Majestic Views , Perfect Execution - This trip was planned at a short notice as I was in Almaty on a business visit and did not anticipate this day trip . However , it was recommended by fellow travellers and hence , I requested Gulzat to arrange the tour who was kind enough to make the arrangements at a short notice . The trip was well executed with Elnar as our guide who was quite helpful and accommodated all of our requests . Fortunately , he is a good photographer too and helped us with taking some great shots . Charyn Canyon is nature’s marvel and provides stunning views of rock formations over ages . We took the Soviet era open van that took us from the parking lot to the base of the Canyon next to the Charyn river . The journey iitselfnis an experience with stunning views all around . There are two main area la - the red canyon and the black canyon . The trip starts with the red canyon . Black canyon is about 20 min away by car from the red canyon. While Colorado’s Grand Canyons are majestic , Charyn canyon is older and provides a unique opportunity to walk down to the base of the canyon , right next to the river .

Wonderful and Memorable Trip - I was a little confused when Guizat from Kazia Tour informed that the pick up time would be 7 am with destination Charyn Canyon and Kolsay Lake. But the next day when I was walking to the pick up point she called me and apologised for the wrong information. It was someone else’s time, she said. My pick up time should be at 8 am, so I returned to the apartment. Fifteen minutes to eight, Lana – the tour guide – called that she was waiting in the pick up point. Guizat was coming too riding electric scooter. She was happy to meet us since she has been in Indonesia too. She gave my wife a small wooden box when coins were spared and kept. Well after that we departed to Charyn Canyon. Along the way Lana– a Kazakh woman but first I though she was Irish – because of her “Kennedy” family name explained many things abiut Almaty. We also saw many vehicles coming towards the city and traffic jam became usual in the morning. Our driver, Aydn – a big guy – drove a comfortable Alphard very smooth. I asked Lana if we could stop to dine. She brought us to a small café “in the middle of nowhere” – since my cell phone couldn’t find any signal – run by local couple. The lady served lagman, traditional Kazakh meal made of noodle, vegetables, and meat (in Indonesia we would call it “lamien”), and we dined in a traditional house. The lagman was verrrrry delicous, warm spicy soup, wow! Actually the lady could not speak English, but her warm welcome was very kind to us. She even gave us three apples. Thank you! We stopped a few times to take beautiful pictures on our way to the canyon. So after arriving at Charyn Canyon visitor center, we rode the golf cart to the viewing points, assisted by Mav, who I told he that she looked like a Javanese woman. We enjoyed such a beautiful panorama of the canyon from above (thanks, Mav). Then Lana took us to Rayyimbek Batyr monument - explaining the history. Then to Black Canyon, which was also wonderful and “strange” due to the dark color. On our way back to Almaty I invited Lana and Aydn to have dinner together in the city, to celebrate our 25th anniversary (Indonesians call such event as “Silver Anniversary”). There was a Vietnamese restaurant near our apartment called Coffeon Saigon. I also asked Guizat to come and she said yes. We were back to Almaty in the evening. But another story began… Because there was traffic jam (“macet” as I told Aydn) he had to park the car quite far from the restaurant. So we walked in a cool evening in few showers. Suddenly when my wife crossed the street, her left shoe sole broke! Lana said we could fix it, so we went to Stolichny to buy superglue. But it didn’t help 😊 The sole was still broken. Lana wanted to borrow her shoes but my iwfe’s size was different. So we looked for a nearest shoe store. Well, my wife bought a new pair of shoes there and all of a sudden she could walk very fast – flying, I told Lana 😊 “There isn’t any problem that cannot be solved!” she said. “No problem,” said Aydn. Guizat has been waiting in the restaurant. We told her about the accident and the “crime scene”. We were laughing! I told them it was just like Cinderella story – to find the shoe (the day after, there were a Cinderella carriages in the park, close to Ascension Cathedral 😊 ) Guizat gave us a box of chocolate and a shawl with tipical Kazakh pattern (thank you Guizat, you are very kind! Such a wonderful gift for us). Guizat even played the piano and sang “Yesterday” Wooow! So we had a nice and warm dinner to celebrate our 25 th anniversary. After all, Guizat said goodbye and went home, Aydn also left because it was too late for him to come home. Lana walked along with us for a while before saying goodbye. All I can say is thank you very much to Kazia Tour: Guizat, Lana, and Aydn. Thank you so much Lana for your hospitality, you are very kind, you pay attention so much to my wife, you do all the best you can, and it is so nice to meet you. Thank you Aydn, Mr “No Problem”, nice to meet you, you always told me where to take beautiful pictures, and last but not least, thank you Guizat for arranging the trip to a beautiful canyons and for your gifts. Thank you all for making us happy and for giving us such a wonderful and memorable moment for our 25 th anniversary celebration in Almaty. Kazia Tour is the best, and so are all of you . God bless you all! (please be informed that three days later in Samarkand my left shoe sole was also broken 😊 so I bought a new pair. The broken shoes were brought back to Indonesia. But the other pair of those shoes were also broken a week after we returned and we had to fix then all: “the shoes reborn” 😊 )

Stunning Scenery - Charyn Canyon is stunning, it really is. There are three parts to the Csnyon that you can visit but the one most people refer to as Charyn is the red Canyon with the visitor centre. Plenty of parking, toilets and there is a cafe inside. The Canyon is about 100m away on the right as you leave the visitors centre, down a staircase placed onto the Canyon rim. Then you have the most captivating walk along the red Canyon along a flat easy path, slightly downhill all the way to the end of the trail at the icy cold river. Impossible to describe how stunning it is as your stroll along. It's an easy walk but bear in mind it's uphill all the way back and the stairs at the end will be tough! But any level of fitness and you'll be absolutely fine. We loved it. It takes about 45mins to an hour to reach the river, then a bit longer back. But what's the hurry! Take your time, I'd have have happily stayed longer of time allowed. It really is an amazing place.

Absolutely worthwhile day trip - Great tour and very competent guide. We did the normal hike. Then a very special adventurous way back. Very great Otomo possibilities and finally very delicious. Food has been absolutely recommended..

Book This Tour! - Spent a wonderful day visiting Charyn Canyon with my guide, Yelnar. He's a very ambitious young man. I enjoyed spending the day with him, learning about life in Kazakhstan and of course, seeing the canyon landscape on our hike. It's beautiful. I also really appreciated that Yelnar showed up on time and that the operator, Kazia Tours, addressed my very specific dietary lunch requirements, something most tour operators do not do. All in all, it was a great day.

A must when visiting Almaty - Very good option to go and visit Cheryn Canyon (which is a must in Kazakhstan) from Almaty if you have a bit more than half day at your disposal (say 8hrs). Guide spoke very good English and the restaurant for the lunch break is very good with good facilities.

Stunning canyon views - The views are amazing, you need to come early. If you come late in the evening there is no car service then you need to walk all the way down.

Excellent tour at the Charyn canyon - This tour was wonderful. The driver arrived in approx. 2.5 hours at the canyon and the car was also excellent and there was a lot of space and the tour guide was also nice and we did an exceptional beautiful tour of the Charyn canyon - this was one of my best trips in Kazastan ... many thanks.

It's great for a family trip. - If you can't go to the Grand Canyon, I think the next best option is Charin Canyon. Pick you up from your hotel and take you back to your hotel. The guide is always friendly and provides detailed explanations in fluent English. The vehicle used was a Toyota van and was in good condition and the air conditioner was cool.

Stress-free way to see more of Kazakhstan - While visiting Almaty, my son and I wanted to get out of the city and see some of the natural beauty of Kazakhstan. Our guide, Diyas, was great-- super friendly and personable. He made us feel completely at ease and was a great conversationalist. He explained the area and answered all of our questions. The river and canyon werev beautiful, and we enjoyed our hike. Lunch was at a local establishment along the road back to Almaty. The food was great, and we had a nice time eating with Diyas and our driver. If you want to see more of the area, this is the way to go. They picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel and the day was simple and stress-free. Highly recommend!