East Kazakhstan, Katon-Karagay National Park Tour

Almaty day tour - Torysh, The Valley of Balls

OVerview Itinerary Price Tour Details

Overview:

Katon-Karagay National Park, located in the East Kazakhstan region, is the largest national park in Kazakhstan. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the stunning Altai Mountains, renowned for their natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

The park is a haven for biodiversity, featuring diverse flora and fauna, including mountain forests, glaciers and alpine meadows, and plays a significant role in promoting ecotourism and biodiversity conservation.

The main attraction of the national park is Mount Belukha, the highest peak of the Altai mountain range, which extends into the Mongolian Gobi Desert. Belukha Mountain, the highest peak in Siberia at 4,506 meters, holds spiritual significance for various cultures, including shamanic and Buddhist traditions.

The Altai is a vast area stretching across four countries and containing many stunning natural wonders, such as mountain streams, the only lake in the area, and the deafening roar of water stream from the largest waterfall, Kokkol Waterfall. Forest fires play a crucial role in national park management, and specialized equipment is provided for forest firefighting to protect these natural areas.

Katon-Karagay National Park offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of nature and explore the region’s natural resources and rich cultural and historical heritage.

The park’s diverse ecosystems are defined by the northern slopes of the Sarymsakty and Tarbagatai ranges and the unique mountainous terrain of the Southern Altai.

Katon-Karagay National park is home to unique corners of Central Asia, including the Yazovaya River, and is supported by projects from UNDP Kazakhstan, focusing on sustainable businesses and preserving biodiversity.

During a trip to this remote region, you will be able to enjoy stunning and picturesque places such as Shekel’mes, Zaisan Lake, Markakol Lake, Rakhmonov Spring Resort, and Bukhtarma Reservoir.

Katon-Karagay National park’s rich cultural and historical significance is evident at Mount Belukha, considered sacred by followers of the teachings of Nicholas Roerich. The energy is believed to be concentrated at the top of the highest mountain there, making it a popular destination for mountaineering and trekking expeditions.

Mount Belukha, the highest peak of the Altai mountain range

This is a carefully planned 10-day trip with a local support team. The best time to visit Katon-Karagay National Park is from May to September. Due to the concentrated summer tourist season, we strongly recommend that you book your trip in advance.

Itinerary:

Oskemen is the administrative center of Eastern Kazakhstan. You will be met at the local airport by our local guides and transferred to your hotel. Short city tour and walk through the city center. Welcome dinner at the restaurant. Rest up and get ready for a long journey.

All camping and cooking equipment is loaded into the vehicles. The team will be ready to go, pick you up early in the morning and drive south-east. Kiin Kerish or Burning Cliff is a stunningly scenic unique formation of red and yellow clay escarpments. We stop at the most beautiful spots.

Take your time and enjoy the scenery. The driver heads further west to Shekelmes Tent Camp near Lake Zaisan. Set up camp and enjoy a delicious meal prepared by our guides. Enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Today we head north east to the small village of Urunhayka on the eastern shore of Lake Markakol. This is one of the most beautiful lakes in eastern Kazakhstan. The last part of the route takes us along the famous Austrian Road.

This mainly dirt road was built as a strategic transport corridor connecting the Kurshim and Katon Karagay regions. The road was built between 1915 and 1917 by Austro-Hungarian prisoners of the First World War (Czechs, Slovaks, Austrians and Hungarians) captured on the Eastern Front. On arrival, we can arrange a short fishing trip by boat. Overnight in a local guesthouse.

Today we head higher and reach the village of Yasevoe. The whole trip can take 5-6 hours as we drive on a gravel mountain road. There are several high passes along the way where you can stop for a break and lunch. On arrival in the village, you will be taken to a local guesthouse.

After breakfast, we continue up the valley and stop at Yasevoe Lake. Enjoy a beautiful view of the picturesque lake with Belukha Mountain, the highest peak in Siberia at 4,506 meters, in the background. Hike to the Yasevoe Waterfall. Arrive at Rakhmonov Resort in the afternoon. T

his is one of the beautifully located hot springs with a number of minerals that are very helpful for health. Enjoy the surrounding nature. Overnight at the Rakhmonov Hotel.

On the 6th day, we offer you a beautiful hike where you can enjoy the untouched pure nature of the Altai and a great view of Mt. Belukha. Enjoy swimming in the spring.

Return to the valley and stop at the village of Urul. Here we will take you to a local reindeer farm. The purpose of the farm is to collect deer antlers in the summer and prepare traditional medicine. This is a very popular place among locals.

The UNDP Deputy Resident Representative has been actively supporting the development of ecological tourism in Katon-Karagay National Park, including the opening of an upgraded tourist trail. Their efforts focus on domestic tourism and promoting sustainability and biodiversity in the region.

Next, we go to the village of Katon-Karagay. Overnight at a local guesthouse.

This is another beautiful place not to be missed. Enjoy a relaxing day and a fun evening. We can walk around the village and enjoy the beautiful Bukhtarma Lake.

Drive back to Oskemen town. Check into a hotel in town. Enjoy evening hike. Farewell dinner with the team.

We will drop you off at the local Oskemen airport. Thank you for coming!

East Kazakhstan, Katon-Karagay National Park Tour

Duration: 10-Days
Availability: Four seasons
Best time: May- September
Begin and end: Uskemen
Tour type: Wild Nature, Sightseeing
Price from: 2250 USD p.p

Our highlights

Katon-Karagai National park
Yazevoe gorge
Belukha Mountain
Rahmonov Spring Resort
Markakol Nature Reserve
Bukhtarma reservoir
Uskemen city

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Tour Price Includes

Transportation + fuel
Experienced driver
English speaking guide
All permits and fees
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
All activities

Tour price excludes

Personal needs
Alcoholic beverages
Gratitude

Tour details:

Please get dressed according to the weather forecast. And please, make sure your phone is fully charged. Take a day pack with the following items: sunglasses, fresh water, sunscreen, waterproof jacket, hand sanitizer, toiletries. And please have some cash in case you want to go shopping or buy souvenirs.

This tour covers long destinations in search of natural gems. It is highly recommended for the untouched nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts.

Our guide is a tour leader, we kindly ask you to follow his/her instructions and respect his/her job.

Please do not hurt the feelings of the locals and respect their traditions. Please be prepared for the trip and get ready on time.

Please remember that we are happy to meet you and it is our pleasure to guide you today. It is going to be a great day, so please enjoy your trip.

We are responsible for picking you up at the time we have arranged. We are responsible for visiting the places and seeing the attractions that we have mentioned on our itinerary.

We are responsible for guiding you with pleasure and giving you a great tour. We are not responsible for any unplanned inconvenience during the tour.

We are not responsible for the traffic in the city and finally, we are not responsible for the bad weather conditions that you have to be prepared for in advance.

Almaty is a big city and there will be a lot of traffic during your day tour. Please be patient.
If the any of attractions are not open, we will replace it with other highlights that are no less exciting.
The tour can be booked the day before. Please let us know your preferred date and wait for confirmation.
The tour can started with a picking-up from the airport.

The East Kazakhstan tour is available during the summer time. Due to high altitude in the evening, you can feel a cold wind. Please check the weather forecast once you have chosen your tour date. And try to pack an extra waterproof jacket.

We kindly ask you to pay a deposit to confirm your trip.

The remain balance can be paid a month before the start of the tour (but we are very flexible with payment terms)

Here is our cancellation policy that we recommend our clients to follow.

Cancelling the tour within more than 2 months, 50% of your deposit payment will be reinbussed

Cancelling the tour less than one month, the deposit payment will not be reinbussed

The East Kazakhstan Tour includes staying at different types of accommodations based on the tourist routes and local standards. The second day we will stay by the Zaisan Lake in the tent.

And the rest of the attractions have small villages and guesthouses. At the Rakhmonov Resort, you can stay at the cozy hotel with a stunning view.

During the tour, you will have the opportunity to taste traditional meals. We will bring our cooking gear with us. The breakfast we can have at the guesthouse.

And the lunch will be served as lunch boxes on the halfway in the open air nature. If you are vegetarian or vegan please let us know in advance. There is a wide choice of meals so we hope you will enjoy the traditional meals.

This is an expedition into the wild. And having an experienced guide is very important. We offer you a fully guided tour where you will be accompanied by local guides. We have an experienced driver and a comfortable vehicle.