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!

Beautiful trip from Almaty - Good transport, great guide Elena from Kazia Tour, good lunch and unique experience of the trip. I recommend it to everyone.

Excellent day trip - Excellent trip! Friendly guide, comfortable car and beautiful nature. 100% recommended if you are in Almaty.

A Charyn canyon day tour with Yerbo and a pair of Aussies in the Stans. - 24/08/2023. Our guide Yerbo (or however his name is spelt) made for a good visit to the Charyn canyon. He met us at Kazakhstan Hotel. He had fairly good English, we chatted & waited about 10 min for hisour driver Berick to arrive & set off on the drive. Berick's vehicle is like a Hyundai Staria or Toyota Hiace, which I think seats 7 in total, so 5 payers. Berick has no English, but with a few hand gestures and shared phone images we still managed some connection. After about 1 hour we stopped at a service station for some gas, where we could go to the WC and buy stuff (a drink). Drinks are said to be included in the cost but don't expect an esky full of icy cold beer, wine and water. Yerbo might/will provide you with a bottle of unchilled water while walking in the canyon, but it might not be big and I didn't test him to see how many he had available. The walk in the canyon was good. Yerbo liked to point out the shapes in the rocks and had some knowledge of the geology. He was keen to take us off the beaten track to areas (small gorgescanyons) where you might not go alone or with other guides. It can be a bit of a scramble. The ground under foot can be steep, but it is the looseness of the gravel presenting the bigger challenge, just to not slide down. It was OK for me, but my friend found it quite a challenge and she didn't come with us up the Witches canyon. After making it to the bottom and the river she opted to catch one of the ~12 seater taxi trucks back to the visitors centre, while Yerbo and I went on. It was kind of cool helping Yerbo install some new ropes to replace old broken ropes in the Witches canyon. The canyon is what I would call a rock scramble, not a climb. I did use the ropes a little, but could have made the scramble without and did where they were missing. The canyon and river are picturesque and worth a visit, even if a bit expensive, but don't expect the grand canyon, more of a mini mini grand canyon. I got some very good photos and there are some cool rock formations, but again don't expect the grand canyon. I was quite dry after the walk so bought myself a very expensive but cold bottle of water at the visitor centre shop. On the way back we stopped at a pair of Yurts beside the highway where we paid 100T/piece of the sour dried cheese ball thingys (my first try, no rancidity, just a clean but sour flavour). Then after about an hour we stopped at a roadhouse restraunt for "Lunch" at about 1600, this was included in the cost. We could choose anything on the menu. My vegetarian friend had Margaretta pizza. I said I'd have whatever Yerbo had, which turned out to be horse meat noodle soup (no vegies, just meat & noodles). It was OK, but I'm generally vego and would have preferred the meal which Berick had which appeared to have lots of vegies & meat & a good looking (maybe even spicy) sauce. We liked the Cumquat drink here, refreshing, not too sour and a bit sweet. Then about another hour driving and dropped off at our hotel. A good, if a bit expensive (though we got door to door service a guide & a driver, so got to expect $$$), possibly even great day trip (I don't know how to score such things). But well worth it. Go & enjoy. By a pair of Aussies in the Stans.