Treasures of Almaty Lakes and Canyon

Explore Kazakhstan’s Charyn Canyon, Kolsai, and Kaindy Lakes. Discover grand cliffs, crystal waters, and lush meadows. Perfect spring adventure!

Duration: 16 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kolsai Lake - This is a lake of amazing beauty, surrounded by mountains and pine forests. If you wish, you can take a boat or catamaran ride around the lake. There is also a cafe where you can have lunch. The menu includes pilaf, lagman, manti, shish kebab, and salads.
  • Қайынды - The water here, due to its purity, is almost invisible, and the surrounding landscape with mountains and green meadows will complement the charm of this place. We will travel to the lake from the village in UAZ vehicles and, at your request, on horses with experienced escorts.
  • Charyn Canyon - Charyn Canyon is one of the most impressive natural attractions in Kazakhstan. You will admire its grandiose cliffs, gorges and bright red formations created by nature millions of years ago. In addition to the Valley of Castles, you will enjoy such locations as: the Charyn River, the Black and Moon Canyon.
What's Included
  • Entrance ticket to Charyn Canyon National Park
  • Entrance ticket to Kaindy National Park
  • Professional guide
  • Entrance ticket to Kolsay National Park
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • All fees and/or taxes
  • UAZ
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Enrich your spring with bright adventures! We invite you on a journey through the colorful natural locations of Kazakhstan. You will admire the grandiose cliffs of the Charyn Canyon and see the lunar landscape on Earth. Enjoy the crystal clear waters of the lakes and green meadows. Take a breath of fresh air and recharge away from the bustle of the city.

Charyn Canyon is one of the most impressive natural attractions in Kazakhstan. You will admire its grandiose cliffs, gorges and bright red formations created by nature millions of years ago.

Lake Kolsai. This is a lake of amazing beauty, surrounded by mountains and pine forests. If you wish, you can take a boat or catamaran ride around the lake. There is also a cafe where you can have lunch. The menu includes pilaf, lagman, manti, shish kebab, and salads.

Lakes Kaindy. The water here, due to its purity, is almost invisible, and the surrounding landscape with mountains and green meadows will complement the charm of this place.

  • We recommend taking cash in the amount of 5.000-10.000 tenge per person for pocket money
Location
Zyliha Hotel
Baytursynova Street
We will be waiting for you at Baitursynov 104 with a van with Panda stickers. Opposite the Astana International Hotel (large bus stop). There will be a Barbero hairdresser near the bus stop. Bus will be wait from 05.00 a.m. until 05.15 a.m. ❗️
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.3
(45 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Bluewestmatrix
Sep 18, 2024
Crazy Long but Fun Tour - Our tour guide Ayan, was such a good memory guy. He took down all the 2 vans' passengers' name and he really can call out each of our name very soon enough. Imagine he had to do it every tour. It was a very rush tour but manage to see everything. Our van actually broke down with flat tyre but it gave us time to get to know new friends.
Review provided by Viator
Shui
Sep 17, 2024
Good organisation and trip - If you want to do this trip than Panda Travel is your go to place. The trip was so well organised and guide were so good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juang_m
Sep 15, 2024
Great tour and great guide - Wonderful tour and Guide . A great experience to see the countryside. Tour guide was very knowledgeable and kind . He only confused us with the 1 hour needed to walk down to the river in the Canyon ( you need more time ) but everything was very comfortable and great
Review provided by Viator
Daytrip35910538148
Sep 7, 2024
Excellent trip - Very well organised! Our guide was very knowledgeable about all locations. Absolutely recommend, who visit Almaty city
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cherriemae_m
Sep 3, 2024
Worth it - The UAZ ride going to kaindy lake! If was so fun and felt really safe even with the bumpy rides! And the guides know really well. Thanks to our guides Mr. Ayan and Ms. Z., they did a really good job! 👏
Review provided by Viator
Anushree
Sep 15, 2024
Great experience at affordable rates - We (couple) booked a full day small group tour with Panda Travel team. The vehicle was a comfortable 15 seater Mercedes van with a driver and our guide Mr Ayan. We started at about 5:45 Am and got back to the city by 10 pm. Overall a very good experience and the guide helped us with all required information as well. I would recommend bringing your own food water and snacks (we did) as the drive is long and once you are outside the city your food options maybe limited. They provided enough stops for using the restrooms as well. The locations were beautiful, scenic, untouched and out of the world. Locations do have restroom facilities even if limited in convenience. Our tour covered all expenses except food and one final 10 minute taxi ride (500 tenge per person one way) in the kaindy lake area which can be trekked if you have enough time at hand. The only thing I would recommend to the travel company would be to provide a little more information on the day before to prepare for the travel for example the cash amount to carry , distance of treks/hikes etc. The pickup from my hotel was delayed due to which we took our own taxi to the meeting point. These were just very very minor issues. Great experience, excellent and affordable pricing and very good and helpful guides.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rubin_g
Sep 13, 2024
Trip on the whole was very goof - The whole trip was good, the giude spoke good English and the driver drove well. Only thing i see i the encouragement to pre order lunch to save time. We get expensive low quality food from a dirty shop while there was a whole of of restaurants. They were all not crowded and look clean and fast too. Favouring only certain venders. That looked very obvious
Review provided by Viator
901bryang
Aug 20, 2024
Bad experience - Mediocre experience, the guide was funny but not prepared. A lady lost herself in the canyon and he left her there for a lot of time before going and searching for her
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sander_b
Aug 10, 2024
Great experience, beautiful highlights, exercising. Local vibes - The whole vibe itself, the tour team guides take the tourists and guests on a full local journey, with ofcourse the stops at te highlights too see, like the viewpoints at Kolsai national park and the Canyon stops! So those parts and incredible nature places we went to were absolutely stunning. We had also an great group of mixed people, young and old, from all parts over the world.
Review provided by Viator
Kapilkandhare
Sep 15, 2024
Our perfect Almaty itinerary ruined thanks to Panda Travel! - Our dream Almaty vacation turned into a nightmare thanks to Panda Travel. We had meticulously planned our trip, including a 2-day VIP tour with them followed by a stay at a great hotel which we got in very good deal. However, just hours before our tour was scheduled to begin, Panda Travel abruptly canceled it without any explanation and didn't even inform us! When I messaged late night that we will wait at pickup point the next day, we were informed that booking is cancelled. We were left scrambling to find alternative accommodations and activities at the last minute. The single-day tour we were eventually able to book with Panda Travel was a far cry from the comprehensive experience we had anticipated. The company crammed all the attractions from the original two-day itinerary into a single exhausting day. To add insult to injury, we were forced to stay in a subpar hotel due to the unexpected cancellation. Panda Travel's incompetence and lack of customer service ruined our entire trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
October 2024
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