Kazakhstan · Private tour
7-Day Altyn Emel, Saty & Medeu Tour
Private tour, 6 nights, driver-guide and vehicle
Photo: Bgag, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this trip
7-Day Altyn Emel, Saty & Medeu Tour is a private, 7-day journey through Almaty · Saty Village · Altyn Emel · Charyn · Kolsay · Saty, run by our own driver-guides (larger groups also get a separate guide) rather than subcontracted to a local agency. Canyons, alpine lakes and the Tian Shan rising straight out of Almaty.
You travel as your own group, no strangers, no fixed coach departure. The itinerary below is our recommended shape; a consultant can move a day, add a night or change a hotel before you commit to anything.
Pace: Several long transfer days and full sightseeing days throughout.
Day by day
The outline of this trip. Your consultant sends the full day-by-day programme, with timings, once your booking is confirmed.
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Day1
Arrive in Almaty, transfer to your hotel. Overnight Almaty.
Overnight in Almaty -
Day2
Altyn Emel Stay.
A night in the desert of Altyn-Emel National Park. The Singing Dune, a ridge of sand some 150 metres high that hums when the wind moves it, is the star; the village of Basshi is your base; and sunset over the steppe ends the day.
Overnight in Almaty -
Day3
Charyn Canyon & Kolsay Lake.
Red canyon, blue lake. Charyn's Valley of Castles, red rock towers above a fast river, is the first half of the day. The second is Kolsay, a lake in a spruce forest so clear it is known as the pearl of the northern Tian Shan.
Overnight in Almaty -
Day4
Charyn + Kolsay + Saty Stay.
The full eastern circuit, with a night in the mountains. Charyn and the Black Canyon, then Kolsay Lake in its spruce forest, and an overnight in Saty, a village homestay where the evenings are quiet and the stars are bright. It is the base for the lakes high above.
Overnight in Saty Village -
Day5
Charyn + Kolsay + Saty Stay (day 2, more time there). Overnight Almaty.
Overnight in Almaty -
Day6
Shymbulak & Medeu Tour.
Almaty's mountains start where the city ends. Medeu, one of the highest skating rinks in the world, sits in a valley above town, and a gondola climbs from there to Shymbulak, a ski resort reaching past 3,000 metres to the Talgar Pass. Coffee with a glacier view, skiing in winter or a zipline in summer: ask us.
Overnight in Almaty -
Day7
Free morning, transfer to the airport for departure.
Departure
Where you stay
Our standard choice for this route. Prefer something different, or a family room? A consultant can reprice it.
- Mildom City · 4-star · Almaty, 5 nights
- Satty Home Stay · Home stay · Saty Village, 1 night
What's included
Included in the price
- Loading from our booking system…
Not included
- International flights to and from the region
- Visa fees where your passport requires one
- Lunches and dinners unless stated in the itinerary
- Personal expenses, drinks and souvenirs
- Tips for your guide and driver
- Anything not listed under what’s included
How group size changes the price
A private tour splits the vehicle, the guide and the driver across your group, so the per-person price falls as the group grows. These are live figures for this exact itinerary.
Calculating…
Weather, month by month
Average daytime high, night-time low and rain days for the places this trip actually goes, from five years of recorded observations. Not a forecast, and not the capital's weather standing in for the mountains.
Best months for this trip: Jul, Aug, Sep.
Good to know
- Visas
- It depends on your passport: see visa rules for Kazakhstan, each linked to its government source. We will tell you what we know, but the requirement is yours to check against your own passport.
- Best time to go
- May–June and September. We run this trip outside those months too, prices and conditions change, so ask.
- Getting there
- International flights are not included. Most travellers fly into Almaty; we meet you at the airport.
- Confirming
- The price you see is real, but it is a quotation until a consultant checks hotel and guide availability for your dates, normally within 24 hours.
Questions we get asked
Is this a group tour with other people?
No. Every trip on this site is private: your group, your vehicle, your guide, your dates. Nobody else joins you.
Can the itinerary be changed?
Yes. This is our recommended shape for 7 days, not a fixed product. Add a night, drop a day trip, change a hotel tier, a consultant reprices it before you commit.
Is the price per person or total?
Prices show per person based on two people sharing a double room, with the total alongside. Solo travellers and larger groups price differently, the table above shows how.
When do I pay?
Nothing is taken through this website. A consultant confirms availability, sends a written quote with the payment schedule, and only then do you decide.
What if the weather closes a mountain road?
It happens, mostly outside the months above. We offer the nearest equivalent we can arrange and explain any difference in cost, either way.
What travellers say
4.9 from 227 reviews on Google
Those reviews are from travellers on our Georgia trips, where we have run longest. We have not written reviews for Kazakhstan and will not invent them, so you are seeing our overall rating rather than feedback on this itinerary.
Book or ask about this trip
Choose your date and group to see your exact price, then request to book it. Nothing to pay now: a consultant confirms hotels and guides within 24 hours and sends a secure payment link. Or just send us a question.
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