Kazakhstan horseback riding tour

Breakfast and meeting with your driver, then transfer from Almaty to Narynkol (about 5 hours). After the frontier post and the document check, we stop at a small former Soviet climbers' camp at 2,300 m at the foot of Khan Tengri. Here you have lunch (included), meet your guide and get instructions for horseback riding. Your first ride starts at a beautiful spot on the Akkol River and leads through the scenic forest zone to the moraine lake Akkol at 3,080 m. Ride back and night at the camp.

Akkol Lake (Bayankol)

• Almaty → Narynkol
• Narynkol → Bayankol Gorge camp
• Bayankol Gorge camp → Akkol Lake (Bayankol)
• Akkol Lake (Bayankol) → Bayankol Gorge camp

Overnight: Bayankol Gorge camp (Tent camping)

Meals: Lunch

This whole day is dedicated to another moraine lake, Karakol. After breakfast we ride along the gorge to Karakol Lake, where you can see all the diversity and beauty of the Tien Shan. You can see the famous Khan Tengri (7,010 m / 23,000 ft), the highest mountain of Kazakhstan, which stands on the border of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China in the Tien Shan range. Many climbers attempt to ascend Khan Tengri despite its dangerous rock and almost vertical slopes. Ride back and night at the camp.

Karakol Lake (Bayankol)

• Bayankol Gorge camp → Karakol Lake (Bayankol)
• Karakol Lake (Bayankol) → Bayankol Gorge camp

Overnight: Bayankol Gorge camp (Tent camping)

Horseback ride from the Bayankol Gorge towards the Tekes Waterfall (40 km in total over two days). The Bayankol Gorge lies on the northern slope of the Central Tien Shan. The river begins at glaciers flowing from the Saryjaz Ridge, with the most accessible six-thousanders – the Marble Wall and Plateau Peak – and the five-thousanders Border Guard, Karlytau, Kazakhstan, Bayankol and Semenov. Bayankol attracts tourists, mountaineers and nature lovers who come to see Khan Tengri. The gorge is full of picturesque canyons and dense conifer forests, and its wildlife includes maral (red deer), Tien Shan argali, Siberian ibex, roe deer, wild boar, Tien Shan brown bears and wolves. A border zone permit is required to visit the Bayankol Gorge. Overnight in tents on the river bank.

Overnight: Tent camping

Horseback ride on from the Bayankol Gorge to the Tekes Waterfall. The Tekes Waterfall has eroded the surrounding rocky slopes and formed a deep pool. Although it is small, it is a spectacular sight. First you see the waterfall from above, then you carefully descend to it. Below you can enjoy the cool shade and the icy mountain water, which feels heavenly after a long ride. Overnight in tents.

Tekes Waterfall

• Bayankol Gorge camp → Tekes Waterfall (40 km)

Overnight: Tekes Waterfall (Tent camping)

Horseback ride from the Tekes Waterfall towards Tuzkol Lake (30 km in total over two days). Tuzkol Lake lies in an intermontane basin between the Yelchin-Buiryuk and Karatau mountains, spurs of the Ketmen Ridge of the Northern Tien Shan. The lake is 5 km long and up to 1 km wide, with an area of 3.2 km² and a depth of up to 3 m. Its water is very salty, similar in composition to the Dead Sea, although the salinity changes with the seasons. Around the lake lies bare steppe with sedge and saltwort on the shore and no large bushes or trees, and the whole valley is surrounded by high mountains. Wolves, lynx and sometimes bears live here. The lake is the main nesting place of waterfowl in the Kazakh part of the Central Tien Shan, with 35 bird species, most notably the ruddy shelduck, the common crane and the demoiselle crane, as well as ducks, wild geese and several nesting swans. Steppe eagles and golden eagles, both listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan, nest in the mountains. Overnight in tents.

Overnight: Tent camping

Horseback ride on from the Tekes Waterfall to Tuzkol Lake. Overnight in tents.

Tuzkol lake

• Tekes Waterfall → Tuzkol lake (30 km)

Overnight: Tuzkol lake (Tent camping)

Horseback ride from Tuzkol Lake to the Shalkodesu Valley. The Shalkodesu Valley is a centre of transhumance – a zhailau, as the Kazakhs call their summer pastures. In summer the zhailau is beautiful, with high grass and fresh air. From their nomadic ancestors the Kazakhs inherited the yurt, a portable home that suits the nomadic way of life perfectly and has no equal in its design. After the long, harsh winter you can see the shepherds' yurts on the zhailau again, with goats and sheep grazing here and there. The varied landscape makes it a wonderful place to rest. Overnight in tents.

Shalkodesu Valley

• Tuzkol lake → Shalkodesu Valley (22 km)

Overnight: Shalkodesu Valley (Tent camping)

Horseback ride from the Shalkodesu Valley to the Ketmen Pass. Although the Ketmen mountains are relatively close to Almaty, they are rarely visited by tourists and adventurers. Perhaps that is why this corner of nature has kept its pristine purity, with alpine vegetation all around. Many small streams of icy, crystal-clear water fall from hard-to-reach gorges in small but spectacular waterfalls. At an altitude of 3,300 m there is said to be a coal deposit that was worked in the years before the Second World War. The untouched wild nature and fresh air will make you love this place forever. Overnight in tents.

Ketmen Pass

• Shalkodesu Valley → Ketmen Pass (70 km)

Overnight: Ketmen Pass (Tent camping)

Transfer to Kaindy Lake (the last 11 km off-road). Kaindy Lake was formed in 1911, when a huge earthquake caused a big landslide from the eastern slope; the scar of the rockslide can still be seen today because it has not yet grown over. The natural dam blocked the gorge and the water filled the basin, but it did not destroy the spruce trees that had grown along the river, which now stand in the lake as a sunken forest. Lunch at a local café (included). Then continue to Charyn Canyon, often called the little brother of the Grand Canyon, which is considered to be the floor of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Erosion by the Charyn River and the elements has created a dramatic landscape; the canyon is about 150 km long and up to 300 m deep in places. Free time, then departure to Almaty. Arrival in Almaty and transfer to your hotel. End of services.

Kaindy Lake, Charyn Canyon

• Ketmen Pass → Kaindy Lake
• Kaindy Lake → Almaty

Meals: Lunch