Kazakhstan · Private tour

Grand Kazakhstan

Mountains, canyons, lakes and the steppe

Duration8 days, 7 nights
StylePrivate, just your group
RouteAlmaty · Shymbulak · Charyn · Kolsay · Tamgaly Tas
PaceActive
Best monthsMay–June and September

About this trip

Grand Kazakhstan is a private, 8-day journey through Almaty · Shymbulak · Charyn · Kolsay · Tamgaly Tas, 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.

  1. Day1

    Arrive Almaty, then the Almaty City Tour + Kok Tobe.

    Almaty at its best, from street level to the hilltop. The pastel wooden Zenkov Cathedral, the grand squares of independent Kazakhstan, the Green Bazaar's dried fruit and cheeses, and the city's famous Rahat chocolate fill the day. Then up to Kok Tobe hill for the city below and the mountains behind.

    Overnight in Almaty
  2. Day2

    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
  3. Day3

    Charyn Canyon & Black Canyon.

    Charyn is often compared with the Grand Canyon, only younger and far quieter. The Valley of Castles is a two-kilometre walk between red rock towers carved by wind and water, down to the Charyn River at the bottom. Then the Black Canyon, darker and steeper, seen from above. A long drive for a landscape you won't forget.

    Overnight in Almaty
  4. 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
  5. Day5

    Kaiyndy Lake Tour.

    Kaiyndy is one of the strangest lakes in Central Asia: a sunken forest, its spruce trunks standing straight up out of turquoise water since an earthquake flooded the valley in 1911. The mountain road there is part of the adventure. Ask us about the 4x4 ride or going on horseback.

    Overnight in Saty Village
  6. Day6

    Oi-Qaragai Mountain Resort.

    Oi-Qaragai is Almaty's family mountain resort, set in alpine forest with viewpoints over the valleys. Come for fresh air and space to relax, with plenty to add if you want it: a zipline, a rope park, ATVs or the mountain coaster.

    Overnight in Almaty
  7. Day7

    Nomad Fortress + Tamgaly Tas.

    Kazakhstan's nomad past, then ancient rock art. The Nomad Fortress was built for the film epic Nomad and shows life inside a steppe stronghold. Further out, at Tamgaly Tas on the Ili River, Buddhist figures carved into the rocks centuries ago look out over the open steppe.

    Overnight in Almaty
  8. Day8

    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, 2 nights

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
Like the look of this one? A consultant confirms availability for your dates within 24 hours. No payment, no obligation.
Book or enquire

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.

0°
-10° 5 Jan
2°
-8° 7 Feb
8°
-2° 12 Mar
16°
4° 12 Apr
19°
9° 15 May
24°
13° 12 Jun
27°
16° 10 Jul
25°
14° 10 Aug
20°
10° 7 Sep
13°
3° 10 Oct
6°
-4° 8 Nov
0°
-9° 6 Dec
Comfortable Workable Hard going Bottom row: average rain days that month

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 8 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.

We reply from a real person, usually within a few hours. Your details are used to answer this enquiry, see our privacy policy.

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