Tanbaly Petroglyphs Tour: Experience UNESCO World Heritage Ancient Art

Embark on a captivating Tanbaly Petroglyphs Tour and explore the UNESCO World Heritage ancient art. Discover the fascinating history and artistry of the petroglyphs that date back thousands of years.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Tamgaly Gorge - Tamgaly museum-reserve is a unique worldwide famous archaeological complex in Kazakhstan. In 2004 it has entered the UNESCO World Heritage List. Petroglyphs cover several time intervals, starting from the Bronze Age to the XIII – XIV centuries of our era.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Professional guide
  • Bottled water
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
Additional Information

We will begin our journey in the morning from your hotel, with a drive lasting around 2.5 hours. The museum-reserve spans a large area featuring hills, canyons, and rocks. It houses several collections of petroglyphs from various eras, all of which we will explore.
You will have the opportunity to learn about the lives of people from different periods…

Location
Tamgaly Gorge
Chu-Ili mountains, Ili River
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(18 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Stay639384
Oct 6, 2025
Fantastic tour to Tanbaly - We had a truly wonderful day at Tanbaly. The petroglyphs are incredibly impressive, and our guide, Nursultan, was outstanding — deeply knowledgeable, courteous, and patient. He took excellent care of us, explaining everything with great insight and warmth.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Martinkd6383fu
Sep 25, 2025
Well organized trip to a fascinating archeological site! - Communication beforehand was easy, pick up worked neatly. It’s a good 2 1/2 drive from Almaty, with interesting views into the steppe. Our guide Mina translated all relevant information, gave us insights into Kazhak life. The visit of the petroglyphs was led by a local guide, who transmitted his fascination for the site very well. If you’re looking for a unique cultural site off the beaten paths, this is your trip! Recommended to take sun glasses with you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Valerie
Aug 16, 2025
Perfect Petroglyphs! - This is an absolute must do! An absolute gem of a tour! Our awesome guide (Nursaltan is awesome) was very informative and gave us a lot of information on the petroglyphs. There was so much fabulous information and I want to tell everyone about it, but I won't because you should do the tour instead, but yeah I definitely went an got a t-shirt, it's that awesome. The scenery at the site is also absolutely gorgeous. The paths are really well made and in good condition. The site itself is in excellent condition and there are so many interesting petroglyphs to spot and learn about. I absolutely recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Дарья
Aug 12, 2025
Time travel to the Bronze and Scythians ages - Amazing and unique experience! Thousands years of history in the middle of Kazakh Steppe. Nursultan is a very professional guide with deep knowledge about this place. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jordanmcalister99
Jul 28, 2025
Giant Concentration of Amazing Petroglyphs - Nursultan did a great job thoughtfully and carefully showing us the Tanbaly petroglyphs. This was a terrific day-trip from Almaty that not only shows off an impressive, ancient UNESCO World Heritage site, but provides a taste of the Eurasian Steppes. Nursultan is an expert on Kazakh history and culture, and is the very best at what he does. рахмет!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yusuke_t
Jul 18, 2025
Wonderful Experience - I joined this tour because I couldn't find any public transportation options, but it turned out to be an amazing experience. The guide spoke fluent English and provided clear explanations about the petroglyphs, which helped me understand them well. Please note that there are no shaded areas, so sunscreen is essential on sunny summer days.
Review provided by Viator
Lennard_k
May 1, 2025
Highlight of any visit to Almaty! - It is hard to find a tour to these (very rare) petroglyphs. However it is very much worth the time and effort to visit these extraordinary ancient stone carvings. This tour specifically was extremely comfortable in part due to a very responsible driver and a luxurious vehicle. However, the highlight of the tour might have been our (English speaking) guide who went out of her way to give us all the information possible about the petroglyphs, but also gave us a lot of insight into daily life in Kazachstan . If you have any interest at all in these types of sights, then this tour is an absolute must! Side note: communication was great, pick-up etc. was no problem whatsoever. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Arlina_k
Oct 10, 2024
Excellent - Amazing experience to not be missed by anyone who really wants to understand Kazakhstan. Nursulltan was a great guide knowledgeable and very nice and polite
Review provided by Viator
Kajal_k
Oct 4, 2024
Nice entourage to historical site! - The guide was helpful and the trip was very informative! The local guide also tried to make us understand various archeological insights.
Review provided by Viator
Lawrence_c
Oct 3, 2024
Highly recommended - I really enjoyed the tour to see the petroglyphs. My guide, Nursultan, is great. He is so knowledgeable about the petroglyphs and pointed out ones that I would have otherwise missed. I am surprised not more people visit the site as we were the only one there during the visit. Overall I am very satisfied.
Review provided by Viator
From $41
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).