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Almaty Highlights: Kolsai Lake & Charyn Canyon
4.9
22 Ratings
Saty
This special tour will cover the four most frequently visited places: Kolsai Lake, Charyn Canyon, Monn, and Black. If you haven’t visited these places, you are not qualified to say that you have traveled to Almaty as a tourist.
This special tour will cover the four most frequently visited places: Kolsai Lake, Charyn Canyon, Monn, and Black. If you haven’t visited these places, you are not qualified to say that you have traveled to Almaty as a tourist.
Duration:
13 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kolsai Lake - The journey begins in Almaty City, where the operator will pick up guests from their accommodation and head to Kolsai Lake. Visitors will enjoy the stunning scenery of Kolsai Lake with a tour guide for nearly two hours. Optional boat or catamaran rides around the lake are available (not included).
- Uzunbulak Canyon - This segment…
- Kolsai Lake - The journey begins in Almaty City, where the operator will pick up guests from their accommodation and head to Kolsai Lake. Visitors will enjoy the stunning scenery of Kolsai Lake with a tour guide for nearly two hours. Optional boat or catamaran rides around the lake are available (not included).
- Uzunbulak Canyon - This segment of the tour offers breathtaking views of the Moon and Black Canyon for about an hour, allowing guests to witness the Canyon River flowing through the deep, black-rocked valley.
- Charyn Canyon - Following the visit to the Black and Moon Canyon, the tour proceeds to Charyn Canyon, also known as the Valley of Castles. Guests will marvel at the unique rock formations and enjoy the canyon views for approximately two hours. The tour includes several photo opportunities and an echo taxi ride along the canyon for nearly 2 km to reach the Charyn River, which is the highlight of the tour.
- Lake Kaindy - Situated at an altitude of 2000m, Lake Kaindy is geologically young. This 400m long lake was formed in 1911 when an earthquake caused a massive limestone landslide, creating a natural dam in the gorge covered by spruce trees. Visitors have seen forests and lakes, but witnessing one within the other creates an eerie atmosphere. This is the essence of Kaindy Lake in Saty, Kazakhstan, where a century-old landslide formed a lake atop a spruce forest, resulting in a surreal landscape.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- National Park fees
- Bottled water
- Parking fees
- Professional guide/driver
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- National Park fees
- Bottled water
- Parking fees
- Professional guide/driver
What's Not Included
- Boating and horseback-riding (from 6000 KZT/person depending on route/duration)
- Lunch
- Boating and horseback-riding (from 6000 KZT/person depending on route/duration)
- Lunch
Additional Information
- Remaining time is allocated for transportation.
- Remaining time is allocated for transportation.
Location
Kolsai Lake
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(22 Ratings)
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Debbied_l
Aug 26, 2025
Loved it for a flexible, customized experience - Tour review
This is a great option if you’re looking for a flexible and personalized tour/itinerary. My flight was delayed coming into Almaty and they were able to accommodate that by adjusting the start time of the tour. (I would never have made it if I’d done a group tour!) I most wanted to see Kaindy Lake and we were able to do that first, followed by a lunch break and Charyn Canyon. It was a bit of a long day but Erasyl made it fun with lots of facts about the destinations as well as Kazakh life and culture as we rode. I learned so much! Bonus - Erasyl was a great personal photographer. Overall, given my short time in Almaty, it was great to have this flexible option and have everything completely customized to your priorities. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Ryan_d
Aug 20, 2025
Driver was great. Spoke... - Driver was great. Spoke English very well. Tour was a long day but was well-organized and a great way to see different bits of landscape. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Sehejs2019
Aug 16, 2025
Amazing Tour - The tour was amazing. Thanks to our guide.
Everything shown with utmost patience and kindness.
Loved this experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explore47401077171
Aug 11, 2025
Exceptional tour - Choosing this private tour was the best decision. Erasyl took me to three amazing destinations, and the transportation was incredibly comfortable, even in challenging locations. What I appreciated most was his flexibility; he was always willing to adjust the plan based on my needs.
Our day was filled with great conversations about Kazakhstan's culture, business, and daily life, making the journey feel personal and engaging. He organized a fantastic horseback ride at Kolsay Lake and even turned out to be an excellent photographer, capturing some truly great memories.
His professionalism and kindness shone through when I realized I had left my sunglasses in his car. He went above and beyond by finding them and dropping them off at my hotel's front desk. Erasyl is more than a guide—he's a true host and I can't recommend him enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alec_s
May 28, 2025
Great tour! Seamless and... - Great tour! Seamless and easy way to see sights outside of Almaty. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Kara_h
May 4, 2025
A long but excellent... - A long but excellent day/tour to see many interesting sights in the area. Was able to choose the pace and was given options for taxis if needed (vs only walking/hiking) at each stop. Also we stopped for lunch at a delicious local place that I was glad to have tried. Good tour for solo travels or those traveling in pairs or groups.
Review provided by Viator
David_j
Apr 26, 2025
All day lakes and gorges tour. - The trip was all day with early pickup and was full of surprises and beautiful views of the valleys and mountains as well as the lakes and gorges we visited. Our guide Erasyl was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We both really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it .
Review provided by Viator
Victoria_l
Apr 18, 2025
Erasyl was a lovely guide... - Erasyl was a lovely guide and adapted the tour to my needs. He was very keen to use feedback to make his tours as user friendly as possible. Comfortable transport
Review provided by Viator
Balaji_p
Apr 16, 2025
Scenic Day Trip - Best trip we had in Almaty visit. A must do trip if you are visiting Alamaty! Quite a long day trip it would take 13-14 hours to cover entire trip in a day!!
Review provided by Viator
Fawad_a
May 2, 2025
Beautiful places but significant language challenges... - I had the opportunity to take this tour on a short trip to Almaty. While the places we visited were beautiful and totally worth seeing, I had specifically requested an English tour guide. Up until the day of the tour, the guy Erasyl - well versed in the language whom I was dealing with was supposed to be my guide however on the day of, I was informed there was going to be a different guide who could barely speak English. No fault of that guide, he was nice and tried his level best but I'd completely hold the management team responsible for this mess. If I am sitting there alone with the guy for 8-9 hours on the tour but cannot properly communicate, this is no fun. I paid a lot of money for this tour and certainly expected better than this...
Review provided by Viator
