Venture into the mountains of Kazakhstan

Lakes and Canyons Adventure - 11th -16th July 2025 - 4900 AED

This 5 day group tour will see you trekking past alpine lakes with their crystal clear waters, glacial waterfalls and your chance to come face-to-face with the region’s rich history, local communities, culture, and wildlife.

We start off in Almaty, a former capital of Kazakhstan, and then travel towards the majestic Tien Shan mountains with a visit to Turgen Gorge and hikes around the picturesque Kolsai and Kaindy lakes. The trip will also include a stop at the Assy Plateu, a visit to local nomad communities and a stop at the famous Valley of Castles.

Full Itinerary

Day 1 · Almaty - Talgarsky Pass - Issyk Lake - Turgen camp

Morning pick up in Almaty, drive to Medeo skating rink where take a cable car to Talgarsky pass (3200m) via Shymbulak ski resort. Enjoy the view of the Northern Tien Shan snow-covered mountains and glaciers around. Talgarsky pass is also known as one of the best viewpoints of the highest peak in this region - Talgar 5017m. Take a cable car down to Medeo, drive to the Issyk highland lake.

Lake Issyk is the pearl of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge. The color of its water changes depending on the season and can be from steel gray to turquoise. The surrounding peaks are reflected in the surface of the lake, and this is definitely worth seeing before sunset. Take lunch and go to Turgen gorge. Late afternoon arrival at Trekking Club camp in Turgen. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at a camp "glamping" style.

Day 2 · Jeep-tour by Assy highland plateau

Breakfast at a camp, drive up by the gorge (real off-road!) to the Assy Plateau. The road starts in the forest zone of Turgen gorge, and climbs up through the thicket that ends suddenly at a height of 2600 meters ASL. And a boundless green highland valley appears.

The Kazakh nomads use Asy plateau for the thousands of years as a summer pasture, and they are still there with their goats, sheep, horses and white yurts. Enjoy the nomadic wanders: immense highlands full of beautiful happy animals, white beads of yurts scattered here and there across the vast plateau, shepherds followed by their faithful Tazy dogs, ancient Saki (Scythian) ruins and burial pyramids, Bronze Age rock carvings, and of course wildlife. After a picnic on the plateau with incredible views Tien Shan snow peaks and glaciers, we stop to see the Assy space observatory and drive down to the camp. Relax, dinner and another night at camp.

 Day 3 · Turgen - Charyn Canyon - Saty 

Breakfast at a camp, transfer to the Charyn Canyon. National Park's entry procedures. Excursion along the canyon called Valley of Castles known for its fantastic colorful rock formations, 2 hours. We will hike down the cliff up to the Charyn riverbank. Take lunch in Charyn, with stunning views. Back to the cars. Transfer to the Kolsai area. Late afternoon arrival at a guesthouse in Saty. Accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4 · Visit Kolsai-1 Lake and Kaindy 

Breakfast at a guest house, drive to Kolsai-1 Lake - the biggest of the whole cascade. Take a short excursion around to see it from different sides. Take lunch at a local cafe and drive to the Kaindy gorge. Take a hike around the famous lake with a sunken forest.

The lake was formed in 1911 after a huge earthquake that resulted in a big landslide from the eastern slope. The uniqueness of the lake is that after the rise of a natural dam that blocked the gorge, water that filled a basin has formed a lake but has not destroyed the spruce that had been growing in this place along the river. The upper parts of the trees sticking out of the water lost lateral branches and bark, and the wood became white. The lower part of the “drowned” pines retained branches that were overgrown with algae under the water, thus created a fantastic underwater landscape.

Late afternoon, back to the same guest house. Take dinner and stay overnight.

 Day 5 · Visit Temirlik, Bestamak and Moon canyons, back to Almaty

 Breakfast at a guest house, drive to the right bank of Charyn River to explore less popular but not less interesting deserted cliffs. First stop is at Temirlik canyon, with a beautiful grove of relic Sogdian ash-trees inside. After checking Temirlik, we move to another canyon called Bestamak (Red Canyon) known for its amazing landscapes and wildlife. After a short excursion in Bestamak, we take lunch and drive back to Almaty - with a stop at a famous viewpoint of the Yellow (or Zhabyr) Canyon - to complete the impression of all the canyons in the memory.

Glaciers and Gorges Adventure - August 14th -20th 2025 - 5500 AED

A bit more challenging than the Lake and Canyon Adventure, you will spend 5 days with your travel group and will trek across two beautiful glaciers - Bogdanovich and Tyuksu, hike past alpine lakes of Kolsai and Kaindy, and glacial waterfalls.

You will get the chance to immerse not only in the region’s breathtaking natural beauty but also in its rich culture and history.

Full Itinerary

Day 1 · Almaty - Bogdanovich glacier hike - Turgen camp

Morning pick up in Almaty, drive to Medeo skating rink where take a cable car to Talgarsky pass (3200m) via Shymbulak ski resort. Hike to the Bogdanovich glacier 3600m and back to the pass, 4 hours in total.

The trail starts at 3200m and passes the zone of glaciers with almost no vegetation. In the beginning it goes along the left side of the gorge, by the ground track. Then comes to the left side moraine of the glacier and finally leads to the tongue of the glacier. Along the way you will admire the views of Chkalov and Fizkulturnik peaks, covered by "hanging" glaciers called Ayak and Til. The tongue of the glacier offers a stunning panorama of the northern walls of the peaks Komsomol, Amangeldy and Pioneer. We get back to the pass along the same way, take a cable car down to Medeo. After a lunch - transfer to Turgen gorge. Late afternoon arrival at Trekking Club camp in Turgen. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at a camp in "glamping" style.

Day 2 · Hiking to the Kairak waterfall in Turgen gorge

 Breakfast at a camp. Hiking to the Kairak waterfall, which is the biggest one in this area (70m tall) and never dries. There are 8km from the confluence of Turgen and Kishi-Turgen rivers (campsite) to Kairak, so the hike takes up to 5 hours in total. The path is so smooth and comfortable that nothing will prevent you from enjoying the views of flowering meadows and dense spruce forests all the way to the fall. Back to the campsite in the late afternoon. Hot shower, dinner and overnight.

Day 3 · Turgen - Charyn Canyon - Saty

Breakfast at a camp, transfer to the Charyn Canyon. National Park's entry procedures. Hiking along the canyon called Valley of Castles known for its fantastic colorful rock formations, 2 hours. We will hike down the cliff up to the Charyn riverbank. Take lunch in Charyn, with stunning views. Back to the car, transfer to the Kolsai area. Late afternoon arrival at a guesthouse in Saty. Accommodation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4 · Hiking Kolsai-1 Lake to Kolsai-2 Lake

Breakfast at a guesthouse, transfer to the Kolasi-1 Lake (30 min). Hiking from the First Kolsay Lake called "Saty" to the Second one - "Mynzhylgy". There are 8km between the lakes, and the whole hike takes 6 hours. The nature of Kungey Alatau mountains with its mysterious spruce forests and deep turquoise lakes will leave indelible trace in your memory.. Lunch in the form of a picnic at a Lake-2 lakeshore. Late afternoon back to the same guesthouse. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5 · Visit Kaindy Lake and get back to Almaty

 Breakfast at a guesthouse, transfer to the Kaindy Lake. Hiking around the lake with the famous sunken forest, 2 hours. This unique basin (length is 400m) lies at a height of about 1800m above sea level, in the zone of dense spruce forest. The lake was formed in 1911 after a huge earthquake that resulted in a big landslide from the eastern slope. The uniqueness of the lake is that after the rise of a natural dam that blocked the gorge, water that filled a basin has formed a lake but has not destroyed the spruce that had been growing in this place along the river. The upper parts of the trees sticking out of the water lost lateral branches and bark, and the wood became white. The lower part of the “drowned” pines retained branches that were overgrown with algae under the water, thus created a fantastic underwater landscape. After a lunch, we drive back to Almaty (4 hours).

Evening drop off at a hotel in Almaty or directly to the airport for departure flight .