Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes with Charyn Canyon 2-day tour

Starting/ending point: Almaty city

Driving distance: 660 km from Almaty and back

Tour duration: 2 days/1 night

Start time: 07:30 am Almaty time

Availability season: all year round

Tour language: English | Russian

Tour options: GROUP | PRIVATE

Description

TOURIST PLACES you'll visit:

Within 2 days you will visit the most famous places of Almaty region - Charyn Canyon, Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes. You will also axplore a very quiet place with landscapes of unearthly beauty - Yellow (Moon) Canyon. The itinerary is designed so that you can enjoy the tour without rushing and visit sites at the best time of the day at the best lighting conditions. Our tour guide will show you the best photo spots and tell you interesting information about the places.

An exciting journey awaits you to the most visited destination among all tourists in Kazakhstan - Valley of the Castles of Charyn Canyon, one of the side canyons of Charyn river. This is completed the ensemble of “palaces”, “towers” and ”minarets” formed by Pliocene deposits of red color, due to which this place is also called the Red Canyon. The canyon has a length of about 1.5 km and a depth of 150 m.

The next place you will visit is Kaindy Lake. An incredible scenery that you see above the water are the trunks of centenary spruce trees. And under the surface of the water, branches and needles of spruce trees were preserved in their original form due to the low temperature of the lake's water.

Picturesque Lower Kolsai lake - the most accessible one. The lake is located at an altitude of 1818 m. Today this place is very popular and receives thousands of tourists every day. Here you can take a walk, enjoy the view of the lake with a cup of coffee or take a boat ride.

ITINERARY

Day 1

07:00 - 08:00 Pick-up and departure from Almaty (Exact pick-up time will be informed the day before the tour)
Trip to Charyn Canyon
Charyn Canyon "Valley of the Castles", visiting several spots, walking along the bottom of the canyon 1.5 km till Charyn river
Lunch in the guesthouse
Trip to Kolsai Lake
Kolsai Lake, walking, horseback-riding or boating (optional), visiting several spots
18:30 Hotel/guesthouse accommodation, dinner

Day 2

07:00 Breakfast, check-out
Trip to Kaindy Lake
Kaindy Lake, hiking or horseback-riding (optional), visiting several spots
Lunch in the guesthouse of Saty village
Leaving Kolsai Lakes National Park
Short stop at Black Canyon
Short stop at Yellow (Moon) Canyon
Way back to Almaty
19:00 - 20:00 Drop-off in Almaty

⚠️ [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]

PHOTOS OF OUR TOURISTS

REVIEWS

OPTIONS & PRICES

GROUP tour (shared basis) ⭕ Small groups of up to 15 tourists ⭕ Tour language: English ⭕ Pick-up/drop-off: listed points (see here) ⭕ Available on fixed dates (check here) ⭕ Limited number of seats (check here)	✅ Comfortable minibus with A/C Mercedes Sprinter or Toyota Hiace ✅ English-speaking tour guide ✅ Breakfast x 1, Lunch x 2, Dinner x 1 of local cuisine (vegetarian option is available) ✅ Bottled water ✅ National parks admissions ✅ House or Yurt (Kazakh traditional dwelling) accommodation in 4-bed yurts/rooms shared with other tour participants of the same gender ✅ Bonfire after dinner ❌ Special food & drinks (not provided) ❌ Horseback-riding/boating (paid on site)
EXTRA
✅ Private accommodation in a private room (for 1-3 persons) +$30 per room
Regular price per person	Adult (18-80) - $120 Youth (13-17) - $100 Children (5-12) - $80 Children under 5 y.o. are not allowed on the tour
% Cascading discounts % For a one-time booking for 2 or more adults: ⭕ when booking for 2 adults - 5% discount; ⭕ when booking for 3 and more adults - 10% discount.

PRIVATE tour Only one group of tourists participates without other people	✅ Hotel pick-up/drop-off ✅ National parks entrance fees ✅ Comfortable 4x4 minivan/SUV or minibus ✅ English-speaking guide-driver ✅ Bottled water ✅ Accommodation (details below) ❌ Special food & drinks (ordered in advance) ❌ Horseback-riding/boating is paid on site (from 6000 KZT/person)
[ECONOMY] option	✅ Guesthouse accommodation in private room (WC/bathroom is shared) ✅ Breakfast x 1, Lunch x 2, Dinner x 1 (vegetarian option is available)
Number of people	2	3	4	5*	6	7	8
TOTAL PRICE	$620	$700	$760	$825	$1110	$1190	$1280
Vehicle type	4x4 SUV with guide-driver				Van (minibus) with driver + tour guide
*luggage is not allowed, only backpacks
[NOMADIC] option	✅ Yurt (Kazakh traditional dwelling) accommodation (WC/bathroom is outside) ✅ Breakfast x 1, Lunch x 2, Dinner x 1 (vegetarian option is available)
Number of people	2	3	4	5*	6	7	8
TOTAL PRICE	$680	$765	$820	$900	$1140	$1210	$1280
Vehicle type	4x4 SUV with guide-driver				Van (minibus) with driver + tour guide
*luggage is not allowed, only backpacks
[COMFORT] option	✅ Hotel accommodation with lake/mountain view (see photo) ✅ Breakfast x 1, Lunch x 2 (vegetarian option is available) ❌ Dinner is not included and ordered in the hotel's cafe
Number of people	2	3	4	5*	6	7	8
TOTAL PRICE	$800	$850	$940	$1050	$1280	$1330	$1430
Room type at Kolsai Lake	Double-bed or twin room	3-person room	4-person room	2-person + 3-person rooms	4-person + 2-person rooms	4-person + 3-person rooms	2x 4-person rooms
Vehicle type	4x4 SUV with guide-driver				Van (minibus) with driver + tour guide
*luggage is not allowed, only backpacks

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

IMPORTANT INFO

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Average
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.

WE RECOMMEND TO TAKE WITH YOU: weather/season-appropriate outerwear, warm clothes (cold after sunset), trekking boots/sport shoes, head cover, personal hygiene products, some cash in KZT for WC/horseback riding (from 6000 KZT per person depending on route/duration).
!!! Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes are located in the border area with Kyrgyzstan. Be sure to have your passport (original, not a copy) with you in case of inspection. Border guards can fine you if you don't have it.

PRECAUTION

• Not recommended for travelers with serious medical conditions, high/low blood pressure;
• Not recommended for pregnant women;
• Not recommended for travelers with a fear of heights and who can not withstand long trips by car/long walks/hikes;

GROUP TOUR BOOKING

[Here you can book your place on a group tour by yourself specifying the number of people and selecting an available tour date]

⚠️ [We use PayPal as a payment gateway to accept online payments from foreign bank cards, so you can securely pay with any debit/credit card. No need to have or create a PayPal account.]

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

Prepayment (10% - 30% deposit for the Private tours, 30% - 50% deposit for the Group tours) of the tour cost is required to confirm your booking. The remaining amount can be paid at the start of the tour.
We use PayPal as a payment gateway to accept online payments from foreign bank cards, so you can securely pay with any debit/credit card. No need to have or create a PayPal account.

CANCELLATION POLICY

PRIVATE TOURS

Customers can change the details or cancel the booking no later than 72 hours before the start of the tour with the possibility of a 70-90% refund of the tour cost. After this time, no refund is possible.

GROUP (SHARED) TOURS

Customers can change the details or cancel the booking no later than 24 hours before the start of the tour/activity with a full refund of the tour cost. After this time, no refund is possible.
A minimum number of tourists and suitable weather are required. If these criteria are not met, the tour/activity will be canceled no later than 48 hours before the start and customers will be offered a different date/tour or a full refund.

Any tour/booking can be canceled in case of force majeure with a full refund.