible experience - The tour was very fun. It was an incredible experience. The people on the tour and our tour guide were very friendly. Thanks to our tour guide Azamat and everyone involved.

Review provided by Viator

Sjanielle

Oct 25, 2024

Scenic Views and an Amazing Journey! - We had an amazing experience thanks to our wonderful guide, Shakh, and our skilled driver, Aziz! Shakh was not only knowledgeable but also knew how to make each part of the journey engaging and fun. He was very approachable, always ready to help, and made sure everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves. Aziz was equally impressive, ensuring a smooth and safe ride throughout, which allowed us to fully relax and enjoy the scenery. Each stop on the tour was breathtaking, with enough time given at every location to explore and take in the beauty. Overall, it was well-organized, informative, and a truly memorable experience. Highly recommend!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

792kayl

Nov 7, 2024

Satisfactory, overall. - Very responsive service providers. Well paced activities. Yurt bathroom facilities could be more and better. A microphone for tour guide in the bus/van would help.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

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up to 5 guests

1 Adult