A Totally Worth It Tour to Kaindy, Kolsai, and Charyn - The tour was great and well planned. The best part about the tour was our tour guide Azmat who gave us interesting snippets of information, was very clear and polite in his instructions, was always available to guide us and answer our questions, and clicked some great looking pictures for and of us. The tour took us to Kaindy Lake, followed by Kolsai Lake, and ended with a sunset view at Charyn Canyon. We also had a great lunch at Saty that had both Vegeterian and Non Vegetarian options. The tour offers 7 pick up spots across Almaty that allowed us to choose the one closest to where we were staying. We were picked up timely (i.e. at 6 am) from Hotel Kazakhstan in a Mercedes Sprinter van. The tour covers a distance between 500-600 kms from and back to Almaty (the distance from Almaty to Kolsai Lake, which is the farthest point of the tour, is between 250-300 kms). The journey to Kaindy Lake was the longest though as it required us to change a couple of Russian Old World vans from the spot until where our Mercedes Sprinter was allowed to go! These vans are included in the tour package and don’t require any additional payment. The first stretch of the path to Kaindy Lake takes us to a spot after which the journey to Kaindy Lake can be covered only in one of 3 ways: walking (it’s a short climb of 20-30 minutes), in another Van, or on horse back (which is not covered in the tour package and would need you to pay separately if that’s what you want to do, and the route on horse back is different from the walking and van routes, which are the same). The path was unpaved and was an experience in off roading with a couple of water-crossings and a mostly jumpy ride; though we enjoyed it thoroughly with a mix of Kazakh, English, Russian, and, to our surprise, a couple of old Hindi songs. We took the van option as it was included in the package and once we reached the spot until where the van could take, we had to walk down a bit of a steep decline to the lake (which was totally worth it). The lake was beautiful and the weather was a bit cloudy, which to me was perfect. There is a deck a bit high beside the lake where you can click pictures, and there is also a different spot which is right on the bank of the lake. We were given around 1 to 1.5 hours at the lake after which we needed to walk back up the incline to our van’s pick up spot. We spent the time taking in the views of the lake and the surrounding mountains and clicking pictures. We also experienced a bit of a drizzle and as 3 of us did not have rain coats, we had to purchase thin plastic rain coats sold at the location (it cost us 1000 KZT, though there was also a slightly better quality 1500 KZT option as well). When we walked back and reached our van’s pick spot and given the van took a little time to arrive, we decided to walk back to spot we had switched vans, which took us 15 minutes to complete. After we boarded the van that took us to the spot where our Mercedes Sprinter, we were taken to a small village called Saty where we had lunch at what seemed like a homestay of sorts, run by a Kazakh family (mostly women). The place was great and so was the food. It was the best food we had during our stay in Kazkhistan, and there was so much to choose from. The only downside was that we did not have enough time to gobble up everything that was present as we had to wait 10-15 minutes for a different group to finish their lunch before we were let in. After lunch, we boarded our Sprinter and were taken to Kolsai Lake. This lake was a bit different from Kaindy Lake, though it also had the same bluish hue and clear & clean water. We had to walk down a paved incline (there were wooden stairs as well, which were more convenient to walk down) to the lake. We spent around an hour at the lake sight seeing and clicking pictures. There were wooden pathways on both sides of the lake and a couple of us walked the wooden pathway to the other side of the lake. The views were beautiful, though the weather this time around was sunny with a few scattered clouds. From Kolsai, we boarded our Sprinter again and drove around 50 kms to a spot called Black Canyon where, from a deck high above, we got to see a deep canyon with the Charyn river flowing through it. There was a small tea shop where we had some tea alongside enjoying the sights and clicking pictures. It was here that we got to experience Azmat’s (our guide) great photography skills. After 30 minutes at Black Canyon, we left for Charyn Canyon, which was another 50 kms, for the sunset view. Charyn Canyon was beautiful with its reddish hues (possibly because of the setting sun) and deep pathways. We did not walk down to the pathways at the bottom of the canyon, but did walk to the farthest point at the top. The view was beautiful and we clicked a lot of pictures. We also had a great chat with Azmat during our walk back to where our Sprinter was waiting to take us back to the city. After the sun had completely set and it had gotten dark, we boarded our Sprinter to travel back to the city with a day truly well spent. After around 3.5 hours we were dropped off at Hotel Kazakhstan.

Excellent Day Trip - I have done a day trip with Kazakhstan Guided Tours for Kolsay Kaindy Lake and Charyn Canyon. It was very well designed and executed as per scheduled itinerary. Tour Guide Gulzada was a very efficient person. We had a very good lunch at Saty Village. Overall a great trip, highly recommended.

A Journey I Will Never Forget - This is by far one of the most action-packed and scenic tours I’ve ever gone on. It’s a full 16 hours, but the time flies by as you move to each of the most popular natural sights in the Almaty area. It is sensory overload, as your camera will be smoking and your brain will not comprehend so much beauty that can be seen in only one day. You also get to interact with people who live and work in the Kazakh countryside, which is such an enriching experience that gives a new perspective on life outside big cities like Almaty. Forget about having to get up so early in the morning for this tour—just book it! You won’t regret it. The day was perfectly scheduled to allow enough time to take in each sight while also keeping everything on schedule. Our guide, Aigerim (Aika) was amazing, and she provided interesting and useful information about the history of the sights and area, both in transit and at each stop. She also gave clear instructions so we were never left guessing. She was the best part of a trip filled with great memories. Our driver (whose name I unfortunately did not catch) was also highly skilled and hilarious when cracking jokes at lunch or other times. Highlights of the day included an amazing traditional lunch at a beautiful guesthouse in Saty village and the wild journey to reach Kaindy Lake (my personal favorite of the sights we saw). To get to the lake, you have to transfer from the main van to ride in a 1960s Soviet off-road vehicle for a 30-minute trek crossing streams and navigating a wild path that is quite the adventure in itself. Then another 20 minutes on horseback or via hiking on a separate trail (your choice). And once you finally reach the lake, you’ll see why it’s worth the journey! Tips: (1) Make sure to bring some cash (kzt) because there is the option to ride horses up to Kaindy Lake (I recommend it—the price was 6,000 tenge per rider as of June 2024, cash only) and there are several stops for snacks or coffee throughout the day. (2) Bring hiking boots or good shoes for rocky terrain. (3) Dress flexibly and bring a windbreaker or rain jacket because the weather in this area can change very quickly from hot and sunny to chilly and raining, and back. In sum, cannot recommend this tour enough if you’re up for a day packed with out-of-this-world adventure!

Almaty, Kazakhstan has so many hidden gems! - The places we went to were amazing. I love all of them. The tour started and ended on time. The size of the group for the tour was just enough. The guide was helpful and did her best to show us around, gave a background of the places we visited. She was prepared, professional and kind. The local food we had for lunch was good. The Baurzak was so tasty and the Plov tasted great. The WC at the place we had lunch wasn't good. Had to wait for 30 mins until we had another WC break. Overall, everything was great. Would recommend this group tour!

Great experience - The tour guide Aika, was really great. Also the office were really responsive to all our questions, the van was great, so all was really great.

Great, but with a hiccup - We have departed one hour late as the guide Aigerim didn't come to the meeting point and we had to wait for her. She contacted some of the tourists, but not all of us had internet anyway, and some didn't received her message. However, she was very pleasant and provided information. The places included in the tour are amazing despite the long minibus ride, and all the experience was great!

Well organized long day tour - A well organized tour. They Impressed us with execution of such a long tour with any mishaps or delays.. thats the best part and of course out of the world places.. i see lot of construction going around these places so dont delay that visit of yours before someone destroys its natural pristine beauty. There could be more engagement from the guide, like more details about places.. it was more like he drops us at the places and we are our own.

Beware of the Horse Ride at Lake Kaindy - If you are short on time, this would be a great tour for seeing the major sights of Lake Kaindy, Lower Kolsai Lake and Charyn Canyon in a day. Do note, some hiking is needed to fully enjoy each spot. Booking the tour is easy through their website and they are very responsive to queries. The drive to the spots of attraction can be long, however the landscapes along the way are stunning and the minivan they use is also comfortable. For anyone with motion sickness or back problems however, the 30min dirt road ride to Lake Kaindy might be an issue. Opted for a horse ride to continue my journey to the lake, and this was where I unfortunately became a victim of a sexual assault attempt. So for the women, even if you are a beginner at horse riding, I would recommend not allowing the horse guide ride the horse with you. The other downside to an express tour is that there is not enough time to fully enjoy each spot; so I would highly recommend booking a multi day tour option instead if you have more time. This option was unfortunately not available at the time of my visit but I still enjoyed every moment I had and would totally go back again. The tour guide, Aika, was also very friendly, informative and supportive- especially after I informed her of the unpleasant incident I had at Lake Kaindy. The horse guides are not employed by the tour company though so it was by no means any fault of the company, and I would still engage their services for future visits. 😊

A long but rewarding tour. - This is a FULL day tour, most of which is traveling in a small bus. Fortunately, the bus is very comfortable and they made stops every couple hours to stretch our legs & use the toilets. The highlight of the tour for us was Kaindy Lake. We have traveled to many coutries but have never seen a lake quite like this one with the tree trunks frozen in the lake like that and the amazing blue color of the water. To get there we transfered to a smaller, old Russian army vehicle and drove 30 minutes on unmaintained gravel roads which was uncomfortable and not recommended for those with back problems. Kolsai Lake was 1 or 3 lakes. I would have loved to hike to the other 2 lakes but that would require an overnight stay which we didn't have time for on this trip. Charyn Canyon was underwhelming to us since we had already visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona, U.S.A. For those who had not been there, they thought Charyn Canyon was fabulous. Overall, we were happy with this tour.

Very good trip - Overall trip was amazing along with the tour guide. She did her job more than expected. The only thing I would say I was disappointed was from the quality of bus provided. Since, this is express day tour and you would be sitting in bus from 6am to 9pm, better quality of bus must be provided for comfort of the travellers. Rest, everything was top notch.