Karatau mountains + Aqmeshit cave day trip

Starting/ending point: Shymkent city

Driving distance: 140 km from Shymkent and back

Tour duration: 11 hours

Start time: 08:00 am Almaty time

Availability season: April - October

Tour language: English | Russian

Tour activities: Sightseeing | Hiking | Walking

Tour options: PRIVATE

Description

A one-day trip to the Karatau mountains, which are located just 70 km from Shymkent.

From the start of the tour you will go to one of the most mysterious places of Southern Kazakhstan - Aq-Meshit cave, which in translation means White Mosque. This is a huge underground cave 254 meters long, 25 meters high and 65 meters wide. A unique natural object not only in terms of size but also due to the fact that at the top there are no trees within a radius of many kilometers and a real oasis is located in the cave.

Further on this tour, you will see a giant table mountain, bronze age petroglyphs, paleolethic cave, and narrow canyon with a waterfall that you will pass right through the water.

In addition, you will enjoy a picnic in the open air.

ITINERARY

08:00 Pick-up at your address in Shymkent
Visiting the underground cave Aq-Meshit (White Mosque)
Giant table mountain, viewing spot
Bronze age petroglyphs
Picnic
Paleolethic cave
Hiking through the narrow canyon
19:00 Drop-off at your address in Shymkent

⚠️ [Visits to any of the tour sites may be canceled and their order changed due to the change of seasons, weather conditions and other circumstances beyond our control]

OPTIONS & PRICES

PRIVATE tour	✅ Pick-up/drop-off at your address in Shymkent ✅ Comfortable SUV ✅ English-speaking guide-driver ✅ Picnic lunch ✅ Bottled water ✅ National park entrance fee
Number of people	1	2	3	4
TOTAL PRICE	$230	$240	$250	$260
per person	$230	$120	$83	$65

⚠️ [If you are more people, contact us and we will make an individual calculation for you]

PRIVATE TOUR BOOKING

[Here you can submit a request to book a private tour. We will try to respond to you within 24 hours]

BOOKING TERMS

PAYMENT TERMS

A deposit of $50-$100 is required to confirm a private tour booking. The exact deposit amount depends on the selected tour/option and group size. No deposit is required for group tour bookings, however a deposit may be requested in certain cases. The remaining balance is paid at the start of the tour.

CANCELLATION POLICY

PRIVATE TOURS

Customers may change or cancel their booking up to 72 hours before the tour start time. After this time, no changes or cancellations are possible.
Change or cancellation of a Comfort Option booking may incur additional fees.
The deposit is non-refundable as it covers booking administration, reservation costs, and the time reserved exclusively for your tour.

GROUP TOURS

Customers may change or cancel their booking up to 24 hours before the tour start time and receive a deposit refund. After this time, no changes, cancellations, or refunds are possible.
Late arrival or no-show by the customer may result in cancellation of the booking without a refund.
Group tours require a minimum number of participants and suitable weather conditions. If these requirements are not met, the tour may be canceled no later than 48 hours before the start, and customers will be offered an alternative date/tour or a deposit refund.

FORCE MAJEURE

Any tour or booking may be canceled due to force majeure circumstances (extreme weather, road closures, natural disasters, government restrictions, flight cancellations, etc.). In such cases, customers will receive a deposit refund or the option to reschedule the tour.