6 Days Trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan

Lakes and Canyons of Kazakhstan

Leave the heat behind and head into the heart of Kazakhstan’s wild side—where alpine lakes, glaciers, and ancient canyons collide in a 5-day hiking and jeep adventure designed for real hikers. From glacier treks high in the Tien Shan mountains to canyon hikes and lakes and forests, this is your chance to experience raw nature, longer trails, and cool mountain air just a short flight from the UAE.

Almaty - Turgen gorge - Kairak waterfall - Charyn Canyon - Kolsai - Kaindy - Almaty

Sunday, August 2: Arrival Day - If you need to arrive on Fly Dubai or Air Alma

• arrival and transfer to REUNION PARK HOTEL

• City tour and shopping for outdoor gear.

• Overnight at Reunion Park Hotel.​

• ** Most flights on Fly Dubai, Air Arabia and Air Astana arrive at 2-3 am, which is why we include this night.

Monday, August 3: START THE TOUR: Hike Bogdanovich Glacier drive to Turgen Gorge- Glamping

• Cable car ride to Talgarsky Pass (3200m).

• Trek to Bogdonavich Glacier (3 hours) just above the cable car destination.

• Drive to Turgen Gorge and overnight in Glamping tents on an island in the middle of a river.

Tuesday, Aug 4: Kairak Waterfalls - Glamping

• Hiking to the Kairak waterfall which takes up to 5 hours in total. The path is smooth and comfortable that nothing will prevent you from enjoying the views of flowering meadows and dense spruce forests all the way to the fall.

Wednesday, Aug 5: Canyon Hike, Lake Visit and Head to Kolsai Lakes - Guest House

Breakfast at a camp, transfer to the Charyn Canyon. National Park's entry procedures. Hiking along the canyon called Valley of Castles known for its fantastic colorful rock formations for 2 hours all downhill to the Charyn riverbank, have lunch in Charyn and then take an old Russiah jeep back up the canyon to our cars. Then we will head to the Kolsai area. . Overnight in a guesthouse in Saty village.​

Thursday, Aug 6: Kolsai Lakes - Long Hike Around the Lakes - Guest House

Breakfast at a guesthouse, transfer to the Kolasi-1 Lake (15 min). There are 8km between the lakes, and the whole hike with both lakes will take 6 hours. The nature of Kungey Alatau mountains with its mysterious spruce forests and deep turquoise lakes will leave indelible trace in your memory. Lunch in the form of a picnic at a Lake-2 lakeshore.

Late afternoon back to the same guesthouse. Dinner and overnight.

Friday, Aug 7: Kaindy Lake - Sunken Forest and Drive back to Almaty

• Kaindy Lake - We will hike around the lake with the famous sunken forest for 2 hours. The lake was formed in 1911 after a huge earthquake that resulted in a big landslide from the eastern slope. The uniqueness of the lake is that after the rise of a natural dam that blocked the gorge, water that filled a basin has formed a lake but has not destroyed the spruce that had been growing in this place along the river. The upper parts of the trees sticking out of the water lost lateral branches and bark, and the wood became white. The lower part of the “drowned” pines retained branches that were overgrown with algae under the water, thus created a fantastic underwater landscape. After a lunch, we drive back to Almaty (4 hours).

  Evening drop off at a hotel in Almaty.

  Saturday, August 8th: Departure

• Accommodation: 2 nights in Almaty in Reunion Park Hotel + Tour

• Meals: All meals included except dinner in Almaty

• Transportation: All transfers in comfortable vehicles

• Guides: English-speaking local guides and UAE Trekker Guide: Amy

  Price:

• Single Joiners: 6000 Dh *(single joiners, with single hotel and guest house)

• Join with a friend, share a room together: 5000 Dh

To sign up for this event please sign up here:

• Trek Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate

  These day hikes can be as easy or hard as you want to make them. The hardest hike is the Kolsay Lakes hike, which is very long! But you. don’t have to do the entire hike. The other days hiking are not demanding.

• What's Included

  2 nights in Almaty

  2 nights in guest house

  2 nights in Glamping Tent

  all meals except dinners in almaty, which you will want to do on your own to explore new and different places.

  Transportation in comfortable jeep

  all meals

  Trek leader:

  English speaking guides

• What's not included?

  Airfare and visa to Kazakstan

  Tips for guides

  Dinners in Almaty

• Cancellation Policy

  This trek will go ahead with a minimum of 3 people booked. If the trip is not filled up 20 days before the hike, you will be refunded in full or rescheduled to the August dates, whatever you prefer.