Kolsai & Kaindy Lakes, Charyn Canyon tour from Almaty

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/51

Duration15h

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Five natural wonders, one full day: canyon walls, a forest underwater, and two mountain lakes

A full-day tour from Almaty visiting Charyn Canyon, Moon Canyon, Black Canyon, Kaindy Lake and Kolsai Lake with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup at 5 AM, and lunch at a local guesthouse in Saty village. The route covers roughly 15 hours and includes all national park entrance fees. Choose the private option if your group wants to set its own pace; the small-group version shares the van and the cost.

15h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore lakes and canyons near Almaty

05:00 Pick-up from Almaty
07:00 Coffee and restroom break
08:30 Visit Charyn Canyon and walk
10:00 Depart Charyn Canyon
Visit Moon Canyon landscape
Visit and photograph Black Canyon
12:00 Arrive Saty village and transfer to Kaindy Lake
Walk or ride horses to Kaindy Lake
14:30 Lunch at guesthouse in Saty
16:00 Transfer to Lower Kolsai Lake
17:00 Leave Kolsai Lakes National Park
20:30 Coffee and restroom break
22:00 Drop-off in Almaty

The Experience

The day starts before dawn with pickup from your Almaty hotel at 5 AM. By 8:30 you're walking the red rock walls of Charyn Canyon, often called the little brother of the Grand Canyon — the stone has been carved over millions of years into towering formations. The guide takes you to several viewpoints along the canyon floor, then you move on to Moon Canyon, a pale section of the same formation that looks like a lunar landscape, and Black Canyon with its dark volcanic cliffs. Coffee and a bathroom stop happen on the drive between sites.

At noon you reach Saty village and transfer to Kaindy Lake, where a legendary Soviet UAZ-452 off-road van takes you as far as the parking point. From there it's a 2 km walk to the lake itself — you can hire horses or a taxi van instead if you prefer not to walk. The lake is a submerged forest: spruce trees rise straight out of crystal-clear turquoise water, creating a landscape that looks like nothing else. Lunch happens at 2:30 PM at a local family's guesthouse in the village, where you eat hearty Kazakh food (vegetarian options are available). This meal is what many guests say is the highlight of the day.

The afternoon takes you to Lower Kolsai Lake, ringed by pine forests and mountain peaks. You leave the national park at 5 PM and head back toward Almaty, with another coffee stop around 8:30 PM before dropping back at your hotel around 10 PM. The full day is roughly 15 hours door-to-door. All national park entrance fees and bottled water are included; the van is air-conditioned for the long stretches between sites.

What’s included

National park entrance fees for all five sites.
bottled water throughout the day.
air-conditioned vehicle.
hearty lunch of local Kazakh cuisine with a vegetarian option.
English-speaking guide.
hotel pickup from Almaty at 5 AM.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Kazakhstan Very Nice

Is this one for you?The private option suits groups who want to linger at each stop without keeping others waiting. The small-group tour works if you're traveling solo or with one or two others and want to share the cost — the route and the lunch are the same either way.