A Kazakhstan tour with us sees the south-east corner of the country, where the Tien Shan rises above Almaty. In the city we visit the Green Bazaar, Panfilov Park and the wooden Zenkov Cathedral, ride up Kok-Tobe Hill and take the cable car at Shymbulak to 3,200 metres. East of Almaty, Charyn Canyon runs for about 150 km with cliffs up to 300 metres, and the Kolsay Lakes and Kaindy Lake, with its sunken spruce forest from the 1911 earthquake, lie in the northern Tien Shan. From there the road crosses at Kegen into Kyrgyzstan.
Almaty under the Tien Shan, Charyn Canyon and the Kolsay and Kaindy lakes: the mountain start of our Central Asia tours.
Best time to visit Kazakhstan
- Late spring to early autumn is the usual season for the mountain lakes and Charyn Canyon
- Winter suits the Shymbulak ski area, but the Kolsay and Kaindy roads are a summer trip
Kazakhstan tourist attractions on our tours
- Almaty: Green Bazaar, Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral and Kok-Tobe Hill
- Medeo and the Shymbulak cable car to 3,200 metres
- Charyn Canyon and the Valley of Castles
- The Kolsay Lakes and Kaindy Lake with its sunken forest
- The Kegen land border into Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan travel: common questions
Which Kazakhstan sights do the tours include?
Almaty and its mountains (Kok-Tobe, Medeo and Shymbulak), Charyn Canyon, the Kolsay Lakes and Kaindy Lake. The 3 Stans Discovery and the Four Stans Odyssey start here; the Long Road Through the 5 Stans arrives from Karakol.
How long is the drive from Almaty to Charyn and Kolsay?
On the 3 Stans and Four Stans tours the day from Almaty to Charyn Canyon and on to the Kolsay Lakes is 440 km by road, with a walk of about 40 minutes down to the Charyn River.
Where do we stay in Kazakhstan?
In Almaty at Grand Sapphire 3* or Kazzhol Park 4*, or similar. At the Kolsay Lakes the night is at a guesthouse (3* option) or the Kolsay Prestige Hotel (4* option).
Kazakhstan tours
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
3 Stans Discovery: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan
14 days / 13 nightsSilk Road & mountains
A 14-day 3 Stans tour from Almaty’s canyons and mountain lakes through Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul region to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva on the Silk Road.
from $2643 per person (10–11 travellers, 3*)
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Kazakhstan
Day tourBogdanovich Glacier day hike
1 dayMountain hiking, fit hikers only
A private day hike from Almaty for fit hikers: the cable car from Medeu to the Talgar pass at 3,200 m, then on foot across moraine to the tongue of Bogdanovich Glacier at 3,600 m and back.
from $104 per person (4 travellers)
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Kazakhstan
Charyn Canyon, Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes, 2 days
2 days / 1 nightCanyons & mountain lakes
A private 2-day trip from Almaty: the Valley of Castles in Charyn Canyon, sunset at the first Kolsai lake, a night in Saty and Kaindy Lake with its sunken spruce forest.
from $468 per person (4–6 travellers)
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Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan
Four Stans Odyssey
18 days / 17 nightsSilk Road & mountains
An 18-day 4 Stans tour of Central Asia through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan: canyons and mountain lakes, Khujand and Penjikent, the Seven Lakes, then Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.
from $3145 per person (10–11 travellers, 3*)
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Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
The Long Road Through the 5 Stans
22 days / 21 nightsSilk Road & desert
A 22-day 5 Stans tour from Bishkek to Ashgabat: Tash-Rabat and Issyk-Kul, Charyn Canyon and Almaty, Dushanbe and Iskanderkul, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, then the Darwaza Gas Crater.
from $3490 per person (10–11 travellers, 3*)
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Kazakhstan
Turgen Gorge & Assy Plateau, 2 days
2 days / 1 nightHiking & off-road
A private 2-day trip from Almaty in summer: a forest hike to Kairak waterfall in Turgen Gorge, a night at our glamping camp, then a full off-road day on the Assy Plateau at about 3,000 m.
from $364 per person (4–6 travellers)
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