Best tour ever - This is a very long day tour. We started off at 05:30am and finished at 11:30pm. However, I think this was the best way to see most of the main places in the area. Our guide Assem was fantastic and kept the whole group together. This was probably one of the best tours I have ever been part of. The views are out of this world and even though it was a long day, we were still thrilled to see everything. I strongly recommend this tour.

Go when the weather is sunny - Five stars just for Kassym who is a very kind and patient guide. He was very attentive to everyone and wanted to make sure that everyone was enjoying the tour. The weather will affect your tour a lot; if you can, avoid rainy/snowy days because it will make exploring more inconvenient. If there’s one thing you take away from this review, BRING MONEY FOR THE HORSES. It was 4000T one way, 6000T round trip at the time of this writing but bring enough for the round trip. The tour operator makes it seem like the horseback riding is an optional activity, but you do the horse riding at Kaindy Lake up a steep 1-2km mountain trail. Here’s what the tour description should say: the alternative to horseback riding is hiking up a muddy trail filled with horse 💩. I’m not even talking a pile here or there. The mud is mixed with so much 💩 you’ll probably step in it at the start of the trail. But hiking through 2km of that will lock the smell in your nose. BRING MONEY FOR THE HORSES. You also take a separate van for a 40min round trip to get to Kaindy Lake after the canyon. This second van is much smaller so you will be crammed with everyone else on your tour on an extremely bumpy road. Kolsai Lake has more developed infrastructure like paved roads and wooden decks around the lake, but it’s hazardous when it’s snowing. Hold onto the railings because it’s easy to slip even if you’re careful. I personally think Kaindy looks nicer, but Kolsai is more convenient to travel to and explore.

A spectacular day with a group of wonderful people. - We visited so many spectacular places in a day.It was a very long day but well worth it.We were treated to a delicious meal in someone's home and were cared for all day by our knowledgeable and friendly guide.

Perfectly planned trip with an amazing guide - Perfectly planned trip with enough time everywhere. Lunch was delicious. So many photos of the amazing locations.Guide Irada was simply superb. Very co-operative, helpful and friendly.

Perfect 1 day trip from Almaty - Nice experience with 3 wonderful stopps. Perfect 1 day opportunity from Almaty. Umit was a perfect guide, thanks a lot.

Great experience - This was a great tour, guides were extremely friendly, knowledgeable and organised. Was not to rushed which gave us plenty of time at each destination to enjoy it, Would highly recommend this tour. Highlight of my trip to Kazakhstan

Day-trip around Almaty - A very nice daytrip from Almaty. Beautiful views and a great guide! Our guide Umit was very nice and knowledgeable and spoke Russian, Kazakh and English very well.

Exhausting, but so enriching - The long daily routine is clocked and well organized. The excursion destinations are partly breathtaking and the food in the private house was excellent. The driver drives a little rough, but everyone does.

Had a Great Day - This was a great trip overall. Couldn't give a 5 star for 2 reasons, van was not very comfortable and we didn't have lunch until almost 4pm. The drive was around 4 hours each way with stops for bathroom or to buy snacks. Pick up was at 5.30am, returned to our hotel at 10.30pm. Communication from tour operator before the tour was really good. Lunch was at a local house set up to accommodate tour groups, the dish was delicious (choice of chicken or beef, stewed with veggies ...vegetarian option available), but apart from the one dish, there was limited food, (trays of biscuits and chocolate). There was a basket of baursaks and sliced bread but they were cold and stale (very disappointing especially for people trying them for the first time). Hot tea was served, but there were no cold drinks. Our guide "Bic" was very polite, informative, helpful and kind. He spoke English very well. We liked him. Driver drove fast, but safe and cautious around other vehicles and road conditions. The Canyon was incredible! Kaindy Lake was beautiful. Be aware, you have to transfer from your van to a Russian 4x4 van for a 30 minute each way trip to the lake before hiking to the lake. The road conditions and Creek crossings were quite an adventure !!! The hike in both places was not easy, but worth it. Black Canyon was pretty, and so was Kolsai Lake. Although Kolsai was a little underwhelming and very touristy, but there is paddle boating and canoeing. The lake was very crowded. Toilets cost 100t to use, and have an open mind! There is horse riding options in both places. It was a long, at times difficult day (hikes, drives), but totally worth it! I would recommend it. Overall we would do it again with this tour company.

Good tour - This is a good tour. The pick up was on time. The tour guides are very helpful — accompanied us to the lakes, helped us arrange horse ride, and led the hike at the Charyn canyon, which is spectacular. The lunch at a private home was good. The views are beautiful. The only reason I gave a 4-star instead of 5-star is because of the order of the stops. I suggest to stop at the Charyn Canyon first, since this is the most spectacular and unique landscape, and the highlight of the trip. Instead, we stopped at the Charyn Canyon the last, when we were exhausted from hiking to the two lakes and weather turned to raining, so we did not enjoy the Charyn Canyon as much as we would like.