Nature tour around Almaty

7 days Almaty → Almaty

Best Time All year

Tour Style Private tour

Tour Type Culture, Nature

Difficulty Easy

Group Size Max 10 travellers

Accommodation, guides, transport included.

Nature tour around Almaty Highlights

This private nature tour from Almaty combines Charyn Canyon, the Kolsai Lakes and Lake Issyk with the mountains right above the city. Over six nights you get to know the “southern capital” of Kazakhstan, stay two nights with local families in Saty village and return to Almaty for its mountain parks and cable cars.

After a city tour with the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, the wooden Zenkov Cathedral and the Green Bazaar, you drive about 3 hours to Charyn Canyon, whose 12-million-year-old cliffs look like ancient castles, and walk through its Valley of Castles. From Saty you visit the Kolsai Lakes, the “Pearls of the Northern Tien Shan” – a 3–4-hour mountain path leads from the first lake to the second, or you can simply walk and picnic by the first lake.

Back in Almaty, enjoy the panorama of the city from Kok-Tobe and ride the cable car down to the centre, then head up to the Medeu skating rink at 1,690 m and take the cable car on to the Shymbulak ski area. The last full day leads to the Issyk museum-reserve with a copy of the Saka-period Golden Man, to Lake Issyk at 1,756 m – formed about 10,000 years ago by a huge landslide – and to the Bear waterfall in the Turgen Gorge.

Difficulty: Easy Mostly sightseeing and short walks: the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon, park strolls in Almaty and about 1 km each way to the Bear waterfall in the Turgen Gorge. The walk from the first to the second Kolsai lake is optional (3–4 hours each way on a mountain path, the three lakes span about 700 m in height). Two longer drives (about 3 hours from Almaty to Charyn Canyon, and from Saty back to Almaty); Medeu at 1,690 m and Lake Issyk at 1,756 m.

Medeo ice skating rink in a beautiful mountain valley near Almaty

Lake Issyk in Kazakshtan in Autumn colors

Tour Itinerary

Arrive at Almaty airport, where your guide meets you and takes you into the city for a sightseeing tour. Start at the Almaty Museum to learn about the history of the southern capital of Kazakhstan. Then visit one of the oldest parks in Almaty, the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen, home to the Zenkov Cathedral, one of the most beautiful wooden buildings in the world. In the park you also see the Memorial of Glory with its Eternal Flame and the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments while your guide tells you the stories behind them. The leisurely walk under the park trees takes about 40 minutes. Next comes the Green Bazaar, a market loved by locals where it is hard not to go shopping. Transfer to the hotel for the night.

Almaty, Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral (Ascension Cathedral), Almaty Green Bazaar

Overnight: Almaty (Hotel)

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Drive to Charyn Canyon, one of the unique natural monuments of Kazakhstan (about 3 hours). On the way, your guide tells you about the history and nature of the region and about the Kazakh people, their life and traditions. The canyon is about 12 million years old, and its vertical cliffs, shaped by wind, sun and rain, look like ancient castles. Once you see it, the long drive is quickly forgotten. Admire the grand panorama from above, then walk through the labyrinth of the Valley of Castles with its walls towering over you. Continue to Saty village for the night in a homestay.

Charyn Canyon, Saty

Almaty → Charyn Canyon (200 km)
Charyn Canyon → Saty (100 km)

Overnight: Saty (Homestay)