The Golden Ring of Almaty Region

6-Day Tour

OVerview Itinerary Price Tour Details

Overview:

This is one of the best planned expeditions where you will have the opportunity to enjoy the main highlights of the Almaty region. Almaty Expeditions Team offers you “The Golden Ring of Almaty Region Tour” with local experienced support team. Comfortable vehicle, English speaking guide, experienced driver, stunning nature, great atmosphere and a bit of adventure await you. The expedition includes the three most important national parks in the Almaty region and many of the best spots.

Altyn Emel National Park includes the beautiful Aktau Mountains, the volcanic Katutau Mountains and visit a great village in the middle of the desert, Basshy, where you can experience the 700 year old willow tree and mineral spring. Take a walk in the magnificent Sinning Dunes and enjoy the picturesque surroundings.

Visit the city of Zharkent with its historical sites and the local bazaar. Almaty Expeditions team always try to offer not only the natural heritage but also to meet the local community and experience their traditions and cultures. Stay at the guest house at Shonzhy Hot Spring where you will have the opportunity to enjoy the hot pools with a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

The expeditions continue with a visit to the Charyn Canyon National Park, this is one of the best highlights of Kazakhstan where you can enjoy the great canyon that stretches for over 150 kilometres. We will visit the most beautiful parts of the canyon such as Temerlik Canyon, Bestamak Canyon, Moon Canyon and the Valley of the Castle canyon.

Stay overnight in the traditional village Saty and enjoy traditional food and drink. Experience a great trek from Lower Kolsai to Middle Kolsai Lakes, known as the “Pearl of the Tien Shan Mountains”.

Enjoy a short trek to Kaindy Lake, which is famous for its unique view, well known as a forest lake that was formed by a powerful earthquake in 1911.

The expedition goes on to visit some of Almaty’s best attractions, including the Shymbulak Ski Resort, the Medeu Ice Rink and Kok Tobe Hill, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Almaty.

This is truly the best planned expedition with a great support team. An unforgettable experience is guaranteed. Do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in Almaty!

Itinerary:

We will pick you up at your location in Almaty city or at the airport. Here we go! The first attraction is the Altyn Emel National Park, one of the best places for hiking and wildlife watching. Check into a local hotel in the village of Basshy. After lunch, drive to Aktau and the Katutau Mountains. Enjoy the colourful rock formations of the mountains and take a 2-3 hour hike. After the hike we will take you to the mysterious oasis where you can enjoy a 700 year old willow tree.

After breakfast we drive to the Sinning Dunes where you can hike to the 120m high dune and enjoy the surrounding nature. In the afternoon we drive to the town of Zharkent where you can visit a local bazaar and the main attractions of the town including a Chinese mosque. Drive further and spend the night at the Shonzhy Hot Spring. In the evening you can enjoy the 40 degree hot spring pools which are great for your health. Stay at the local guest house.

Charyn Canyon National Park includes the five main canyons such as Temerlik, Red, Yellow, Bestamak and Castle of Valley canyons. We chose the best three canyons for this trip and today you can enjoy the beautiful Temerlik and Bestamak canyons. And the Valley of Castle Canyon will be visited on the way back to Almaty. Enjoy a great picturesque canyon and take a hike. Drive to the traditional Saty Valley. Stay overnight in a local guesthouse.

The Kolsai Lakes are a system of three lakes with stunning views. The car will take us to the lower Kolsai Lake. Here you can enjoy a short boat trip to reach the middle of the lake and enjoy the surrounding nature. We start our trek to the middle Kolsai Lake which takes about 3 hours one way. This is a great nature walk and we ask you to be prepared for it. You will need good walking boots, a day pack with some essentials such as a waterproof jacket, sunscreen, water and more. Return to Saty village in the evening. Enjoy a traditional meal Bes Barmak and a traditional drink Kymyz.

Today you can enjoy the beautiful Medey valley on the foothills of Ile Alatau. The first stop is at the Medeu ice rink, this is one of the largest in Central Asia. Then we take a cable car to the Shymbulak ski resort. This is one of Almaty’s best attractions and is open all year round. In the summer you can enjoy a great 2-3 hour hike with great views of Talgar Mountain. Alternatively, you can try a short horse ride. This is one of the main winter resorts in Kazakhstan. There are several cable cars, the highest of which takes you from 2200m to 3200m. The trip continues with a visit to Kok Tobe Hill. From here you can enjoy a panoramic view of Almaty. Enjoy a farewell dinner at the restaurant. End of the trip! Thank you for coming!

The Golden Ring of Almaty Region

Duration: 6-Days
Availability: Four seasons
Best time: April-November
Begin and end: Almaty
Tour type: Outdoor, hiking
Price from: 990 USD p.p

Our highlights

Altyn Emel National Park
Visit traditional village Saty
Charyn Canyon National Park
Kolsai Lakes National Park
Shymbulak Ski Resort, Medeu and Kok Tobe Hill

BOOK NOW

Tour Price Includes

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

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.

There are toilets at the national park. But not everywhere so please let your guide know in advance. Thank you very much.

This is one of four Almaty’s Day Tours and it is based on visiting the more remote attractions, including all three tourist sites. Recommended for nature lovers!

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.

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

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 Almaty City Tour is available all year round. Please check the weather forecast once you have chosen your tour date. And try to pack an extra jacket for the evenings.

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

The remain balance can be paid 7 days 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 Almaty Day Tour does not include accommodation.

During the tour you will have the opportunity to taste the traditional meals. 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. In the evening we will take you to one of the best restaurants in town.

This is a fully guided day tour where you will be accompanied by local guides. We have an experienced driver and a comfortable vehicle.